The Real Emmanuel

“Emmanuel, Emmanuel. His name is called Emmanuel.” That popular chorus is heard in many churches this time of year. My favorite Advent hymn is “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” The Advent season doesn’t really begin for me until I sing it in worship. There is something about the minor key and the tempo that opens my heart to God. 

The idea that Jesus was Emmanuel (alternately spelled Immanuel) comes from the Gospel of Matthew where the gospel writer sees the birth of Jesus as fulfilling a prophecy spoken by the prophet Isaiah. After recounting the virgin birth, the Gospel writer says, “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’ (which means ‘God with us’).”

That is as far as most Christians get. They never pause to reflect on the fact that Christ was named Jesus, not Emmanuel. They never look up the reference in the Book of Isaiah. They do not realize how controversial this scripture verse is. I first learned about the controversy surrounding this text in seminary. The problem began with the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, which translated the Hebrew word “almah” in Isaiah 7:14 as “a young woman” rather than “virgin.”

All hell broke loose. Translators were accused of heresy. Fundamentalists burned the RSV. The truth is the translators were rendering the Hebrew word faithfully. The Hebrew word does not mean virgin. That interpretation began when the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament) translated it using the word “parthenos,” which means virgin. That is where the author of the Gospel of Matthew got it. He thought it fit in well with the story of a virgin birth.

When we look at the original prophecy of Isaiah, we see it has nothing to do with a supernatural birth or the Messiah. The prophet was addressing a political situation in his day. Syria had entered into an alliance with the northern kingdom of Israel against Judah. Isaiah prophesied that soon a child would be born and be given the symbolic name Emmanuel. He writes:

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, a young woman shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. For before the child knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land before whose two kings you are in dread will be deserted.”

The prophet was predicting an end to the military threat against Jerusalem, which would happen before this child “knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good.” Most would say this happens around age twelve, using Jesus’ visit to the temple at that age as a guideline. Others use the Jewish bar mitzva as the standard, saying it is age 13. 

In either case, events unfolded in the eighth century BC just as the prophet predicted. The nations of Israel and Syria were destroyed by the invading Assyrian army, saving Jerusalem and Judah. The ten northern tribes of Israel were lost to history.

So the original meaning of the name Emmanuel had to do with war in the Holy Land. Emmanuel was a sign of Divine judgment on Israel and a promise of salvation for Judah. It was a warning to trust in God rather than political alliances. Inspired by the same Spirit Jesus, the new Emmanuel, predicted God’s judgment upon Jerusalem in his Olivet Discourse, saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.”

It seems like these things are still hidden. This Christmas we are seeing war in the Holy Land. This year we have seen a horrendous attack upon Israeli civilians by Hamas. We have also seen devastating retaliation by Israel against Gaza. This conflict has spurred both anti-Semitic and anti-Palestinian attacks in our country. There is no lasting peace in sight.

“Where is God in all this?” The sign of Emmanuel is relevant during this Advent season. “God is with us” in times like these – both in judgment and salvation. God is still present in the Holy Land. Seeing exactly how God’s judgment and salvation is present in this war is a matter of spiritual discernment. I suspect that time will tell.

In any case it is important to remember that originally the sign of Emmanuel had nothing to do with the Messiah. Nevertheless the Gospel writer used this prophecy in his story of the birth of the Prince of Peace. That is significant. The peace of God is with us in Jesus. Jesus himself said, “I will be with you always, even unto the end of the age.” God is with us. It is simply a matter of opening ourselves to the ever-present Emmanuel.