MEDITATIONS
FROM MATTHEW
December 27 , 2007
Reading
"You shall
call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” Matthew
Before proceeding any further we must establish the fact that the Hebrew
name for the Son of God is Yahvahshua, not Jesus. The word Jesus is from the
Greek word ‘Iesous’. Our translations
use the name Joshua in the Old Testament which, in Hebrew, is Yahvahshua.
Therefore the name of the Son of God is the same as Joshua.
The Son of God was named Yahvahshua “for He shall save His people from
their sins,” ‘shua’ save, savior. We,
as Christians, rejoice in this fact, but might well ask, “How did Yahvahshua
save His people from their sins?”
Yahvahshua, the sinless Son of God, willingly offered Himself to be the
Sacrifice required to appease the wrath of God against sin.
“Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on
the tree” 1 Peter
“And the LORD has
laid on Him the iniquity of us all” Isaiah 53:6.
Not only did God lay our sins on the body of
His Son, Yahvahshua actually became sin.
“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin
for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” 2 Corinthians
The spotless Son of God became filthy in the eyes of His Father because
He became sin. He never was a sinner, but He became sin. There is a wonderful
picture of this in the Old Testament where a high priest (how appropriate)
named Yahvahshua was found to be “clothed with filthy garments” Zechariah 3:3. Our
unrighteousness is as filthy rags – Isaiah 64:6 – and these are the filthy garments with
which our Yahvahshua became clothed.
After dying on the cross clothed in our filthy garments, Yahvahshua
presented Himself to His Father for judgment. The judgment on sin is hell.
Yahvahshua was no exception. He went to hell so we would not have to. But “You
will not leave my soul in Hades” Acts
“See, I have
removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes” Zechariah 3:4.
Therefore, when Jesus ascended into heaven He presented Himself to His Father,
the Ancient of Days, He was not sent away but approved and accepted and awarded
a kingdom that will never pass away or never be destroyed – Daniel 7:9-14.
“Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered
Himself without spot to God” Hebrews
Praise God, this is what Christmas is all about.