It's all in a name

A few thoughts from me...

Matthew's gospel begins with the origins of Jesus (Matthew 1: 1-17). A very long geneology which, let's be honest, is quite an effort to read. It seems clear though that Matthew has put it here for a reason.

It's often said that our origins can illuminate our present, and that by looking back at our family history we may be able to shed light on the way our lives have been shaped. In the same way, it seems that Matthew has placed this list of descendants at the beginning of his gospel account to illuminate who Jesus is and where he came from. He clearly wants to put this figure of Jesus of Nazareth in front of us, and looking at his origins seems a good place to begin. 


So after this endless long list of names, Matthew introduces the story, one that we probably know very well. But in reality, it is a story full of scandal, intrigue, and one that would certainly have raised some moral questions in its day (with a pregnant teenager and an illegitimate birth!). We could argue that Matthew doesn't seem to be presenting this Jesus to the world as some great hero with amazing pedigree, or even as the promised saviour. No, his emphasis is on the humility of Jesus and the poverty of his birth.

It prompts us to ask, who then is this vulnerable, poor and displaced baby? and Matthew allows us to make up our own minds. But as we look back at Joseph's dream we can begin to get the idea of the true origins of this very special baby. In Ch1 v:18, the angel said to Joseph, "do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit".  Here we are beginning to see the mystery of the divine nature of Jesus, showing us that the same animating Holy Spirit that hovered over the waters at the beginning of creation, has generated new life in Mary. As with creation, we have another event, unique and without precedent,

As we continue, we see in verse 21 that Matthew conveys the angel's message about the baby's name (you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins".) Here we have a truly significant announcement, the name of Jesus, meaning God Saves. Matthew is making a huge claim by putting this in his gospel account, whereby the meaning of the name of Jesus speaks of his destiny and also his identity.   

In the stories of the Hebrew scriptures we see how humanity originally fails, then how the people of Israel, God's own chosen people, endlessly fail after that. We are shown so many stories of these people not living by the covenant promise that they had made with God. And yet the Old Testament ends with no arrival of the promised messiah, this King from the line of David who was coming to redeem.  We are given no resolution to the mess that humanity has made. This is a seemingly unfinished story. And yet of course it isn't.

Matthew's account in the New Testament, presents to us this character of Jesus. And through his name "God saves" we see that he is the very one who has come to solve the problem of humanity's failure. And let's not forget Emmanuel! - another name that was given to Jesus.  Matthew mentions how the Old Testament promise from Isaiah finds its fulfilment right here in this person of Jesus (Isaiah Ch 7:14 "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Emmanuel which means God with us.") This name is also profound. God himself is revealed to us here in this baby. The human and the divine together. And so here he is,  Jesus - God Saves, Emmanuel - God with us. 

So what does this all mean for us today? Well on a larger scale I guess we are often quite happy to admit that there is clearly something very wrong with our world. We don't have to look very far to see suffering, evil, and man's inhumanity towards man.  But on a personal level we often minimise our own failings. Yet here we have this baby who came to earth to do something that the human race cannot do for itself. The God who is revealed to us in Jesus was not content to leave humanity in its failure, but instead he came down to save and dwell amongst us, or as The Message Bible puts it, "He moved into the neighbourhood". Surely there is no greater love story than this, ("For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life", John Ch 3:16) 

So this Christmas, amidst all the festivities, may we take a moment to think about this baby of the nativity, who wasn't fixed in time. The baby who didn't stay in a wooden manger, but ultimately made his way to a wooden cross, a cross where such a great price was paid for us - God With Us, God Saves.

So if I'm ever asked what Christmas means to me, well, I can sum it up quite simply really, it's Jesus.

What about you?

May the Prince of Peace surround you all this Christmastime.

Tracy Pease