As if Isaiah were standing before his eyes, he points to the most-blessed Virgin Mary: "Behold the virgin; while not only this virgin, but also her parents and forefathers had not yet come into the world. Behold, a virgin, he says, shall conceive, and bear a son. What do you say, O Prophet? Can a virgin conceive? Can she who has given birth be a virgin? If this is true, how will this come to pass among the people to whom you predict this event? Even if it comes to pass, how can this be a sign, obvious, satisfactory, which you foretell: "The Lord Himself will give you a sign" (Isaiah 7:14)? If you truly see this daughter of David, to whom you point, Behold a virgin; If you see her in David's homeland, in contemptible Nazareth, in orphanhood, in poverty, without any signs of her royal race, betrothed to a woodworker, tell me, how will the Lord give this sign, that she may be a virgin of the line of David, giving birth in the house and homeland of David, namely, by appointment of another prophet, in Ileim?

See, then, how truly the Lord Himself is responsible for the faithfulness of the prophetic word. The Holy Spirit came upon Mary, and the power of the Most High in her autumn (Luke 1:35); and she conceived in her womb, remaining a virgin, and having become the mother of the Son, nevertheless remained a virgin. In order that those who do not know the mystery of this conception may not offend the conceiver, she is betrothed to her husband before this conception, and in order that this sign of the Lord may be manifest to every sensible person, that the virgin conceived without a man, conception followed the betrothal before it was even condescended (Mt 1:18), before Joseph took his wife (24) into his house. An angel was sent to Joseph, so that he would not be left perplexed, to reveal this mystery and to point out this sign; and for the rest, who could not see and hear the angels, no less than the angel, Joseph himself, known to all as the righteous (19), was no less than the angel, who was not able to deceive people, much less could he slander God and the Holy Spirit. But how can we make sure that the sign, which had already been revealed in almost pagan Nazareth, would be given, according to the prophecy of Isaiah, to the house of David (Isaiah 7:13); that the virgin, who, after being conceived by the Holy Spirit, and after a three-month stay in the house of a female relative, should remain in Nazareth until the last time of pregnancy, without thinking of any journey or migration, that she should give birth to the Leader of Israel, according to the prophecy of Micah, in Vilehem (Micah 5:2)? Truly, as Isaiah hints again, the work was given to the Lord (Isaiah 7:13), that is, it was necessary to perform difficult, according to human understanding, and immense deeds in order for the foretold sign to be fulfilled. In order that Mary, who had finally been received into the house of Joseph by the advice of an angel, might be brought from Nazareth to Bethlehem, and that the descent of her Son from David might be authentically and solemnly shown, a public census was chosen by this means; but since such a census was not in use among the people of God, it was even forbidden by law, it was necessary to betray the people of God to the power of another people. And so God shook almost all the kingdoms of the world, and subdued them to Rome; he raised Augustus over Rome; To Augustus the gift of universal peace, so that authority and convenience would give him thought, and that from him would come the command to write the whole universe (Lk 2:1), before the time when the Son of the virgin was to be born; this census drew Joseph to his native city of Bethlehem as inadvertently as necessary; Mary was to follow Joseph; the earthly race of Emanuel was revealed at the very time when His birth was ripe; and, which a few days earlier still seemed unrealizable, He was born exactly, according to a prophetic prophecy, in Bethlehem.

Truly, everything has been done so that the prophecy may be fulfilled, and that through the small and great deeds of men there may be seen the one great sign of the work of God that dominates them. These things may come to pass, that it may be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel: As it is said, God is with us.

In this discussion of the exact fulfillment of the prophetic words relating to the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ, someone may ask: why was not the prophecy about His name apparently fulfilled so exactly? For the prophet Isaiah foretold His name Immanuel: but instead the angel commanded him to call his name Jesus.

To this, in the first place, I answer, that if the other foretold details about the Son of the Virgin, and among them the less important ones, such as, for example, the purpose of the place of His birth, were fulfilled exactly; is it possible that the Creator of Prophecy, the Holy Spirit, would allow it to be inaccurate in what constitutes the essence, spirit, and purpose of all the foretold details, namely, that in the Son of the Virgin God draws near to us, or in other words, that we are saved by Him!

