Revelation

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Jeremiah 16:20 Do men make their own gods? Yes, but they are not gods!" (NIV)

For several years, the Virgin Birth disturbed me. I couldn’t understand why God chose to impregnate Mary without Joseph’s involvement. It seemed to be quite absurd that God would do something so strange and against the laws of biological science, in order to bring Jesus into the world. I had heard ministers preach about the sinlessness and perfection of Christ as being the specific reason why the Holy Spirit caused Mary to conceive; but it still bothered me and I couldn’t bring closure to my questions or reasoning.

Then, when I went to Trinity College at Glasgow University, I stumbled across a theologian and Biblical scholar named Karl Barth. His explanation of the Virgin Birth settled some of my doubts; Joseph was rejected as Christ’s father because God was setting aside the strength and masculinity of men. A new creation was required and because Jewish identity is passed through the mother, God needed to work with Mary, and not Joseph. The genealogies in Matthew may indicate Joseph’s lineage, but it was Mary’s Jewishness that God needed and used for the Messiah to be truly born. That explanation satisfied my need for answers to my questions about the Virgin birth.

And then when I was reading this passage this morning, this verse from Jeremiah sprang out at me. If Joseph had been involved in the conception of Jesus, then Christ would have been made by man. And if Jesus was made by a man, then He would not be our Lord, our Savior, or our God. This verse is a prophecy about the Virgin Birth. I hadn’t realized this before; now it all seems to make sense.

I don’t know if you have been able to follow my chain of theological thought this morning. It may appear as though I’m rambling. I just feel as though I’ve had a revelation about this biblical verse and wanted to share that moment with you.

Prayer: Lord God, thank You for revealing Your mysterious ways through the words and deeds recorded in scripture. Thank You for the profound meaning that can be discovered in individual verses and passages from the Bible. Let Your word change our ways; let Your scriptures guide our thoughts and paths. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.