The name Jesus. What it means and how it sounds in other languages

QUESTION

The name Jesus – what’s its meaning?

ANSWER:

Every name has a special meaning. But even if this wasn’t true, there would exist one name with a powerful meaning – it’s Jesus. The Scripture says that Christ was given a name that was “above any other”. All heavenly, earthly and hellish creatures had to bow down before him.

Joseph and Mary didn’t choose this name for their son. It was an Angel who told them. The translation of the name Jesus is “Yahweh saves”. And so it happened: Jesus was our Savior. When transliterated from Aramaic and Hebrew languages, this name means “Yeshua”. It begins with the “Y” (which stood for Yahweh, the Israeli god). The second part of “Yeshua” is “Yasha”. This is a verb, which stands for “to save”.

In the English language, its spelling is “Joshua”. However, if you translate it from Hebrew into the Biblical Greek, the spelling will be “Jesus”. The English transliteration is Iēsous, which is read as “Jesus”. Thus, it stands for “Yahweh saves” or – God saves. It can also be interpreted as “The Lord is salvation”.

It was a popular name in Judea in the 1st century AD. Probably, that’s why the Savior was given a special nickname – Jesus of Nazareth. He was born and raised in this town. Despite being a commonplace and a household name, it’s still very important. We must not use it in vain because God sent His Son to Earth with a very specific mission, as we can state from his name.

From the Old Testament, we know that Jesus led his sheep to righteousness and triumph over their sinful acts and enemies of the soul.

The Holy Scripture says that the Lord sent His begotten child, born under the Law, so that he would save those who were under it and they also would become children of God. Thus, He sent His child to save all his children on earth. By analyzing his name, we can also learn his mission – to be the Savior of the world.

Along with incredible popularity, the simplicity of this name emphasizes how close he is to ordinary people. It speaks about his compassionate and humble nature. Jesus rejected his glory and chose to live like a humble and ordinary person. The Scripture says that he truly lived and acted like an ordinary person but was also showing people the ways to salvation. His deeds made him worthy the name Joshua, the only begotten son of God.

Although the name Jesus means a lot, the person who was given it is also of great importance. Power and strength are embodied in Christ. And his personality is closely intertwined with his name since it’s associated with his character, traits, and deeds. There are a lot of things in the Bible that characterize Jesus.

His name has the essence of salvation within it. He was the stone that the builders rejected, but he was the cornerstone. This is people’s opinion about Jesus – this is what’s written in the Scriptures.

With his name, the flock will find salvation. With his name, people shall be saved. Such epistles to John, the Corinthians, and Joel can be seen in the religious texts. There exist lots of verse or stanza containing such or similar words, which is a guarantee of their verity.

The name Jesus grants remission of sins. All sinful acts indicate the presence of the Son of God. And those who believe will receive remission of their sinful acts.

The sign of the cross or crossing yourself is made in the name of Christ. The Apostle Peter said: “One must be baptized to get the forgiveness of his sins”. The sign of the cross can be made on one’s forehead only after sincere repentance, and then the Holy Ghost will descend on the believer.

All miraculous acts, recoveries, and other deeds were made in his name. Only by having faith in him and salvation, a Christian becomes strong and his faith and health get stronger. And healing comes. By the way, the healing of faithful is one of the most significant deeds of the Savior.

Jesus also teaches his flock to pray in His name. Most importantly, you need to pray the way he would do it. And then he will do what he is asked in His name so that the Father will be glorified in His Child. He said that he will do everything that is asked in His name.

The entire personality, charisma, character, and deeds of Christ correspond to his name. The word “Jesus” tells us about his power, and most importantly – the purpose of his resurrection. It make us confident that the Lord will never abandon His children, but will save them as His beloved son. And this is the merciful intention of Our Lord – to lead all people, all believers to Salvation.

It was Jesus who brought his Father to the flock and promised them salvation. The New Testament says that if people behave as the Lord wishes, they will be saved. The very existence of every man should be aimed at glorifying God and lived in the name of His child, the Savior. People should live in a way that they praise it in every minute of their deeds, thoughts, and intentions.

Pilgrim Ecclesiastic Educational Centre Andcross