What’s In a Name? The Meaning of Yeshua Hamaschiach

It might be a name you’ve not seen before, though many of you know exactly who He is. As with many of the names of people in Scripture, His name is prophetically significant, and knowing the meaning of Yeshua Hamaschiach is crucial. Let’s dig in…

…but first a little fun

A few of you might be thinking, who on earth is Yeshua Hamaschiach? I took advantage of that in 2016. The nation was becoming increasingly divided over politics and the election. I wanted to give my congregation a little perspective, so I made this little animated video. The gist of the video is simple. I don’t care who you vote for, so long as you elect to follow Yeshua Hamaschiach.

Who Is Yeshua Hamaschiach?

If you watched the video you know. If not, Yeshua Hamaschiach is His name in Hebrew. You’re likely more familiar with the anglicized version of His name in Latin, Jesus Christ. The Bible refers to his name “as the name that is above every name” (Philippians 2:9) and says “there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) Sounds like its incredibly important. Let’s look at why. 

What’s In a Name?

One of the things that is of the utmost importance for believers is sharing your faith. That can be an intimidating proposition and I have seen some very confident people turn to jelly at the very thought. One reason I hear often is people don’t think they know enough to share. First of all there is a story about Jesus that only you can tell. It’s the story of what He has done in your life. Secondly, you know two of the most important things you can know about Jesus if you know nothing more than His name. I set out to create a program to prove that artistically. 

The Name of Jesus

I start off speed painting a picture of of half the face of the lamb (above). I then begin to tell a seemingly unrelated story, the story of another name. My name. 

The Name of David

My name is David. I’d love to tell you that my name is David because on the day I was born, my father looked at me and wanted to give me a name that will show the world how much he loved me. So he gave me the name David, because in Hebrew, David means “beloved.” I’d love to tell you that, but I can’t, because it’s not true.

Then I’d love to tell you that my mother decided to give me a name that would give me something to aspire to. For that reason, she named me after the mighty, warrior, poet, prophet, musician, king, David. Of course I can’t tell you that either, because it’s also not true. 

No, my name is David for a much simpler, more common, reason. My name is David, because my father’s name is David, and his father, my grandfather was also named David. Grandpa was really insistent that my name would be David. He told everyone he could think of, whether he knew them or not, that his first grandson would be named David. He did this so often, that on the night when my grandmother got the call that I was born, she got off the phone and told Grandpa they named me Jeffrey. I’m told there was a lot of discord in their family that night because of it. 

The Insistent Father

Why do I tell that story? Because, while our heavenly Father, does not carry the baggage that my grandpa did, He was also very insistent about Jesus’ name. As a matter of fact, if you read the birth stories of Jesus in Matthew and Luke, you will see that God, through the angel Gabriel, told both Mary and Joseph that the child to be born shall be named Jesus. He told Joseph why. “you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 

Why the Lamb?

One of the things I love about painting in these presentations is it quite literally draws people in. By this point in the story, the people have got to be saying, “Why the lamb?” By now they have waited long enough. I remind them of the sacrificial system that God had set up many centuries before. To our modern minds, it may seem a barbaric process, but it actually served as a teachable moment. To vastly oversimplify the situation, we sinned, lambs died. 

This system showed three things. Sin costs. Sheep were very valuable in their day, and your sacrifice had to be a perfect one. Not only would you lose that lamb, but you would also lose all the lambs that would come from such a perfect specimen. Further, it showed that sin kills. Finally, it prepared us for a greater Lamb to come. Do you remember how John the Baptist introduced us to Jesus? He said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” This brings us back to the name.

Why Yeshua?

The reason that God the Father was so insistent on naming His son Yeshua, or Jesus is because it means Yahweh will Save, or Savior. The name is prophetic, because that is why Jesus came. He came to be the Savior. So if you know nothing but the name Jesus, you know something everyone needs to know. Jesus came to be our Savior—to save us from our sins, and give us eternal life, but there is more to the name. 

Christ, The Lion

Next, in my presentation I paint half the face of a lion. Then I tell the people about the other part of His name. Hamaschiach, a name in Hebrew which is anglicized to Messiah, which in Latin is Christ. Now for the record Christ is not his last name. I know it may sound silly to some, but when I first started on this journey, that’s what I thought. He was Jesus Christ, son of Joseph and Mary Christ. That’s not how this worked. Christ is not his name, it’s his title.

Why the Lion?

 I didn’t paint the lion as king of the beasts. I paint him because in the book of Revelation Jesus is referred to as the lion of the tribe of Judah (Revelation 5:5). This shows exactly who Jesus is. Centuries before the birth of Jesus, God promised David, a descendant of the line of Judah, that a King would come from his line who would reign over God’s Kingdom forever. That King would be the Messiah, AKA the Christ. Jesus is that king. 

Hamaschiach?

Hamaschiach, or Messiah, or Christ, means the Lord’s anointed. He is King and He is Lord.  Now sometimes I think it’s easier to convince people of a Savior—a God who loves us enough to lay down His life to save us, than it is to convince people we need a King. After all here in the U.S. we don’t have a king, we have a president, who is elected or de-elected at the will of the people. We can oppose him. We can run against him, and on and on. It’s not like that with a king. WIth a king the only proper response is to say, “Yes Lord.” We don’t think we need a king, but we do. I can’t speak for you, but I have a hard enough time living up to my own moral code, let alone God’s. I need a Lord to lead me and guide me. I need a King. I need Christ. 

The Meaning of Yeshua Hamaschiach, Jesus’ name

Yeshua Hamaschiach, anglicized to Jesus Christ, is an immensely powerful name. At this point in the presentation, I take those two seemingly separate paintings and join them together on one easel to show the faces of the lion and the lamb meet in unity to show something very important. Jesus Christ meat Savior and Lord, and that is exactly who we need Him to be. If you know nothing more than His name, you already know two of the most important things you need to know. Jesus came to save us from our sins and to be our Lord, a benevolent king who loves us with a perfect, sacrificial love. We can follow Him through this life and He will save us and lead us all the way home. He is worthy of our faith and He is worthy of our trust, and through faith in Him, He will be for all eternity. 

Trust Him.