Through The Bible in a Year - June 2, 2026
"She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins... They shall call his name Immanuel (which means, God with us)... And she [Mary] called his name Jesus." -Matthew 1:21, 23, 25
Nobody in the Bible went to babynames.com. Names came from God, and they meant something.
The angel told Joseph: "You shall call his name Jesus."
Jesus means one who provides Salvation or Deliverance. It's the New Testament version of the Old Testament name, Joshua.
There were two famous Joshuas in Israel's history:
Joshua #1: Led the people into the Promised Land. Delivered them from their enemies. Conquered Jericho when the walls came tumbling down.
Joshua #2: The high priest when the exiled remnant returned to rebuild the temple in ruins. The Prophet Zechariah prophesied about that Joshua: "Make a crown for the high priest and put him on a throne, for he shall reconcile God and man." That Joshua was both a king and a priest. He had authority to rule and power to reconcile.
Now comes Jesus—the ultimate Joshua. He delivers God’s people from their greatest enemy, the sin within them. How? He has the authority as a King and the power of a Priest to reconcile us to God. He is the Joshua of God.
But Joshua is not His only name nor God’s only message.
The angel also said that his name would be Immanuel, which means “God with us.”
He's not just a deliverer of an ancient people. He's not a King and a Priest for a single nation of people 2,000 years ago. He is God with us—present, active, here, now.
From the beginning, God's message has been "I am with you":
Walking with Adam and Eve in the garden
Leading Israel with a cloud by day and fire by night
Descending into the temple in glory
Coming as God in the flesh to be with us.
Sending the Holy Spirit to be so close that he is not only with us but in us, as he promises, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."
What’s in the names of Jesus? The message of a Great Deliverer, a powerful King, a reconciling Priest, and a present God who's with you even now—in the mess, in the storm, in the struggle, in the shame.
Respond:
What are you facing today that makes you feel defeated and alone?
A marriage that's falling apart?
An addiction you can't break?
A child who's walked away?
A diagnosis that terrifies you?
A past that haunts you?
Remember Jesus—who delivers you from sin and reconciles you to God.
Remember Immanuel—He is with you now. In your struggle, or pain, or uncertainty. Your God is here. The Lord is near. You are not alone.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, Immanuel—thank You that Your name means salvation and Your presence means I'm never alone. You didn't just die for my sins 2,000 years ago. You are with me today. Right now. In this moment. Whatever I'm facing—sin, struggle, pain, fear—You are here. Even as you saved me from my past, now walk with me through my present. I believe my Lord is near. Therefore I will not fear. Make this the conviction and strength of my heart. I pray in Your powerful name, Jesus, Amen.