Jesus’ mother Mary was a virgin. Why is that such a big deal? Does it sound strange at Christmas time for Christians to emphasize that Jesus’ mother hadn’t had sex with anyone yet? Who cares?
Actually, it’s a big deal. According to the Bible, we sinful human beings pass on our sin to our children. That’s called “original sin.” God tells us that we’re sinful from birth (Psalm 51:5). Jesus himself explained it like this, “Flesh gives birth to flesh” (John 3:6). Two sinful people can’t produce a perfect child. Flesh gives birth to flesh. Sin gives birth to sin. That means that if Mary and Joseph were Jesus’ parents, what would Jesus be born with? Sin. Then he couldn’t save us. He would need a savior for himself!
But Jesus wasn’t the son of Mary and Joseph. Here was God’s promise: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14). Mary was a virgin. No human father was involved. So Jesus was the Son of Mary and the Son of God. That’s a miracle. We can’t explain it.
But here’s the result: Jesus is the perfect Savior we need. He’s a human being just like me and you. He knows what it’s like to be tempted and to suffer. He lived in our place and died for our sins. But he’s also God. 100% true God who has existed from eternity. He kept all of God’s laws perfectly, and when he died, he paid for the sins of the whole world. Mary was a virgin, so Jesus could be the perfect Son of God! That’s why the name given to the virgin’s Son fits so well: Immanuel = God with us!
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