Matthew 1:21

²¹ And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

To understand the context of the above verse, we need to read the passages beginning in verse eighteen. While Joseph was thinking to separate from Mary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him and declared that the Son, Mary is about to conceive is of the Holy Spirit.

The beauty of this story is that an angel of the Lord Himself spoke to Joseph in a dream. In those days it was a rare occasion that angels would speak to anyone. In the Old Testament, we have the Prophets revealing what the Lord declared to them. But when we begin to read the First Book of the New Testament, we read that angel(s) were involved in breaking the news about the arrival of Jesus Christ.

The Bible does not mention who this angel is but we know by the description that he is of the Lord. That means he has been given the authority to stand in the presence of the Lord. The angel also declares the name of the Child yet to be born. His name shall be called Jesus. Derived from the Hebrew name Yehoshua, which is a combination of YHWH, the name of God and yasha, meaning “to save” or “to deliver”.

Verse twenty one goes on to read that this Jesus will save His people from their sins. The name signifies “Yahweh is salvation” or “Yahweh saves,” reflecting Jesus’ role in the divine plan of redemption.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.

Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus!