Immanuel

This name of Jesus means “God with us” and is found in Isaiah 7:14 and 8:8, 10, as well as in Matthew 1:23. There is no record in the New Testament that anybody other than the angel ever associated this name with Jesus, but the meaning of the name—the presence of Jesus with His people—is seen throughout the Bible. “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (28:20). This is not a promise with conditions attached; it is the statement of a wonderful fact. Whether we realize it or not, He is with us.

First, a bit of ancient history. The name Immanuel was revealed to the prophet Isaiah seven centuries before Jesus was born (see Isaiah 7). King Ahaz and the kingdom of Judah were in deep trouble because the powerful Assyrian empire was threatening to swallow up the small kingdoms of Judah, Israel (the northern Jewish kingdom), and Syria. Israel and Syria wanted Ahaz to join them in an alliance against Assyria, but Ahaz refused. He had secretly made a treaty with Assyria that the other kings knew nothing about (2 Kings 16:5–9), so he couldn’t very well turn against his ally. Instead of trusting the Lord to deliver Judah, he was relying on the Assyrians, who were actually his enemies.

When you read Isaiah 7, you meet a frightened king, a trembling nation, and a confident prophet. Isaiah told the king that the only sure way to have peace was to trust in the Lord and not in political alliances. He promised that God would defeat the enemy kings and rescue Judah, and he even offered to give Ahaz a sign from the Lord to strengthen his faith. Hypocritical Ahaz piously refused the sign, so Isaiah gave the sign to the entire house of David to which Ahaz belonged. This was the sign: a woman, then a virgin, would be married and conceive a child and name him Immanuel—“God with us.” Before the child would reach the age of accountability—to the Jews, twelve years old—the two enemy kings would be dead and the northern kingdom of Israel would be taken by Assyria. Isaiah delivered this prophecy in 734 BC and in 732 Assyria defeated Syria and in 722 invaded the northern kingdom and absorbed it into its empire. But Judah was delivered; Isaiah’s words from the Lord proved true.

There’s more to the name Immanuel than an assurance that God’s Word is true. The name teaches us important truths about Jesus Christ and the way He cares for His people.

To begin with, it teaches us that Jesus is both God and man, divine and human. Isaiah didn’t write that a “man of God” or a “godly man” would be with us but the God-Man, the Son of God Himself in sinless human flesh. Jesus Christ is God! (see John 1:1, 14; 20:28; Rom. 9:5; Titus 2:13; Heb. 1:8; 2 Pet. 1:1; 1 John 5:20). He claimed to be God (John 10:30–33; 14:1–9; 19:7) and He received worship as God (Matt. 2:11; 14:33; John 9:38). He took on Himself sinless human nature so that He could reveal the Father to us (John 14:1–9). He entered into our everyday human experiences so He could become our sympathetic High Priest (Heb. 2:9–18; 4:14–16; 5:7–10). He surrendered His body on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins so that we might receive eternal life (10:1–14; 1 Pet. 2:24).

Theologians call this “the incarnation,” from two Latin words that together mean “in the flesh, in a body.” Jesus, who existed from eternity in heaven, willingly emptied Himself of His own independent use of His divine attributes and came to earth as a servant (Phil. 2:1–11). What condescension! This was not a temporary “embodiment” for one specific task, as in the Old Testament appearances of Jesus (Genesis 18; 32; Josh. 5:13–15; Daniel 3), but a permanent union of His divine nature with human nature. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, Jesus did the Father’s will day after day. Today He is glorified in heaven, and one day all believers shall be like Him (1 John 3:1–3).

While ministering here on earth in that prepared human body (Heb. 10:5–7; Ps. 40:6–8), Jesus was limited by time and space as was any other human. If He was in Capernaum, He was not in Bethany. But the exalted King-Priest in heaven today is unlimited. He is with each of His people constantly and available to them to meet their needs. When we serve Him, He is working with us (Mark 16:20). When we are in difficult places, He is with us to assist us (Acts 18:9–11; 23:11; 27:19–25; 2 Tim. 4:16–18).

Even in the hour of death, He is with us (Ps. 23:4), and He will be with us for all eternity (Rev. 21:1–3). Jesus has promised, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Matt. 28:19–20).

Charles Spurgeon said it beautifully. “‘God’—there lies the majesty. ‘God with us’—there lies the mercy. ‘God’—therein is glory. ‘God with us’ is grace.”[1]

Majesty—mercy—glory—grace! Immanuel—God with us!

 See: Gifts, Jesus, Messiah, Nazarene

Incarnation

Incarnation comes from two Latin words that mean “in the flesh, in a body.” Incarnation is the theological term used to express the doctrine that Jesus Christ is God in a human body. “The Word became flesh” (John 1:14). Jesus is both fully God and fully human, one person, but with two natures. For a more thorough discussion, see Advent and Immanuel.

 See: Advent (Christ’s First), Prophecy, Virgin Birth

Inn

The story of Mary in labor and Joseph desperately seeking shelter and the innkeeper refusing them a room because his establishment was full, is dramatic—and probably fiction.

Today’s travelers expect to make a reservation at a motel and have a room waiting when they arrive. Almost every exit on America’s highways has at least one facility for overnight guests. It was not this way in the ancient world.

Travelers journeyed in caravans and camped for the night. There were inns along the main business routes but they were not nice places. Most were just a level camping area by an oasis, but some were enclosed facilities, with two stories. The accommodations were poor, the company not the best, and innkeepers had a bad reputation. Theft was common, and it was dangerous to be alone.

Bethlehem did not have this type of inn because it was too far off the main caravan routes. It was a busy town when Joseph and Mary arrived due to all the individuals and families there to register for the census (Luke 2:1–3). Most out-of-town guests would have stayed with relatives, but even that kind of housing probably filled up quickly.

