“You are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

— Matthew 1:21

Have you ever wondered why your parents chose your name? Maybe they named you after a family member. Perhaps they named you after a person in the Bible. Or maybe they chose your name because they liked the way it sounded.

When Mary was about to give birth, she and Joseph didn’t have a choice. Through an angel, God commanded them to name the child Jesus.

The name Jesus is Greek for the Hebrew name Joshua, whom God chose to lead Israel into the promised land (Joshua 1). The Hebrew name Joshua means “God is deliverance,” and that was a fitting name for the man who led Israel out of their wandering in the wilderness and into the land God had promised them. And in God’s great story, the life of Joshua points toward an even greater figure.

When we say, with the Apostles’ Creed, “I believe in Jesus,” we affirm that God’s Son, Jesus, is our salvation. God’s own Son rescues us from the dark pit of our sin into the light and spacious peace of knowing and resting in God.

So many things promise deliverance in this life. Yet the Bible states clearly that there is only one way to know God—and that is through his Son, Jesus (John 14:6). Do you believe in him? Do you trust in him? His name means “Savior,” or “the Lord saves,” revealing that Jesus is God’s deliverance.

Jesus, name above all names, you have washed away our sins and made us right with God. Help us to follow and serve you in all we do. Amen.