Gospel, Holiday, Jesus, Love, Season
The Reason for the Season
December 2, 2017 - Gospel, Holiday, Jesus, Love, Season
“She will give birth to a son, and you shall give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.” – Matthew 1:21
“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other word would smell as sweet.” Shakespeare penned these famous words in one of his best-known plays, Romeo and Juliet. Spoken by Romeo, the implication of these words was that names were not very significant. After all, if one were to call a rose ‘dirty sock’ or ‘toe fungus’, it would probably smell just as good.
While Shakespeare’s characters may not have put much stock in names, the Bible takes a very different view. All throughout Scripture, names were given a special significance because they often revealed something about the nature and destiny of the individual. In Genesis, barren Abram becomes Abraham, which means the father of many nations. Deceiving Jacob becomes the nation of Israel and Simon becomes Peter, the ‘rock’ and one of the pivotal founders of the New Testament church. The significance of names is not limited to ancient times. Even today, parents all over the world spend long hours choosing a name for their child even before they are born!
In the book of Matthew, God sends his angel to announce the name of his only Son: “She will give birth to a son, and you shall give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). Out of all the names God could have chosen for his Son, he chooses one that reflects his love for his people. Think about it! God could have given his Son a name that meant “majesty”, “holiness”, or “king of the universe” and all of those would be true. Instead, Jesus’ name tells the world of his heart and his mission. The purpose of his birth, life, and crucifixion was not to bring glory to himself, but to save his people from death and give them new, everlasting life.
This Christmas season, we will hear a number of familiar and festive names. Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the red-nose reindeer, and Santa Claus are just a few of the names that will be celebrated and spoken about. Yet as comforting as these names are, they are not the “reason for the season”. Frosty, Rudolph, or Santa cannot heal, forgive, or save us. The only name that can do that is Jesus Christ. If not for him, there would be no reason to celebrate. So as the month of December unfolds and we get busy with gift shopping, holiday parties, and home-cooked meals, let us take some time to reflect on the name of Jesus. And as we do, we will remember why this Christmas season is so important. It was never our love for God but his love for us that prompted him to give us the greatest gift: his one and only Son. As John 3:17 states: “For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world but to save the world through him”. God’s love for us is in embedded in the very name of his son and that is the true reason we celebrate!
