Emmanuel: God with us!
By: Dr. Gregory S. Neal
Most Christians have heard about the Annunciation to Mary. As told in Luke’s Gospel, the Archangel Gabriel appears to the young Virgin and proclaims:
"Hail, Mary, full of Grace, the Lord is with you! Blessed are you among women!" (Luke 1:28-30)
The Angel then goes on to detail the coming conception and birth of Jesus and Mary’s response, saying “let it be with me according to your word.” Throughout the centuries Christians have looked to this proclamation, and to Mary’s response, for inspiration in our own faithful response to the call of God in our lives. We, like Mary, are called to be open to the Holy Spirit using us to convey the Word of God to a broken and hurting world.
Less commonly referenced is the similar announcement which an angel made to Joseph. Found in Matthew’s Gospel, this proclamation focuses on the nature and source of the incarnation and the dual character of Jesus’ life and ministry and God and as man.
“Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means, “God is with us.”(Matthew 1:20b-23)
In this passage there are two affirmations of particular importance. While a great deal is going on in this passage, and the principle purpose of the appearance of the angel was to reassure Joseph concerning the situation, nevertheless there is a critical theological message being conveyed to us. To put it simply, in the Angel’s statement and through Isaiah’s prophecy we are told everything we need to know regarding who Jesus was and is for us. While often overlooked when reading the passage, the significance of the names “Jesus” and “Emmanuel” cannot be overstressed when trying to understand who this baby, conceived within and born of a Virgin, is to be.
Jesus:
As is true with many languages, in Hebrew and in Aramaic names convey meanings: the constituent elements of a name will often reveal the nature, identity, character, history, and even the destiny of the person, place, or thing so-named. This is true of many places and people named in the Old and New Testaments, and it is certainly true when it comes to the name of Jesus.
The name of our Lord, as pronounced in Aramaic, is Yeshua. This is the short form of the classical Hebrew name Yehoshua, which is a combination of Hoshea, meaning "salvation," and Yahweh, which is God's personal name. Written in Hebrew, it looks like this:
With the choice of this name God is telling us precisely why he sent his son into this world. To put it simply, all humans are sinners, lost to righteousness and totally incapable of coming to God of their own accord. In order to bridge the gap which sin has created between us and God, the Father sent his Son into the world to become one of us, taking upon himself the very nature of humanity in the incarnation. He became, for all of us, the embodiment of "Yahweh saves." He is, truly, our "Jesus."The Angel even says as much, making it clear that we have no source of salvation, no hope for eternal life, and no path to God other than through Jesus.
Emmanuel:
The prophet Isaiah’s statement is slightly different from the Angel’s. While the Angel told Joseph to name the boy “Jesus” – “Yahweh Saves” – Isaiah’s prophecy can be understood as telling us how Yahweh saves us from our sins. The name Emmanuel is another composite name, made up of the classical Hebrew words, El, meaning "God," and Immanu, meaning "with us." Written in Hebrew, it looks like this:
The most glorious good news of Advent and Christmas is that Yahweh saves us by sending his Son to be one of us, to die for us, and to go forward with us in this life. We are not alone; we face this life with God on our side, and we face eternity with God in our hearts.
By the power of the Holy Spirit the blessed Virgin Mary was overshadowed and Jesus was conceived in her womb. By the power of the Holy Sprit Jesus was born, grew up, and was baptized; by the power of this same Holy Spirit, Jesus taught his Disciples, instituted the Sacrament of Holy Communion, offered himself on the cross, died, was raised from the dead and ascended into heaven. And, by the power of this same Holy Spirit this same Jesus abides within us today, transforming us for life eternal. Jesus truly is our Emmanuel: the ultimate, eternal, ontological expression of the eternal creator being present with and within us. This is the meaning, and importance, of Advent and Christmas.
During Advent, as we prepare to celebrate the incarnation and birth of our Lord yet again, let us remember that the reason we celebrate is not just because a baby was born; we celebrate because Yahweh, our God, is with us here and now, and he will see us through every tomorrow.
© 2006 Dr. Gregory S. Neal
All Rights Reserved
As a popular teacher, preacher, and retreat leader, Dr. Neal is known for his ability to translate complex theological concepts into common, everyday terms. HIs preaching and teaching ministry is in demand around the world, and much of his work can be found on this website. He is the author of several books, including Grace Upon Grace: Sacramental Theology and the Christian Life, which is in its second edition, and Seeking the Shepherd's Arms: Reflections from the Pastoral Side of Life, a work of devotional literature. Both of these books are currently available from Amazon.com.