Matthew 1:22-23
22 All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
23 “Look, the virgin shall become pregnant and give birth to a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,”
Friday, December 12 – Week of Peace
The author of the book of Matthew includes the fulfillment of prophecy, just as intentionally as the author led into the announcement of Jesus’ birth through careful genealogy. This intricate defense of Jesus’ origin clearly placed his birth within the work of God as seen through the prophets and kings of old.
Within the dream announcement, the angel invokes words from Isaiah 7:14. This is the first of fourteen quotations used within Matthew’s Gospel account tied to prophetic words about the Messiah. This passage in particular lies in the early parts of Isaiah that foretell a period when God’s people would be in exile after being conquered by Assyria. While that timeline was extended by many generations, the foretold prophecy came true in the story of Jesus’ birth. It was a prophecy of deliverance, restoration, and return to what it truly meant to be God’s people once again.
Though ancestors uttered the phrase “how long must we wait?” We know that the period of waiting is no longer at hand. Deliverance and restoration lie with the one we follow as Jesus the Christ. And that is God’s fulfilled promise and gift to the world.
Prayer: God of the generations, help us to see the work of your salvation that echoes into our present and beyond our future. Amen.
