Luke expects us to recognize that he is narrating the fulfillment of Isaiah 7:14: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel" (NIV). In Luke 1:31 the name is changed to Jesus, but we recognize the other details from Isaiah 7:14 and realize that it is in the person of Jesus that we find Immanuel–God with us. The references to Mary's virginity in vv. 27, 34, alert us that she is the one through whom God is finally making himself present as promised in Isaiah 7:14 and related prophecies, including Isaiah 9:6-7 (which speaks of the birth of the child who would reign on David’s throne forever). As the only Son of the Most High, the Son of God whose birth entails a divine intervention far exceeding anything ever seen before, Christ brings the story of creation, sin and restoration to its long-anticipated climax. His birth is not just one more story of divine intervention in human affairs; it is the story of divine intervention in human affairs. May the presence of God in the person of Jesus Christ be the central reality in your life, now and always.
Born to raise the sons of earth, Born to give them second birth.
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