What Matthew Means by "God With Us."

It’s mind boggling to think about how God chose to make his big entry into the world. The rulers of the Roman Empire got parades and cheering crowds. Their faces were on every coin and everyone in the known world knew their name. And there’s no doubt that any dissenters would quickly and harshly be silenced. But Jesus came in almost completely unnoticed (besides his immediate family, only some astrologers, shepherds, and a paranoid governor knew who he was). And even in his obscurity, Jesus’ birth was surrounded by scandal and his first years were spent in hiding. These are odd circumstances for the Son of God to choose for himself.

Matthew’s first priority in writing is to convince his readers (probably Jewish-Christians) that Jesus really is the Messiah they’ve been waiting for. No doubt his many appeals to fulfilled Old Testament prophecy stood out to Jewish ears (Matt 1:22-23, 2:6, 2:14, 2:17-18, 2:23). Matthew also wants to establish Jesus as rightful king. While Luke’s parental focus is on Mary, Matthew focuses on Joseph, the parent who links Jesus to the royal line of David. But a major theme woven into Matthew’s entire birth story is the unprecedented style in which the King of the universe chose to begin his visit to our little planet.

Because of how often we hear stories like it today, we are probably numb to the drama of Mary’s unexplained, unplanned teen pregnancy. But in Mary’s day, such a scandal was incredibly shameful and potentially deadly. No doubt rumors spread throughout her neighborhood. What were at once friends probably began to look at her with judgment. And people who heard her “I saw and angel” story surely thought she was crazy. Even her fiancée, as noble a man as he was, was at the very least disappointed until he had his own angelic encounter. It’s a miracle in itself that Mary was even allowed to have the baby! In that culture, circumstances like those surrounding Mary and her unborn child almost definitively called for abortion. Given the embarrassment that surely surrounded her, I’m sure Mary wasn’t in the least bit opposed to accompanying her future husband on his government-mandated trip out of town.

Jesus’ actual birth story (the one that involves the inns with no vacancies and the manger) is not recorded in Matthew. But it is worth it here to say that the same theme that Matthew is trying to portray about “God with us” is present in Luke’s nativity as well. It seems preposterous to think of the Ruler of the universe lying in a feeding trough on his birthday when Caesar would have gotten the Presidential Suite.

Upon hearing the news about some kid labeled “King of the Jews,” Herod becomes uneasy. Historians have theories about Herod’s mental health. It is likely that he was very unstable. He is famous for killing members of his own family and even ordering the mass killing of a group of people on the day of his death so that there would be a proper mood of grief (fortunately those orders were not carried out). We can see from reading Matthew that Herod was at least paranoid. When he realized that the Magi were not going to lead him to Jesus, Herod ordered the massacre of all the boys two years and younger in the area surrounding Bethlehem.

This genocide drove Jesus and his family to Egypt where they would wait in hiding until Herod’s death. Now we have to notice something here. The picture that Matthew is giving us is of the Son of God living as a refugee. The true King of kings is running for his life.

Today, the number of refugees, asylum-seekers, and forcibly displaced people in the world is over 50 million. Evil organizations like ISIS and the Taliban make headlines seemingly everyday by harming people. Genocide is still very much a reality. Our own country has recently been torn by unfair treatment of minorities. Christians across the world are persecuted for their faith. It seems as though we cannot escape evil. In world so broken, where do we put our hope?

Matthew’s nativity depicts a God who knows what our world is going through. Jesus can offer us hope in times of struggle because he, himself, has endured the same struggle. The incredible way that God chose to enter into this world provides those watching with a radically new definition of “God with us.” How amazing is the thought that the Creator of the universe cannot only sympathize with you, but he can empathize with you?

One of the joys of Christmas is the promise we have from God that we will make it. If you didn’t know, Jesus wins in the end. But how much sweeter a victory it is when your leader in this battle knows first hand the same pain that you know!

My prayer for you this Christmas is that you find hope in Jesus. Realize that God empathizes with your struggle. And let that motivate you to empathize with the struggles of others. Just as Jesus lowered himself into scandal, poverty, and persecution, let us seek to understand the hardship of those around us.