Pastor, Gracepoint church
The bold headline on the front page of the Bethlehem Enquirer could have read, “Virgin has Baby!” But is that really what the Bible says?
Since the word “virgin” can also mean “young woman,” we must let the context reveal the proper definition. Matthew, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, unmistakably says the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14 was fulfilled by and in Mary, as written in Matthew 1:20-23. But does the context of the first chapter of Matthew give any hint about the definition of the word “virgin?” Yes. The last verse of that chapter says that Joseph … “kept her (Mary) a virgin until she gave birth to a Son (Jesus) …” This is a reference to marital intimacy not Mary’s age.
But the clincher is found in Mary’s response to the angelic message that she would conceive a son. She said, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” Luke 1:34. Wouldn’t Mary know whether she was a virgin? Of course she would.
The jaw-dropping news was not that a young woman would have a baby but that a virgin would have a baby.
As you lug the nativity set back to the attic, may the truth of the virgin conception and birth of Jesus Christ continue to fill your heart with yearlong praise. God entered this world as a baby boy. It was yet one more divine credential in the earthly life of the One who came to offer us forgiveness.
Praise God that salvation is not seasonal.