Yeshua: The Hebrew Name of Jesus and Why It’s So Important

Some people believe that the name “Jesus” is an invention of Satan, put in place through the Church in order to take us away from the true Messiah, Yeshua. The name “Jesus” is really a code for “Hail Zeus.” It’s invoking a pagan deity. Before you drive off the road or spit out your coffee, understand that I believe this is pure rubbish. I’ll prove it to you in less than 10 minutes.

Several years ago I was the keynote speaker at a Hebrew Roots conference. At the time, I was also helping to promote an event in Jerusalem titled, Jesus Reigns. So, I put up a big display in the exhibit area and waited to talk to people. This didn’t go well. Some people passed on the other side like I had leprosy. Others blatantly gave me dirty looks. I had no clue what I was doing wrong, until a gentleman had the courage to confront me to my face. Thank Jesus he did!

Jesus or Yeshua?

This might come as a bit of shock to some of you, but the name of that special baby born in Bethlehem isn’t Jesus. The New Testament was written in Greek. So, the name we have is the Greek version – Iēsous. It was a very common name at the time of Christ. It’s found all over the Septuagint – the Greek version of the Hebrew Scriptures dating back to more than a hundred years before the birth of Christ.

The Hebrew version of this name is Yeshua. Greek doesn’t have a sh letter like Hebrew, so that was changed to an s. And it was very common for male names in Greek to have the “ous” sound added to them. This moved Yeshua to Iēsous. Through linguistic changes over the centuries, the pronunciation evolved into Jesus, as the y sound was dropped and replaced with a j.  If you say the Greek version just right, it sort of sounds like “Hail Zeus!” This name has nothing to do with Zeus. That’s crazy talk. Enough of the crazy language stuff. Let’s talk about why it matters. 

You Shall Call His Name Yeshua….

What is much more important than how the name went from Yeshua to Jesus is what the name actually means. It’s really interesting to walk down the streets of Jerusalem and ask someone what the name Jesus means. They have no idea. In fact, if you ask them what Jesus’ last name is, many think it’s Christ.

But, if you ask them what Yeshua means, they will immediately be able to answer: to save. When in a specific context, it can actually mean he saves. Look at it in Matthew 1:

“Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you will name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:20-21 NET)

The angel tells Joseph (or Yosef in Hebrew), “Call the baby He Will Save, because he will save his people from their sins. Talk about being born with a purpose.

No Other Name

There isn’t any reason to debate which version of the Name we should use: Hebrew, Greek, Latin or English. But the Name is unquestionably important.

Society wants to convince us that there are lots of paths to eternal life. It doesn’t matter which we take. Christianity is fine, just don’t push it on anyone else. Muslims will all get to their version of Heaven. Same with Buddhists, Hindus, and even atheists. Be a good person. Treat others kindly. Don’t lie or cheat or steal – too much. God is love. He’ll forgive anyone who is sincere, no matter what they actually believe.

Remember the time when Peter and John were confronted by the Jewish religious leaders. All they were asked to do was stop healing and preaching in the Name of Jesus. That’s it. There response should be ours as well:

“Rulers of the people and elders, if we are being examined today for a good deed done to a sick man—by what means this man was healed — let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, this man stands before you healthy. This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, that has become the cornerstone. 1And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among people by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:8-13 NET)

I don’t care if you call Him Yeshua or Jesus. But make sure you call on Him. That’s what really matters.