Hope For 2021: God With Us

2020 will go down as the year of the Quarantine, the year of the vanishing toilet paper, the year of the Zoom meeting, the year of the face mask, and other such idiosyncrasies… and not just here in the U.S., but across the globe.

Too many people will not only be hoping for 2021 to be a better year than the last, but they are in fact placing their hope in it being a year which turns around much of what has gone wrong in 2020. Perhaps things will seem better in ‘21, but shifting circumstances is a shaky foundation upon which to build one’s life. Christians, we must not get caught up in mere hope for a better future in this life; rather, we can live here as citizens of a higher and better kingdom, whatever the circumstances… or even outright opposition, knowing that there is a sure foundation of hope in God through Jesus Christ.

What I plan for the next three weeks is a brief series of messages from Matthew’s Gospel for Christmas 2020 (and the New Year) to remind Christians that our hope for 2021 is not in improved situation but in Whom we trust and serve. By faith in Him we need not fear or falter but press ahead in His fullness.

We begin then by picking up in Matthew’s narrative at verse 18 of the first chapter, after his presentation of the genealogy of Jesus. For Matthew, the genealogical list is meant to verify Jesus’ legal human descent that traces back to David and back to Abraham, confirming that he is in the line as a rightful heir according to prophecy in each of these covenants.

After proving that he has the right human pedigree, the author will now further disclose the divine origin of the Messiah. For Matthew then Jesus not only fits the bill as the legal heir to the Abraham and Davidic covenants, but he also meets the spiritual requirements to fulfill the promises made in those covenants. In other words, for this Messiah to fulfill his purpose, he must also be divine—God with us.

One of the elements that is critical to proving this point—the divine origin of Jesus—is the uniqueness of the a virgin birth. Such is the emphasis then of vv. 18-25 in Matthew 1.

A Critical Element: Virgin Birth

Mary was betrothed to Joseph, which is a more binding arrangement than our modern engagements. Engagements can be easily dissolved... not without broken hearts, of course, but without any legal ramifications. Betrothal would have meant a legal arrangement between the two parties and their families, who may have had a hand in organizing the match. The two were formally pledged to be married, the groom would have paid at least a portion of the bride price, and others might rightly refer to them even now as husband and wife.

In spite of this legal arrangement, the betrothed man and woman did not live together during this period or consummate their marriage. That would take place at the end of a year of betrothal, usually, with an official, week-long marriage celebration. - So we are told specifically again for utmost clarity (v. 25) that Joseph did not “know” his wife in this sense until after the birth of Jesus. On that point, Matthew can hardly be more clear!

And yet, Mary is in fact pregnant! She is found to be with child. How can this be? - Well, as Matthew tells us, this turns out to be an extremely unusual circumstance—completely unique, in fact.

Rather than the normal human means of conception, by God’s own design.... Instead of the male counterpart fertilizing the egg to conceive human life, the Holy Spirit miraculously brought it about. (Although God is regularly upholding the universe by the natural order of his own design, he is not beholden to it.)

The Scripture here (and in Luke) is both deliberately sensitive and abundantly clear that nothing sexual takes place between Mary and the Holy Spirit, which stands in contrast to other tales from before then (or between then and now). One background commentator helpfully explains: “Greeks told stories of gods impregnating women, but the text indicates that Mary’s conception was not sexual; nor does the Old Testament (or Jewish tradition) ascribe sexual characteristics to God.” … “Ancient biographers sometimes praised the miraculous births of their subjects ([which is even] prominent in the Old Testament), but there are no close parallels to the virgin birth.” -Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), Mt 1:18–25.

The point of this then is that the virgin birth of Jesus is truly one-of-a-kind, demonstrating that his conception was uniquely by divine origin. It becomes a critical early piece in the Gospel narrative for developing an understanding that Jesus needed to be both perfect humanity and eternal divinity to be the true Messiah and Mediator between God and man. (cf. 1 Tim. 2:5)

Along similar lines, Matthew presents two names in the narrative that are significant in conveying the divinity of Jesus and his saving work.

