Matthew 1:23 (NKJV) 23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” (Isaiah 7:14)
It has been said that at Christmas we celebrate the humanity of Christ because of His incarnation (1 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 2:14; 10:20; 1 Peter 3:18; 4:1-2). There certainly can be no doubt about the importance if his humanity (1 John 4:1). To think otherwise, John called the “spirit of the antichrist” (1 John 4:2). It was the early gnostic error that taught that the physical was evil and the spirit was good. There can be no diminishing of the importance of the incarnation. Lewis Sperry Chafer (Systematic Theology [1948], 7:194) correctly places the incarnation as one of the seven greatest events that have occurred in the history of the universe:
- The creation of the angels,
- Creation of material things, including all life on the earth,
- The Incarnation,
- The death of the Incarnate One,
- His resurrection,
- His coming again,
- His reign on the earth forever.
All that follows number 3, the incarnation, would not have been possible without Christ taking on human flesh. Through the Incarnation, as our high priest, He could be tempted on all points as we are without sin and be our sympathizer, our aid in temptation (Hebrews 2:18; 4:15).
In the Incarnation, we also see our Lord’s in humbled obedience to the Father by the taking on of human flesh, and that humiliation and obedience went to the extreme extent of the cross (Philippians 2: 5-8).
But the message the angel gave to Joseph was the message of the fulfillment of prophecy (Isaiah 7:14). It was not only given to Joseph so that he could understand the pregnancy of Mary but also to fulfill the longing in the human heart, fellowship in the presence of God (Psalm 27:4; Job 19:25-26; cf. Ezekiel 48:38 ). It was about deity in the presence of humanity. He could be seen, touched, and experienced in the flesh as God.
In science fiction, the imagination of man is about the experience of that which is alien. The concept of meeting some sentient alien life form certainly has captured our society. You no doubt have heard it said that such an alien invasion has already taken place. The incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ is that invasion. But, is that really the case? Is He an alien to our world? How could the one who created the universe (John 1:1-3, 10; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Colossians 1:16-17; Hebrews 1:2) be alien to it? The answer to that question is that it is not possible for Him to be alien to His creation. The alienation is on our part. It is us, who through sin are alienated from God. And it is also because of this alienation that God took such extraordinary steps to reconcile us to Himself (Romans 5:6-11; Colossians 1:20,22; Ephesians 2:16).
It truly was an invasion, an invasion into a fallen and alienated world, born out of love (John 3:16; I John 4:8). The visitation in human flesh of Deity in the person of Jesus Christ the Lord.
-Michael Holtzinger