Good morning. Today is Friday, June 10th!

🥳 Congratulations on starting today with God, and thank you for letting us be a part of it.

— Matthew 1:21

The name Jesus is the most famous name in history.

Christians pray in His name, worship His name, and place their hope in His name. The Bible even says that one day:

“every knee should bow… and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord” (Philippians 2:10–11).

But have you ever stopped to wonder where the name Jesus actually came from, what it means, and whether He was always called that?

The story begins before Jesus was even born. When the angel appeared to Mary, he said:

“You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.” (Luke 1:31)

Later, an angel appeared to Joseph and explained why God had chosen that name.

“You are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21)

That wasn’t a coincidence. In Hebrew, Jesus’ name was Yehoshua, often shortened to Yeshua. The name means, “The Lord saves” or “Yahweh is salvation.” To the first people who heard His name, the connection was obvious. His name literally matched His mission.

So if His name was Yeshua, where did Jesus come from?

The answer is translation.

Jesus grew up in first-century Israel, where He most likely spoke Aramaic every day, so His family and friends would have called Him Yeshua. But the New Testament wasn’t written in Aramaic. God inspired it in Koine Greek, the most widely spoken language in the Roman Empire, so the gospel could spread to the nations.

Greek didn’t have the Hebrew “sh” sound, and masculine Greek names usually ended with an -s, so Yeshua became Iēsous. Later it became Iesus in Latin, and eventually Jesus in English as the language developed.

Here’s another fun fact: Jesus and Joshua originally shared the same Hebrew name, Yehoshua. They only look different today because they reached English through different translation paths.

So where did the name Jesus come from? It began as Yehoshua, was commonly spoken as Yeshua, became Iēsous in Greek, Iesus in Latin, and finally Jesus in English.

The pronunciation changed because the language changed, not because the Person changed. And no matter what language you speak, His name still means exactly what it did the day God gave it:

The Lord saves.

When you’re not sure how to pray, A.C.T.S. gives you a simple path to follow: Adore, Confess, Thank, and Ask.

Adoration: Father, thank You for sending Jesus.

Confession: Forgive me for taking His name for granted.

Thanksgiving: Thank You that Jesus came to save me.

Supplication: Help me trust in Jesus and share the good news that the Lord saves.

In Jesus’ name, Amen

“Yeshua” by Anthem Worship

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See you tomorrow,

Zach | Start With God