Two Significant Names: Jesus & Emmanuel

Even as we sometimes do now, parents back then often intended for the names to have meaning.

Jeffery means “heavenly peace,” a sure sign that my parents didn’t know me yet when they picked it. - It wasn’t our only priority, but we enjoyed considering the meanings as we chose names for our girls: Our firstborn, Eliana means “My God has answered,” and her middle name Natalie is a reminder of the birth of our Lord. Carina’s name means beloved, or pure… and her middle name Janae means “God is gracious.” Sonia means “wisdom” and Analisa means “graced with God’s bounty.” We didn’t choose the names of our daughters as expectation for how their lives would go, but they are reminders to us of the goodness of God and of our dependence upon him as we raise them.

When God gave a name, though, it of course carried special significance. This is true numerous times in Scripture, and yet no where is it more momentous and compelling than this: “You shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

New Testament 1:18–25—The Birth of Jesus

The name Jesus (Aramaic Yēshua˓, Greek Iēsous) means “God is salvation” in Hebrew.

…or “Yahweh saves.”

Jesus is the name they are instructed to give him, which was first told to Mary by the angel Gabriel and now again to Joseph by angelic messenger in a dream.

Other Jewish families might have named their sons Joshua (or Jesus, Gk) after the great Joshua of the OT and even in anticipation of the promise of God’s coming deliverance. But none could have known that the one who would come would not only save them from the consequences of their sin—oppression… subjugation beneath their enemies—but could and would rescue them from the eternal consequence of sin—separation from God. …“that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life.” (Jn 3:15)

Jesus’ given name, then, speaks of his central mission on earth at his first advent: God saves, and in Jesus he is saving his people from their sins—not only for the Jews, but for all those among mankind who become God’s children through faith in Jesus.

The second name Matthew refers to, Immanuel, expresses that this coming of God himself is in fact a fulfillment of prophecy which coincides with the prophecy of the virgin conception.

In the original text, quoted from Isaiah 7:14, the word for virgin can simply mean a young woman. But in his quotation, Matthew removes all doubt about its fulfillment here, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, using the Greek word parthenos, which can only mean “virgin” in the technical sense of the word.

Furthermore, then, Matthew is explaining how Jesus fulfills the prophecy concerning the name Immanuel from the same passage in Isaiah. The immediate fulfillment (the near, the short term) may well have been in one of Isaiah’s own sons, whose names (we are told in Is. 8:18) are meant to be signs pointing beyond themselves. But the ultimate fulfillment, Matthew is explaining (the true fulfillment of which the earlier is but a shadow), comes to fruition in the Christ, who is truly “God with us”—Immanuel.

I intend to close with this concept again, so while time allows, I’d like us to consider another important player, someone just like you and me, who finds himself caught up in the very center of the unique moment in history when God became man.

An Unsung Hero: Joseph

I speak of Joseph as being an unsung hero simply because, compared with some of the other people surrounding this first advent of Christ, his critical role and obedience to God can be (and I dare say tends to be) overlooked.

Think about Joseph’s situation:

He is already legally bound to this young lady who will sometime soon be his wife finally and completely, even as we explained earlier. But she isn’t yet his wife, and so he hasn’t slept with her. And yet she is “found to be with child”!

In Joseph’s mind, surely she must have committed adultery with another man. Now the text says that Joseph was a just (or righteous) man, meaning that he feared God and sought to obey his law. According to his sense of what is right, then, he must divorce her. But according to his mercy and concern for Mary, he elects to do so quietly. Instead of retaliating harshly, putting her to public shame, he commits do what is just but to also be kind, and so to divorce her quietly.

