All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:
“Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel.” Which means “God is with us.” (Matthew 1:22-23)
Matthew likes to quote the Old Testament and show how it leads up to Jesus. Such linkage was particularly important for the earliest Christians, since the Old Testament was the only Scripture they had.
In today’s passage Matthew quotes the prophet Isaiah who preached 750 years before Christ. This Scripture quote is the first interpretation of the life of Jesus in Matthew’s Gospel – “God is with us.”
These will also be the very last words of Matthew’s Gospel. The risen Lord says to his disciples: “And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
It is a touching and consoling thing when we are facing something difficult and a person says too us, “I’ll go with you.” It may be to a doctor’s appointment when we’re facing serious health problems…or to a courtroom…or to some difficult confrontation.
These are the words the Lord speaks to me today, and every day: “I’ll go with you.” To remember he’s there wherever we are – makes a difference.
He’s with me now. And wherever today takes me, he says, “I’ll go with you.”
