Jesus

The name Jesus was actually quite common in ancient Israel, much like the name John is today. Beyond that, I knew little about the name itself, but I have a small book called, Names of God, which lists all the Biblical names for God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit and gives the definition and the Scripture references for each. For "Jesus," the book says that it is the "Greek form of the Hebrew name 'Yeshua,'or 'Joshua' in English." The Hebrew meaning of "Yeshua" is, "Yahweh is salvation," and "Yahweh" is translated as "Jehovah" in English. (see footnote)

An unremarkable name for a seemingly unremarkable man. Documentaries about Jesus who cite historical accounts of Him from Jewish and Roman records, report that He was average looking at best, certainly from humble origins, a mere carpenter without what would be considered status or education, and no one could account for how He managed to cause such trouble in the formidable Roman Empire for centuries to come.

The prophet Isaiah had this to say about the humble man from Galilee, "...he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief...he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrow; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed" (Isaiah 53:2, 4-5, ESV).

Jesus - a simple man who taught a simple faith that changed the world.

Names of God, ©2014 by Bristol Works, Inc., Printed by Rose Publishing, Inc., Carson, CA

Diana Dodd is the founder and managing editor of the Christian blog site, Joy in Faithful Living. She and her husband Bryan, a career Army officer, have been married for 23 years and lived all over the United States. They currently reside in Kansas with their two girls, ages 16 and 10. This piece was originally published at Joy in Faithful Living in 2020. They have graciously granted us full permission to re-publish the series here, but we would love for you to visit their site and support their ministry, as well! Check out their work at joyinfaithfulliving.com.