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Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
Psalm 51: 12 (NIV)
(1)
INTRODUCTION
Jesus Christ is considered as the most famous person that ever walked on earth and His name is one of the most recognized and talked about. But to His Hebrew disciples and friends, He would have been known under a different name. A name that points directly to His mission and ministry - bringing salvation to all.
NAME HIM YESHUA
Mary was an ordinary young Jewish lady waiting upon the most treasured and anticipated moment of her life - her wedding day. Bethroted she was to Joseph, a man from the tribe of Judah.
Mary herself also speculated to be a descendant of the tribe of Judah from her paternal side and a descendant of Levi from her maternal side (2), was the one God selected for a task unlike any. She was the perfect pick to bring forth a priestly king that would save all humanity once and for all.
An angel came to Mary one day and revealed to her what an honor she had been picked to receive (Luke 1: 26-33).
26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus (Yeshua). 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
Luke 1: 26-33 (NIV)
Mary believed the angel without even a shadow of a doubt. And so she received that which was promised. Yeshua, Mary was instructed to call the child she would birth.
MY EYES HAVE SEEN SALVATION
“... and you are to call him Yeshua.”
Luke 1: 31 (NIV)
A name that would echo with mourning and despair on that dreadful day at Calvary was quite common to hear on the streets of Judaea and Galilee in the first century. Yeshua was the fifth most common name behind Shim’on (Simon), Yosef (Joseph), Yehudah (Judah or Judas), and Yochanan (John). (3)
And of course, it happened to be the name of our LORD and Savior. Yeshua Mary named Him as she was instructed to do. Faithful to God and His commandments, she brought Yeshua to the temple on the eighth day.
There another faithful servant Simeon (Shim’on) finally got to see God’s Salvation with His own eyes. He not only saw it, but held it in his arms. The Yeshua that redeems from all sins.
For my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and the glory of your people Israel.”
Luke 2: 30-32 (NIV)
YESHUA IS SALVATION
The meaning of the name Yeshua is salvation. (4) It is considered to be by some the hebrew name of Jesus, and by others as the Aramaic version of the Hebrew name Yehoshua (Joshua) (3).
Hebrew was widely replaced by Aramaic in everyday conversation when Yeshua walked this earth as a man. Hebrew did remain as the Holy language and was used in worship and daily prayer. So it is to no surprise that by the time of Nehemiah, Joshua (Yehoshua) became known as Yeshua, the son of Nun (see Nehemiah 8:17, KJV). (3)
Yeshua is taken from the Hebrew word Yasha which means “to deliver, save, or rescue,”. (5) It means Yahweh saves, or Yahweh is salvation (3,6).
WHERE DID JESUS COME FROM
Our Lord and Savior is most known as Jesus Christ. Jesus as already stated is a transliteration of Yeshua.
Transliteration is the process of representing or intending to represent a word, phrase, or text in a different script or writing system with the intention of preserving the original pronounciation. (7)
The New Testament was first written in greek during a time when the greek language was the popular choice of communication in the Roman Empire. The need for transliterating many of the Hebrew and Aramaic names became a necessity. The transliteration for Yeshua Iesous, pronounced yay-SOOS, was thus birthed. Once latin became the favorite though a need for translating the bible into latin was expressed and so Jesus emerged.
Christ on the other hand derives from the greek word christos, which means ‘anointed’. (8) It is the greek equivalent to the Hebrew word Messiah.
YESHUA HAMASHIACH
Despite the widespread usage of Jesus Christ, I have felt the need to return to the true origins of all. Even when it comes to names. The Hebrew name of our Lord and Savior holds great meaning. It points to Yeshua’s mission and destiny.
Messiah or rather Mashiach - the Hebrew pronounciation of Messiah - means anointed in Hebrew. It is the title that was given to Yeshua, Jesus. Yeshua of course as already established means salvation. Jesus Christ is Yeshua Hamashiach, and that means He is the Anointed Salvation. (4)
Yeshua was anointed to bring salvation to all. He confirmed so in Luke 4: 18-19.
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Luke 4: 18-19 (NIV)
CONCLUSION
Jesus Christ is the most famous person that ever existed. His name also happens to be the most known. Though it is the most widespread version of His name, it is His Hebrew name Yeshua HaMashiach that reveals to us His purpose and mission here on earth. Yeshua means ‘salvation’, ‘Yahweh is salvation’. HaMashiach on the other hand means ‘anointed’. Yeshua HaMashiach means ‘Anointed Salvation’. Yeshua did indeed bring salvation to all as was prophesied He would many years ago.
Application
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for your mercy and salvation. We thank you for what Yeshua did on that cross at Calvary.
Take a moment and dwell on what Yeshua did for us during this week.
SOURCES
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Sebastian Brock. THE GENEALOGY OF THE VIRGIN MARY IN SINAI SYR. 16. Oxford, Scrinium II (2006). Universum Hagiographicum. Free PDF available on world web.
Jeroen Amador. How Yeshua Became Jesus – the Journey of Language. One for Israel. Available at https://www.oneforisrael.org/bible-based-teaching-from-israel/how-yeshua-became-jesus-the-journey-of-language/?network=g&placement=&target=&campaignid=22051796074&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAqfe8BhBwEiwAsne6gVVyVRbD4MW9fCvmbYenGr8-l5BvxNB-lNZtUfqZDl-Ay3XoWQQYJhoCYRwQAvD_BwE
Doug Hershey. Yeshua: The Meaning of the Hebrew Name of Jesus. Fellowship of Israel related ministries. December 22, 2015. Available at https://firmisrael.org/learn/who-is-yeshua-meaning-of-hebrew-name-jesus/
Blaire Park. Yeshua: Deliverer, Savior - Why This Name of God Is So Important for Today. Bible Study Tools. August 26, 2020. Available at https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/yeshua-deliverer-savior.html
Blue Letter Bible. Yahweh Is Salvation. The official blog of Blue Letter Bible. January 31, 2012. Available at https://blogs.blueletterbible.org/blb/2012/01/31/yahweh-is-salvation/
Wikipedia. Transliteration. Updated on January 5, 2025. Available at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transliteration
Wikipedia. Christ (title). Updated on January 29, 2025. Available at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christ_(title)
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