What the Bible Says About the Name of Jesus

Not too long ago, a friend sent me a message asking why some Christians place a special emphasis on the name of Jesus as opposed to Jesus himself.  This question stumped me as I hadn’t given too much thought to it. Often I’ll finish a prayer with ‘we say this prayer through the name of Jesus Christ, Amen’. Whilst I’d love to say I do this for a really profoud theological reason, it’s really just out of habit.

After a few nights of Bible study, browsing the net and reading some theological journals I came to realise the incredible meaning behind ‘the name of Jesus’ and just how much the Apostles focus on it.

Here is my response with slight edits to match this blog format as opposed to it’s original e-mail format. I’ve also added a few songs which focus on the name of Jesus . I’d love to hear your thoughts! Please leave a comment or send me an e-mail with any feedback, thoughts or questions you have.

Response: What Does the Bible Say About the Name of Jesus?

Hey mate!

To be honest with you, before you messaged me, I’d never really thought much about it.  I know in some circles you hear phrases such as ‘In the name of Jesus’ or ‘In Jesus’ name’ in quite an elevated way. (I’m thinking Ps Brian Houston in the first minute of this). I also hear people say ‘in the name of Jesus’ at the end of prayers but I’ve always put it down to Christianese adn tradition.  I’ve had a bit more of a look at the theology of the name of Jesus and hope through this response I can add some insight and share some of the pretty cool discoveries I’ve made.

I first looked at the Old Testament – Isaiah 7:14 says ‘Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign; Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel’. Immanuel, which is transcribed as ‘Emmanuel’, in Greek which means ‘God with us’.  English Bibles use Emmanuel more frequently so I’ll use that from now on. These words come back to us when Joseph was visited by the angel in Matthew 1:23 who said ‘Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.’ Reading this made me question why he was named Jesus instead of Emmanual. Matthew 1:21 answers this when he states ‘She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.’ Whilst this initially looks like a contradiction with God telling Mary and Joseph to give the child different names, God is communicating something to us which is really important and profound.

The name ‘Jesus’ is the anglicisation of the Greek name Iēsous which is a translation of the Hebrew name Yeshua or Yehoshua. In English, we translate Yeshua as Joshua. In Hebrew, Yeshua (and like Joshua in English) means ‘the Lord Saves’. Matthew explicitly points us to this meaning in verse 21. Matthew reveals to us that the name God wants Joseph to call the baby was Jesus, which we know means ‘the Lord saves’. He then goes on to explain the symbolism at the end of the verse by adding ‘he will save his people from their sins’. In other words, Jesus, which means ‘the Lord Saves’ is the way by which the Lord will save. It’s such amazing symbolism.

Now I’ll bring this together. We know that God’s son was given the name Yeshua or Jesus as per Matthew 1:21. That was the name people knew him by. What’s important for us to recognise is that there are a range of titles Jesus was given throughout the New Testament. You can find a full list of these titles on Wikipedia. One such title, the one we’ve been discussing, was Emmanuel. Whilst his name was Jesus, meaning ‘the Lord saves’, he had many titles, one which was Emmanuel meaning ‘God with us’. His name and titles all had a very specific meaning. These meanings would have been significant to the 1st century Jews who constituted his first followers. God gave him these names to communicate exactly who Jesus was and what he does. Without understanding the meaning of the names, it’s really difficult to understand the full extent to which God is communicating with us. In this case, context is really important to fully understand God’s plan in this circumstance.

The more you read the Gospels, the more it seems that people understood God’s hints. Luke 9:49-50 tells the following story:

“Master,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us.”

 “Do not stop him,” Jesus said, “for whoever is not against you is for you.”

Luke 9:49-50

This passage has multiple theological implications. According to Nick Page in The Wrong Messiah (2011), demon possession in the new testament ‘was the ancient world’s version of mental illness or epilepsy’. By ‘driving out demons’, Jesus was effectively healing people of their mental afflictions. Whilst he could’ve used his healing ability to serve himself and create his own followers, he demonstrated his faith by healing others in Jesus’ name. Recognising this man’s faith, Jesus instructed the disciples to not interve as he was ‘for them’.

This reinforces the idea that faith in Jesus is the baseline for Christian fellowship – why wouldn’t we fellowship someone who does good in Jesus’ name? (see John 3:16, Mark 16:16; Luke 23:39-43). Let me explain what I mean. This man was driving out ‘demons’ which means that:

1. God gave him the ability to heal others (Luke 9:49).
2. The ability to heal is a gift of the spirit (1Corinthians 12:9).
3. Only those who are baptised with the spirit are able to heal others (1Corinthians 12:3).

Whether this man was water baptised or not is not recorded in the gosptels. John’s statement that ‘he is not one of us’ indicates he probably wasn’t baptised by immersion.  As a result, we can’t base this theology on water baptism. The significance of this story is that his baptism in the Holy spirit was through identification with Jesus’ name. Healing people with the Holy spirit in Jesus’ name is a powerful exercise of faith, one which Jesus affirmed.

John also draws on one of Jesus’ teachings in John 16:23-24 where he says:

23 In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 

24 Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete. 

John 16:23-24

Jesus’ teaching is pretty clear. God will provide for those who ask in Jesus’ name. Even Paul picked up this theme (long before any Gospel was written) in his letter to the Philippians. In Philippians 2:9-11 Paul writes:

9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:9-11

The name above every other name could refer to its meaning, ‘the Lord Saves’ or the plain fact that he is the centre of our faith. Regardless, Paul expresses Jesus’ name as ‘above every other name’ where ‘every knee in heaven and earth should bow down to’ and ‘acknowledge’. 

Despite the meaning of the name ‘the Lord saves’ which is pretty cool in itself, it seems the common thing in all these stories isn’t the utterance of the name itself, it’s the action accompanying it. Whether it be healing, asking or exalting, Jesus’s name is being used in the furtherance of a faith-based action. The power in using Jesus’ name isn’t because it in itself is a divine utterance, it’s because the action or speech invoking his name is done in faith.  In other words, saying ‘Jesus’ does nothing by itself, it’s the faithful action done in his name which gives it power.

How does this apply to our everyday life as a Christian? Whenever we hear, read or say ‘Jesus’, God wants us to remember that ‘The Lord saves’ and that ‘he is with us’. Using Jesus’ name whether that be in ministry, everyday life or prayer is a powerful demonstration of our faith and identification in him. To me, it’s a bit like the bread and wine. The actual bread and wine themselves hold no power in themselves.
Without wanting to sound flippant, when you bring it down, they’re pieces of baked wheat and fermented grapes. It’s the powerful symbolism and commandment accompanying them which makes it so important, powerful and special.

Is it a saving name? Not by and of itself. Merely saying ‘Jesus’ won’t save anyone but the person represented by is the way by which we are saved. Afteral, Jesus is is the most amazing person who has ever lived!

I really enjoyed researching this as the more I read into it, the more fascinated I became.

Hope that helps,

Nathan

See Also

Online Church Resources

Good Samaritan in the City

What a Beautiful Name – Song by Hillsong Worship

O Praise the Name – Song by Hillsong Worship

Further Reading

Note: Maintaining a website is expensive! To help cover the costs, links marked with an (*) contain affiliate links. That means if you choose to make a purchase after clicking the link, I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support!

* The Wrong Messiah – Nick Page

* Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why – Bart D. Ehrman

Names and Titles of Jesus in the New Testament – Wikipedia

Reference

Page, N 2011, ‘The Wrong Messiah: The Real Story of Jesus of Nazareth’, Hodder & Stoughton, London.