The Lord’s Messages
- 01/13/2025
The Lord’s Message: Jesus Is Named
Date: January 12, 2025
Where: Tilghman Methodist Church
Scripture Reference: Luke 2:21-38What comes to your mind when you here two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, on a sesame seed bun? Big Mac! A messy sandwich. When I think of a Big Mac, I think of my mother. She loved going to McDonalds and getting a Big Mac with fries and a coke.
Names are important. Companies spend lots of money in lawyer fees to protect their name. I remember when I was working at a TV and Radio repair shop in Chestertown that the owner got a certified letter from a lawyer at a large company telling the owner that he had to immediately change the name of his repair shop. The company was Commodore Computers. Remember when they were popular. The name of the repair shop was Commodore Electric. The owner’s name was James Edward Commodore. He had to send a copy of his birth certificate and his business license, which had the date that he started the company, which was 20 years before Commodore Computers had started, before they would back off.
Your name is important. Your mom and dad chose your name for a reason. Maybe you were named after a relative. Or maybe your first name started with a letter and all your siblings after you have their name start with the same letter. Or maybe you were named after the character in a book that your mom was reading at the time, she was pregnant with you. There are many reasons people give for naming their children.
With our Bibles open we are going to look in great detail the naming of Jesus and why His name is so important to all of us.
Let us pray.
We are starting in verse 21. In a traditional Jewish family, the circumcision would have been done in the home. During this circumcision, the name would be given to the baby by the father. The name of Jesus was what the angel had told Joseph to name Him, Matthew 1:20-21. They named Him Jesus, which means “God saves.” After this the child would have been dedicated in the temple since Jesus is the first-born son. God commanded that the Israelites redeem their first-born son from Him, Exodus 13:1-2, 12-13.
In verses 22-24, there are two reasons for Joseph and Mary to take Baby Jesus with them to Jerusalem. One is the redeeming and dedication of Jesus and the second is the purification of Mary. This is accomplished by a sacrifice. In Leviticus 12:7b-8, the sacrifice shows the extent of the poverty they were in, a pair of doves or two young pigeons.
If you recall, Joseph and Mary had not consummated their marriage. Mary was found to be with child during their engagement. This is confirmed in Matthew 1:25a. After Mary had her purification ceremony, then she and Joseph could consummate their marriage.
While they are at the temple in Jerusalem, they are met by two individuals that have been sent by God to see them. Those two individuals are Simeon and Anna.
Simeon is described in verse 25 as a righteous and devout man. In verse 26, the reason given for him to meet Jesus is to see the consolation of Israel. The consolation of Israel refers to the Messiah, who was expected to bring comfort, salvation, and hope to the nation of Israel. The Holy Spirit guides him to God’s family. Simeon is full of praise to God. Look at verses 28-32. Then in verses 34-35, Simeon full of the Holy Spirit tells Mary something that is very painful for any mother to hear. We would want to hear what Isaiah would say about this child, “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.” “Not that a sword will pierce your own soul too.” But this child is no ordinary child. This child is the light to the world, hope for the lost, and freedom for those burdened by sin. This child is the great I Am.
After Simeon sees Jesus, then Anna comes to see Jesus. We are told in verse 36, that Anna is the daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher. Asher means “happy one” or “blessed.” The tribe of Asher was one of the most prosperous tribes in Israel. They were assigned to western and coastal Galilee, some of the most fertile land in all of Israel. They were known for olive oil, grain, wine, and minerals. The Asher women were so beautiful that they were sought by priests and princes for marriage. Anna is a widower. We learn in verse 36b-37, that she has never left the temple, but continues worshiping God night and day, fasting and praying. When she sees the Christ child, she is filled with joy and praises God, verse 38. She has seen the one that is going to bring redemption, not only to Jerusalem or Israel, but to the world.
As Rev. Lori Wagner says, “The redemption of Israel would come through the redemption of this firstborn son, the Firstborn Son of God. Jesus’ Name “God Saves” and His presence in the Temple that day signified for both Simeon and Anna a new day. Something new had started with the Naming of this child, a new identity for Israel. A mission fulfilled. A victory for God’s people. A sign from God.”
Did you know that Jesus is found in all 66 Books in the Bible? Listen to this.
In Genesis, Jesus Christ is the Breath of Life.
In Exodus, He is the Passover Lamb.
In Leviticus, He is our High Priest.
In Numbers, He is the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night.
In Deuteronomy, He is the prophet like unto Moses.In Joshua, He is the captain of our salvation.
In Judges, He is our judge and lawgiver.
In Ruth, He is our kinsman redeemer.
In 1 & 2 Samuel, He is our trusted prophet.
In Kings and Chronicles, He is our reigning King.
In Ezra and Nehemiah, He is the rebuilder of the broken down walls of human life.
In Esther, He is our Mordecai.In Job, He is our ever-living Redeemer.
In Psalms, He is our Shepherd.
In Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, He is our wisdom.
In Song of Solomon, He is our loving Bridegroom.In Isaiah, He is the Prince of Peace.
In Jeremiah, He is our righteous Branch.
In Lamentations, He is our weeping Prophet.
In Ezekiel, He is the son of man.
In Daniel, He is the fourth man in life’s fiery furnace.In Hosea, He is the faithful husband, forever married to the backslider.
In Joel, He is the baptizer of the Holy Ghost and fire.
In Amos, He is our burden bearer.
In Obadiah, He is mighty to save.
In Jonah, He is our great foreign missionary.
In Micah, He is the messenger of beautiful feet.
In Nahum, He is our strength and shield.
In Habakkuk, He is God’s evangelist crying, “Revive thy works in the midst of the years!”
In Zephaniah, He is our Savior.
In Haggai, He is the restorer of God’s lost heritage.
In Zechariah, He is the fountain opened up in the house of David for sin and uncleanliness.
And in Malachi, He is the Son of Righteousness rising with healing in his wings.In Matthew, He is the King of the Jews.
In Mark, He is the servant.
In Luke, He is the Son of Man.
In John, He is the Son of God.In Acts, He is the Savior of the world.
In Romans, He is the righteousness of God.
In 1 Corinthians, He is the rock, the Father of Israel.
In 2 Corinthians, He is the triumphant one, giving victory.In Galatians, He is our liberty, he set you free.
In Ephesians, He is the head of the Church.
In Philippians, He is our joy.
In Colossians, He is our completeness.In 1 & 2 Thessalonians, He is our hope.
In 1 Timothy, He is our faith.
In 2 Timothy, He is our stability.
In Titus, He is truth.In Philemon, He is our benefactor.
In Hebrews, He is our perfection.
In James, He is the power behind our faith.In 1 Peter, He is our example.
In 2 Peter, He is our purity.
In 1 John, He is our Life.
In 2 John, He is our pattern.
In 3 John, He is our motivation.
In Jude, He is the foundation of our faith.
In Revelation, He IS our coming King!But the name that He wants you to call Him is your Friend. You can learn more about your Friend by reading the Bible, applying the principles to your life that He teaches, and be the Bible for others. Amen.