| Luke 1:1
Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of
those things which are most surely believed among us, 2 Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; 3 It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, 4 That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed. 5 ¶ There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. 7 And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years. 8 And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course, 9 According to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. 10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense. 11 And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. 14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. 15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb. 16 And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. 17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. 18 And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. 19 And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings. 20 And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season. 21 And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple. 22 And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless. 23 And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house. 24 And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying, 25 Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men. |
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| The idea of a
childless couple being blessed with a child by a sovereign act of God is a
recurring one in the Bible. The earliest such story was that of
Abraham and Sarah, who were well past childbearing years when God opened
Sarah's womb and she gave birth to Isaac. Two generations later, Jacob
and his beloved Rachel were childless for many years before God took pity on
Rachel, and she gave birth to Joseph. Manoah and his barren wife,
after much doubt on his part, became parents to Samson after not one, but
two, angelic visitations. Samuel's mother, Hannah, gave birth to him
after years of pleading with the Lord for a child. Like Manoah's wife, Zacharias had an angelic visitation, promising that he and his wife would have a son, after having long since given up. Like Manoah, Zacharias doubted the angel's word, and by way of a sign he was stricken dumb until the child was born. At this point, the parents aren't told directly what their son's role would be, only that, like the sect of the Nazarites, he must never drink wine or any other alcoholic drink. They do know that he will be a prophet, filled with the power of the Holy Spirit even within the womb, and that he would bring a message of repentance to the Jews. The same power that Elijah, Israel's mightiest prophet, exercised, would be given to John. The significance of Gabriel's promise is hard for us to comprehend. For 400 years, the voice of prophecy had been silent in Israel, and though the hope for a messiah had never died, the flame of that hope was burning low. Perhaps a part of Zacharias' incredulity was not just that he and Elizabeth would have a child at such an advanced age, but they would be parents to the one promised before Messiah came. It wasn't necessary that this be explicitly stated; Zacharias would have been familiar with all the messianic prophecies, as a priest in the temple: Malachi 4:5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: Doubt in the face of God's promises is also a common theme through the Bible, from Abraham and Sarah's doubt that led to the birth of Ishmael, to Moses' doubt that led to Aaron's being appointed as his spokesman, to Gideon's doubt and the twins signs of the fleece. The classic example is Thomas, who refused to accept the truth of the Lord's resurrection until confronted with his physical reality. Faith is not belief because all doubts have been resolved by irrefutable proof; faith is belief that overcomes doubt, when our senses don't offer the evidence our minds crave. Sometimes the tests and trials that come in our lives are there precisely because we entertain doubts about God's power and provision that can't be overcome otherwise. God will perform his will, and if we balk at it, he will find someone else to carry out his purpose. Zacharias was incredulous at first at the prospect of the promised miracle, but he was obedient afterward. Had he not been, he would never have had relations with his wife, and John would never have been born to Elizabeth. |
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| Matthew 1:18 Now the birth of
Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to
Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy
Ghost. 19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. 20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. 21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. 22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, 23 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. 24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: 25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS. |
Luke 1:26 And in the sixth
month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named
Nazareth, 27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. 28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. 29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. 30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. 31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. 32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. 34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? 35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. 36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing shall be impossible. 38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her. |
Mary was a remarkable woman in every way. Blessed with a gentle, obedient spirit, she did not turn away from what must have been one of the most incredible challenges in human history. A devout worshipper of God, she is told suddenly that she will, in effect, be the mother of God, in the form of his Son. From the days of Eve, when the promise of a son who would crush the serpent's head was first given, all of history had looked forward to just this event in which she was to have a central role. If she had refused the angel's request, would God have found someone else? Certainly, but she was the first and ideal choice. Acceptance of God's will, no matter how difficult the task seems to be, is a central part of our life in Christ. Jesus said, "If you love me, keep my commandments" (John 14:15), so obedience is the real test of love. The ideal of a mother's love is, and should be, Mary, the mother of Jesus. She is not a goddess, however, and the Bible nowhere affords her that status, or deems her worthy of worship. She herself is probably horrified at how her role has been perverted.
The virgin birth is an essential part of our faith. Christ's ability to serve as our sacrifice, to pay the debt of sin, hinges on his being sinless. Every child born of Adam's seed, though, carries the stain of original sin (Romans 5:12), and had Christ been born of human parents, he, too, would have carried that sin in himself. He could not have been the perfect sacrifice. Mary was his mother, but he carried no more of her genetic material than he did of Joseph. She was the first surrogate mother, carrying a child that did not belong to her. Those who deny the virgin birth are, in effect, denying the truth of the Gospel.
Joseph probably receives less attention than anyone else in the Christmas story, certainly less than Mary. Yet, it was he that provided the security and stability of a good home, and good, honest work that supported his family. Without his support, and without his willingness to obey the Lord's voice through dreams, the infant Lord Jesus, and the child into which he grew, would not have survived, at least not in the way that God intended. Tradition says he was much older than Mary, and it is clear that he died at some point before Jesus began his public ministry. Even before he knew that the child his espoused wife carried came from God, he did not plan on insisting on his right to have his young bride publicly shamed and executed. Scripture says he was a just man, meaning he was obedient to the Lord first, and to the letter of the law second. Just as Mary was the ideal mother for the Lord Jesus, Joseph was the ideal father, if only by adoption. Again, the symbolism of Jesus being the child of adoption just as we are adopted children of God is no accident.