Matt. 1:23 “BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL,” which translated means, “GOD WITH US.”
This verse is a quote from Isaiah 7. How many time over the years have you heard, or spoken the word “Immanuel.” How many time have you sung songs about Immanuel, without really contemplating how amazing this word really is, and what deep, life altering, insight it gives us into the heart of God, and His great, CRAZY LOVE for us. Just think about it; one of the proper name for Jesus (God) is translated “I want to be with you.” Immanuel means “God with us,” and that means that His very name reveals His CRAZY desire to be “with us.” In that verse 23, it’s talking about Jesus (God) choosing to take on human flesh and become the weakest, most frail, and most dependent creature in the universe. Nothing is more helpless and frail than a human new born. An infant can’t do anything for themselves. Jesus couldn’t hold His head up, or feed Himself. He couldn’t clean Himself, or keep Himself warm. He couldn’t even protect Himself from anyone who might want to do Him harm. He chose all this vulnerability simply because He longed “to be with us.” Think about that; God so loved you that He was, and is, prepared to do whatever it takes just TO BE WITH YOU. It’s His very name. Wow!!! How can we ever wonder if He still loves us when we fail, or if He can be trusted, in this fallen world. There must be something extraordinarily attractive about you and me to cause God to name Himself after His magnificent obsession for us.