You Shall Call Him Jesus
Waiting for Light to Come | Erik Reed
SHE WILL BEAR A SON, AND YOU SHALL CALL HIS NAME JESUS, FOR HE WILL SAVE HIS PEOPLE FROM THEIR SINS. MATTHEW 1:21 (ESV)
Joseph was ready to walk away. He learned Mary was pregnant, and he determined to divorce her quietly so as not to bring further dishonor upon her. In their days, marriage engagements functioned like a legal contract. So it required a divorce and legal separation. The reason he was leaving was because he realized she had not been faithful. Women don’t get pregnant without a man in the first century any more than they do now. He thought he knew the reason.
But he didn’t. And God was going to make sure he didn’t leave her and walk away. In a dream, an angel appears to Joseph and tells him not to fear taking Mary to be his wife. Why? Because the child in her womb is from the Holy Spirit, not a man. She hadn’t been unfaithful. No, God had found her faithful, and chose her as the instrument to bring forth His Son. Mary’s womb held a baby boy. But this was no ordinary boy.
In our passage today, the angel reveals to Joseph that the boy in the womb is coming to save His people from their sins. Who are His people? This answer is two-fold. First, He is coming to save the Jews. He came to His own, even though they would not all receive Him (John 1:11). Second, He is coming to save all whom the Father has given Him (John 6:37). Jesus comes into the world to save a people from every nation, race, tribe, and tongue in the world. God is becoming a man, not for the human experience, but to save us from our destruction.
The child Joseph would raise would not be his own biological son, but Joseph would adopt Jesus and raise him as his own. In the same way, as humans born into sin and rebellion, we are not naturally children of God. We are children of wrath (Ephesians 1:3). But through faith in the finished work of Jesus, the adopted son of Joseph, we become adopted sons and daughters of God (John 1:12).
Have you trusted in the one born of Mary who takes away the sin of His people? He saves His people from their sins. In Christ, all your sins are nailed to the cross and buried in His tomb. Jesus’ resurrection in victory left those sins in the grave. They will never surface again to condemn or shame you. Jesus saves us from sins penalty of eternal separation from God. We need the child born of Mary, Jesus of Nazareth, to save us from our sins. And that’s what He came into the world to do. Trust Him today.
Questions for Reflection
This advent devotion, Waiting for Light to Come, was written by Erik Reed and borrowed with permission from Knowing Jesus Ministries. You can find the original publication and more information at https://www.knowingjesusministries.co
SHE WILL BEAR A SON, AND YOU SHALL CALL HIS NAME JESUS, FOR HE WILL SAVE HIS PEOPLE FROM THEIR SINS. MATTHEW 1:21 (ESV)
Joseph was ready to walk away. He learned Mary was pregnant, and he determined to divorce her quietly so as not to bring further dishonor upon her. In their days, marriage engagements functioned like a legal contract. So it required a divorce and legal separation. The reason he was leaving was because he realized she had not been faithful. Women don’t get pregnant without a man in the first century any more than they do now. He thought he knew the reason.
But he didn’t. And God was going to make sure he didn’t leave her and walk away. In a dream, an angel appears to Joseph and tells him not to fear taking Mary to be his wife. Why? Because the child in her womb is from the Holy Spirit, not a man. She hadn’t been unfaithful. No, God had found her faithful, and chose her as the instrument to bring forth His Son. Mary’s womb held a baby boy. But this was no ordinary boy.
In our passage today, the angel reveals to Joseph that the boy in the womb is coming to save His people from their sins. Who are His people? This answer is two-fold. First, He is coming to save the Jews. He came to His own, even though they would not all receive Him (John 1:11). Second, He is coming to save all whom the Father has given Him (John 6:37). Jesus comes into the world to save a people from every nation, race, tribe, and tongue in the world. God is becoming a man, not for the human experience, but to save us from our destruction.
The child Joseph would raise would not be his own biological son, but Joseph would adopt Jesus and raise him as his own. In the same way, as humans born into sin and rebellion, we are not naturally children of God. We are children of wrath (Ephesians 1:3). But through faith in the finished work of Jesus, the adopted son of Joseph, we become adopted sons and daughters of God (John 1:12).
Have you trusted in the one born of Mary who takes away the sin of His people? He saves His people from their sins. In Christ, all your sins are nailed to the cross and buried in His tomb. Jesus’ resurrection in victory left those sins in the grave. They will never surface again to condemn or shame you. Jesus saves us from sins penalty of eternal separation from God. We need the child born of Mary, Jesus of Nazareth, to save us from our sins. And that’s what He came into the world to do. Trust Him today.
Questions for Reflection
- Why did the Lord reveal the truth of Mary’s pregnancy through an angel?
- What are the two ways “he will save his people from their sins” is meant? Who are Jesus’ people?
- As a Christian who has put your faith in Jesus, how is your life a fulfillment of the angel’s promise in this passage?
This advent devotion, Waiting for Light to Come, was written by Erik Reed and borrowed with permission from Knowing Jesus Ministries. You can find the original publication and more information at https://www.knowingjesusministries.co
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