Secondly, I admit that when comparing the Prophecy about the name of Immanuel with the event, something inaccurate, outwardly, is seen in the words: but at the same time I do not hesitate to assert that this apparent inaccuracy is not only not a defect or imperfection in the prophecy, or in the event, but even belongs to perfection, and in a new way reveals the Divine origin of both. Think of the fact that Immanuel both foretold and came to earth according to the prophecies, for believers; and where there is faith, not everything should be clearly visible, but something hidden should presuppose, since faith, according to the Apostle, is the rebuke of the invisible (Heb 11:1), and an open and complete vision would leave no room for faith. Therefore you will agree that Immanuel, when He came to earth, had to be so visible that He could be known, and so hidden that He could be believed, and that unbelievers could not penetrate into His mysteries, and damage the work of God which He had to do. Therefore, what the Prophet revealed to the believers in the extraordinary name of Immanuel, the same angel presented to the world under the cover of the name of Jesus, which was not so unusual to the ears of the Jews, which had already been held by one Judge and one High Priest, also not without a sacrament for believers, and also hidden from unbelievers.

Thirdly, if, without dwelling on one visible thing, we compare the name of Immanuel assigned in the prophecy and the name of Jesus appearing in the event, then it is not difficult to see in them not only an exact, mutual internal conformity, but also unity. What hinders us, men, may God be with us? Your sins (Isaiah 59:2), says the Prophet, separate you from God. And so separation from God and the state of sin are one and the same. Consequently, the approach to God and salvation from sins are again one and the same. Consequently, Immanuel – God is with us, and Jesus – the Savior from sins, are also one and the same. Consequently, both the prophecy is accurate and the event is true to the prophecy. Immanuel is the Saviour; Jesus is God with us.

Let us know, Christians, the profound wisdom of this prophecy, and let us feel the lofty bliss of this event!

God is with us in Jesus, according to the Incarnation itself: since in Him the Divine nature and our human nature are not only closer, but united inseparably, however also unmerged, into the one person of the God-Man; and therefore he is not ashamed (Hebrews 2:11), as the Apostle says, to call us brethren.

Съ нами Богъ во Iисусе, по искуплению: поелику без Иисуса с нами был грех, который мы и от Адама наследовали, и сами творить не переставали; а всякiй творяй грехъ, рабъ есть греха (1 Ин 3, 8); с нами был диавол, ибо творяй грехъ (1 Ин 3, 8) отъ дiавола есть; но Иисус, пришедши на землю, жизнию Своею исполнил закон Божий, который мы нарушали; страданием Своим загладил грех, который мы творили; смертию Своею умертвил смерть, на которую мы за грех осуждены были; сошествием Своим во ад освободил нас от темной власти диавола; воскресением Своим вновь приобрел нам жизнь Божiю (Еф 4, 18), от которой мы грехом отчуждены были.

Съ нами Богъ во Iисусе, по дару Святого Духа: поелику Сын Божий, пришедший на землю для искупления нас, возвратился на небо, да умолитъ Отца, и иного Утешителя дастъ намъ, да будетъ съ нами во векъ, Духъ истины (Ин 14, 16).

Съ нами Богъ чрез Iисуса, в нашем уме и познании: поелику Бога никтоже нигдеже виде; Единородный Сынъ, сый въ лоне Отчи, Той исповеда (Ин 1, 18).

Съ нами Богъ чрез Iисуса, в нашем сердце и чувствии: поелику Христосъ вселяется верою въ сердца наши (Еф 3, 17), и с тем вместе любы Божiя изливается въ сердца наша Духомъ Святымъ, даннымъ намъ (Рим 5, 5).

Съ нами Богъ чрез Iисуса, во всей нашей жизни и делах, если только мы совершенно предаем себя Ему: поелику тогда живемъ не ктому мы, но живетъ въ насъ Христосъ (Гал 2, 20); и Богъ действуетъ въ насъ еже хотети и еже деяти о благоволенiи (Флп 2, 13).