December 21, 2025

“She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
Matthew 1:21

This is my personal favorite verse in the Christmas narrative. It is brief, yet filled with meaning, hope, and a beautiful summary of God’s redemptive purpose in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The angel of the Lord reassures Joseph that what is happening is truly righteous and good. After all, what betrothed man would naturally believe his fiancée’s explanation: “Well honey, this angel showed up and I miraculously became pregnant”? Exactly. Yet Joseph is a righteous man of faith, and he receives and obeys the angel’s message.

Still, Joseph is not the focus of the verse—Jesus is. His name shall be Jesus, a name formed from two Hebrew words meaning Jehovah saves. Salvation comes from God. His name shall be Jesus, for He will save His people.

My favorite part of this verse, however, is a subtle nuance in the Greek grammar that Matthew records—one that is usually not reflected in our English translations. In English, after giving His name, the verse simply reads, “…for He will save His people from their sins.” That is a faithful and accurate translation, yet something more is being communicated.

We often hear the phrase, “something is lost in translation,” and this verse provides a wonderful example. Nothing secret or hidden is missing—just a nuance of emphasis. But what a rich and joyful emphasis it is!

In the Greek text, between the name Jesus and the word for, appears a single Greek word: “αὐτός.” It is correctly translated as “He” in our English Bibles. So what makes this significant? Two things. First, the word is included at all. It is not strictly necessary in Greek, though its presence is meaningful. Second—and most important—is its position in the sentence.

Unlike English, Greek word order is flexible and is often used to highlight or emphasize an idea. If we translated the verse strictly according to Greek word order, it would sound awkward in English: “…His name Jesus, He for will save His people…” This is why our English translations smooth out the sentence. Yet in doing so, the emphasis is less visible.

A more literal translation that captures Matthew’s intended emphasis might read:
“…His name Jesus, for He Himself will save His people from their sins.”

The meaning remains the same, but something glorious is added. His name shall be called Jesus because He Himself will do everything necessary to perfectly, infallibly, and eternally save His people from their sins. He—and He alone—is our Savior.

Like Joseph, the angel calls us simply to believe. Christ alone is the source of the most wonderful news: God’s own Son, Himself, has come to remove our guilt and shame and to give us everything necessary for our salvation. As the apostle Paul would later write, “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32).

Merry Christmas 🎄