The Birth of Jesus

“The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” (Matthew 1:1)

In the book of Matthew, chapter 1, verses 1 through 16 is found the genealogy from Abraham to the birth of Jesus who is the promised Seed of whom God spoke to Abraham.

“Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, ‘and to seeds,’ in referring to many, but rather to one, ‘and to your seed,’ that is Christ” (Galatians 3:16)

In the Gospel of Luke is found the record of the angel Gabriel appearing to Mary and announcing the coming birth of Jesus. Mary is a virgin woman chosen of God to be the mother of His Son. Being a virgin speaks much about the pureness of the person and character of this woman chosen of God.

First of all, it tells us that her father and mother were faithful to teach Mary God’s word. Apparently she was submissive and obedient to her father’s teaching; an act of love and faith. But the sinless nature of the child to be born of her was not due to the sinless nature of His mother, but is to the credit of the Divine origin of His human nature, the word and the Spirit of God.

As we read the words spoken to her by Gabriel we will learn how the conception and the birth of the Child of God took place. We will also learn why it was necessary that He be born of virgin woman.

“Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee, called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming in, he said to her, ‘Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you.’ But she was greatly troubled at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this might be. And the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And you will conceive in your womb, and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and His kingdom will have no end.’ And Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’ And the angel answered and said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you and for that reason the holy offspring shall be called the Son of God. And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. For nothing will be impossible with God.’ And Mary said, ‘Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; be it done according to your word.’ And the angel departed from her.” (Luke 1:26-38)

Mary never questioned what her life would be like in the future, she trusted God. Now God’s word is His seed and as the angel spoke the word of God to Mary she listened intently and believed, His seed had fallen upon fertile ground. The moment she said, “Behold the bondslave of the Lord; be it done according to your word,” the power of the Most High, the Holy Spirit, caused God’s seed to spring forth in her body, or in other words, she conceived. Mary was blessed more than all women; she was to bear the Savior of the world!! Mary is an example of God’s blessings upon those who are in His perfect will.

In the book of Matthew we find the account of God’s revelations to Joseph preparing him for the birth of Jesus.

“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. And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man, and not wanting to disgrace her, desired to put her away secretly. 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 that which has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bear a son; and you shall call His name Jesus (meaning Savior), for it is He who will save His people from their sins.’” (Matthew 1:18-21)

And again God’s seed had fallen upon fertile ground,

“And Joseph arose from his sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took her as his wife, and kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.” (Matthew 1:24-25)

In the natural the re-generation of mankind is as follows. The seed of the woman is the egg within her. The man’s seed is the source of fertility for the egg or seed of the woman. Without the fertility of the seed of the man there is no offspring. Without the seed of the woman, likewise, there is no offspring for from the seed of the woman grows the flesh and blood body of the offspring. Thus the statement,

“---neither is woman independent of man, nor is man independent of woman.” (1^st Corinthians 11:11)

Adam was the beginning of man. According to God’s perfect order the male was created first and then the female. Adam was created from the dust of the earth. Woman was created from man; she is not from the seed of man. Therefore man is the progenitor of the human race, by God’s choice he is the seed. In God’s perfect order they are "blessed male and female."

Why then the virgin Birth? When Adam sinned He became sin in the flesh; all mankind was in Adam’s loins when he sinned and every descendant born of his seed is born of sin and into sin and is the sin nature of Adam. Jesus could not be and was not born of the seed of a man because of sin.

“And when He began His ministry, Jesus Himself was about thirty years of age, being, supposedly, the son of Joseph, the son of Eli,---.” (Luke 3:23 NAS)

Note the Scripture does not say Jesus was the son of Joseph but says: “being supposedly, the son of Joseph, ---.”

Therefore we conclude that Jesus, the Living Word of God, was grafted into the holy root of humanity (Adam, before he sinned) through the “seed” of the woman. Thus through the woman He is called the Son of Man. He was in the “likeness of sinful flesh” but knew no sin (see Romans 8:3).

His birth was not of a natural birth, but super-natural. He was the seed of God brought forth by the power of the Most High exactly as God had spoken. Thus He is also called the Son of God. He is the seed spoken of in Genesis 3:16: and He is the seed God promised Abraham. He is the seed of God’s righteous glory in the earth. He is the manifestation of God’s moral beauty, power and honor; He is the expression of God’s greatness and authority; He is the last Adam (1^st Corinthians 15:45).

Through the apostle John God reveals to us that,

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.” (John 1:1-2)

“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us,--- ” (John 1:14f).

Thus we have come to understand that Jesus is the Son of God and the Word of God. He is born perfect, that is to say He is born without sin. He is the pureness of God, the image and glory of God. He is God created in the image or likeness of man and He is man created in the image of God. The Spirit of Life, God, was in Him; He is the open door to God’s presence and He is man’s new Eden. In the environment of His presence man can once again be a reflection of God’s righteousness, His glory, in the earth.

James C Sanford