Saturday, January 1, 2005
Eighth Christmas Day
Luke 2:21 On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise him, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he had been conceived.
WHAT'S IN A NAME?
There is a lot of thought that goes into naming a child. Before the baby is due to be born, many couples sit down with books listing all kinds of names and spend a lot of time finding the ones they like. I'm sure you have some favorite names yourself.
Once someone is named, it becomes hard to think of that person apart from that name. Think of your best friends and their names. Wouldn't it seem funny if they were named something else? After a time, each person's name just seems "right." That's because your brain connects a particular name with who that person is, so when you hear a name you see a picture of that individual in your mind. At the sound of someone's name, you immediately think of everything you know about that person. Our names really become shorthand descriptions of who we are.
Sometimes names are even specially chosen at birth to describe something about a child. This custom was popular among the Hebrews. Remember Esau and Jacob in the Old Testament? Esau was so named because he had a lot of hair when he was born. Esau is the word for 'hairy.' Jacob was so named because he came out of the womb grasping his twin brother's heel. Jacob is the word for 'heal grabber.'
On the eighth day, Jesus was officially named as Joseph and Mary presented Him to the Lord at the temple in Jerusalem. The name Jesus is very descriptive of Him too. It means 'Jehovah saves.' Doesn't that name tell us exactly who He is? Doesn't that name tell us that this is the Christ sent from the Father who saves us from the punishment of our sins? At the name of Jesus, the picture that comes to mind is, "My Savior. My Salvation." And that desription is just right. The name fits Him perfectly. Blessed are they who trust in His name today and in the new year ahead. 