Daily devotion – The Virgin Birth
The Virgin Birth
Luke 1:35 And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.”
The term ‘virgin birth’ is actually misleading, suggesting that there was something unusual about Jesus birth, where as His birth was completely normal and natural in that little cave, come part-inn located in Bethlehem. It was Christ’s conception that was miraculous, abnormal, supernatural, for Jesus was conceived by the ‘overshadowing’ of the Holy Spirit without the cooperation of a human father.
But the point of Mary being a virgin truly does matter!
1. The fact that the ‘continuity’ that Mary’s child would enjoy with the past, because she would bear Him, and He would occupy the throne of His father David. That is, He would inherit from His mother both His humanity and His title to the Messianic Kingdom. Luke 1: 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”
2. Following on in verse 35 of the same passage of Scripture – Luke 1: 35 And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God” – stressed the discontinuity between the child Jesus and the past, because the Holy Spirit would come upon Mary, and the creative power of God would overshadow her, so that her child would be unique, sinless (“the Holy One”), and the Son of God.
In this way what was announced to the Virgin Mary was her Son’s humanity and Messiahship, derived from her, whilst His sinlessness and deity would be derived from the Holy Spirit.
As a result of the virgin birth, Jesus Christ was simultaneously Mary’s son and God’s Son, human and divine!
This is why Christmas is so amazing!