The Question: Jesus' name means God saves. It says this in Matthew 1. It also says at the end of Matthew 1 that he shall be called Immanuel which means God with us. Please explain.
One of the great truths of heaven is stated in Revelation 21:3
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Now the dwelling of God
is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God
himself will be with them and be their God.
In fact this has been God's promise ever since the beginning of creation ultimately finding its fulfilment in Jesus. Let's look at this truth and hopefully it will unpack and answer the above question.
In Genesis 1 & 2 we are given a great picture of God being with his people. However all goes 'belly up' in Genesis 3 when Adam & Eve disobey God's good word to them. They are then punished for their rebellion by being cast out from the Garden. God no longer dwells with his people.
The story from here on in is about reversing the effects of sin and therefore restoring the dwelling of God with man.
This theme is picked up again strongly in Exodus where Moses is told to build a tabernacle or temple. Interestingly the word tabernacle means 'dwelling place'. It is where God dwells with his people.
As the story of Israel progresses the tabernacle becomes permanently located by means of a temple in Jerusalem. But in Ezekiel 10 we see something disturbing - 'then the glory of the LORD departed from over the threshold of the temple and stopped over the cherubim' (v18). God's glory departs from the temple. Historically this is seen when the Babylonians come in and destroy, ransack and pillage the temple.
The exile is a terrible punishment upon God's people for their continued rebellion to his good word. God once again does not dwell with his people.
But God's promise to once again dwell with his people is seen in the prophets that are around post the exile. Take for example Haggai, this is what he says in chapter 2: 6-9
This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'In a little while I will once more
shake the heavens and earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations,
and the desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with
glory', says the LORD Almighty. 'The glory of this present house will
be greater than the glory of the former house,' says the LORD Almighty.
'And in this place I will grant peace,' declares the LORD Almighty.
Fast forward a couple of hundred years - a bloke walks into the temple courts in Jerusalem. He upturns tables, scatters stuff everywhere and then says:
Get these out of here! How dare you turn by Father's house into a market!
His disciples remembered that it is written: 'Zeal for your house will consume
me'. Then the Jews demanded of him, 'What miraculous sign can you show us to
probe your authority to do all this?' Jesus answered them, 'Destroy this temple,
and I will raise it again in three days.' The Jews replied, 'It has taken 46
years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?' But
the temple he had spoken of was his body. (Jn 2:16-21)
Jesus becomes this new and greater temple promised long ago. He becomes God dwelling with us and among us. And so when you look at Matthew 1 and Jesus is called Immanuel (God with us) he is picking up upon promises made many years before and is saying they find fulfilment in me.
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