By Sharon Loomis

Exodus 3:13-15: “Then Moses asked God ‘If I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ and they ask me ‘What is His name?’ what should I tell them? God replied to Moses ‘I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you. … The Lord, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is my name forever; this is how I am to be remembered in every generation. (CSB) (1446-1406 BC)

John 8:58 Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I AM!” (NLT)

Centuries prior to the birth of Jesus, Moses stood on a mountaintop when God declared His name to be “I AM”. In John 8:58 Jesus, now more than thirty years old was speaking to the Jewish leaders who questioned His claims of a divine relationship with God. Knowing what was to come, Jesus boldly declared himself to be “I AM”. He came to us as a baby, lived fully as both God and man to redeem us and was ready to return to His rightful place in heaven.

In Luke 1:31, the angel Gabriel tells Mary, “You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus.” (NIV) In Matthew 1:21 an angel, appearing in a dream, tells Joseph to name the child Jesus because He will save His people from their sins.

Yeshua, the Hebrew name for Jesus, appears in the Old Testament thirty times as Joshua and in the New Testament, Jesus is mentioned 1,310 times. Etymologically, both names mean Jehovah is salvation (Savior of mankind).

Mary and Joseph knew who they held in their arms when they arrived at the temple for the traditional circumcision on the eighth day. True to God’s loving nature He delights to give us confirmation. In Luke 2:21-32 the elderly prophets Simeon and Anna declare Jesus as the Messiah. Can you imagine what these words meant to Mary and Joseph?

In this passage we have a beautiful picture of our triune God in one place … God, the Father in His temple… Jesus, the Son, in the arms of His earthly parents… and the Holy Spirit working through Simeon and Anna.

Jesus

Immanuel

I AM

Food For Thought

HE is the same yesterday, today, and always. There is power in the Name.