The Christmas Story is a Jewish Story
I cannot pinpoint exactly where I first heard the song, but I can still feel the ache it left in my child-sized heart. I was used to the traditional Christmas music, the hymns, and the Holly Jolly Christmas songs. But the first verse of, O Come O Come Emmanuel, haunted my soul. I stood in the little candlelit chapel on a Christmas Eve with a deep stirring.
O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
If we were to step back in time 1,200 years, we would hear the words chanted by monks during the week leading up to Christmas. The touching melody would be added seven hundred years later. The song beckons the Messiah and uses different Messianic titles given throughout prophecy to recognize Him.
“O come Emmanuel” refers to Isaiah 7:14, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel[1].”
In verse two, “O come, Thou Rod of Jesse” is in reference to Isaiah 11:1-2, “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.”
“O come, Thou Day-spring” (meaning dawn in verse three) is a prophecy from Malachi 4:2, “But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.”
“O come, Key of David” speaks of Isaiah 22:22 “And I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David. He shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.”
“O come, Desire of Nations” can be a reference to Haggai 2:7, “And I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with glory, says the LORD of hosts.”
After each verse the chorus is repeated in grand exaltation. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
To whom was this Messiah sent? He was first promised to Israel…and also to all nations.
The sadness in my heart for this song was later realized when in my study of Scripture, I read John 1:11.
“He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him. But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.”
Oddly, there was both great joy and tremendous sorrow residing in my soul. I was one from the nations who had received Him. But this magnificent Messiah was rejected by many of the people whom He came to save.
The debt of gratitude I have for the Jewish people grows. Not only did the Messiah come through their lineage but the Scriptures I treasure have been preserved by them as well.
The Messiah foretold in the Hebrew Scripture was to be a sign to the Jewish people so they would recognize Him. Sadly, many in that generation missed the Prince of Peace.
It’s no wonder Jesus wept over Jerusalem (Luke 19:41-42). Sorrow had filled His heart from their rejection.
Thankfully the story doesn’t end there because it was through the Jewish people’s rejection that Jesus was sent to the nations (Romans 11:11-12). After this harvest is complete, His people will recognize Him (Romans 11:25-26).
This truth makes the song O Come O Come Emmanuel a call to the Jewish community now more than ever before.
May the Jewish people recognize Him who is Immanuel (God with us), the Rod of Jesse, the Dayspring, the Key of David, and the Desire of Nations!
My friends the Christmas story is a Jewish story.
He will come again. We eagerly wait for that day and sing O Come O Come Emmanuel!
“Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing” (2 Timothy 4:8).
Written by Kori, Life in Messiah staff
How might you share Immanuel with your Jewish friends this Christmas season?
For more on the prophecy of Immanuel: https://www.insearchofshalom.com/blog/hope-of-immanuel.
For more on “The Jewish Essence of Christmas,” check out this podcast: https://lifeinmessiah.org/thetovpodcast/jewish-christmas.
Endnotes:
[1] For an explanation on why the different spelling of Emmanuel: https://www.gotquestions.org/what-does-Immanuel-mean.html.