Who is Jesus pt. 3: Emmanuel
“Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
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Growing up in church there were certain scriptures that I heard quoted over and again. These were usually scriptures containing great promises or words of hope. Hebrews 13:5 is one of those scriptures, and with good reason.
“Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. ”
These words have been a constant comfort for me throughout my life. There has never been a moment when I felt like God wasn’t right there with me. No matter where I found myself, there was always hope because of this promise. I think this is why we tend to take God for granted in this way, and it may be surprising to some to learn that God hasn’t always been with mankind in the same way He is with them today.
When we read through the Old Testament we see many instances of God appearing to man in some strange ways; in the form of a human, a burning bush, a rock, or even in dark clouds with thunder and lightning, It is even written that Moses was able to view the hinder parts of God. The thing about these appearances, and others like it, is that they were temporary. God would appear in these various forms to deliver His message or otherwise give assistance and then that encounter would be over.
When Israel finally got settled in their land they built a temple, a permanent structure for God to dwell in. God did promise to meet with His people in this place, but in a very limited capacity. This meeting was to take place in the innermost part of this temple on a certain day each year, and God wouldn’t meet with the whole congregation in this way but only with the high priest, who was a representative of the people. The people often had to travel very long distances in very harsh conditions just to have limited access to their God.
“But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people: ”
To be clear, I am not implying that God was not with His chosen people, He certainly was; leading them, fighting with and for them, and sending them hope in dark times. But the time came when he put Israel out of the land, out of His sight, and the Old Testament prophets spoke of a time in which Judah would suffer the same fate,
“And I will cast you out of my sight, as I have cast out all your brethren, even the whole seed of Ephraim.”
Then a child was born.
A child who was named Jesus.
A child who was named Jesus, but who would be called Emmanuel.
God with us.
So what was it about this child that would cause the people of his day to call Him “God With Us”?
This, of course, was no ordinary child, born of a man’s seed. No, this child was born to a virgin who had conceived by the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of God. This child was the offspring of God, this child was God (we will discuss these ideas more completely in future posts), and His arrival on earth signified a major shift in God’s availability to mankind.
Jesus didn’t come just to mingle with those who normally had access to the most holy places in the temple, or even the other religious leaders of the day. As a matter of fact, when Jesus did cross paths with these men he usually scolded them and called them things like “hypocrite.” No, Jesus ran with a different crowd. His closest friends included a zealot, fishermen, and publicans.
Publicans of all people.
“And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners? ”
But to truly be “with” someone you must do more than just be present, you must get down to their level, so to speak. Is a king living a life of luxury and comfort while his subjects suffer hunger and oppression truly with the people of his kingdom? Does he really feel their pain?
Jesus was born into poverty, His family forced to flee their land because of oppression. Jesus lived his life poor and oppressed, and Jesus helped and associated most with those who were poor and oppressed.
Jesus was tempted just like we are. Jesus experienced hunger, thirst, and fatigue. Jesus experienced heartache and even wept. Jesus experienced the shame of being mocked and spit upon. He felt pain. He bled. He suffered. He died!
“For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.”
Jesus could have been exempt from all of these things, He could’ve avoided it all. But if He had, would Paul had been able to write (and i’m paraphrasing here) that our high priest (Jesus) could be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, because he too had felt them?
“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. ”
He has been there, He has overcame, He has conquered, and truly…
He is GOD WITH US!
God bless!
