APRIL 3, 2012
The Name
Read: Matthew 1:18-25
You shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. —Matthew 1:21
What is it about a name that makes it so special to us? I began
thinking about this after talking to a teenager as we stood
outside her church in Black River, Jamaica, one Sunday morning.
She asked, “Would you mention my name in Our Daily Bread?”
I asked her if she had a story to tell, and she said, “No, just
mention my name.”
As I thought about her request—and her name—I wondered why
her parents named her “Joyeth.” Seeing the happy nature of
her personality led me to conclude that if their rationale was
to urge her along toward “joy” in her life, they had succeeded.
Most parents have that choice when a new baby is coming. But
one baby received His name in a far different way. It wasn’t His
parents’ choice that led to His moniker, and His wasn’t a name
given to coax Him toward a personality trait. I’m speaking of
the One whose name was provided by an angel who told His
parents to “call His name Jesus” (Matt. 1:21). Why? “For He
will save His people from their sins.”
No wonder His is the name above all names (Phil. 2:9). It’s a
name that reveals His purpose—to provide salvation from the
penalty of our sins. Jesus is indeed the name worth mentioning.
The name above all other names
Is Jesus Christ the Lord;
He came to save us from our sins
So we could be restored. —Sper
Jesus: His name and His mission are one and the same.
Source: Our Daily Bread 2012
