Written by Ron Cantor

Pictured next to the text is Justin Bieber who performed here in Israel a few months ago. Apparently while he was here, he had the name Yeshua tattooed on his side. Whether you think tattoos are good or bad isn’t the issue. The issue is that Yeshua was in this morning’s most well-known newspaper.

Israelis are taught that Yeshua’s name was actually Yeshu. Whenever He is referred to in the media for any reason, He is called Yeshu—not Yeshua. While there is much controversy about the origins of the name Yeshu, it is believed by many that it is an acronym that stands for: “May his name be erased forever.”

This was something said of enemies of the Jewish people after they were dead. Others claim it was a deliberate mispronunciation by the rabbis so as not to mention the name of a false god. Either way it was an insult to the Jewish Messiah.

There is no history of a common Jewish name: Yeshu. However Yeshua or Yehoshua (Joshua, the longer form) was a common Jewish name.

What’s more, the root of Yeshua is the word Salvation. In Hebrew every word has a three-letter root. From the root Y.SH.A, we get the verb to save and the nouns Savior and salvation.

What does all this have to do with Justin Bieber? Only that every Israeli who sees his tattoo in today’s paper will have to ask themselves, “Why did he spell it Yeshua and not Yeshu?” Hopefully, it will lead some if not many to find the true meaning of Yeshua—Salvation.

That’s why we are here!