WHAT SHALL WE CALL OUR BUNDLE OF JOY?

Parents usually name their children, (in my days), in memory of their parents, a namesake. My eldest was called Patrick because my Dad who was a Paddy was called by the Lord a few months before. Other follow the custom of the day. When John Kennedy was president of America, many girls were called Jacqueline.

But we know the names of Mary’s and Joseph’s parents, there were no reigning Presidents, and He could not be named Herod, after the reigning king. He was called ‘Jesus’ for a specific reason. First of all it was a very common name among the Jews. In Hebrew it is ‘Josue’. Secondly, Mary was told by the Angel that she will bear a child and call Him ‘Jesus’, (look up Matthew, 1:21).

Thirdly, it was customary that people were given a name which carried the mission of the person bearing that name. To quote some; Peter, meaning rock as he was to be the rock on which Jesus had to build His Church. Moses means drawn out of the water, and he was destined to draw out the Israelites from Egypt. The name ‘Jesus’ means ‘Saviour’ because He saves people from sin.

As was well indicated by Fulton Sheen, in Jesus’ name, there was no indication of His mission on earth, because His teaching would be futile, ineffective unless there was first salvation. Yet, He was given another name (look up Matthew, 1: 23), “He shall be called Emman-u-El, meaning ‘God is with us. We, Maltese appreciate more the meaning of this name; our language being of Semitic origin, we still have the root of that verb ‘emmanu’, ‘huwa magħna’, meaning ‘He is with us’, and ‘El’ is short for God. And truly God is always with us.

Now, the Salvation promised is not a social salvation, but a spiritual one. He would not be saving people from misery and poverty but rather from sin, which is actually the greatest misery one can live. The name Jesus also brings back memories, fast-wind backward to the Exodus from the land of Egypt and the arrival in the ‘Promised land’ led by another Jesus, but known as ‘Josue’. The only difference is that whilst Josue’s deliverance was rather political, the deliverance promised by ‘Jesus’, was a spiritual one. No wonder the Jews in Jesus’ time expected a military Messiah.

It’s worth noting that the name ‘Jesus’ ... ‘Saviour’ was not given to Him as a title after he had won the laurels and trophies of war, BUT, during His conception in His mother’s womb. SO, that means that the foundation of His Salvation was a plan from eternity ... and not from time.

WE SHALL CALL OUR BUNDLE OF JOY ... JESUS.