Immanuel

It is already clear that Jesus is a Greek name, transliterated from the original Hebrew name, Yehoshuah or Yeshua. There are, however, a couple of other verses about His name that are problematical for some:

21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS (original Hebrew: Yeshua), for He will save His people from their sins.”
22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying:
23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”
24 Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife,
25 and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name JESUS (Yeshua).

Matthew 1:21-25 (New King James Version)

Verse 22 is referring to Isaiah’s prophecy:

13 Then he said, “Hear now, O house of David! Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will you weary my God also?

14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.”

Isaiah 7:13-14 (New King James Version)

The prophecy said, “They shall call His name Immanuel,” yet they were commanded to call His name Yeshua, and that’s what they did. Some say that this means Yeshua does not fulfill the prophecy, yet Matthew states that it was done for that purpose—to fulfill the prophecy. It seems to be a contradiction.

If the text said He would be called Immanuel, it would be easy to explain that God With Us was descriptive, and since Yeshua was truly God With Us, there is no problem with the additional name. The text, however, says His name shall be called Immanuel, an apparent inconsistency, since He was named Yeshua in accordance with the Angel's command. Yeshua was called Immanuel because God With Us was one of His attributes, but he was not named Immanuel.

We have several ways to look at the Yeshua/Immanuel dilemma. One is that God was known by many different names, many of them being descriptive—in the same way that Yeshua (Salvation) and Immanuel (God With Us) describe two very important attributes. The familiar words, “Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace,” all come to mind, and there are many others. None of these, however, are His NAME, in the sense that we usually think of a name. We sign our legal names to a check, not our nicknames. Arnold Schwartzenegger could write Terminator on a check; everyone would know who he was, but no bank would take it. What name would God sign to His checks? That’s a study for another time.

A second way to answer the Immanuel question is that Yeshua’s name isn’t merely a name, His name is Who He Is. It isn’t just that His name is Salvation (Yeshua), He IS Salvation. It wasn’t just that His name was to be called Immanuel, God With Us—when He came, God WAS With Us. You can see this thread all through the Bible, where God asks His people to honor His name, to build a temple for His name, and call on His name. I will write more on this in a subsequent post.

A third answer lies in looking at the entire time frame of Yeshua’s involving Himself in our Salvation. His first coming was not His last—He will come again. We can see that future in the book of Luke, where Mary is told what to name her Son:

30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.

31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS.

32. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.

Luke 1:30-32 (New King James Version)

Verse 32 speaks of Yeshua being given the throne of David, yet Yeshua did not take a throne at His first coming. The words referring to David’s throne are a looking forward into the future, to His second coming. In the same way, Isaiah and Matthew were adding future to present, looking forward to the time when Yeshua, having come to save His people, returns to earth and takes the throne of David and reigns here. At that time He will truly be known as Immanuel, God With Us.