Advent-Hope:Matthew 1:21-23; Luke 1:31-35

“Remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:12, NASB).

In this article for the second Sunday in advent we will focus on the word “hope.” Today, we celebrate the hope of the prophets. The Old Testament prophets had declared that in the midst of darkness there was hope. The prophet Isaiah declared: “For behold, darkness will cover the earth and deep darkness the peoples; but the LORD will rise upon you and His glory will appear upon you” (Isaiah 60:2, NASB). The prophet saw a world in which there was no light. The prophet saw a world in which there was no knowledge of God. People lived as best that they knew how and believed themselves to be right. Isaiah and other Old Testament prophets like Jeremiah lived in times of darkness, but they foretold a day in which the Lord would send His light into the world. This was the hope of Israel. God will send the Messiah to redeem them from their existence in a dark, sinful, and corrupt world. He would restore them to a life with God in the place that God had set aside for His people to come and worship Him. The hope of the Messiah was that there would be redemption, restoration, and reconciliation. The announcement by the angel Gabriel to both Joseph and Mary was a confirmation that the hope of the prophets was about to enter into the world. However, before we get into our scripture passages we should ask the question “what is hope?”

Hope is a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. Hope means that we want something to happen or be the case. We expect something. We anticipate something, and look for something with confidence that what we want to happen will happen even when we do not see any tangible evidence that what we desire will become a reality. Thus, hope is an optimistic state of mind that is based on expectation of positive outcomes with respect to events and circumstances in one’s life or the world at large.

In the New Testament the Greek word “elpis” means expectation, trust, and confidence. It means to anticipate with pleasure and to welcome. Hope involves emotions, but hope itself is a way of thinking or a state of mind. Hope is to be distinguished from wish. A wish is to feel or express a strong desire or hope for something that is not easily attainable; want something that cannot or probably will not happen. When I told my daddy that I wanted a bicycle for Christmas he responded that he did not have the money to buy one this year, but maybe next year. The next year I did not mention a bicycle to my daddy. I knew that he did not have the money. I still wanted a bicycle, but I did not hope for one. I had the desire for a bicycle, but I had no expectation that my daddy would buy one for me. On the other hand, the Jews lived with hope of a Messiah. He would be a descendant of David. The Messiah would free them from the harsh rule of Rome. They would enjoy prosperity and freedom to live freely to worship their God. The scripture passages that have been selected are an announcement from God that their desires and anticipation was coming into the world.

Although the book of Matthew is the first of the four gospels in the bible, we will look at what was written by Luke first. This is because apparently the angel Gabriel visited Mary before he visited Joseph. Let us be aware that the books of Mark and John do not tell the story about the birth of Jesus. According to Luke the angel Gabriel appeared to a virgin from Nazareth in Galilee. She was engaged to a man named Joseph who was a descendant of David. The angel told Mary that she was “highly favored” (KJV), meaning that by grace she was blessed in a way that no other woman could be blessed. “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus” (Luke 1:31, NASB). The angel continued saying, “‘He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord will give Him the throne of His father David; and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end’’ (1:32-33, NASB).

The angel identifies the son to be born as the “Son of the Most High.” His coming into the world would take place without human effort and ability. Mary would conceive by the Holy Spirit and the son born to her would be called the “Son of God” (v. 35). Thus we find here a principle in all of creation. That which is physical must first be that which is spiritual. What we see in the present is something that was first in the heart and mind of God. Further, our hope is not based on what we can see. Rather, our hope is from God. Our hope is God who is creator and sustainer of all things that exist.

God will give Him the throne of His father David. He will reign over His kingdom forever. No longer do we hope for a king that will reign with righteousness and justice. The Son of the Most High will reign over His kingdom forever. Thus our hope is not for temporary things. Our hope is eternal. In giving Jesus the throne of his father David, God was keeping His promise that He made to David. “‘Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever’” (2 Samuel 7:16, NASB). Now, let us turn to Joseph’s story recorded in the gospel of Matthew.

Matthew wrote to a Jewish audience. They were God’s chosen people that were called by God and sanctified by God to be a holy people separated from the other nations. They were to demonstrate to the nations the love of God. The goal was that the nations would see the goodness of God; His righteousness and his justice. They would turn from worshiping their idols and turn to the God of the Israelites. However, the people of God failed to obey God. God removed them from their land and sent them into exile in Babylon in586 B.C. The Jews became a scattered people. They had been ruled by the Babylonians, the Persians, the Greeks, and presently by the Romans. The Jews knew the promises that God had made through the prophets. They believed the words of the prophets. In spite of their circumstances they still had hope that a Messiah would come to set them free.

The angel Gabriel appeared to Joseph. Mary was betrothed to Joseph but before the marriage was consummated Joseph learned that Mary was pregnant. Joseph considered how he would put away the woman that he loved. The law called for divorce, public shame, and possibly death. Joseph was a righteous man. How could he send Mary away secretly? The angel had the answer to his dilemma. First, Gabriel recognized Joseph as a son (descendant) of David. From a legal point of view the child that his wife bore would be a legitimate heir to the throne of David. Joseph did not need to send Mary away because she was not guilty of sin. The son that she bore was conceived by the Holy Spirit. “‘She shall bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21, NASB). “Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet” (v. 22). “‘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” (v. 23; see Isaiah 7:14).

A key component of the angel’s announcement was, “You shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (v. 21). The people hoped to be free from Roman domination and cruelty. They hoped that God would restore Israel to the glory that she enjoyed during the reigns of David and Solomon. However, before restoration they had to be redeemed. No human being could redeem them because there was no one without sin. Jesus came to redeem us, both Jews and Gentiles, by becoming the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world (See John 1:35, 41, 49). Jesus died on the cross to redeem us from our sins. If we believe in Him we are restored to sonship with Christ. We are reconciled to God through the salvation work of Jesus Christ. Thus, Jesus is our hope. If we put our hope in Him we can have a positive mindset regardless of what takes place in our lives.

The Jews had hope. They anticipated the coming of the Messiah. They did not understand fully what the Messiah would be like. Their knowledge was limited. Rome was still in power, but the announcement of the angel Gabriel said that hope was coming to the world. We too have hope if we have accepted Jesus as our Savior for our sins. Because His kingdom will be forever, we are given eternal life, and we will live with Him forever.