The Virgin Birth

Last week in Sunday school we looked at the role of Mary in the birth of Jesus. This week we considered the man Joseph and the kid’s lesson was titled, “Joseph Heard Good News”. The Bible truth the children left with today was that God chose a family for Baby Jesus. These two lessons are fun for the children because they enjoy the aspect of the angels in both of the stories. (I have included a picture of the angels they made last Sunday and today! We like to take home something that will remind them of the day’s story.)

“18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. 19 And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. 20 But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of 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 Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 23 "BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL," which translated means, "GOD WITH US." 24 And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, 25 but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.” Matthew 1:18-25

Now in Matthew 22:42, Jesus asks the Pharisees a question that has been voiced in every generation since then. Jesus said, "What think ye of Christ? Whose son is he? That's the question that needs to be asked in every age, to every person. Whose son is He? Now the Jewish leaders believed that the promised Messiah would be the son of David. They believed that from a human viewpoint He would be a member of the royal lineage of David, the royal family. And they weren't sure of much more than that. They for the most part seemed to reject the idea that the Messiah would be God in human flesh, though there may be some indication that a few of them may have felt that way.

Most of the Jewish people at that time seemed to have been convinced that the King they were going to gain would be of the seed of David, a human being in every sense of royal lineage. In fact, when Jesus claimed to be both the son of David and the Son of God, they accused Him of blasphemy. They expected Him to be of the royal line of David but apparently not to be deity, in human flesh.

Now Matthew gives us the human answer to whose son he is in the genealogy which we see in Matthew 1:1-17. Humanly speaking whose son is He? Son of David. Now in verses 18 to 25 we have the divine answer to, whose Son is He? Son of God. Son of David, humanity, Son of God, deity. Both of those are essential to an understanding of the incarnation. Jesus is God in a human body. Humanly through the lineage of David He gains the right to rule the world, and from the standpoint of deity He gains the very essence of the nature of God by having been born without a human father through the agency of the Spirit of God Himself. And so Matthew in writing his Gospel squarely faces his Jewish readers and all the readers of aIl the ages, and he gives them the answer. The genealogy of Jesus tells you whose son He is, David. And the birth of Jesus tells you whose Son He is, God.

Immanuel, God with us, infinitely rich, became poor. Assumed our human nature, entered our sin polluted atmosphere without ever being tainted by it, took our guilt, bore our grief’s, carried our sorrows, was wounded with our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities, went to heaven to prepare a place for us, sent His Spirit to dwell in our hearts, right now makes intercession for us, and will someday came to take us to be with Him.

And though the incarnation is the most important part of the story it is so important to note that when God works you always find some humble, faithful, trusting, righteous people, like Mary and Joseph. Thank You, Lord, not only for the theology of the virgin birth but for the example of what happens when God uses two simple people. Thank You, Lord, that we who have nothing to offer can be used by You!

"...God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong," 1Corinthians 1:27