Name of our Messiah

Many people know our Messiah as Jesus. But this is lacking something. I need to be very clear right off the bat. I am not saying that if you were saved in the name of Jesus then it isn't valid. Or that praying in the name of Jesus doesn't go to the same Messiah. All I am saying is that even though it is the wrong name with the tongue it is the same spirit in the heart. And as with all issues it is the heart that matters.

With that said. I would like to point out that while Jesus is a good translation of the Latin. Which is a good translation of the Greek Iesous, it is a horrible translation of the Hebrew Yhoshua. Or the shortened form Yeshua. You may be asking what is the difference if it all means the same thing? The simple answer is devotion to ones Messiah is the difference. It is a question of true discipleship. Todd Agnew stated it best in his song entitled which Jesus do you follow.

Many people have a distorted image of who our Messiah is. They have believed the false traditions of man. They think of a Greek Jesus that had long flowing brown hair, and bright blue eyes. They teach a Jesus that did away with the Will of God in our lives. They forgot the Hebraic roots of our faith and our Messiah. It is time we stop looking at our faith as if it is a religion made by man. We need to look at Scripture with eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart to change. We need to put aside our arrogance and pride and seek the truth in scripture. Not your truth or my truth but God's Truth.

We see in (Mat 1:21 And she shall bear a son, and you shall call His name JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins). What it actually says in the text is Yeshua. You see while Jesus is a fine name, it has no meaning. If you take a look into the Hebriac roots of our faith you will see all names have a deeper meaning behind them.

In the Hebriac culture names mean something. The name was meant to be prophetic of who the child would become. The child as it grew would then have the option to accept his name, try and live up to it, or to rail against it. This is a shadow picture in itself of man and God restoring Gods image in the world, or railing against it as many of us tend to do.

The story of the naming of Benjamin is the best place to see this in action. Gen 35:18 "And it happened as her soul was departing (for she died) that she called his name Benoni. But his father called him Benjamin". You see the Benoni in Hebrew means Son of my Sorrow. His Father did not want his son to have this negative stigma attached to his name. So he changed it ever so slightly to Benjamin. Which means son of my right hand. In Hebraic culture names mean something and are very important.

There are several instances in the Bible where someone’s name is changed either by the Creator or by His servants.

Genesis 32:28 And He said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. Genesis 35:10 And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and He called his name Israel. Numbers 13:16 These are the names of the men which Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Oshea the son of Nun Jehoshua.

Hosea 1:9 Then said the LORD, Call his name Loammi: for ye are not My people, and I will not be your God.

Hosea 2:23 And I will sow her unto Me in the earth; and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to them which were not My people (Loammi), Thou art My people ( Ammi); and they shall say, Thou art my God.

John 1:42 And he brought him to Yeshua. And when Yeshua beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.

In Hebrew, names have meanings. Often when a child is born the reason for their name is given along with the name.

Genesis 4:1 And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from THE LORD.

The name Cain (kof, yud, nun) comes from the root word kanah (kof, nun, hey), which means “acquired."

Genesis 4:25 And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For Elohim, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.

The name Seth (shin, tav) comes from the root word shayt (shin, yud, tav), which means "appointed."

When studying the Torah, one should always seek out the meanings of the names of the people and places involved, for they often contain meaningful revelations. Since our ancestors lived in a predominantly oral/aural culture, the names used often help to reveal the meaning and events of a story. They add context!

This is the first clue that Jesus was not the name given to our Messiah. In Matthew 1:21 above, right after giving his name which should read Yeshua, it says "For He shall save his people from there sins". You see unlike Jesus, Yeshua actually means something. It is a word that is still in use in the Hebrew language today. Yeshua means Salvation! And you shall call his name Salvation, Yeshua.  So the true meaning of Yeshua is the salvation of God. It is written in the present tense.

So it goes even deeper. It means the Salvation of God Now. Yeshua was the Salvation of God then. He is the Salvation of God Now. And he will always be the Salvation of God. The name Jesus in a linguistic sense means nothing. But Yeshua means the Salvation of God Now. Which one better describes the Light and Salvation of the world?

As we go forth and test these new ideas in Scripture let us pray that our Father gives us His Spirit of wisdom, understanding, and truth. So we may see and walk as our Messiah walked, and be true disciples in the Name of Yeshua (Jesus). May we pray for eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts to change for the glory of our God