The Mystery of Immanuel

" 'The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him 'Immanuel'—which means, 'God with us' " (Matthew 1:23).

 

"He appeared in a body . . . believed on in the world" (1 Timothy 3:16).

In Lesson 2 we got our first glimpse of Jesus as the Babe in Bethlehem. Mary, His blessed mother, gave Him a human body. Thus He became a member of the human family, and later He called Himself "the Son of man" (Matthew 16:13). This is known as the "incarnation." Jesus had no earthly father. The God of heaven was His father. In this lesson we will see if we can understand a little better what the Bible means when it refers to Jesus as "the Son of God" or as "Immanuel . . . God with us." Our study will take us back before the birth of Christ in Bethlehem to the time when the Son lived in heaven with His Father. This will be an intensely interesting and revealing study, but there are some other important things that we want you to think about first.

Whenever we think of God the Father, a question arises in our minds concerning His nature and character. What is God like? When we were children, we tried to conjure up in our minds mental pictures of Him. Curiosity tried to penetrate the unseen and the unknown. And it is important for all of us to know for ourselves the answer to the question: What is God like? How can we worship Him intelligently unless we appreciate Him for what He really is? Too many people think of God as some sort of policeman of the world, a supreme spy, a stern judge, or perhaps an exacting schoolmaster. These ideas about God fall far short of the truth.

One way to understand and appreciate God would be to go to heaven and see Him and talk with Him. But since we do not have that privilege, at least for now, we may become acquainted with Him through the revelation given to us by Jesus Christ. God has been revealed in human flesh by One who is God's Son, and because of this we can understand something of the nature and character of the Father. The life of Christ shows that the Supreme Being is the kind of God that humans want to worship. Let's come back to our theme now, and turn to the Bible for light on this great truth.

 

HOW WAS CHRIST'S DIVINE SONSHIP ANNOUNCED? 
Before the birth of Jesus, an angel announced to the virgin Mary that the Son to be born to her was the Son of God.

"But the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,'. . . . The angel answered, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God' " (Luke 1:30-32, 35).

The heavenly messenger made it clear to Mary that she was to become a mother and that God Himself was to be the Father of the holy child. Here are the angel's words—"The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you" (Luke 1:35).

When Jesus was born, the Father recognized the appearance of His Son in human flesh by sending an angel choir to sing the thrilling announcement.

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." "Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:14, 11).