Jesus and Christmas - What's It All About? (Part 3)

If we look at the events of what we have come to know as Christmas, Jesus birth, from what Joseph experienced, we will see events that validate the fact that Jesus is God.  Joseph at the point of these events, knew already that his wife to be was pregnant, with child.  You can only imagine what was going through Joseph's mind.  I am sure that this was not the first time that someone, that people had known, were pregnant out of wedlock.  I can only believe that this was the first time a man had gotten this excuse by his wife to be as to how she could be pregnant and by whom.  I am sure that Mary couldn't wait to tell Joseph of the good news, that she had become pregnant by the very Spirit of God and that she was going to give birth to the Son of the Most High.  Could you imagine what was going through Mary's mind as to, how she was going to tell her husband to be, how she could be pregnant.  If the angel Gabriel didn't frighten her, I am sure this did.  The Bible doesn't say how Mary told Joseph, but he didn't believe her and I don't think any man would have.  All we know about Joseph's reaction is that he was going to put her away secretly, not wanting to disgrace her and probably spare himself the humiliation.  This is revealed by Matthew in his gospel writings in his first chapter when he writes this in verses 18-25;

            "(18) Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows.  When His mother Mary had been
            betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the
            Holy Spirit.(19) And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man, and not wanting to
            disgrace her, desired to put her away secretly.(20) But when he had considered this,
            behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David,
            do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for that which has been conceived in her is
            of the Holy Spirit.(21) "And she will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for
            it is He who will save His people from their sins."(22) Now all this took place that what
            was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying,(23) "Behold,
            the virgin shall be with child, and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name
            Emmanuel," which translated means, "God with us."(24) And Joseph arose from his
            sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and he took her as his wife.
            (25) and kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.

Looking at these verses, the one thing we might ask ourselves is, "What was the main thing that the angel said to Joseph that resonated so much to him that would make him arise from his sleep and take Mary as his wife.  It had to have been something that was said that clicked in his mind that let him know that Mary had told him the truth.  Obviously one thing is that he told Joseph to name the baby Jesus.  I am sure that Mary had told Joseph that the angel, that appeared to her, told her to name the baby Jesus.  The less obvious might be the quote from the prophet.  I think that Joseph might have, at that point, recalled what had been quoted by the prophet Isaiah, when the angel had told him in verse 21;

            "And she (Mary) will bear a Son; and you shall call his name Jesus, for it is He who will
            save His people from their sins."

Joseph was understanding that this was the fulfillment of the words spoken by the prophet Isaiah, when Isaiah wrote in his 7th Chapter, verse 14 what Matthew quoted here in the 23 verse;

           "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign; Behold, a virgin will be with child and
           bear a Son , and she shall call His name Emmanuel."

Joseph new what Mary was saying when she said  that she was to name the baby Jesus (Yeshua).  He probably thought that this was blasphemy.  Joseph knew that the name Yeshua means, The Lord our Salvation.  By naming a child Yeshua you are calling the child God.  When the angel told Joseph to name the child Jesus (Yeshua), Joseph knew what this meant and it was probably all starting to make sense.  Joseph was beginning to put it all together.  What the angel told him was similar to the words of the prophet, except for calling His name Emmanuel.  Joseph knew that Emmanuel meant, God with us.  If you call the baby Jesus (Yeshua) The Lord our  Salvation, you are also declaring that this child is God with us." These are the words written by the prophet Isaiah, in Isaiah's 45th Chapter, verses 21-23;

            (21)"..........And there is no other God before Me, A righteous God and a Savior; There
            is none except Me.(22) Turn to Me, and be saved, all the ends of the earth;
            For I am God, and there is no other. (23) I have sworn by Myself, Thy words have gone
            forth from my mouth in righteousness and will not turn back, That to Me every knee will
            bow, and every tongue will swear allegiance."

If Joseph had read this scripture and could recall it, he would know that for Jesus to be able to save His people from their sins, He would have to be a Savior and if He is the Savior, then He must be the God who spoke through Isaiah.

The apostle Paul gives acknowledgment to this when he wrote in his letter to the Philippians in the 2nd Chapter, verses 5-11;

            (5) "Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,(6) who although
            He existed as God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,(7) but
            emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of
            of men.(8) And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming
            obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.(9) Therefore also God highly
            exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,(10) that at
            the name of Jesus ever knee shall bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and
            under the earth,(11) and that every tongue should confess that Jesus is Lord, to the
            glory of God the Father."

God Made for Himself a Body in the person of Jesus.  He would sacrifice His own earthly body, on the cross, for the blood sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins.  Because He was not from the seed of Adam, but of God, He had no sin.  He is the only Son of Man, according to the law, who could have access into heaven, because He was guiltless.  If anyone accepts the sacrifice Jesus made for them, they put themselves on the cross with Jesus, they are buried with Jesus, their sins are left in the grave and they are risen with Jesus a New Creation.  They become born of above, with the Spirit of Jesus dwelling in them, and they now have an eternal living being that is being developed in their souls. Jesus was the first born of all the New Creation.  God now had a risen glorified heavenly body that could now be visibly seen in heaven and able to fellowship in likeness with the New Creation he is creating.  Everyone who receives what Jesus did for them will receive the same glorified body at the resurrection.

The early church new what they were saying when they referred to Jesus as Lord.  For there is only one Lord and that is God. Again God speaks through the prophet Isaiah when He says this in Chapter 43, verses 11-13;

            (11) "I, even I, am the Lord (Jehovah), And there is no Savior besides Me.(12) It is I
            who have declared and saved and proclaimed, and there was no strange god among you;
            So you are my witnesses declares the Lord (Jehovah), And I am God,(13) Even from 
            eternity I am He; And there is none who can deliver out of my hand; I act and who can
            reverse it?"

For Jesus to be Lord, He has to be God.  Emmanuel, "God with us".  Jesus (Yeshua),"The Lord our Salvation.  The Christmas story, the birth Jesus, reveals all of this in a special way.  We will see this in my next Blog.

My the peace of the Great God and Savior be with you.