Day 3: History’s turning point

Today’s scripture: Matt. 1:18-25 (NIV) This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had a mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save this people from their sins. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” – which means, “God with us.” When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

In "Questions I Would Like to Ask God," Ravi Zacharias referenced a quote by talk show host Larry King, in his response to a particular question: "If you could select any one person across all of history to interview, who would it be?" King said he would like to interview Jesus Christ. When the questioner followed with, "And what would you like to ask him?" King replied, "I would like to ask him if he was indeed virgin-born. The answer to that question would define history for me." Zacharias requested permission through a common friend to quote King, who sent word saying, "And tell him I was not being facetious."

The virgin birth is a key element of the Christmas story. The Hebrew term “almah” is, indeed, used in Isaiah 7:14 (“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and he will call him Immanuel.”), meaning a young woman of marrying age. But in Matthew 1:23, the Greek “parthenos,” meaning a virgin, is used. Mary would have been about 16 at the time. Two hundred years before the New Testament, Hebrew scholars translated the Old Testament into Greek, and they chose parthenos over neos, meaning simply young woman.

The Jewish marriage in those days came in three parts. First, the families arranged the marriage. Then, they announced that the two were pledged, for up to a year, similar to today’s engagement. (The man often had to build a home.) Finally, they got married, consummated their marriage and began living together as husband and wife. Because Mary turned up pregnant, Joseph had every right to divorce her, which he planned to do. By law, the Jewish authorities could have had her stoned to death. Until the angel visited Joseph and set him straight.

Now, had Joseph been a proud man, he could have followed up with his plan, but the angel was convincing. It was important that the Messiah come from a virgin birth because Jesus (which means “the Lord saves”), God’s son, had to be free from the sinful nature passed on to all humans from Adam. Jesus was born of a woman, fathered by God, so he was without any trace of human sin. He was fully human and fully divine. By living with us (Immanuel means “God with us”), he would fully understand our experiences and struggles. Although he came from the line of King David, Jesus was sent here for the common man.

That night, you can bet Joseph went back to sleep, with the weight of the world on his shoulders, and slept peacefully – with an angel nearby.

Did you know: The song says, "On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, 3 French Hens ..." which signifies Faith, Hope and Charity, the Theological Virtues.

To view a link of “O Come, O come, Emmanuel,” go to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBfPnUZh-Bc