The Wonder of the Incarnation

There are times when I wonder over the wisdom of God and think to myself, "Wow, God thought of everything."  Of course this is no surprise to the believer, yet it is good to be brought to a place of adoration of our God who is over and above all things, the holy God unapproachable in glory who came down from heaven in the person of Jesus.  Just because we know these are the facts held forth by scripture and affirmed by many eye witnesses, it doesn't mean we have appreciated them as fully as we could or should.

The resurrection of Jesus and empty tomb provides quite a conundrum for secular historians because of the incredibly strong physical and textual evidence that supports it.  The evidence Jesus died, was buried and rose again is on par with the evidence Jesus existed at all.  The great lengths taken by the Pharisees to demand the Romans crucify Jesus, seal and guard the tomb supports the fact He was indeed dead and miraculously rose from the grave.  The virgin birth is another instance where God plainly did a miracle because of the devout Jewish families God chose who feared Him and kept His law.

In preparation for a Christmas-themed sermon, I was intrigued to learn more about ancient Jewish customs of engagement, betrothal and the wedding feast.  It was common for families to determine a match for their children while very young, and once betrothed (usually in their teens) it required a legal divorce to break the contract.  Mary was betrothed to Joseph when she was informed by the angel Gabriel she would conceive by the Holy Spirit.  After Mary consented and said, "Let it be to me according to your word!" she was found with child before she and Joseph physically came together.  During the betrothal period Mary and Joseph never would have been alone with each other and would have had escorts watching them carefully to uphold the honour of the family.  It was customary during the wedding feast for the marriage to be consummated, and the cloth that provided evidence of the wife's virginity would have been given to the wife's parents to protect her from any accusations she was "humbled" previous to marriage.

To this day it is still customary at some Jewish weddings for the newly married couple to be in a room alone for at least 8 minutes, and this would be the first time they would have been alone together.  With the great care taken to protect the virginity of husband and wife in a culture where a woman was never left alone with another man (future spouse or otherwise), the physical support of the virgin birth is very strong.  Both Mary and Joseph's families no doubt wrestled with the implications of Mary's pregnancy, and Joseph was not inclined to believe her despite her piety.  Matthew 1:19-21 shows how God intervened to affirm her claim:  "Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. ²⁰ But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. ²¹ And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins."

Joseph was a just man, and Mary was a God-fearing woman.  Through them God would perform the sign He promised long before in Isaiah 7:14:  "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign:  behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel."  To people not expecting a sign God was faithful to give them a miraculous sign in coming to earth as baby Jesus.  "Immanuel" means, "God with us."  To Mary who was preparing to be wed and physically united with her husband God saw fit to conceive the Son of God within her Who would save His people from their sins.  May we marvel over the incarnation this Christmas, that God has kept His word and confirmed it with strong, historical evidence.  Great is the LORD and worthy to be praised, for through faith in Jesus we can become children of God--born again by the Holy Spirit Who indwells us.