Christmas 2024: The Name that Embodies Peace

“And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” (Luke 1:30-33, NASB)

My daughter is learning to self-soothe when she goes to sleep. If she wakes up when we drop her in her crib, or if she wakes in the middle of the night, she tends to cry. But weeks ago, she cried for a long period of time, now she’s starting to only cry for a minute at most. Somehow, she's developing that ability to calm down and go back to sleep.

I remember being a kid and feeling that uneasy feeling of laying awake in your bed and not being able to fall asleep. At some point, I learned at school that Jesus’ name has the power to drive out fear, and I decided to apply it to that creepy feeling that something will come crawling out of the shadows in your dark room. I started to just say aloud, into the darkness the name of Jesus. Even now when that feeling comes over me I do the same thing. And always, without fail, I instantly feel a calm come over me, driving out my fear.

That’s the power of Jesus’ name. It’s no fluke that the prophet Isaiah says He will be called Prince of Peace.

And so, it’s also no coincidence that each time the angel comes to announce the birth of Jesus– whether it’s Mary, Joseph, or the shepherds outside of Bethlehem– the first words spoken are “Fear not!”

The message tends to be the same across the board: Do not be afraid, for Jesus the Savior has arrived! This is good news for everyone! He has come to give His people peace. 

His name has far-reaching implications. It means God is finally with us in the flesh. It means we have hope. It means we have a peace that surpasses all understanding. It meant that God had come to reconcile us to Himself, and that every promise He made was coming to pass. It is the realization of His glory and His awesomeness.

His name simultaneously is power and peace, strength and grace, authority and holiness. He is an almighty God that came to live in imperfect humanity, making Himself lowly and weak in order to show God the Father’s wonder.

Jesus’ name banishes fear because it is the essence of hope. Through that name, the sinner has a hope to be reconciled to God, live without fear, and anticipate a new life after death. There will never be another Savior that could match Him, and there has never been another God that pursued His creation more fervently.

Charles Spurgeon writes, “At the time when the name was given to him by God, Jesus had not een seen by mortal eyes, for he lay as yet concealed from human gaze; but soon he came forth, having been born of Mary by the power of the Holy Ghost, the matchless Holy Child Jesus. He bore our nature, but not our corruption He was made in the likeness of sinful flesh, undefiled, separate from sinners. This holy one is the Son of God, and yet he is the Son of man; this surpassing excellence of nature makes his name most precious.”

Jesus didn’t earn His name. He didn’t receive it like Abraham, Jacob, or Paul. Jesus didn’t live as a mere man and then receive a calling from God that changed the course of His life. His name wasn’t given by God as a way of showing that Jesus was a righteous man. 

Jesus’ name was established before His birth as a sign to us that He was the Messiah. It was a signal for us to know the gift of God’s Son to us. It was so that we would know the truth of His gospel. Jesus was born in the flesh, yet still God. He was and always will be the Great I Am. His name is the indication to us that Jesus was not coming into Himself or becoming a worthy sacrifice to save us from our sins.

He always was. He evermore shall be. Wonderful Counselor. Almighty God. Everlasting Father. Prince of Peace. 

And because His name is the confirmation and embodiment of God’s Peace, we do not have to fear. We have peace. We do not have to tremble at what tomorrow might bring, because the Prince of Peace has already come to the world. 

We stand in awe of Him during this season because of that truth, and in light of that peace. God is with us, and because He is with us, we do not have to fear.