Immanuel

Matthew 1:1,17,18-25

Key Verse 1:23

** This passage testifies that by sending Jesus as a child in a mother’s womb, God chose to be with us, that as we come to know Him and get into the fellowship with Him, we would live as God’s child living under God’s care. 

1. Skim through 1:1-17 and consider Matthew’s focus on three periods of time: 1) from Abraham to David; 2) from David to exile [to Babylon]; and 3) from the exile to the Christ. What is the significance of these three periods in the history of the Israelites? (2 Chronicles 5:14; Ezekiel 10:18; 1Pe 5:10)

** These periods are the periods of time concerning God’s relationship with men, especially its ups and downs. These periods describe the contexts into which the Christ was born. 

1) From Abraham to David

The period from Abraham to David marked the rise of the relationship, for beginning with Abraham God worked to reveal himself to the Israelites, culminating with David having the Lord’s temple ready to be built so that upon his son Solomon completing the temple, the glory of the Lord came to fill the Lord’s temple. The reason for the relationship to rise and thrive was thanks to the faith in Him rising and thriving. [The exile is the exile (or expulsion) from the presence of God.]

2) From David to the exile

This period represents God’s relationship with his children going downhill, until it reached the bottom. The relationship suffered loss like this due to his people failing to put trust in the Lord, but in something else. 

3) From exile to the Christ

This period marks the Lord God working to restore his relationship with his people pursuant to the promise he made through the prophets such as the prophet Isaiah. 

2. Read verse 18. Mary was found to be with child “through the Holy Spirit”. What shows that “the child” was conceived without human intervention? What does the expression “through the Holy Spirit” indicate about “the” child? (1Co 15:45; Romans 8:2)

** Two things: first, the conception took place via the direct intervention from God (i.e., through the Holy Spirit); and second, it took place “without” Joseph being physically together with Mary, so that the baby was conceived while Mary was still a virgin. 

** This indicates that Jesus is directly from God, so he is not connected with the first man Adam (who sinned) genetically or otherwise, which proves that Jesus is sinless. 

This fact also indicates that Jesus alone is capable of saving all sinners from their sins. 1Jo 5:4 and 18 testify to us that it is those who are “of God” that overcome the [sinning] world. Einstein once said, “The solution to a problem cannot be found on the level where the problem exists; the solution can be found only on the level which is higher than the level where the problem exists.” Jesus is of God. He alone can solve the problem of sin raging in all the descendants of Adam. Jesus also spoke of the same truth by saying “the Spirit gives life to men; flesh counts for nothing.” 

3. Read verses 19-21. An angel of the Lord called Joseph “son of David”. What is the significance of this title? Why was he “afraid” to take Mary home? (Deuteronomy 22:20-24) Yet, why shouldn’t he be afraid to do so?  What is the child’s mission? What is the significance of this mission? How can Joseph participate in this mission?  

** Just as Abraham was a prophet so also David was a prophet; these prophets (like Abraham and David) all testify about the birth of the Savior to come (for example, Gen 22:14; Psalm 22). So the title “son of David” reminded Joseph of his biblical position as the custodian of God’s promise to send the Savior of the world. 

** Most likely he was afraid that Mary might have been unfaithful, and that she might have to face the consequences of her unfaithfulness (sexual immorality). 

** The work (conception) is from God, so he has no reason to be afraid. God knows how to take care of himself and those who serve Him. 

** He will save his people from their sins.

** Sin is the cause of all human miseries; where there is no sin (by way of it being removed from man’s life), recovery of paradise follows naturally (in due course of time). 

** He can participate in this mission by denying himself (self-seeking desires based on flesh), offer his marriage to God (for this is the original purpose of God in creating marriage), so that both Mary and Joseph would serve God’s purpose, that is, the redemption of humanity through the Christ. 

4. Read verses 22-23. Who is “the prophet”? What does the prophecy given through “the prophet” tell us about the child? “Immanuel” means “God with us”. What does the title mean to us living in the 21^st Century? (Isaiah 9:6)

** Isaiah (which means in Hebrew “salvation is (or of) the Lord.”) 

** It means that the child was the Savior who was sent by God according to the prophecy proclaimed about 8 centuries in advance in regard to the way of his “virgin birth” as in Isaiah 7:14. 

** It means that we have all the possible help we can imagine to receive from God (to overcome all the problems we have in life, esp. the problem of sin). This makes us to ask ourselves: “Am I then willing to walk with Him?” 

5. Read verses 24-25. How do you think Joseph was able to obey the Lord’s command? (19)  

** He was a righteous man, which means he was a man of “faith” in God, for without faith in God, it is impossible for one to become obedient to God’s command.

The end

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