“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).” – Matthew 1:23
Immanuel is one of the names of Christ, and it means “God with us.” This name has more than just abstract meaning. God is with us not only in the sense of some anonymous guardian. He came to us in a very real way.
Have you ever wondered why Jesus had to be born as a baby? He could have come as a fully grown man. Indeed, the leaders of many other religions made their appearance that way. Why did our Savior start his ministry on earth as an infant? Because that’s what humans do. They are born as helpless babies. They get their diapers changed. They learn how to walk before running. They learn to obey their parents. They grow into teenagers and then adults. Each day as a man, Jesus faced the trials and triumphs that are part of the human experience–including death. No one can legitimately tell God, “You don’t know what it’s like!” God came to be with us, among us, one of us. Because Jesus lived life firsthand, he understands our struggles intimately well, and has compassion to give us comfort.
