Purpose of Jesus coming to earth (Matthew 1:21-23)

If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes true, concerning which he spoke to you, saying, “Let us go after other gods (whom you have not known) and let us serve them,” you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for the LORD your God is testing you to find out if you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. You shall follow the LORD your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him. But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has counseled rebellion against the LORD your God who brought you from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, to seduce you from the way in which the LORD your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from among you. (NASB) Deut. 13:1-5

Could God speak to us a dream today? The answer is, “Yes.” But will He speak to me in a dream? Only He knows the answer. God could and did speak to Joseph in a dream using an angel. In fact, we will discover that God will speak to Joseph again in several dreams. The angel’s message was simple. Mary was pregnant by the Holy Spirit and not by a human male. Joseph needed to hear that and understand.

Proof for the Rabbis. The rabbis of Jesus’ time said that six individuals had been named before their birth. They were “Isaac, Ishmael, Moses, Solomon, Josiah, and the name of the Messiah, whom may the Holy One, blessed be His name, bring in our day.” It is not important if the rabbis were correct about these individuals; but it is true that Jesus, the Messiah, was named before He was born. Is that why Matthew records for us that the angel told Joseph that Mary would have a child whose name was Jesus? It would have been another proof to others that Jesus was the Messiah.

She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” (NASB) Matt. 1:21

The angel does not say that Jesus will be a conquering Messiah who will rescue the Israelites from the Romans and establish a Jewish Kingdom. No, he says that Jesus will come to rescue them from their sins. The name Jesus means “Jehovah the helper,” or “Jehovah will save.” The angel sends this message when he says, “He will save His people from their sins.” We will see later that Jesus is a prophet, priest, and a king, and the title “Savior” includes them all. Jesus was coming as a Savior. Jesus was and is the Savior.

We will discover later that Jesus only saves us from our sins when we believe in Him and desire and trust that He will forgive our sins. If we have no desire to be forgiven, then we will not care that He is a Savior, and God will not forgive us. Jesus is the Savior of only those who want to be saved.

Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL,” which translated means, “GOD WITH US.” (NASB) Matt. 1:22-23

These two verses record the conclusion of the angel’s message to Joseph. Everything that occurred was a fulfillment of prophecy. Many times the idea of “prophecy” is considered to be nothing more than a prediction about a future event. But “prophecy” is something more. Each one is a promise of God that has come true! “God with us” was a BIG promise from God and He fulfilled it. The Messiah Jesus was born. He was born of a virgin, Mary, and He was and is God in human flesh. The apostle John has already told us that “the Word was God” (John 1:1) and “the Word became flesh” (John 1:14). God was faithful and His promise came true. He kept His promise!