1. Matthew 1:1–25 (ESV)
  2. Exposition

What is the gravity of the moment that Joseph named Jesus, in redemptive history?

Matthew 1:25 (ESV)

25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

These are some of the most important words in this chapter. This act of Joseph naming his child is a symbol of Joseph’s adopting of the baby, and thereby ensured that Joseph’s Davidic genealogy was also Jesus’. That means that “the Son of God became the son of David, giving him the covenantal right to sit on David’s throne, and thereby enabling him to save his people from their sins.”1