Moment of Meditation: Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:21)

Original Broadcast: December 2008

Monthly Theme: Jesus' Humiliation

[The angel said:] "She will bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins."
(Matthew 1:21)

Jesus Christ

As we begin our look at the Christmas story, we need to take a moment to look at the person at the center. Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ and Messiah, who He is and what He does. In the next couple of devotions, we'll consider the first part, who He is. This morning, I want to look at what He does as is revealed in His name and His title.

First, we have the name Jesus. We have the words of the angel to St. Joseph, the guardian of our Lord, that explains the name. His name is Jesus because "He will save His people from their sins." The name Jesus, and its Hebrew equivalent Joshua, both means "He saves." That was His primary job on earth--to save us from our sins. That's why everything written in the Gospels point toward the Crucifixion and Resurrection. That's where His saving work comes to its completion.

Then we look at His title, the Christ. Both Christ and Messiah mean "the anointed one." Jesus was anointed to be the one who would bear the sins of the world on His Cross. He had been anointed from all eternity for that job. Even the name bears witness to what He came to earth to do. Consider that today as you go on your way. Amen.