Name above all names

A week later, when the time came for the baby to be circumcised, he was named Jesus, the name which the angel had given him before he had been conceived. (verse 21)

Read Luke 2:15-21

Most of us who are parents can recall the process of choosing a name for an expected or newborn child, and no doubt we also wondered what the future held for that child.

Jesus was a special baby – not the son of Joseph, Mary’s promised husband, but the Son of God. His name was already given, not by Mary and Joseph, but by the angel messenger, as instructed by the Lord God himself: ‘Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins’ (Matthew 1:21). Jesus: a name above all other names.

The angel told Mary, ‘He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High God. The Lord God will make him a king … [and] his kingdom will never end’ (Luke 1:32,33).

The future of Jesus was plainly told to his earthly parents. He would be great, God in human form, and he would save his people (including you and me) from their sins.

A special baby with a special name and a special future.

Jesus, name above all names, thank you for coming to earth to be our Saviour. Amen.

By Grace Bock, in “Refreshment for each day” (LCA, Openbook Publishers (2003)

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