"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." Matthew 1:23
There are many beautiful and powerful passages in Scripture when referring to Jesus and who He is, but one that has been filling my mind during this Christmas season is where the angel appeared to Joseph and quoted from Isaiah 7:14 exclaiming that they will call his name Emmanuel which means “God with us.”
In the Old Testament, we see that God had always been with His people through the tabernacle. The tabernacle was a representation of the presence of God, but far surpassing the tabernacle was the glorious and miraculous birth of His Son, Jesus, who was now God in flesh walking the face of the earth. God has made himself know to us through Jesus Christ. Jesus is God with us in person.
But it did not end with him walking this earth because Jesus did more than just reveal God to us. With the new covenant, we now have Him living in us. As those who have trusted in Christ, He has come to live in us. Because of this, we have so much to celebrate this season.
God chose to send his Son as “God with us” in person walking among men fulfilling the Father’s will to go to the cross for us. Because He lived sinless, died, and rose victorious over all, we now have the opportunity to put our trust in Jesus and follow Him, not only having “God with us”, but also “God in us.” In Colossians 1, Paul is sharing this beautiful message and states further down in the chapter that the glorious mystery is “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
The beauty of Emmanuel is that God is with you.
Have you walked through deep waters? God is with you.
Have you suffered loss? God is with you.
Have you experienced pain? God is with you.
Jesus came to be with you through the glorious work on the cross. God is with you through every step of the way. He is your comfort, your joy, and your hope.
He is your Emmanuel, God with us.
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