The Two Names - Part 2

There was another name given to the God-Child. The name Immanuel means ‘God with us’ and comes from the prophecy by Isaiah (Isaiah 7:14). This name was particularly precious to Isaiah as he foresaw the trouble that was ahead – the destruction of God’s land and people by powerful Assyria (cf. Isaiah 8:1-10). Though trouble was brewing, the truth that God was with His people steadied his mind and strengthened him.

That same name for this new-born child brought great comfort to the righteous who saw the dark clouds gathering around them. History tells us that Jerusalem would be totally sacked in a few decades, and the temple would become burnt-up rubble. The name Immanuel reminds God’s people that what the eyes see need not bring fear into the hearts of believers. Instead the heart of the believer is made sturdy and resilient by the truth of the God who is with us.

It was for this reason that Paul, the missionary to the Gentiles who suffered much at the hands of his violent enemies, could testify near the end of his constantly-persecuted life that though everyone deserted him, “the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength” (2 Timothy 4:16-17). Paul knew his Saviour and his eternal and faithful Companion. Likewise, John Wesley’s last words were “The best of all is,

God is with us.”

It must be noted that Matthew, who begins his Gospel with the birth of Jesus the Immanuel, ends with Jesus promising, “… surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). We remember that “I am” is the name of God and, therefore, the Gospel begins and ends with the truth that God is with us. What a wonderful truth and experience to those who really believe!

The two names of the Son of God reveal His mission and the purpose of the Incarnation. The marvellous truth of Christmas is that God broke into our helpless existence to save us and to be with us.

When I was a youth, I came across the idea that the Incarnation may be explained through Einstein’s famous equation E = mc2 – that energy can be converted into matter.

But God is far greater than mere energy (which by the way is also a created reality), and surely the Incarnation cannot be merely explained by scientific equations. The Incarnation is infinitely far grander than that, for it has to do with the self-giving actions of a God who is rich in mercy and full of divine love.

Soren Kierkegaard speaks of the contrast between the magi who were seeking Christ and the scribes in Jerusalem, who were smugly lost in their familiar information about the Messiah:

What a contrast! They [the magi] had only a rumour

to go by. But it spurred them to set out on a long, hard

journey. The scribes, meanwhile, were much better

informed, much better versed. They had sat and studied

the scriptures for years, like so many dons. But it didn’t

make any difference. Who had the more truth? Those

who followed a rumour, or those who remained sitting,

satisfied with all their knowledge?

The most important thing is our response to the amazing truth of Christmas – whether we bend our knees in worship, and whether our hearts become sanctuaries of praise as we discover our Saviour God and our heavenly Companion.

Consider this:

Consider the two names of the Saviour – Jesus and Immanuel. What do these names reveal about Jesus and His mission? How have you personally experienced the reality of these two names and how do they continue to affect your life?

Reflect on Kierkegaard’s comments that the magi followed a rumour and found Jesus while the learned scribes smugly sat amid their texts and missed the whole thing. How is this enacted again and again in our world and church today? What would you do to avoid the folly of the scribes?

Excerpted from Apprenticed to Jesus by Robert Solomon. © 2023 by Robert Solomon. Used with permission. All rights reserved.