Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. (Luke 1:26-27)

The Birth Of Jesus

Before the foundation of the world, God planned to send His Son to redeem sinful man and establish the church. The fullness of time would not be accomplished until a certain time in history, allowing the appearance of the Christ and the propagation of the gospel throughout the world. A focal point of the scheme of redemption was the introduction of God’s Son to the world as a man. God could have formed Jesus from the dust of the ground as He did Adam. It was in the power of God to put His Son on the earth as a thirty-year-old man at a precise time to reveal the gospel of salvation. None of these would show the wisdom of God to a world that needed to accept His Son as a viable part of their lives. Jesus had to come to earth in a fashion that would connect Him with God and man. The virgin birth accomplished that.

Jesus would become the pattern of divine wisdom to show the power of God’s grace and the empathy of God toward His creation. Joseph and Mary of Nazareth were chosen to be the earthly guardians of the Son of God. Mary was highly favored as the woman who would bring God into the world. Through the act of one woman, sin came into the world. In the virgin birth, one woman would bring into the world the Savior who would give His life for the sins of the world. The birth of Jesus would be unlike any birth. Abraham and Sarah had a child when Abraham was one hundred years old. Sarah was ninety. Zacharias and Elizabeth gave birth to a son, John, in their old age. Jesus would be conceived in the womb of Mary by the Holy Spirit. Joseph would have no part in the conception of Jesus.

All miracles are incredible events of God’s power working through the natural and spiritual world. For a woman to have a child when she was a virgin excels the understanding of how God shows His power in the world. Gabriel told Mary the Holy Spirit would come upon her, and the power of the Highest would overshadow her. Mary would conceive in her womb the child Jesus, who would carry to term as all babies and be born in the same manner. When her days were completed in accordance with the natural order of pregnancy, Mary brought forth her firstborn Son. Jesus was born in the same fashion as all men. Joseph looked upon the little baby Jesus through astonished eyes that a child was born of his virgin wife.

Matthew clarifies that no interference by men brought about the birth of Jesus. After the angel of the Lord explained to Joseph why Mary was pregnant, he accepted his wife and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. In accordance with the divine word, Joseph and Mary named their newborn Son, Jesus. The Son of God was born of the tribe of David in the city of Bethlehem, according to prophecy, and Jesus was born of a virgin, according to the prophets. Joseph and Mary would go on to have at least six children together.

The virgin birth of Jesus declares that God is the Creator. He can create the universe by speaking them into existence. Adam was created from the dust of the ground. Eve was created from a rib taken from Adam. Jesus was born of a virgin. The birth of Jesus shows that He was as human as all men. With the only exception to the nature of His conception, Jesus experienced all the things of humanity. As a little baby, He learned how to walk and talk and read like other children His age. He was subject to Joseph and Mary. Jesus probably helped Joseph in the carpenter’s work learning his trade. With at least six half-siblings, Jesus engaged with His earthly family as any other family. Jesus would have grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, and friends with whom He would grow up.

At the age of thirty, Jesus began His ministry. All indications are that Joseph had died sometime earlier, leaving Mary a widow. The brother of Jesus had difficulty accepting their older brother for who He said He was but eventually came around. Mary was always an integral part of Jesus’ life, especially His ministry. When the Romans crucified Jesus, Mary stood at the feet of her beloved Son and wept. In a remarkable gesture of divine love, Jesus asked John to care for His beloved mother. Mary knew without any reservation that her little boy, who had begun His life cradled in a manger, was the Son of God. She did not cry out and demand they release Jesus. Her heart had long accepted the mission of the one that was conceived in her by the Holy Spirit.