“Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus.” Matthew 1:24-25
I will never forget the time during a discussion about religion I was stopped dead by a person who said, “Do you realize how stupid you sound when you speak about the resurrection from the dead?” The person was in earnest and far more honest than many who claim to believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ but live as though they did not.
Christmas is a time for miracles but people in our contemporary culture have a hard time with such things, even though every other Christmas story has a miracle in it. The birth of Jesus Christ to a virgin girl inspired the idea of Christmas miracles.
We are told explicitly that Joseph did not know his wife, which in Biblical terminology means, he did not know her intimately. Therefore, she was a virgin at the time she gave birth.
The reality that Jesus was born to a virgin is very common place in “Christian” nations, but no truth is less understood than that one. Jesus is usually thought of as a fine teacher, a self-sacrificing leader, a fictional religious character, but only the repentant sinner appreciates Him for who He is – God incarnate.
Dear Christian, let us remember this Christmas season the incomprehensible sacrifice God made when He became a man, and let us give thanks out loud for this miracle of miracles.