Jesus’s name is also His mission—to seek and to save that which was lost.

耶稣的名字展现祂的使命，要寻找拯救失丧的人。

She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. Matthew 1:21

她将要生一个儿子，你要给祂起名叫耶稣。-马太福音1章21节

“Gip” Hardin, a Methodist preacher, named his son after the famous preacher John Wesley, reflecting Gip’s hopes and aspirations for his baby boy. John Wesley Hardin, however, tragically chose a different path than his ministry-minded namesake. Claiming to have killed forty-two men, Hardin became one of the most notorious gunfighters and outlaws of the American West of the late 1800s.

有一位卫理公会的传道人哈丁，以大布道家约翰．卫斯理的名字为他的新生儿命名，展现了他对儿子的殷切期盼。不幸的是，哈丁的儿子并未按照父亲对他的期盼去服事上帝。他杀害了42个人，成为19世纪末期，美国西部一个恶名昭彰的持枪歹徒。

In the Bible, as in many cultures today, names hold special significance. Announcing the birth of God’s Son, an angel instructed Joseph to name Mary’s child “Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). The meaning of Jesus’s name—“Jehovah saves”—confirmed His mission to save from sin.

像现今许多文化一样，圣经中的名字也别具意义。天使宣告上帝之子诞生时，吩咐约瑟为祂起名为耶稣，“因祂要将自己的百姓从罪恶里救出来”（马太福音1章21节）。耶稣的名字意为“耶和华拯救”，祂的使命是要救人脱离罪恶。

Unlike Hardin, Jesus completely and thoroughly lived up to His name. Through His death and resurrection, He accomplished His mission of rescue. John affirmed the life-giving power of Jesus’s name, saying, “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31). The book of Acts invites everyone to trust Him, for, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

耶稣和哈丁的儿子相反，祂彻底活出了祂名字的涵义。祂为人受死又从死里复活，成就了救赎大工。使徒约翰清楚表明，耶稣的名字含有“赐予生命的大能”，他说：“但记这些事，要叫你们信耶稣是基督，是上帝的儿子，并且叫你们信了祂，就可以因祂的名得生命”（约翰福音20章31节）。使徒行传邀请所有人来信靠耶稣，因为“除祂以外，别无拯救；因为在天下人间，没有赐下别的名，我们可以靠着得救”（使徒行传4章12节）。

All who call on Jesus’s matchless name in faith can experience for themselves the forgiveness and hope He provides. Have you called on His name?

人若凭信心呼求耶稣那至高无上的名，就能亲身经历祂所赐的赦免及盼望。你愿呼求主名吗？

Thank You, Father, for providing salvation through Your Son, Jesus. We love You.

天父，感谢祢，藉由祢的独生爱子耶稣赐下救恩。耶稣，我们爱祢！

Matthew 1:18-25    NIV

1 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. 20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,because he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:  23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). 24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

马太福音 1:18-25 

1 耶稣基督降生的事记在下面：他母亲马利亚已经许配了约瑟，还没有迎娶，马利亚就从圣灵怀了孕。 19 她丈夫约瑟是个义人，不愿意明明地羞辱她，想要暗暗地把她休了。 20 正思念这事的时候，有主的使者向他梦中显现，说：“大卫的子孙约瑟，不要怕，只管娶过你的妻子马利亚来，因她所怀的孕是从圣灵来的。 21 她将要生一个儿子，你要给他起名叫耶稣，因他要将自己的百姓从罪恶里救出来。” 22 这一切的事成就，是要应验主借先知所说的话说： 23 “必有童女怀孕生子，人要称他的名为以马内利。”（“以马内利”翻出来就是“神与我们同在”。） 24 约瑟醒了，起来，就遵着主使者的吩咐把妻子娶过来， 25 只是没有和她同房，等她生了儿子，就给他起名叫耶稣。

INSIGHT

灵粮透视

In the Bible, people’s names often end up calling attention to their failures. For example, at birth Samson’s parents gave him a name that meant “like the sun.” By the time he died, his name reminds us of one who lived a dark and troubled life.

在圣经中，人的名字往往最终让人留意他们的失败。例如参孙的父母给他的名字，意思是“像太阳一样”。但参孙去世的时候，却让我们想到一个活在黑暗和困境中的人。

The names of God remind us of one whose character never fails. He is named, described, and remembered not only as the self-existent one (Exodus 3:14), but as the all-powerful Creator (Genesis 1:1), the Lord who provides (22:13–14), the Lord who gives peace (Judges 6:24), the Lord who is present (Ezekiel 48:35), and ultimately, the God and Father of our Savior (Romans 15:6; 2 Corinthians 1:3).

然而，上帝的名字却提醒我们，祂是我们可以全然信靠的上帝。从上帝的名字和圣经对祂的描述，以及人们对祂的认识，都表明了上帝不仅是自有永有的（出埃及记3章14节），更是全能的创造主（创世记1章1节）、是为人丰富预备的主（22章13-14节）、是赐平安的主（士师记6章24节），也是与人同在的主（以西结书48章35节）。最重要的是，祂还是我们救主耶稣基督的父上帝（罗马书15章6节；哥林多后书1章3节）。

整理：于姊妹