H. Michael Brewer
Crescent Springs Presbyterian
January 4, 2004
CALL HIM JESUS
Luke 2:8-11
I always found naming babies a terribly daunting task. Do you go with a classic name that’s been around for thousands of years or choose something
trendy? Commonplace or out of the ordinary? A name from the family, and if so, which side of the family? You have to think about what kind of nickname
that name might become, and how does it fit with the surname, and what are the initials like, and does it sound masculine or feminine? And being the kind of
person I am, the meaning of the name always mattered, too. To be honest, there’s so much to consider that if Jan hadn’t been there to take charge, I might
have called our girls Number 1 and Number 2 until they were old enough to name themselves.
I can scarcely imagine trying to choose a name for a miraculous baby who happens to be the Son of God. For me at least, the unexpected pregnancy and
giving birth in the stable and fleeing to Egypt—none of that is as scary is trying to come up with a name for the Messiah.
What do you do when your Son is God Incarnate? Maybe you go the traditional route and name him after Joseph’s father Jacob, try to give the kid a
normal childhood. But Jacob means “heel-grabber” or cheater, and that doesn’t feel right. Besides, not to be irreverent, but can you really picture generations
of Christians gathered in worship week after week lifting up their prayers “in Jake’s name”? Sets the teeth on edge, doesn’t it?
Me, I’d want to do something theologically correct. For instance, David is a perfectly good name, and naming the boy David would call to mind his
descent from Israel’s great king. David is a take-charge, call-the-shots sort of name, a name for the rightful ruler of Israel. Many of the Old Testament
prophecies about the Messiah stress his role as a sovereign, and the kingship of Jesus is central to the gospel of Matthew, for instance. That’s why the angel
addresses Joseph as the “son of David.” That’s why Matthew mentions King David four times in the genealogy of Jesus. This baby is born to be king so
maybe he should have a kingly name.
Or maybe you choose something more prophetic. Maybe you borrow from Isaiah and call the boy Prince of Peace. That’s not such a strange name by
biblical standards, and it’s a name with a promise, a name with hope, a name that is still sadly relevant even after all these centuries.
How about Star? Non-traditional, I grant you, but loaded with meaning. The book of Numbers predicts the rising of a Star who will guide Israel, a light
shining in the darkness. After all, this baby will become a teacher and a guide and a proclaimer of truth.
Or you can flip back to the book of Isaiah again and find Emmanuel. Now there’s a name. It means “God is with us.” Emmanuel is a whole sermon in a
few syllables, a sermon about God’s compassion, about Israel’s Shepherd who comes looking for the lost sheep. It’s also a name that captures one of the
most unique and important doctrines of Christian faith—the Incarnation—God fully and truly present in human flesh and blood. Oh, yes, Emmanuel is a
good name.
Maybe Adam! Paul says that Jesus is the new Adam who begins a new creation.
Or Logos. That’s John’s title for Jesus. Logos—God’s living Word. His friends could call him Wordie.
Or Judah. This baby is, after all, the Lion of Judah’s tribe.
Or Cornerstone. Desire of Nations. Sun of righteousness. Alpha-Omega. Mighty God. The First-born of creation. The Bread of Heaven.
I’m glad I didn’t have to pick the name. And you probably remember the story well enough to know that Joseph and Mary didn’t have to choose the name,
either. God chose the baby’s name, perhaps because that task was too important to entrust to Joseph and Mary. Just to be on the safe side, angelic
messengers delivered the name to both Joseph and Mary on separate occasions.
“Give him the name Jesus,” the angel tells Joseph, “for he will save his people from their sins,” (Matthew 1:21).
Jesus is really a form of the name of Joshua, a fairly popular name in those days. The name comes from the Hebrew word for “save.” Simply put, Jesus
means “the one who saves.”
“Call him ‘the-one-who-saves’,” says the angel, “for he will save his people.”
It’s not a name about power or kingly authority. It’s not a name about the history of Israel or the law. It’s not a name about divinity, wisdom, light or
truth. It’s simply a name about being saved. I guess God decided that if we only understand one thing about the baby in the manger, that’s the thing we ought
to know, that he is the one who saves. It’s not that the other names don’t matter or that the other things about this baby are unimportant; it’s just that this is
the most important thing—that he is Jesus, the Savior.
Notice how we get the announcement in Luke’s Gospel. The angel says, “To you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the
Lord.” When Luke wrote down that message, he left out the articles and the extra words we add in English. He strips it down to catch our attention. It really
reads this way: “To you is born this day in the city of David Savior…Christ…Lord.” Just those unvarnished words: Savior… Christ…Lord. And notice
what comes first: Savior!
Notice also that this Savior is born “to you.” This is not just a bit of history. This is a story delivered to you about a Savior who is born to you. Millions
of people can tell this story, but until you know that this is your story about your Savior, then you don’t understand the story at all. It’s not enough to say
that Jesus came. It’s not enough to say that Jesus came to be the Savior. This doesn’t become my story until I am able to say that Jesus came to be my
Savior. Until I can say that, until you can say that, the great Christmas gift remains wrapped up, unappreciated and unclaimed.
A man traveled a great distance to meet with a distinguished scholar. He said, "Doctor, I know you’ve read thousands of books and written a good many
as well. You’ve traveled the world. You’ve conversed with the greatest minds of our day. I have one question for you. Of all you've learned, what is the one
thing most worth knowing?" With a smile the scholar said, "My friend, I can think of only two things really worth knowing. I am a great sinner, and Jesus
Christ is a great Savior!"
If you know those two things by heart, you know the best news in the
whole world, that Jesus, the one who saves, has been born for you.
Soli Deo Gloria!