Crumbs97

 

Crumbs 97

A baby for Humanity

Scripture Matthew 1:18-25 NIV 18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet[b] did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. 20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “J oseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,because he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). 24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

Crumbs

Each year I ponder the accounts of Jesus’ birth in Matthew and Luke. I have wondered why they come in a form which could be subject to sentiment. Wrongly I have subconsciously, regarded them as separate from the rest of Scripture. That’s wrong. They are totally tied into the rest of the Word. These accounts shout to us this is the promised one, the Messiah. They exist to declare the divine origins of Christ but inter woven is the reality of His humanity.

Three names for the baby are revealed in this text, Messiah, Jesus, Immanuel. It is tempting to regard the coming and death of our Lord as some contingency planning on the part of God. Scripture shows otherwise. The coming of the Messiah shows that God has an eternal plan for humanity. Jesus comes in a prophetic context.

He is called Jesus to save us from our sins. I always saw this as protection from the fires pf hell but I suspect something deeper and practical. Imperfection is woven into our very being. Here Christ brings perfection to humanity and He does it by coming and dying

The great miracle is that God choses to live in the midst of His creation.

The true meaning of Christmas is not simply a warm fuzzy feeling inside but “ Immanuel” God is with us.

Questions

1. What does this passage tell us about Jesus ?

2. What do we learn from the behaviour of Joseph ?

3. What do we learn of the intervention by God into routine human life?