Why is Jesus called Immanuel?

 

Christmas celebrates the advent of the Lord Jesus Christ. God became a man and dwelt among us. Matthew tells us that Christ’s birth fulfills the prophecy spoken by Isaiah: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel (which means, God with us)” (Matt. 1:23; cf. Isa. 7:14). ¹

Matthew knows that the Immanuel prophecy of Isaiah 7:14 was fulfilled in the eighth century BC; however, the he also found the same prophecy pointed forward to the child born of the virgin Mary. This correspondence between the Immanuel of Isaiah 7:14 and Christ’s birth was something God intended from the very beginning.

Ahaz the early eighth-century ruler of the southern kingdom of Judah faced a tremendous crisis. Jerusalem was on the verge of being conquered by the armies of Rezin the ruler of Aram (Damascus) and Pekah ruler of the southern kingdom of Israel (Isa. 7:1-2; cf. 2 Kings 15:37, 16:5).² However, Ahaz is told by the Lord speaking through the prophet Isaiah that the plans of the invading forces “shall not stand” and ”shall not come to pass” (Isa. 7:7). The Lord then provides that would confirm Isaiah’s message was true: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isa. 7:14). The birth of the child would coincide with the demise of the forces of Damascus and Israel (Isa. 7:16) along with days of great trial for Judah (Isa. 7:17-25). The prophet then spoke about the birth of his son Maher-shalal-hash-baz, and noted that “before the boy knows how to cry ‘My father’ or ‘My mother,’ the wealth of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria will be carried away before the king of Assyria” (Isa. 8:3-4).

Isaiah’s prediction came to pass when Assyrian forces led by Tiglath-pileser begin advancing towards Israel in 734 BC. Within a year Assyria invades territories in Israel (Galilee, Transjordan, Megiddo, and other cities) and Damascus falls in 732 BC (2 Kings 15:29; cf. 16:7-9).³ The birth of Maher-shalal-hash-baz was the sign that confirmed prophet’s words about God saving Judah from Aram and Israel. God’s presence was with Judah and He delivered them from their enemies.

Matthew tells of the birth of another child that would coincide with the salvation of God’s people. A Jewish carpenter named Joseph is betrothed to a virgin named Mary, but when he finds out that Mary has become pregnant under mysterious circumstances, he plans to divorce her quietly to avoid putting her to shame. However, an angelic visitor intervenes and says, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Matt. 1:20-21). Joseph then changes his mind and takes Mary as his wife.

Matthew’s correspondence between the Immanuel prophecy of Isaiah 7:14 and the birth of Jesus Christ is an example of biblical typology. Typology involves “comparisons and links made between persons, events, things and institutions of one biblical period and those of another, particularly between those of the OT and the NT,” as such “the type is the initial person, event, thing or institution; the corresponding and later person, event, thing or institution is called the antitype,” thus “God’s redemptive activity in the one event comes to completion in the second.”⁴ Hank Hanegraaff indicates,

The near-future fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy (Isaiah 8) confirmed to his contemporaries that he was indeed a true prophet of God. While the Holy Spirit may have revealed another layer of meaning as a far-future messianic prophecy, the foremost concern of Isaiah and his contemporaries was the protection of Judah against her enemies. Indeed, Judah was “Shaken” as two powerful kingdoms sought her demise (see 7:1-2). God, however, promised King Ahaz that the birth of Isaiah’s son Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz would be a sign that Judah would be spared…It should be noted that while Isaiah’s wife (unlike Mary) was not a virgin when she gave birth to Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz, she was nonetheless the fore-future fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy. Virgin (almah) was simply a term used to refer to the prophetess prior to her union with Isaiah—not that she would give bieth to a child as a virgin.
It was not until after the birth of Jesus seven hundred years later that it became entirely clear that the near-future fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy in the birth of his son Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz was a type, the antitype of which was Jesus the Messiah (Matthew 1:22:-23). While Maher-Shahal-Hash-Baz was a sign guaranteeing God’s temporal salvation of Judah, Jesus Christ—the true Immanuel—not only signified but embodied the ultimate and eternal salvation of God’s chosen ones from sin and death.⁵

Isaiah’s prophecy concerning the deliverance of Judah comes to realization with the birth of Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz; this near-future fulfillment serves as the type pointing forward to ultimate fulfillment in the antitype, which is Christ.

God providentially brings about the rise and fall of nations. He thwarts the schemes of evil men and delivers His people from destruction, as demonstrated in Isaiah 7-8. Even when evil appears to win the day, God never lets sin go unpunished, and He ultimately vindicates those who suffer for righteousness sake. However, God does far more than just that Judah experienced in the days of Isaiah the prophet.

The advent of Christ brings about the salvation of sinners. All of humanity was created for union with God and everlasting life on earth. Most unfortunately, Adam and Eve sinned against the Lord, and they were expelled from the Garden of Eden. Paradise was lost. They fell into a life characterized by sin, suffering, and death. Nevertheless, God became a man — Jesus Christ. His vocation was to be the long-awaited Messiah spoken about by the Old Testament prophets. He mission was to die upon the cross and rise again on the third day to bring multitudes out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light. He accomplished His mission. He presently leads His people out of this decaying world to a better place without wars, conflict and hatred. Along the way, He transforms their sinful hearts bent on war, conflict and hatred into something holy, righteous, and good, so that they can be people optimally fit for life in the new heaven and new earth.

Our present Christmas is experienced in paradox. We join together with the angels and sing, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” (Lk. 2:14, KJV). Nevertheless, war, hatred, and all sorts of unspeakable evils still happen. Even some of our Christmas songs reflect this tension. In “Merry Xmas (War is Over)” John Lennon sings, “a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year, let’s hope it’s a good one, without any fear…war is over, if you want it.” “Someday at Christmas” sings Stevie Wonder, “men won’t be boys, playing with bombs like kids play with toys.” The dread of nuclear annihilation during the Cuban Missile Crisis serves as the inspirational backdrop for the plea to “pray for peace everywhere” in the song “Do You Hear What I Hear.”⁶ Some go through this joyous season carrying the pain of a lost loved one. Others are ill, jobless, or homeless. There is still a yearning for the day when Christ will appear again to set all things to right. Nevertheless, God is with us in the present. Through Christ we can be transformed into people who bring peace and goodwill as opposed to ear and destruction. Come to Him for He gives rest to all who are weary and heavy laden. He is our peace in the midst of the storm.

Merry Christmas!

— WGN

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1. All Scripture cited from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016) unless noted.
2.  After the rule of Solomon, a civil war broke out which divided the kingdom in two — the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah.
3. J. Alec Motyer, Isaiah: An Introduction & Commentary, vol. 18 (Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1999) 81.
4. Arthur G. Patzia and Anthony J. Petrotta, Pocket Dictionary of Biblical Studies (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2002), 119.
5. Hank Hanegraaff, The Heart of Christmas: A Devotional for the Season (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2009), 8
6.  Spencer Kornhaber, “The Apocalyptic Fear in ‘Do You Hear What I Hear,’ ” Atlantic, https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/12/the-apocalyptic-fear-within-do-you-hear-what-i-hear/420459/