#DailyDevotion Jesus, YaShua, YHWH Saves, That Is Who This Child Is, The Holy One Of God
December 26th
Read Matt 1:18–25
Mat 1:18-25 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. (19) And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. (20) But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “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. (21) She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” (22) All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: (23) “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). (24) When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, (25) but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.
Oh what great mystery! God and Man are one flesh. This child is born of Mary. He receives his flesh from the seed of Mary being truly human. He is conceived by the by power of the Holy Spirit and the Word is made flesh. God now shares in our blood and makes himself one with us. The Lord had promised that the Virgin would bear a son and he would be Immanuel, God with us. That is who Jesus is, God with us.
In the Old Covenant, the Lord tabernacled with the people of Israel in the tent of meeting over the ark of covenant and later he placed his name on the temple and his name dwelt there. Now the Lord dwells in human flesh, a temple made without hands, truly God and truly Man. He dwells with us to show his mercy, kindness, love and faithfulness to the human race he has created.
For this one, born of Mary, begotten of the Father from all eternity is named Jesus, Joshua, Ja Shua, the Lord Saves. What does Jesus save us from? Jesus saves us from our sins. That is our problem. That is what condemns us. It is our lack of trust in God, the Lord. It is the root sin and the rest of sins that we notice, that cause us trouble because they harm our neighbor are just symptoms of our disease. Jesus will take this disease into himself and kill it upon the altar of the cross. He will take away the accusation that drives us to not trust God and to disobey him. He will take the punishment we deserve into his own flesh and bury it in the tomb. Jesus will shed his blood, the blood of the God-Man to make atonement for our sins. The Author of Life, made flesh, will die, even die the death of a cross to remove the enmity between God and men. The Lord of Glory who cannot die according to his divine nature dies in his nature of Man and experiences the death you and I deserve so we may life eternally with Him, the Father and the Holy Spirit in the new creation.
Jesus is God’s gift to you. Even if you didn’t get what you wanted for Christmas, you got what you absolutely needed for this life and the next, peace with God through faith in the God-Man.
Lord God, heavenly Father, we thank you for the gift of your Son Jesus Christ, who was made man to expiate our punishment which we deserve in his own flesh, in his own soul and spirit. Grant us faith to believe this and to live in this good news today, tomorrow and forever. In Jesus’ name. Amen.