Clarity is essential when reading sacred texts, for understanding grows when we carefully attend to the distinctions Scripture clearly preserves. Before us stand two sacred names, to be approached with the utmost reverence and humility, and it is in that spirit that our contemplation and reflection take root. As we read with care and attention, a more precise and faithful vision emerges: Scripture reveals two distinct personalities- Jesus, the Son of God, and Immanuel, the Son of Man. Recognising this distinction does not diminish faith; rather, it enriches understanding and cultivates deeper reverence.
Isaiah prophesies Immanuel, and he does so with precision. The prophet introduces Immanuel as a sign:
“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14).
Again, Isaiah declares,
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder” (Isaiah 9:6).
Later still, the land itself is addressed as,
“thy land, O Immanuel” (Isaiah 8:8).
Isaiah never names this figure Jesus. Immanuel is presented as God with us—a divine presence associated with authority, territory, and governance. The prophecy stands on its own terms and must be read with that integrity.
This stands in contrast to other prophetic passages that Christians rightly associate with Jesus. In this regard we note that Isaiah also speaks of the suffering servant:
“He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief… he was led as a lamb to the slaughter” (Isaiah 53:3, 7).
Here, the emphasis is not on governance or territorial authority, but on rejection, suffering, and selfless sacrifice—themes the New Testament clearly applies to Jesus.
When we turn to Matthew’s Gospel, the angelic message is equally precise. The angel does not reinterpret Isaiah; he delivers a direct instruction from heaven:
“And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).
This is not a symbolic designation but a personal name, expressly given. Isaiah proclaims Immanuel. The angel names Jesus. These are distinct acts of revelation, and Scripture does not present them as interchangeable.
Matthew later writes,
“Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying… they shall call his name Immanuel” (Matthew 1:22–23).
Here, Matthew offers an interpretive connection. Respectfully, the text itself does not demonstrate that Isaiah explicitly named Jesus, nor does Isaiah’s prophecy require that identification. Matthew assumes fulfilment, but the Scripture he cites maintains its original naming. The distinction remains intact.
The meanings of the names themselves reinforce this clarity.
Immanuel means “God with us” (Isaiah 7:14), expressing divine presence and nearness.
Jesus means “the Lord saves,” as the angel explains, “for he shall save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).
Presence and salvation are related, but they are not the same function. Scripture assigns them carefully.
Jesus Himself reinforces this separation. Throughout the Gospels, He repeatedly speaks of the Son of Man, often in the future tense, as one who is to be revealed, glorified, and invested with authority:
“For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels” (Matthew 16:27).
“Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power” (Matthew 26:64).
This language echoes Daniel’s vision:
“I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven… And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom” (Daniel 7:13–14).
The book of Revelation removes any remaining ambiguity. Throughout its visions, two personalities consistently appear: the Lamb and He who sits upon the Throne. They are never confused. God Himself cannot fully descend into creation, for the boundless power of the Almighty would overwhelm it. Yet He can send forth a part of Himself into creation, as occurred in the incarnation of Jesus. In a similar manner, God manifested another aspect of Himself as the Son of Man. These are the two personalities revealed in Revelation: Jesus, the Son of God—the Lamb—and Immanuel, the Son of Man—He who sits upon the Throne.
“And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book” (Revelation 5:1), and “I beheld, and lo, in the midst of the throne… stood a Lamb as it had been slain” (Revelation 5:6). The Lamb approaches the Throne, receives from the One seated upon it, and is worshipped alongside Him (Revelation 5:7–13). The equal reverence and honor shown to both the Lamb and He who sits upon the Throne highlight their shared origin in God the Father, revealing that though distinct in role and manifestation, they are united in divine essence. Distinction is maintained without division, showing both the individuality and the unity in God.
Jesus also promises the Spirit of Truth, not as Himself, but as another divine presence:
“And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter” (John 14:16).
“But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth” (John 15:26).
Seen this way, the Holy Trinity becomes clearer.
God the Father.
God the Son.
God the Holy Spirit.
Jesus is the Son of God.
Immanuel is God with us, revealed through Jesus as the Son of Man.
Both belong fully to God. Both operate within divine unity. The Son redeems. The Spirit abides. God remains one.
The Trinity of God is not a division into separate beings. God the Father, God the Son, and the Holy Spirit are not separate entities, but belong to God as a unity-much like the arms of a body which may act independently yet remain inseparable from the body itself. Without them, the body is incomplete.
At God’s right hand is God the Son, Jesus- Love! At His left is God the Holy Spirit, Justice! Both emanate from God the Father and belong to Him as one harmonious whole, the Trinity of the one God. This understanding deepens reverence, revealing divine omnipotence, wisdom, and the perfect balance of Love and Justice.
Let us finally discard the habit of seeing Scripture through the lens of inherited assumptions or tradition. The Bible reveals that Jesus, the Son of God, and Immanuel, the Son of Man, are two distinct personalities. Let us prayerfully and in all reverence recognise that these two Sons of God - Immanuel and Jesus are one in the Father, and only in the nature of their work are they two.
No comments:
Post a Comment