Emmanuel

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit. Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. 

Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” 

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.” When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home. He had no relations with her until she bore a son, and he named him Jesus. (Matthew 1:18-25)

How does Jesus save us from our sins?  Scapegoat logic pertains.  According to professor/scholar Stephan Finlan in his 2005 book Problems with Atonement, “Scapegoat logic seems also to underlie Romans 6:6: ‘our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin.’  Sin has been unloaded onto Christ’s body, and is destroyed when Christ’s body dies.  He is blending the images of a sin-bearing scapegoat, a slain sacrificial animal, and a condemned sinner.”  This is Paul’s conclusion.

One wonders how to factor in and balance atonement with the simple fact that God does not require sacrificial payment but rather love and justice.  Jesus said, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice” (Matthew 9:10).  Jesus repeated the prophet Hosea (6:6) who said, “For it is love that I desire, not sacrifice, and knowledge of God rather than holocausts.”  Jesus is about compassion, inclusivity, and internal purity rather than any Temple purity code.  According to Finlan, Jesus is the new wine that should not be poured into old skins of ritualistic religion.  The new wine is kindness and goodness.  

This Advent let’s focus on Emmanuel – God is with us.  We behold Jesus and heed his call that we love, be kind, and seek the good – to resist evil in all its many forms.  This behavior will save us from our sins.

Deacon David Pierce