"Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel" (which means God with us). - Matthew 1:23

God's Promise of a Savior

In the first gospel of the New Testament, Matthew provides a long genealogy of Jesus Christ, from Abraham through Joseph, the husband of Mary, who was the mother of Jesus. This genealogy covered a period of about 2,160 years. That was how many years had passed since God made a promise to Abraham that through him all the world would be blessed (Genesis 12:1-3). The time had finally come for the promise to be fulfilled.

Around 700 B.C., Isaiah had prophesied of the coming Messiah, saying, "Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel" (Isaiah 7:14). Some three hundred years later, God had rebuked his people through the prophet Malachi for their disobedience and apathy toward him; but he again promised the coming of the Messiah (Malachi 3:1). After speaking through Malachi, God went silent.

God's Promise Fulfilled

Four hundred years had passed since God had spoken to his people. And now, here were Joseph and Mary, engaged to be married, and Mary was pregnant. But Joseph knew he was not the father, because the time had not come for them to consummate their marriage. As he considered what to do with her, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and assured him of Mary's innocence. The child in her womb had been conceived, not through sexual relations, but miraculously from the Holy Spirit. The angel told Joseph that Mary would bear a son, and they would call his name Jesus, "for he will save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21). This would be the promised Messiah, the one to be called Immanuel!

We know, from the account in Luke chapter 2, that Jesus did not come into the world in royal fashion. He was born in humble surroundings in Bethlehem. Since there was no room for them in the inn, Mary had no place to lay him down, except in a trough where animals were fed. How is it that this could be the Messiah that God had promised, of whom the prophets of the Old Testament had foretold? If this was to be "God with us," the one who would save his people from their sins, why would he come under such humble circumstances?

But Matthew and Luke tell us that this child is the fulfillment of God's promise. In fact, Luke says that when Jesus was born, an angel of the Lord appeared to shepherds in the region proclaiming "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:12). He told them that they would find him wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger. Then the sky was filled with a host of angels praising God for the birth of the Savior! The Father had sent his Son into the world, born of a virgin, conceived of the Holy Spirit, to dwell among men.

Immanuel - God With Us

The Israelites of that day had known of God through the Old Testament scriptures. To many, he must have seemed distant and impersonal. They would worship God at the temple, and offer sacrifices through their priests, but it had been four hundred years since he had last spoken. Now here was the Son of the living, eternal God who had come in human flesh to dwell among them! It was no wonder that throngs of people would follow him and listen to every word he spoke as he taught them the things of God. They saw him perform miracles that testified of his deity. He healed the sick, fed multitudes of people, and taught about compassion for the poor and needy. They saw that he was kind, loving, approachable, and even touchable. They experienced God in a way that no one had ever experienced him. 

But God had a greater purpose for coming into the world. He was the promised Messiah, the one who would save us from our sin. Born of Mary, he became fully human, as one of us. He had all of the same physical needs, and experienced the same emotions and struggles as all humans do. But in his humanity, he did not forsake his divine nature. He was fully God and fully man, yet without sin. He came to offer himself up as the final sacrifice for sin, bringing life to all who would believe in him.

For this, we celebrate his birth. His name is Jesus, who is called Immanuel - God with us!