New Year, Same Savior

Day 1: Matthew 1:1-25, 2:1-12

“She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” - Matthew 1:21 ESV

As you peruse the genealogy of Jesus, you see a slew of people who were trying desperately to save Israel (and themselves) from their enemies. Many of them failed, and those who succeeded provided only temporary relief.

Jesus' name means "the Lord saves," and it is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Joshua. Even Joshua didn't completely save his people as they entered the promised land.

Philistines. Assyrians. Babylonians. Persians. Greeks. Romans. Ancient Israel had its fair share of enemies throughout time. The Messiah would obviously be saving them from their oppressors, right?!

Matthew clearly records that the angel declares that Jesus would "save His people from their sins." Whoa, that is different from what the Jews were wanting (and expecting) in a Messiah (a Christ). The word used for sin here is hamartia, and it can also be translated as “failure.“

In 2025, Jesus will still want to save people from their sins with the wonder-working power of His blood.

One of my favorite Gospel songs is by VaShawn Mitchell, and it starts off like this:

His blood still works and I'm glad to report
That it never lost its power
Yes, it works, I've been redeemed
By the blood of the Lamb

May we allow this time-tested truth to sink in even deeper as we make our way through this new year with our Savior.