On the twenty-seventh day of Christmas, my Bible said to me...Jesus was the virgin-born Son of God, God Incarnate, the miracle of miracles.
Today's Reading: Matthew 1:18-25
Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel”
(which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.
Devotional Thoughts
"Does it really matter whether Mary was really a virgin?" "C'mon, everyone knows you can't have a baby without the involvement of a man. That's impossible." "It's the spiritual message that matters after all, isn't it? Who cares if the historical facts are true as long as the message blesses our hearts."
I've heard things like that all my life, mostly from people who did not believe that the story of the birth of Christ was factually and historically accurate. They didn't actually believe the virgin birth story any more than Joseph did at first, any more than Mary's parents probably did, or anyone else who heard it.
Would you believe it if your daughter came to you with the same story?
Besides, some have argued, the word virgin here doesn't necessarily always refer to a woman who has never been with a man. It can simply mean a young woman. We should abandon the idea that the ancient doctrine of the virgin birth was meant to be taken literally.
I would say several things about that today.
First of all, while there is some question what the word meant in Hebrew in Isaiah, there is no question what it meant in Matthew's Gospel. He makes it clear in verse 18. She was pregnant "from the Holy Spirit" before they had "come together." There is no question what Matthew was saying here. He was teaching that Jesus was born as a human child to a woman who had never had sexual relations with a man. Clear as can be.
Jesus' birth is miraculous. We have said that Mary and Joseph were ordinary folks as were the shepherds. Even the magi were ordinary people, though they wore fancy clothes. But there was nothing normal about the baby. His birth was not dependent on any human father, but was the work of the Holy Spirit. He was a miracle from the start.
Do we trust the Bible? Do we believe in God? Since I believe the Bible and accept it as true, I have no trouble believing in miracles, in a God who created the universe and the natural principles by which it runs, but who also can suspend and supercede them at his will. If God said the fish swallowed Jonah, I believe it. If it says the Red Sea parted, it parted. If it says Jesus walked on water, I affirm he walked on water. Don't ask me how - that's above my pay grade.
But the virgin birth tells us a couple of important things. First, Jesus is no ordinary human being. He is the virgin-born Son of God, supernatural in birth, in nature - God in a human body.
Most importantly, because of the virgin birth of Christ, he did not inherit the sin and the sin-nature that plagues us all. He had no guilt, no sin, no stain on him. If he'd been born of a human father he'd have sins of his own to die for and he'd never be able to die for mine.
Does the virgin birth of Christ matter? Only if you care whether your sins are forgiven or not. Only if it matter whether you spend eternity in heaven with Christ or under eternal judgment. The nature of Christ and his ability to live the life that allowed him to pay for our sins - all of that hinges on the fact that he was born of the virgin.
Immanuel. God with us.
Thank you, Father, for revealing yourself through your virgin-born Son who was God in human flesh. He is a miracle whose love and grace gives hope to sinners like me.
Think and Pray
Do you struggle with believing biblical stories?
Unless everything the Bible says is true, how can we believe any of it?
What does the miraculous nature of Jesus' birth say about who he was?
Carol of the Day
Silent night, Holy night,
All is calm, All is bright
Round yon virgin mother and child.
Holy infant so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace.
Sleep in heavenly peace.
Silent night, Holy night,
Shepherds quake at the sight,
Glories stream from heaven afar,
Heavenly hosts sing alleluia;
Christ the Savior, is born!
Christ the Savior, is born!
Silent night, Holy night,
Son of God, Love's pure light
Radiant beams from thy holy face,
With the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus, Lord, at thy birth.
Jesus, Lord, at thy birth.
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