“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).
Matthew 1:23 NIV
The passage above is a quote from Isaiah 7:14 that Matthew applies to Jesus. Isaiah gave this as a sign to Ahaz, king of Judah, concerning his current enemies. But the author of Matthew sees in this passage a look ahead to Jesus, who was “God with us”.
All too often at Christmas, we focus on a baby born in Bethlehem over 2000 years ago; looking more at the circumstances of his birth rather than who was born. Yes, we recognize him as the “Son of God” and that he was born to be our savior. But how often at Christmas do we focus on the birth narratives of Matthew and Luke? Accounts of shepherds, wise men, Herod, angels, innkeepers, sheep, donkeys, and drummer boys. And treat Jesus as just one more character in the story?
Immanuel: More than a Baby
That little baby, that so many of us picture lying in a miniature manger among our other Christmas decorations, is so much more than a baby. John says that he was the Word, who was God. That he created this universe and who became flesh and lived among us. Paul says that he was in nature, God. But that he set aside his glory as God to take on human form and die for us. The author of Hebrews says that he became a man, just like us, so that he could become a faithful high priest.
This Christmas, remember Immanuel, God with us. That child that Mary bore and delivered under humble circumstances over 2000 years ago was God, clothed in human flesh. Like the wise men, come and worship him and give him the best gift you can: yourself!
