CCC Gainesville | Blog
Theme: What’s in a name? Everything.
One of the great privileges of parenting begins before the child is born, as they (often) agonize for months on what to name their child. If they find out the gender, they can narrow down their choices, but still the burden can feel overwhelming. But as the time draws near, a preferable name is chosen, and from then on, all references to the baby will now have a name attached. A time honored Jewish tradition was to give children special names that pointed well beyond personal preference, to hopes, dreams, or even memories of others. Mary never had to agonize over naming her baby, as she is told here what the baby must be named: Jesus. More than a popular boys name at the time, which it was, the name “Jesus” in Hebrew is Joshua, who brought the Israelites into the promised land after the death of Moses. Matthew sees Jesus as the one who will now complete what the law of Moses pointed to but could not of itself produce. He will rescue His people, not from slavery in Egypt, but from the slavery of sin.
This Advent season, thank God for His saving grace, and for a name that always reminds us that Jesus came to save us, not to teach us how to save ourselves.
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