Introduction
Last week we
studied Matt. 1:1-17 which traces Jesus’ unique
family-tree. Tonight we want to study what Matthew tells us about
Jesus’ unique conception—read 1:18-25. Let’s get
into this passage by asking 3 questions . . .
Is this history or myth?
Many say this
passage is a myth or legend rather than history. By “myth,”
I mean a story that has been fabricated in order to explain (e.g.,
A.N.E. CREATION MYTHS) or entertain (e.g., PAUL BUNYAN) or to
venerate someone (e.g., BUDDHA BIRTH MYTH: an elephant entered the
left side of an Indian noble lady and turned into Buddha once inside
her). By “history,” I mean an accurate account of an
actual event. Like me, you may have heard that the biblical account
of Jesus’ unique conception is a myth from college
professors—or even from your pastor.
But this account is very different from myth.
First, myths are
purposefully removed from history (usually in the distant past).
This is because the point of myths was entertainment or moral
reflection, not information. (By the way, historical fiction is a
very recent genre.) But the accounts of Jesus’ conception and
birth are lodged firmly in history—complete with genealogy,
accurate chronological and geographical references, and eye-witness
interviews (e.g., Mary by Luke). The authors are going out of their
way to say, “This really happened! It was at this time and
place, not long ago at all—and you can still talk to the people
who witnessed it!”
Second, miracles
are regarded as “normal” in myths (“NEVERLAND”
IN “PETER PAN”). Precisely because myths were not about
the “real world,” the human characters expected
supernatural exploits and explanations. But Joseph certainly doesn’t
react this way! Imagine Mary explaining to Joseph when she starts to
show. If this was mythical, Joseph’s reaction would be “Oh,
of course.” But instead Joseph reacts like any normal
1st-century (or 21st-century) fiancée (1:19). He
knows how women get pregnant, and only an angelic visitation
convinces him not to divorce her!
Third, while many
claim that the New Testament account of Jesus’ birth is
borrowed from the pagan/Greek mythical motif of a god having sex with
a human woman and bearing a hybrid “super-hero” offspring
(ZEUS > HERCULES; APOLLO > AESCLEPIUS), this account is very
different from this motif in two ways:
Jesus’
conception was not the product of any sexual union (human or
human-divine), but rather “by the Holy Spirit”—the
Holy Spirit supernaturally conceived Jesus in Mary’s womb
before she ever had sex. (Note that “until” in 1:25
implies what other passages confirm—that Joseph and Mary had
normal sexual relations after Jesus’ birth which resulted in
their own children. The issue is not that sex is bad, but that Jesus
had no human father because he was miraculously conceived.)
1:23 tells us that
the child born of Mary is not half human and half divine—but
“God with us”—fully God and fully human. The
Virgin Birth is actually the “B” miracle in this event;
the “A” miracle is the Incarnation! This is what the Old
Testament predicted (Isa. 9:6), and what the New Testament
affirms (Jn. 1:1,14).
So the text claims that this account is history
(not myth), and that God entered the human race through this unique
and supernatural means. This raises another obvious question . . .
Why did God do this?
Did God (like the Greek gods) interrupt Joseph and
Mary’s lives because he was bored, to make sport of us? No,
the God of the Bible is not capricious; his actions in history are
always purposeful and for our good. Matthew tells us two ways in
which Jesus’ unique conception furthered God’s good plan
for us.
He did it to
notify us that Jesus was God’s promised Messiah. After
narrating Jesus’ supernatural conception, Matthew tells us this
event was the fulfillment of a prediction made by Isaiah to the house
of David over 700 years earlier (re-read 1:22,23).
Last week, we saw
that God had promised that one of David’s descendants would be
his chosen Messiah. But how would Israel know which of those
descendants was the promised One? One “sign” (miraculous
attestation) would be that this Child would be born of a virgin—a
greater sign than the miraculous births of previous key players
(Isaac; Moses; Samuel).
This is one of
dozens of predictions of what we call Jesus’ first coming. Not
vague or cryptic predictions, but clear, detailed and preserved in
writing hundreds of years beforehand so we can confirm their
fulfillment. God doesn’t want us to be in the dark about who
his Savior is, so he provided this unique way of identifying him.
What are the odds of chance fulfillment of these predictions?
One statistician,
Peter Stoner, conservatively estimates the odds of 8 of these
predictions being fulfilled by chance at 1 in 1017.
