by Timothy W. Burnett
The Gospels related to the birth of Jesus Christ were about what God did for Israel. This is why His people rejoiced in Jesus� birth and existence with them at the time. Their ancestors looked for that special time to come. And alas�it came. The promised Messiah was born!
While we learn about Jesus� birth, let�s keep in mind that what we have from God is a direct result of Jesus� death and resurrection. God even taught us to eat our food and drink in remembrance of Jesus� broken body and his blood that shed for us. We do so with the complete understanding that God raised him from the dead and made him to sit at His right hand of all authority.
Luke 1:26-27, "And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary." In his book �Jesus Christ Our Promised Seed,� author Victor Paul Wierwille pinpointed the dates of many events related to Jesus Christ's early years. He calculated Gabriel's appearance to be on December 4th, 4 B.C. Later we will see how this date chronologically fits with the date of Jesus' birth.
Luke 1:28-30, "And the angel came in unto her, and said, 'Hail, you who are highly favored, the Lord is with you: blessed are you among women.' And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.'" In Genesis 3:15, God gave His word about the seed of the woman. Throughout the Old Testament there are many records of faithful and humble women of God. Yet only one had the meekness and humility to receive God's seed that would miraculously conceive His child, who would become the Messiah.
Not only would she receive God�s seed, but also she and Joseph would faithfully raise His son according to His will. Jesus Christ's faithful service toward His Father during his last year on earth was a result of his upbringing under his mom and step-father. God chose the best of all His people to raise His child.
Luke 1:31-33, "And, behold, you shall conceive in your womb, and bring forth a son, and shall call his name Jesus. 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: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end." God revealed some very important information through Gabriel.
He said that she would conceive in her womb, and that she would give birth to a son. God had no plans to break any of His laws of reproduction. He basically told her that He was going to plant seed in her that would give life to her egg. Since God is not a man, He had to do it by a miracle. It should be noted that there was nothing miraculous about Jesus Christ's birth. He came out of his mother just like all other people.
Mary fully understood the basic principle of conception. This is why she gave the following response in verse 34, "How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?" She had not conceived by any man. Nor had she even been with any man. This was a reasonable question. In the next verse, Gabriel gave the perfect answer, "The Holy Ghost shall come upon you, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow you: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of you shall be called the son of God."
The term "The Holy Ghost" refers to God Himself. The terms "come upon" and "overshadow" are used throughout the Old Testament to describe the man coming upon the woman with the intent to conceive a child in her. The angel spoke plainly with her, and used language that she would understand. Next week we will look at Mary's humble response to God's word.
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