Matthew 1:22-25

“All this took place to fulfil what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

‘Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel’, which means, “God is with us.”’” vss. 22-23

During the lifetime of Jesus there is no indication that any of his disciples knew anything about his virgin birth. Paul, the writer of a large portion of the New Testament, doesn’t mention anything about it. But when Matthew and Luke wrote their accounts of Jesus’ life and decided to write about his birth, they both refer to Mary as a virgin. They wanted their readers to know that Jesus’ birth was a fulfillment of Hebrew scripture. As a result the story of the virgin birth has been embedded in our tradition, even though it has nothing to do with the life and ministry of Jesus. In recent years it has become a huge issue for some Christians, and they include it as one of the Five Fundamentals, one of the things that a person has to believe in order to be saved. As a result it is often used as an opener in any conversation about faith. People are asked, “Do you believe in the Virgin Birth?,” and there’s no wiggle room. A “yes” or a “no” is expected. The problem is that there are many people who either don’t believe in the Virgin Birth or don’t care, and they are fiercely committed and faithful followers of Jesus. Thank God that they are part of our family of faith!

Thought for the Day: What does the Virgin Birth mean to me?