◄ What Does Romans 8:20 Mean? ►

There is no more beautiful name than the lovely name of the Lord Jesus. In Hebrew His name is Joshua, which means 'the Lord is salvation', and His life and death was poured out to pay the price for humanity's sin: sins past, sins present, and sins yet to be committed. But here we read that His name shall be called Jesus, because He was the One to save His people from their sins. His people are in fact the Jewish nation, the people of Israel.

Jesus certainly came as the Saviour of the whole world. He came to save both Jew and Gentile, for we read that God loved the world so much that He gave his only begotten Son that whosoever trusts in Him will not perish. But we also know that Jesus came to His own people, the Jewish nation, and they rejected Him, thus opening up the floodgates of salvation to whosoever will, both Jew and Gentile.

The Seed of the woman that was to crush the serpent's head travelled secretly through the generations, first through Seth to Noah, then from Abraham to the sons of Jacob, via Ruth to David, and on and on through the royal line of Judah to great David's greater Son, the Lion of the tribe of Judah: the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

Although the reach of redemption was to encompass the whole earth, for the grace of God is without measure and beyond our understanding, it was the little nation of Israel through whom the Seed was to be secretly transported. This was so that Jesus could fulfil His promise and prophecies to unite the divided kingdoms of Judah and Israel into one glorious kingdom and to save that little nation from their sins.

His office may be that of Christ, for He is the anointed of God. His title may be Lord, for He is high and lifted up and His train fills the temple. But His name shall be called Jesus, for He shall save His people Israel from their sins. And through Israel, all the families of the earth shall be blessed, for whosoever trusts in Jesus as Saviour, Jew or Gentile, male or female, old or young, slave or free, ALL have the right to become the children of God.

Loving Father, thank You for Jesus and for the wonderful way that You used the nation of Israel, to protect and carry the Seed of Christ through the generations. I pray for the day when Israel recognises Jesus as their Messiah and for the promise that He will save His people from the sin of unbelief. In Jesus' name I pray, AMEN.