By Jason Van Bemmel, byFaith magazine
Naming a baby is always an important decision. I remember when we decided to name our first son “Andrew.” Andrew is my middle name, but that wasn’t a good enough reason to name him that. At one point, we were trying to decide between Andrew and Caleb. What pushed me finally toward Andrew was the fact that Andrew is the first person in the Gospel of John to bring someone to Jesus. In fact, it is Andrew who brings his brother Peter to Jesus in John 1:41-42. Since our son’s name is Andrew John, I thought this was perfect.
Months later, as Andrew was lying in the NICU, having been born more than nine weeks early and weighing less than three pounds, the meaning of the name “Andrew” became important to me. Andrew means “strong and manly.” I was praying to God to make Andrew strong and to allow him to grow to be a man.
Joseph and Mary did not have to wrestle with the decision of what to name their baby boy. God, the true Father of Jesus, told Joseph what to name His Son. “You are to give him the name Jesus,” He said. He even explained why: “Because he will save his people from their sins.”
Of course, we know that God picked the perfect name for His only begotten Son to bear when He came into this world, but I’d like to reflect for a few minutes on just how wonderful the name of Jesus really is.