Emmanuel or Jesus?

Happy New Year, brethren!

Hope and pray that we all have a fruitful year of service to God in 2020!

Today's readings
Matthew 1-4; Psalm 1

Matthew 1:23 (KJV)
Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

This is a direct quotation and fulfilled prophecy of Isaiah 7:14. Critics will be quick to point out the apparent contradiction as just a few verses down, Joseph named his son Jesus (v. 25).

In the first place, having 2 names does not necessarily mean a contradiction! The Apostle Peter was sometimes called Simon/Simeon and Cephus (Acts 15:14; John 1:42). The passage in John 1 seems to particularly echo the same sentiment.
Which leads us to the 2nd point that it is not uncommon for people to be know/called according to their traits. James and John were named "boanerges" or sons of thunder by Jesus.
Isaiah was merely highlighting the fact that Jesus, though born of man is indeed the Word, one of the persons of the Godhead, yeah God manifested in the flesh. Isaiah also prophesied of Jesus' other titles as we see in Isa 9:6. Yet all these are not contradictions but indeed an affirmation of the deity of Christ.
It it interesting to note that Emmanuel (or Immanuel) was not used as a name anywhere in the bible. But Jesus was. And Jesus is actually a Greek transliteration of the Greek name, but Joseph would have called him the Hebrew name Joshua (c.f. Heb 4:8), which means the same.

Thanks be to God for sending His Son to earth! That God "being with us" brought light and life that we might have the hope of salvation.
Even as we begin the new year of 2020, let us continue to seek after Christ and let Him be the focus of our lives!

PS: an excellent article from apologetics press about apparent controversy with regards to the virgin birth of Jesus.

http://www.apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=101&article=811