IMMANUEL, HOLY BIRTH (Matthew 1:18-23)
This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” 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”).
The disciples realized that Jesus' birth was a holy birth through their experiences of His crucifixion and resurrection, and their shared life with Him. It was because of love.
During the Christmas season, there is a children's hymn called "The Birth Bell." The lyrics describe the sound of the bell announcing Jesus' birth, ringing even for those who live in deep and humble mountain homes. It is so beautiful when children with pure lips sing about how anyone can know about Jesus' birth and share the joy together. The word "Christmas" means a holy birth. It refers to the holy birth of Jesus. Our question as we read the text is, "Why is Jesus' birth holy?"
Holy Birth
It is not enough to say that the virgin Mary's miraculous conception of Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit is holy. Of course, the fact that Mary conceived Jesus through the Holy Spirit points to the holy birth, but it is not the most appropriate reason to call Jesus' birth a holy birth. What is the fundamental reason for calling Jesus' birth holy?
An evaluation of a person is made when they die. "This person was a nuclear bomb of love. He lived a dog's life." These are the assessments made when summing up a person's life at their death. No one is evaluated from birth. We don't say about a newborn baby, "This person is truly diligent and has a noble character." Rather, we wish that the baby will grow up to be such a person.
The same is true for Jesus. To the disciples who followed Him, He was not initially the Son of God, our Savior, or our Lord. He was just a rabbi, a teacher. In the Bible, there are two categories of beings that recognize Jesus' existence. One is human, and the other is Satan. One day, Jesus suddenly asked his disciples a question as they were walking (Mt 16:14-16). "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" The disciples answered, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets." Jesus asked again, "But what about you? Who do you say I am?" Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." It sounds like a perfect answer to us. But Jesus pours cold water on Peter's response. "Blessed are you, Peter, but this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven." In other words, Peter, you spoke the correct answer, but in reality, you didn't know it well.
The disciples lived closely with Jesus, but they didn't really know who He was. If they had known Jesus properly, they wouldn't have run away or turned their backs on Him when He was crucified. The other category of beings that recognized Jesus were Satan and his demons. Whenever Jesus cast out demons, they recognized Him first (Mt 8:29). Satan recognized Jesus' existence and said, "Son of God, what do you have to do with us? Have you come here to torment us before the appointed time?" Thus, no one but Satan truly recognized who Jesus was. Although Peter gave the correct answer, Jesus did not give him full credit.
The Love of Immanuel
Jesus is crucified on the cross. Surprisingly, the disciples who followed Jesus began to confess their teacher as the Son of God and the Savior. They began to think of Jesus' birth as a holy birth. Why did the disciples do that? The disciples began to think about their teacher's death again. They started to go over the events they experienced with Jesus while traveling around for three years. The disciples began to think about how their teacher had sought out the poor and befriended them, and how he had healed the sick even by breaking the Sabbath law at the risk of his life (Mk 3). However, it is not that the disciples simply admired their teacher and elevated his death to that of the Son of God. By encountering the crucifixion and subsequent resurrection of their teacher, the disciples realized, "Our teacher Jesus was truly Immanuel!" Immanuel means 'God is with us.' The disciples thought, 'Why did Jesus want to be with us, as well as the poor and the sick?'
The conclusion the disciples reached through their contemplation was 'love.' When their conclusion led to Jesus being crucified on the cross because of love, the disciples bowed their heads at the fact that Jesus loved the people he had been with even to the point of death. The disciples realized that the end of Immanuel (being with them) was the cross.
One day, two women came to Solomon. They fought over a baby, each claiming it was their child, and asked Solomon to judge whose child it was. Solomon ruled, "Since both claim the child is theirs, divide the child in half and give each half." Then suddenly, one woman cried and said the child was not hers, admitting her mistake and telling the other woman to take the child. Who is the real mother of the child? Is it the woman who demands the baby be divided in half? Or the one who says the child is not hers? The real mother is the one who is willing to risk her life to save her beloved child. When love ultimately demands a life, true love gives up its own life. To step forward to die even when there is no reason to die, or when the only reason to die is love, is the end of love.
Yes, the disciples also realized that the end of love was death. Finally, they understood what Jesus meant when he said, "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends" (Jn 15:13). When they realized that the person who gave up his life for his friends was their own teacher, the disciples shuddered.
By the power of the Holy Spirit
The disciples believed that Jesus died because he loved them. They eventually came to believe that Jesus died because he loved all people. The Holy Spirit, who made Peter speak the truth about Jesus, deepened the disciples' thoughts. They continued to think, "What about me made it necessary for Jesus to die?" The disciples thought about their sins, which seemed to be stamped on their flesh, never to be erased. Finally, they went out to spread the name of their master, Jesus (Immanuel), in stark contrast to when they fled as he carried the cross. In doing so, the disciples followed their master to their deaths. It was through their deaths that we finally heard the gospel of Jesus' love.
As we approach Christmas, I'd like to introduce a poem that makes us think about who we are and what love is. It's called "Why Are Tears Salty?" by a korean poet Ham, Min-bok.
It was last summer when I took my mother, who had no place to lean on, to my aunt's house in my hometown. My mother suggested we eat meat soup before departing, as we had some time. My mother had suffered from chronic otitis media all her life and would have pus come out of her ears whenever she ate meat. As I read her intention to eat meat soup for my sake, the wrinkles on her mother's forehead seemed deeper. We entered a seolleongtang (Korean bone soup) restaurant and wiped the sweat from our foreheads with wet towels.
"Eat meat when it's hot, so you don't get heatstroke... At least have some meat soup," she said.
It was when I took a spoonful of soup that my mother called the owner over. He seemed puzzled and came closer, wondering if something was wrong. My mother complained that the soup was too salty because she had put too much salt in it and asked for more soup. The owner gladly brought more soup.
When my mother thought the owner wasn't looking, she poured some soup into my bowl. I was flustered and glanced at the owner as I received more soup. The owner subtly watched our actions and made an effort to look away.
I tapped my mother's bowl with mine, telling her to stop pouring soup. The sound of the bowls clashing made me feel so sad, and I tried to suppress my emotions by chewing on rice and radish kimchi in the seolleongtang. Then, the owner carefully approached us and placed a small plate of radish kimchi on the table before walking away.
At that moment, I couldn't hold back my tears any longer. I quickly wiped the sweat from my forehead, trying to make my tears look like sweat, and then slowly wiped the sweat from my eyes with a wet towel. As I did so, I muttered to myself, "Why are tears salty?"
The birth of Jesus was a holy birth for the disciples. Following the disciples' thoughts so far reveals their reflections and realizations after Jesus carried the cross and was resurrected. We, too, follow the disciples' thoughts and confess that Jesus' birth was a holy birth, as we see his crucifixion and resurrection, the Holy Spirit working in Mary, moving Peter's lips, and opening the disciples' minds.