Jesus, Name Above All Names
Ron Hamilton, Conference Minister
It seems like a simple request… ”You are to call him, Jesus” An angel of the Lord visited both Mary and Joseph and gave them the same command.
But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:20-21)
In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. (Luke 1:26-31)
We can only imagine how this happened. It’s likely that they spoke his name as soon as he was born. “God wants us to name him, Jesus!” The shepherds likely asked, “What’s his name?”, when they arrived at the barn where he was born. Mary and Joseph likely responded, “His name is Jesus!” We know that he was officially given the name, Jesus, when he was presented in the temple for circumcision on the 8th day after he was born.
The name, Jesus, was a very common name in that culture. It was a historical, everyday name. It was pronounced Yeshua, which means in Hebrew “Yahweh saves!” As he grew up, he may have been known as “Jesus, bar Joseph”, which was a common way of linking a father and his son. We know that he was called “Jesus, of Nazareth”, early in his ministry.
In spite of the commonness of his name, we know that he was an extraordinary Jesus. Jesus was the perfect Son of God, born of a virgin. He gave His life as the perfect sacrifice for sin, once for all. He was raised from the dead and now sits at the right hand of God. We agree with the songwriter who wrote, “Jesus, Name Above All Names”.
Jesus is “‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:11-12)
This is a season to revel in the name of Jesus. As members of our Christ-centered Congregational Conference, let us join together in worshipping Jesus in this season, as we sing, “Your name is the highest, Your name is the greatest, Your name stands above them all. All thrones and dominions, All powers and positions, Your name stands above them all. (from Holy Forever by Chris Tomlin)”