Three Miracles Of Christmas Series

“In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!’ But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

“And Mary said to the angel, ‘How will this be, since I am a virgin?’

“And the angel answered her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.’ And Mary said, ‘Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.’ And the angel departed from her.” [1]

Martin Luther was such a vigorous and original person, and what he has to say about a given text is always interesting, always helpful in giving understanding to what has been written. For instance, in the verses that relate how Gabriel announced the birth of Jesus to Mary, Luther, quoting Saint Bernard, the godly French monk who lived in the twelfth century, writes that there are three miracles in this story:

1) “That God and Man Should Be Joined in This Child;”

2) “That a Mother Should Remain a Virgin;”

3) “That Mary Should Have Such Faith as to Believe that This Miracle Would be Accomplished in Her.”

Bernard then adds perceptively, that “the last is not least of the three.” [2]

Bernard revealed his devotion to Catholic dogma when he asserted “that a Mother Should Remain a Virgin.” We cannot agree to this declaration—he says this solely on the strength of legend; but we do hold that Scripture declares that the virgin conceived a child, thus fulfilling the prophecy delivered by the Court Prophet, Isaiah. When the Lord, through Isaiah, confronted Ahaz with a promise of deliverance, the king suddenly grew pious and pretended that he could not ask anything of God. At that, God spoke through His Prophet, saying, “The Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” [ISAIAH 7:14].

I must take a moment to emphasise that Scripture is conclusive in noting that Mary did not remain a virgin after the birth of her firstborn Son, Jesus. This is a critical point that we must not neglect. Mary had other children following the birth of Jesus. These multiple children were born through the natural process with Joseph as her husband. None of the remaining children Mary brought into the world are claimed to have been conceived by the Holy Spirit, as was her firstborn Son. Only one child was ever born of a virgin, and that one child was Jesus of Nazareth. He is the Son of God.

Still, there are three miracles of Christmas on which we should focus attention during this hour:

1) “That God and Man Should Be Joined in This Child;”

2) “That a Virgin should bear a child;”

3) “That Mary Should Have Such Faith as to Believe that This Miracle Would be Accomplished in Her.”

And it will benefit us greatly if we examine these miracles in their turn.

GOD AND MAN WERE JOINED IN A CHILD — Though it may be not popular to assert, Jesus, the Son of God, is truly and fully man. He is unquestionably truly and fully God. Jesus, the Christ, is the unique God-man. If He were not truly man, He could not identify with us in our weakness. One unknown writer has encouraged us when he writes, “Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” [HEBREWS 4:14-16].