She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. Matthew 1:21
Jesus came for his. When Joseph, the soon-to-be dad, heard that Jesus was coming to save his people, he surely thought those people were one group: the Jews, God’s chosen people.
Unless Joseph was more intuitive than the average Jew, he would not have imagined the blasphemous thought that “his people” would one day include pagan Gentiles. Samaritan half-breeds. Roman soldiers. You. Me.
Everybody could end up being Jesus’ people.
When Jesus came to his original people—the ones born by flesh and blood—many refused his message (John 1:11-13). As planned, the net was then thrown wider, to whoever would believe (John 3:16).
Includes you. Includes me. When he came to save “his people” from their sins, he was talking about us.
