He will save his people from their sins

He will save his people from their sins

Scripture:

She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus. Matthew 1:21-25

Observation:

The angel continues in his message to Joseph that Mary will give birth to a son, and that he is instructed to give him the name Jesus. What does the name Jesus mean? It means “Savior”, and the name showed the exact destiny of the baby, that he will grow up to save his people from their sins. Meditating upon this, it is important that every time we call the name of Jesus, we realize that it is He who saves us from our sins. We are all fallen, helpless in ourselves. We need a Savior, and God has provided Him to us in Jesus Christ.

Note that the angel said how Jesus will save his people from their sins. Jesus does not save everybody but only those who are His. At first glance, it seems that “his people” refers to the Jews, but it is more than that. Later, Jesus said “I have sheep also not of this pen, referring to the Gentiles. Jew or Gentile, we who follow Jesus belong to Him and He will save us from our sins.

Then, Matthew adds how this incident took place to fulfill the prophecy found in Isaiah 7:14 “The virgin shall give birth to a child, and they will name him Immanuel, meaning “God with us”. Jesus came by a miracle birth, through a virgin. This was also necessary as sin passed down from generation to generation through Adam’s seed, and only one not of Adam’s seed could start a new godly line not tainted by Adam’s original sin. How precious the name Immanuel, for it was not just any new created being, but God Himself who came to be with us in the person of Jesus Christ. Immanuel also gives us that precious sense of fellowship, reminding us that we have a God who loves and desires to live among us, having fellowship with us.

In the last section, we are told of the obedience of Joseph as well as his reverence for the Lord. Recognizing the divinity of the child in Mary’s womb, he controlled himself not to have relations with her until the baby was born. Joseph’s obedience to God and his respect for God are two beautiful qualities we would do well to inculcate in our own lives.

Application:

Meditate on the name of Jesus. Savior! He saved us from our sins. Only in Him can we be saved! Praise His holy name! Remember that Jesus saves His people from their sins, not just anybody! How do we know we are His people. His sheep listen to His voice. Endeavor and pray to listen and follow our Shepherd’s voice. Praise God that He came to us and He is with us – Immanuel. Seek that close fellowship with God that we were created for. He will be found by those who seek Him, as He has promised! Desire to be obedient and reverent like Joseph, a man blessed with the privilege of raising the Lord as a child. 

 Prayer:

Lord Jesus, You are my Savior, my Lord. You save Your people from their sins. You give us life and hope. Forgive my sins O Lord, and save me according to Your great love. Let me always stay in your arms O Lord, keep me close in Your embrace. Let my ears and heart listen to You and obey You. Praise You, Lord Jesus, for You are Emmanuel, God with us. Grant us unity, we pray. Create in me an obedient heart O Lord, may I always revere Your Holy name. In Jesus name, Amen.