Luke tells us that while Joseph and Mary were in Bethlehem, the time came for her to deliver her child. The idea that Mary was in labor when they arrived in town is probably wrong; it was after they had arrived that her labor began.

The word for “inn” (κατάλυμα, katalyma, in Luke 2:7) would be better translated “guest room.” The word is never used for a public guest facility in the Arabic and Syriac versions of Luke’s Gospel. “No room for them in the inn” would be interpreted to mean that “the guest room” was full at a relative’s house.

Most houses at the time had an upper and lower level. The lower level was where the family’s animals were kept. Sometimes this lower level was divided, so the family could sleep on one side and animals could stay on the other. Animals would be fed at a manger (made of wood or stone).

If there was no room available in the main part of the house for Mary and Joseph to sleep, they could have gone to the lower-level sleeping quarters. And this is where Mary gave birth to Jesus. Then the manger, which was nearby, would have made a convenient cradle (Luke 2:7).

Among the Christmas legends are stories of the animals speaking or singing for baby Jesus. The fanciful accounts point at least to the fact that Christ was born where animals were kept. By the time the Magi arrived (Matthew 2), Joseph and Mary and baby Jesus were living in a house. So the “barn” was only temporary quarters.

The circumstances of Jesus’ birth reveal that Joseph and Mary were poor and needed to rely on the kindness of others. Where Jesus was born indicates how crowded Bethlehem was and how difficult it must have been to find a private place for Jesus’ birth. It may not have been what Mary and Joseph wanted or expected, but God did provide a safe, warm place for Jesus to be born. God always meets our needs.

 See: Bethlehem, Christmas, Manger, Mary, Shepherds

Innocents

December 28 on the Church calendar commemorates the Slaughter of the Innocents, Herod’s brutal murder of baby boys to rid himself of the threat of another (genuine) King of the Jews (Matt. 2:1–18). That Herod was threatened by an infant and that he perpetrated such violence reveal that he was a mean man ruled by fear and anger. His attempt to use the Magi to discover the newborn King’s location was malicious. He wanted the information only so that he could commit murder. When his quarry escaped, he committed murder anyway.

Imagine that you are one of the fathers or mothers whose boy is not yet two years old. You hear the tramp of soldiers’ feet come down your street. There’s a knock on the door. A soldier demands to know if there are young children, boys. Soldiers search the house. Despite tears and struggle, the little ones are seized—and killed. For the devastated parents, it means shock, horror, anger, and grief. As we read the story, we feel those same emotions.

Matthew reached back to words of the prophet Jeremiah to express the feeling in Bethlehem: “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more” (Matt. 2:18; Jer. 31:15). The kind of grief that cannot be comforted—that’s what the families in Bethlehem knew.

During Advent and at Christmas, we want the illusion that all is well. The truth is, Christmas sharpens the knife-edge of our own sorrows and problems. Bethlehem was the place of the divine mystery of the incarnation. It was also a place of human brutality. This is a difficult topic to address. But let us meditate on some of the ways this scriptural account touches us.

The death of the innocents breaks our hearts. We ache for the little ones and for their parents and siblings. Bethlehem was not a large town, and some scholars estimate there were perhaps a dozen or twenty baby boys. But if one child dies, that’s too many! If twenty baby boys died, that’s forty bereaved parents. Daily we see the effects of war on children and we hear reports of children abused or missing or dead. One healthy response is to cry, like Rachel. We can also seek to comfort those who mourn. Whose broken heart might God use you to heal?

The death of the innocents opens our eyes. Evil is real, embodied in human beings. Herod was evil—murder was nothing new to him. Evil persons are selfish, proud, and opposed to God. Herod tried to destroy Jesus and he ended up destroying himself.

Behind human opposition to Christ is Satan. Satan hates that Jesus is honored, loved, and obeyed, so he strikes at the followers of Jesus. One reason Jesus came to earth was to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8). The devil has been defeated by Christ’s death and resurrection but he still fights. Where do you see evil at work? Are you willing to overcome evil with good? Will you be loyal to Jesus if Christians are accused of being “the enemy”?

The death of the innocents troubles our minds. This account provokes questions that have no satisfying answers: Why did God let innocent children die? Why did He let those parents suffer? Why did the soldiers obey such an immoral order?

To the question, Why doesn’t God protect the innocent? the answer is: we should protect the innocent! But sometimes evil wins, despite our best efforts.

What happens to children who die before they can understand who Jesus is and what He did for them? Here are four biblical considerations. First, when King David’s infant son died, David said, “I will go to him, but he will not return to me” (2 Sam 12:23). David believed that he would see his child again in heaven. Second, Christ’s sacrifice on the cross was sufficient for all persons. Third, God is gracious. Fourth, Jesus loves children. “He took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them” (Mark 10:16). While it is never explicitly spelled out in Scripture, God through Christ’s death and resurrection has made provision for those who are too young to respond to the gospel.

The death of the innocents exercises our faith. Logical thinking and good theology won’t heal the wounds and grief inflicted by evil. Surviving is a matter of having faith in the living God. Remember that Christmas led to Calvary. The innocent Son of God experienced injustice, evil, and murder.

Isaiah 63:9 offers a gift of words to those in mourning: “In all their affliction He was afflicted” (NASB). These words give us reasons to believe: God is with us in our afflictions. God knows how it feels to be afflicted. God will carry us through our afflictions. How do we know? Jesus was afflicted to death—and He is alive forever.

 See: Herod the Great, Wise Men

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[1]. Charles Spurgeon, Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit (Pasadena, TX: Pilgrim, 1980), 21:711.