The most amazing thing about the nativity story isn’t the unusual circumstances of the birth of Jesus, nor is it in the detailed fulfilment of Old Testament prophecies. It isn’t even in the wonderful thought that God sent his son into the world.
The amazing thing is that he came. God himself came into our world. And he came for us.
… he did what no man had ever dreamed. He became flesh and dwelt among us. He placed his hand upon the shoulder of humanity and said, “You’re something special”.
Max Lucado, In the Grip of Grace
Iraneus, an historian of the early church said:
The Word of God, Jesus Christ, on account of his great love for mankind, became what we are in order to make us what he is himself.
And in becoming one of us, he took a most common name, Jesus.
It’s a wonderful name. A precious name. A favourite name (1200+ times in the New Testament), although sometimes a name we hardly dare use in common speech. And therein lies the problem. Separated by two thousand years of history, we’ve forgotten one simply truth about his name.
It was a common name.
Jospehus, the Jewish historian, refers to around 20 people called Jesus. The New Testament knows of Jesus Justus, the friend of Paul, and Bar-Jesus the sorcerer on Paphos. Some manuscripts even suggest that Jesus was the first name of Barabbas.
Which would like me to release to you? Jesus Barabbas or Jesus called Messiah?
Perhaps few names speak so powerfully of both his divinity and humanity than Jesus. Jesus, the man from down the street. Jesus the one you’d invite back for tea a second time. Approachable, touchable. The kind of person who is so ordinary that you wouldn’t notice him except for his sociability.
But he’s also God. Able to still a storm with a single word, or to command sickness or worse to leave a person’s body. And if you met him, and if you fell at his feet and called him Lord, he wouldn’t reject your respect. But it’s just possible that he might take you by the hand, lift you to your feet and say, “Just call me Jesus”
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