If your teenage daughter or your fiancé told you she was pregnant but was still a virgin, would you believe her? For when a single person becomes pregnant, the evidence of sexually immoral conduct is highly probable. That’s because, beyond medically engineered fertilization, it’s impossible to get pregnant without sexual contact. There’s no other acceptable or reasonable explanation— unless, of course, you were Mary, Jesus’ mother.
A pure, young Jewish girl engaged to be married to Joseph, Mary—much to her confusion and distress—was told by an angel that she would “conceive and give birth to a son” (Luke 1:31). She understood the biological impossibility of the situation when she said, “How can this happen? I am a virgin” (Luke 1:34). A medical doctor would certainly have concurred! Joseph’s decision to break the engagement, albeit discreetly (Matthew 1:19), revealed that he didn’t believe her explanation of a divine conception either (Luke 1:35). It required another angelic visitation to convince him otherwise (Matthew 1:20-21).
It’s possible today for a woman, a virgin even, to become pregnant by artificial insemination or the controversial embryo transfer. But Luke, who was a medical doctor himself (Colossians 4:14), documented the world’s first and only virgin conception of a pregnancy— the conception of a human life without fertilization from the human male (Luke 1:34-35). Human parthenogenesis is scientifically impossible even today. But nothing is impossible with God (Luke 1:37).
To the nonbelieving world, the virgin birth of Jesus is a scientific mockery. But for Christians, it’s a miraculous necessity—a sign from God. For in it, He fulfilled His 700-year-old promise (Isaiah 7:14). Mary’s baby boy was called “the Son of the Most High” (Luke 1:32). And she named Him Jesus (Luke 1:31), for He came to “save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: 1 Samuel 14:1-23
More:
According to Matthew 1:18-25, what did the angel say to Joseph about Mary’s pregnancy? What was his response?
Next:
As a Christian, do you find it hard to believe in the miraculous conception of Jesus? Why is it vital that we believe that Jesus was born of a virgin?
eppistle on March 25, 2011 at 7:32 am
Some Catholics are guilty of the sin of Mariolatry – the worship of the Virgin Mary. But some Protestants are guilty of Mariapathy – the apathy of Mary (I’ll admit I made that word up). But we should engage in Mariology – the study of Mary – to learn from her godly example and follow it. She is not the coredemptrix. Instead, she was “full of grace” because she realized that she was a sinner in need of a Savior and that God had poured out His grace on her (Luke 1:46,47).
tom felten on March 25, 2011 at 8:59 am
Good point, eppistle. Mary reveals a beautiful heart for God and humbly points to Him and His faithfulness in her Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55).
jbowling13 on March 25, 2011 at 10:24 am
I like this devotion, however it seems to be mis-leading. When you mention Luke was a doctor and documented the event, it makes the reader assume that Luke was present and could have evaluated Mary. It’s fairly well-know that Luke did not have a first hand account of this occurrence, as he wrote his gospel years after these events.
tom felten on March 25, 2011 at 2:53 pm
Jbowling13, by using the word “documented” K.T. was alluding to what Luke wrote in the first few verses of his Gospel: “Having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I also have decided to write a careful account for you” (Luke 1:3). A contemporary of Paul (Colossians 4:14), Luke documented—using oral and written sources—the events of Jesus’ life and ministry. The fact that he was a doctor is quite interesting in light of his investigation and written affirmation of the virgin birth of Jesus.
jennifer benson schuldt on March 25, 2011 at 2:36 pm
Luke 1:37 is one of my favorite verses! Nothing is impossible with God. Although modern science might try to recreate one of God’s miracles, at the time of Jesus’ birth, God would have had to have been directly involved in Mary’s situation in order for a virgin birth to occur. I’m so grateful that God provided His Son for us in this way!
daisymarygoldr on March 25, 2011 at 5:31 pm
Great post! I liked how you discussed in detail to strongly emphasized the scientific impossibility of virgin birth. God is a Spirit and His works cannot be explained by natural laws understood by Science. And it is good you pointed out that God inspired Dr. Luke to describe this account to be read by all generations.
It is interesting that the angel Gabriel responded differently to the same question “how this will happen?” In the case of Zechariah the baby was to be born through the natural process. As a priest He should have known from the scriptures that God made it possible for Abraham and Sarah to have a baby—beyond their child-bearing age. Zechariah’s Q was considered dumb. No wonder he became dumb. On the other hand, Mary’s Q was answered because the birth of Jesus was to be a supernatural phenomenon. The answer however, was beyond human comprehension and could be accepted only by—faith.
The virgin birth of Christ not only fulfilled Isaiah’s promise but also fulfilled the first Messianic prophecy given way back in Genesis 3:15. In the right time, God sent His Son, born of a woman without the involvement of a man’s sperm or the woman’s ovum. You see whether it is parthenogenesis or cloning or artificial insemination, or any other type of asexual reproduction… the offspring will always have the same human genome comprising the same faulty DNA.
Since Jesus was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, He was the seed of God’s Word made flesh and planted in the womb of a virgin. And so, Jesus did not inherit any of Mary’s genes. To put it simply, being fully God and fully man, His genetic makeup was totally unique.
This is important to know because it explains the fact that Jesus Christ was given a body without any spot or blemish in order to be offered as the perfect sacrifice for sin. The perfect sin sacrifice offered on our behalf once for all is the only way God has provided for saving us from our sins. For Christians to deny this foundational doctrine of faith is to miss the only way to God.
daisymarygoldr on March 25, 2011 at 5:32 pm
Also, wanted to add another thought to address a commonly understood concept that “we are not illegitimate children”, was a sly dig at the suspicious birth of Jesus. The reference to illegitimacy in John 8:41 was in response to Jesus doubting their legitimacy as Abraham’s children.
It must be noted that the virgin birth of Jesus was never mentioned publicly by Him or His parents. Jesus understood His real identity by the age of twelve when He told Mary that He must be about His Father’s business.
Although Rabbinic writings describe Jesus as “the illegitimate son of Mary” the Gospels show no indication about rumors that Jesus was born out of wedlock during the time of His life on earth. In His society, He was always known as Jesus son of Joseph the carpenter among His relatives and neighbors.