Hello, my ‘Walking with Jesus’ friends,
One week from today is Christmas day! I wonder what Christmas will mean for you, your family, your city this year? Pause… Over this past year what was the biggest step of faith you took? I mean the type of faith the Christmas story is all about?
I left you yesterday in a rural Judean village with an old Jewish priest named Zechariah, his old wife Elizabeth and her young relative Mary. History was being made in their quiet home. Why? How? Zechariah was unable to speak since his shocking encounter with the angel Gabriel while Zechariah had been fulfilling his priestly duty & privilege of prayer in the Temple in Jerusalem, several months before. (Luke 1:5-20)
As promised by Gabriel, old, barren Elizabeth was now about 6 months pregnant, by her husband old Zechariah. (Luke 1:24) Young Mary had just arrived for an extended visit and the story she had told would make no sense at all to anyone, other than Zechariah and Elizabeth.
Has that ever happened to you? Have you tried to explain an encounter you’ve had with God or a miracle experience in your life and no matter how hard you tried, no words could adequately describe your experience?
Probably you’ve contemplated Gabriel’s shocking message to Mary about her virgin conception, maybe you’ve tried to explain it to your children or grandchildren. So, what do these words mean: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So, the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.”? (Luke 1:35)
We can assume old Zechariah the priest had spent much of his life studying the Old Testament scrolls, so he likely knew well all the Biblical prophecies concerning the Messiah. Now, mute, I imagine Zechariah rolling out those scrolls for Elizabeth and Mary and through hand motions and writing notes, Zechariah must have done his best to explain what God was doing with both miraculous pregnancies.
Of course, Elizabeth knew she was walking in the path of old Sarah, who gave birth to Isaac when she was age 90; (Gen.21:1-7) and Rebekah who gave birth to twins Jacob & Esau after more than 20 years of infertility; (Gen.25:20-26) and Samson’s mother who had never born children before, (Judges 13:2-5) and even Hannah, mother of Samuel. (1 Samuel 1)
But no person had ever experienced what Mary was living in her God conceived pregnancy. Who could explain it, much less understand it? I’m sure Zechariah pointed the women to the words God gave Isaiah, more than 700 years before. Isaiah had spoken those words to wicked King Ahaz, but Ahaz refused to believe God.
Now, 700 years later, Zechariah read those Isaiah words to miraculously pregnant Elizabeth & Mary: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and will call Him Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14) Never before in history could those words be applied to any woman except young Mary. But did you notice friends that in Gabriel’s message to Mary he never mentioned the name “Immanuel”?
In fact, the angelic dream Joseph had didn’t mention that name either. It was the disciple Matthew, when writing his version of the Christmas story for his Jewish audience, who made sure that he included this reference from Isaiah. Matthew wrote: “All this took place to fulfill what the LORD had said through the prophet: [Isaiah] ‘the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and THEY will call Him Immanuel’ (which means God with us)” (Matt. 1:22,23) So, who is “They” that Matthew was referring to? Who claimed Jesus was God among us, for that is what ‘Immanuel’ means, ‘God with us’?
It sure wasn’t the Jewish religious leaders for they sentenced Jesus to death for claiming to be God. (John 19:7) It wasn’t the crowds who so often seemed more interested in the miracle show than in WHO the miracle worker was! It sure wasn’t the people of Nazareth who ran Jesus out of their town because He claimed to be the living fulfillment of Isaiah 61! (Luke 4:29,30) It wasn’t King Herod or Pilate or Caesar or any other political leader! So, who are these ‘they’ Matthew says recognized Him as “Immanuel”?
Do you remember the Roman centurion and guards at the crucifixion of Jesus declared: “Surely He was the Son of God!” (Matt. 27:54) Do you remember hard working, grieving Martha, at the tomb of her brother Lazarus when Jesus declared that HE was the resurrection and the life. Martha said, “I believe that you are the Christ [Messiah] the Son of God who is to come into the world.”(John 11:27) Do you remember the disciple Peter was with Jesus and the other disciples at busy Caesarea Philippi one day when Jesus asked who they thought He was. Peter blurted out: “You are the Christ [Messiah] the Son of the living God.” (Matt. 16:16)
Do you remember that even Satan’s demons recognized Jesus for who HE really is. In Capernaum, a demon possessed man disrupted Jesus speaking in the Synagogue. The demon inside the man said: “Have you come to destroy us? I know who You are – the Holy One of God!” (Mark 1:23,24) Or how about the Samaritans from the town where the woman Jesus met at the well lived. They said of Him “…we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.” (John 4:42)
You already know the question I’m going to ask you, right? With one week left till Christmas, WHO do you say the child Mary bore was and is? How do you explain her pregnancy? Why was it important Mary was a virgin when God caused her miraculous pregnancy and no human man was part of it?
If “Immanuel” means “God with us” and “Jesus” means “Savior, Deliverer”, what other names for Jesus have you found very helpful in your celebration of WHO Jesus is and WHY He came to earth and WHAT He has accomplished in your life? Have you considered the staggering statements Paul made about Jesus, recorded in Colossians 1:13-22 as you develop your answers to those questions?
The TRUTH is, if we are going to explain Christmas to anyone, especially our kids and grandkids, we need to begin with WHO Jesus is, right? So… what’s your answer?
More study notes are at the “Grand Narrative” link below and as always, I’ve searched for a wonderful worship song that helps us integrate our study today into our hearts, and I’ll be here waiting for you tomorrow…
Today’s Scripture: Matt. 1:22,23; Luke 1:35.
Choose below to read or listen.
Matt. 1:22,23
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Luke 1:35
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
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Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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