Listen: (0:30)
Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son
and shall call him Emmanuel,
"God with Us" (Isaiah 7:14)
Reflection:
Starting as early as the Gospel of Matthew, Christians have interpreted this prophecy to refer directly to the birth of Jesus, but the context of the original passage from Isaiah is the Assyrian war seven hundred years prior. I am a literature major, so I've always been pretty comfortable with the idea of a text having different meanings for different audiences. In fact, it deepens the meaning of this text for me, to understand that it's been used twice, in very different contexts. First, it was used in the eighth century BC, as a sign to King Ahaz that in less than nine months, the time it takes for a pregnant woman to give birth, the armies of which is is so scared will be dispatched. And second, among Jewish Christians in the first century, to remember that God has indeed come to be "with us" in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah. In fact, I think it's sort of silly to assume the Gospel writers were somehow unaware of the context of the prophecies they used. Their response would likely be, "Oh, yeah. That's what it meant for them then. But this is what it means for us now." Biblical passages can mean different things at different times. But the meaning behind both is the same: God was with the people of Jerusalem 2700 years ago. God was with Mary and Joseph 2,000 years ago. And God is with us today.
Prayer: Thank you, God, for your Word which takes on flesh in different ways at different times. And thank you for the Word that takes on flesh for us in Jesus. Amen.
Discussion Questions:
1) In what ways has God been with you in the past year?
2) Can you think of a Bible passage that has had different meanings for you at different times in your life?
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