While the full extent of the OT law meant death by stoning for adultery (which applied to the betrothal period as well), in my study I learned that “the death penalty was rarely if ever executed for this offense” (Keener, Ibid.) What would have been more likely is that a public divorce would shame and label her, making it difficult for her to ever find another husband, “leaving her without means of support if her parents died” (Keener, Ibid).

But since divorces “could be effected by a simple document with two witnesses,” Joseph had the option of divorcing her and making as little waves as he could from his end. (Keener, Ibid.)

Joseph’s response is quite contrary to our common reaction when an injustice is perpetrated against us. We are apt to not only defend what is right but to desire that the offender get everything that is coming to them. Joseph responds instead more like the example that Jesus himself would set for us: to love and live according to what is right without the sharp edges of vendetta and personal gain. Do we angrily “defend our rights,” or do we calmly honor God and defend what is right? There is a difference.

Joseph also doesn’t respond quickly; instead, he carefully considers these things. As he does so, a messenger from God comes to him in a dream to set the record straight. And by the way, this is plainly distinguishable to Joseph as different from his average dreams. (as we see again with the Magi and with Joseph twice more)

Anyway, look at the simplicity describing Joseph’s response: when he woke up he did as the angel told him and he took Mary as his wife (basically he went forward early with an marriage ceremony and bringing Mary into his home)… but without the added bonus of consummating the marriage (until after Jesus’ birth).

I tell you, this man is a giant among men for his faith and obedience! Taking Mary as his wife right now would mean that he would be the one accepting the shame of society, because they would certainly assume that it was he who impregnated Mary before the proper time. This must have upended any of the neatly laid out plans he would have previously had in mind for how their lives would go. But God had spoken, so Joseph would obey.

And he obediently did not give this firstborn son his own name, which would have been common, but he obediently named him Jesus—because this was not his son, but God’s Son. Joseph would adopt Jesus to love him and train him as his own, but he as much as Mary would be acutely aware that they were raising someone truly unique—Jesus: God is saving his people; Emmanuel: this is God with us.

To wrap things up then (no pun intended for a Christmas message)…

Why is the virgin conception, confirming Jesus’ deity, and his names revealing his identity and work (this is God with us who came to save)… why does that give us a better hope for 2021? - This is not some mere, “Well, we’re sure hoping that our circumstances will improve in 2021.” No, hope in God is a deep-seated confidence that in Christ God became man and accomplished for us what we could not, and that he accomplishes in us what we cannot (by grace through faith we are saved and given the indwelling Holy Spirit), so that we face the coming days knowing that God can and will accomplish what is best in us and through us... if we continue to trust and submit to him—God with us: God who is for us and working in us.

And so we pray against (and even push back against) the onslaught of rising secularism in our culture with its agenda to redefine morality and reshape our society, but our hope is not in that going our way. Our hope is in the One who mades us, gave himself up for us, rose again in power, and is seated on high as Sovereign over all. We do not hope in a Covid-less world and a utopian Christian society. We hope in God. We hope in a God who is good, who is with us, and who accomplishes his greater purposes for his glory. Even if he should choose to allow further natural disasters and worse moral decline (both of which seem likely at this point), we know that the first advent of God with us also guaranteed a second, when Christ returns to claim his own and formally reign as King over all. [more on that in the next two weeks ;-)]

Finally what does the example of Joseph demonstrate for us in terms of responding to the hope of God with us?

Like Joseph, we can be righteous by faith.

Like Joseph, we can aim for what is right while being prudent, careful thinkers, who are particularly sensitive and concerned for the good of others.

And like Joseph, we can respond in swift obedience with assurance that God is still God.

PRAYER: God of all glory and grace, may this Christmas season be a time of reassurance for your people that Jesus came to reveal God and to save us. Whatever difficulties these days hold and those that lie ahead, Lord help us to focus our attention on who you are... and that you are with us. And grant us strength to faithfully proclaim to others the good news of Jesus Christ, saying with our mouths and our lives, “Come and see what God has done.” Do this in us by our grace and for your glory, Amen.

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