“She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus”
The
birth of Jesus Christ was different from any of the births mentioned in
the genealogy. There we found the repeated phrase “A begot B.”
But
now we have the record of a birth without a human father. The facts
surrounding this miraculous conception are stated with dignity and
simplicity. Mary had been promised in marriage to Joseph, but the
wedding had not yet taken place. During the time of her betrothal, the
Virgin Mary became pregnant by a miracle of the Holy Spirit. An angel
had previously announced this mysterious event to Mary: “The Holy Spirit
will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you”.
A
cloud of suspicion and scandal hung over Mary. In all of human history
there had never been a virgin birth. When people saw an unwed woman who
was pregnant, they had only one possible explanation.
Even
Joseph did not yet know the true explanation of Mary’s condition. He
might have been indignant at his fiancée on two counts: First, her
apparent unfaithfulness to him; and second, though innocent, he would
almost inevitably be accused of complicity. His love for Mary and desire
for justice led him to decide to break the betrothal by a quiet
divorce. He wished to avoid the public disgrace which normally
accompanied such an action.
While this gentle and deliberate man was
mapping his strategy to protect Mary, an angel of the Lord appeared to
him in a dream. The salutation, “Joseph, son of David, was doubtless
designed to stir up the consciousness of his royal pedigree and to
prepare him for the unusual advent of Israel’s Messiah-King.
He
should have no misgivings about marrying Mary. Any suspicions
concerning her purity were groundless. Her pregnancy was a miracle of
the Holy Spirit. The angel then revealed the unborn Child’s sex, name,
and mission. Mary would bear a Son. He was to be named Jesus, (which
means “Jehovah is salvation”).
As a result of the angel’s
intervention, Joseph abandoned his plan to divorce Mary. He continued to
recognize their betrothal until Jesus’ birth, after which he married
her.
