The Christmas story reveals many things about God and His plan for man. The story of the birth of Jesus has become a nice story to tell. If we look at it, stopping to ask, "What does that mean?", and really understanding what took place, we may find it more than just a nice story.
The first hint of the birth of Jesus and who He is, was revealed by the prophet Isaiah in his 7th Chapter, verse 14;
"Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child
and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel."
Immanuel means, "God with us". That would be something to ponder. This child being called, "God with us, what might that mean? A virgin being with a child, how is that possible and what might that mean? To make it even more to ponder, Isaiah made another revelation of this child in his 9th Chapter, verse 6;
"For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest
on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace."
This is a very popular scripture on some Christmas cards, but if we are looking at what it is saying, we have to ask ourselves, "What does this mean? "His", being capitalized, refers to the child as being God. This is backed up by the fact that one of His names is Mighty God. To make it even more interesting, this child's name will be called Eternal Father. How could this child be a God and Father?
If we look at the story of Jesus birth, as revealed in the gospels of Matthew and Luke, we can learn how this is possible. Luke writes this in his 1st Chapter, verses 26 - 38;
(26)"Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee,
called Nazareth,(27) to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the
descendants of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.(28) And coming in, he said
to her, "Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you.(29) But she was greatly troubled
at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this might be.(30) And
the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; For you have found favor with God.
(31) And behold, you will conceive in your womb, and bear a son, and you shall name
Him Jesus.(32) 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;(33) and He will reign over
the house of Jacob forever; and His kingdom will have no end."
There are a few things to look at here in these verses. First, it is a great honor to be told that you have found favor with God. Isaiah wrote in his 64th Chapter, verse 6, that all man's righteous deeds are as filthy rags. So how did Mary find favor with God? What was it about Mary, that God would find favor with her? I don't think that it was because God was just looking for a virgin, for I am sure that she was not the only virgin in Galilee. There had to be something else about Mary that God felt favorable towards. Maybe she was a girl who read the old testament writings and understood what God really required of man. The burnt offerings that the High priest would perform, once a year, for the cleansing of sin, I am sure that Mary participated in the Passover Feasts to receive this temporary forgiveness. I am sure that Mary probably also fasted. Both these acts are good, but these things are for a persons benefit, it is not that they are benefiting anyone else by practicing such things. I am sure that other virgins in that day in Galilee also practices such things. Maybe Mary, in her readings in the old testament, understood the heart of God and what He really liked.
These verses from the Old Testament writings might be what caught Mary's attention;
The prophet Micah wrote this in his 6th Chapter, verse 8;
"He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you, but
to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"
The prophet Isaiah wrote this in his 58th Chapter, verses 3-11 about what God's fast means;
(3)"Why have we fasted and Thou dost not see? Why have we humbled ourselves
and Thou dost not notice? Behold, on the day of your fast you find your desire, And
drive hard all your workers.(4) Behold, you fast for contention and strife and to strike
with a wicked fist. You do not fast like you do today to make your voice heard on high.
(5) Is it a fast like this that I chose, a day for a man to humble himself? Is it for bowing
one's head like a reed, And for spreading out sackcloth and ashes as a bed? Will you
call this a fast, even a acceptable day to the Lord?
(6) Is this not the fast which I choose, to loosen the bonds of wickedness, to undo the
bonds of the yoke, And to let the oppressed go free, And break every yoke?(7) Is it
not to divide your bread with the hungry, And bring the homeless poor into the house;
When you see the naked, to cover him; And not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
(8) Then your light will break out like the dawn, And your recovery will speedily spring
forth; And your righteousness will go before you; The glory of the Lord will be your
rear guard.(9) Then you will call and I will answer; You will cry, and He will say,
'Here I am'. If you remove the yoke from your mist, The pointing of the finger, and
speaking wickedness,(10) And if you give yourself to the hungry, And satisfy the desire
of the afflicted, Then your light will rise in darkness, And your gloom will become as
midday.(11) And the Lord will continually guide you, And satisfy your desire in
scorched places, And give strength to your bones; And you will be like a watered
garden, and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail."