That’s a big number! Think of an area the size of Texas,
covered 2 feet deep in silver dollars. What are the odds that a
blindfolded man would select one marked silver dollar on the first
attempt? The odds are 1 in 1017—and that’s
just for 8 of them!
Which takes more blind faith—to believe that Jesus fulfilled
these predictions by chance, or to believe that he is God’s
chosen Messiah? God does ask us to take a leap of faith (as
we’ll see)—but a reasonable leap, not a blind leap!
He did it to
provide salvation for the human race. Joseph is told in 1:21 to
name the Child “Jesus” (“God Saves”) because
he will save his people from their sins. This text implies that
Jesus had to be born in this way in order to provide our salvation.
In order to understand why this is so, we need to drop back first
and understand the Bible’s view of salvation (it is not
understood any longer in our culture).
According to the
Bible, “salvation” is not realizing that we are already
God—it is rescue from God’s judgment for our sins. Our
need for salvation is rooted in the character of God.
God is totally
righteous (morally perfect) and totally just (demands death as
punishment for all violations of his character). Because we fall
short of his perfect standard, we have true moral guilt and deserve
his condemnation.
But God is also
loving. This doesn’t mean that his love blots out his
righteousness and justice, but that he cares about us so much that he
provides a way to pay for our guilt so that he can accept us without
compromising his moral character.
The heart of
biblical theology (throughout the whole Bible) is the good news that
God in his love provides a blameless substitute whose death pays for
our guilt.
This is why animal
sacrifice was central to Old Testament worship—not because God
was hungry or could be bribed, but to instruct his people on the
nature of their dilemma with God and his solution to this dilemma.
But clearly these
animal sacrifices were just pictures of the real solution.
Both logically and biblically, the real Substitute:
would have to be a
member of the human race (Heb. 2:17). Animals can't represent
human beings; they aren't even free-will moral agents (Heb. 10:4).
Only a human being can take the place of human beings.
would have to be a
sinless human (Heb. 7:26,27). Otherwise, he could only pay for
his own sins.
would also have to
be God (1 Tim. 4:10). If he were only a sinless man, he
could only die for one other human being. But because he is also
God, his death has infinite value—paying for all of the
sins of all people at all time.
This is why the
Old Testament itself predicted that One was coming—One who was
fully human and fully God—whose death would pay for the sins of
all humanity (read Isa. 53:5,6).
SUMMARIZE: Now
when you think about it, there is only one way that such a Substitute
could come into the world:
To be a member of
the human race, he must be physically born into it through a human
mother. Because of the biological continuity of the human race, if
God created him from nothing (like Adam), he would be the head of a
new race—not part of this race that needs salvation.
To be God, he
can't have a human father, or he would be only human. So the mother
would have to be human and the father would have to be God.
But since God
doesn't have a physical body, this Person can't be conceived in the
normal way. It would take God supernaturally conceiving this Person
in a human mother's womb. And that is precisely what the virgin
birth is!!
SUMMARIZE: The account of Jesus’
supernatural birth is real history, not myth. And it was necessary
so that we could know that Jesus is the Messiah, and so that he could
die for the guilt of our sins. So what? God calls on us to ask one
final question . . .
How should we respond to this?
The birth of Jesus is a historical issue—but
it is more than that. It is also a theological issue—but it is
more than that. It is a diagnosis and offer from God that requires a
personal response.
Suppose you have a
life-threatening illness that requires major surgery. You wouldn’t
go to your neighbor (to save money) or just look in the Yellow Pages.
You would look for a recommended surgeon and then check your
surgeon’s credentials to ascertain that he has the skill and
experience to perform your surgery. But finding a trustworthy
surgeon alone would not help you, because apart from your permission
he can do nothing. You would have to make the decision to personally
entrust yourself to him to save you through this surgery. You would
have to sign the permission form and allow them to wheel you into the
operating room and anesthetize you. When you come out of that
surgery and regain your health, you would know two things: the
surgeon saved your life (not you), and your decision to entrust
yourself to him was very significant!
God says it is
exactly this way with you spiritually. He says you have guilt before
him that is spiritually lethal—so lethal that only the death of
his Son can remove it. He provides you with ample evidence to know
that Jesus is his Son, and that he is ready and willing to perform
this operation. But you can know and mentally agree to all this—and
still die in your sins. Unless you personally entrust yourself to
him to remove the cancer of your guilt, he will be of no benefit to
you. It’s your move!
Footnotes
Next week: Mary's Encounter with God's Will
Copyright 2003 Gary DeLashmutt