If you notice here, it is not what we do in ourselves to please God, but what we do to benefit others that pleases the heart of God and brings His blessings upon us. Mary must have understood and practiced such things, because she loved God enough to want to do what was pleasing in His sight.
In return Mary found favor with God and would be found as blessed by God. The writings of Isaiah were probably a common read by Mary, for when Jesus would teach in the synagogues, He would read from the prophet Isaiah. When He would read about the parts in Isaiah that told about Himself, Jesus would tell them that today in your hearing this is being fulfilled.
And in Psalm 51, verses 16 and 17, David wrote this in regards to burnt offerings;
(16)"For Thou dost not delight in sacrifice, other wise I would give it; Thou art not
pleased with burnt offering.(17) The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and
contrite heart, O God , Thou wilt not despise.
So God chose Mary for this very special event. Here we have Mary a virgin, who can not be very old, told by the angel Gabriel that she would give birth to a Son that she shall call Jesus(Yeshua).
Mary understood what the name Jesus meant, for it was a Hebrew name meaning, "The Lord our Salvation". Mary may have known also, from the writings of the prophet Isaiah, that her God that she worshiped was the only Savior. For Isaiah wrote this in his 45th Chapter, verses 21-23;
(21)" Declare and set forth your case; Indeed, let them consult together. Who has
long since declared it? Is it not I, the Lord? And there is no other God besides Me, A
righteous God and a Savior; There is none except Me.(22) Turn to Me, and be saved,
all the ends of the earth; For I am God, and there is no other.(23) I have sworn by
Myself, The word has gone forth from My mouth in righteousness and will not turn
back, That to Me every Knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance."
Where we have come to learn that this is Jesus, the Lord our Salvation, from what the apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Philippians in his 2nd Chapter, verses 5-11:
(5)" Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,(6) who, although
He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,
(7) but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the
likeness of men.(8) And being found in appearance as a man, He humble Himself by
becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.(9) Therefore God
Highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,(10)
That at the name of Jesus every name shall bow, of those who are in heaven, and on the
earth, and under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is
Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
How is this possible though and what does it mean? How can God come to the earth, being born to a virgin, desiring to be called Jesus, and why? The story of Christmas, Jesus birth, answers these questions. We know after the fact, but Mary was experiencing what we now know. She knew that she was going to give birth to the Lord our Salvation, but how?
In Luke Chapter 1, verses 34-38, Mary asked the question to Gabriel and he gives her the answer;
(34) And Mary said to the angel, 'How can this be, since I am a virgin?'(35) 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."
Do you really think that this answered her question, or at this point do you think that she was living by faith, trusting God?
(36) And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age;
she who is called barren is now in her sixth month.(37) For nothing is impossible with
God.(38) And Mary said, 'Behold the bond slave of the Lord; be it done to me according
to your word.' And the angel departed her."
What the angel Gabriel said to Mary in verse 35 is the clue to how this child will be God. Mary becomes pregnant by the Holy Spirit of God. This makes the Holy Spirit the Father of this child. Back in verse 32 Gabriel told Mary that the child would be called the Son of the Most High.
This is how this child Jesus is both the Mighty God and Eternal Father. You have to look at it from God's plan. He wants to come into this earthly realm, so He puts a very part of His presence in an egg of Mary. What is growing is not like a man making a women pregnant, for the mans child is different than the man. In this case this child that grows in Mary is from the very essence of God. It is actually a piece, if we might say, of God Himself growing in Mary. He is an actual piece of the Father, the Holy Spirit, growing in Mary. God at this point is existing as both Spirit and Man. You can look at it as if Jesus is more God's body than a son as we would perceive Him to be. Jesus did not come into this world under the sin curse of Adam as we have all descended from, for Jesus comes forth from the very seed of God Himself. This is how Jesus was sinless and the only one, according to the law, who could qualified for entrance into heaven at His death.
A lot to ponder. Part 3 will view this event from Joseph's perspective. Could you imagine?
Jesus peace be with all of you.
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