David Bahn – Reflections

There is something disorienting about reading of Jesus’ birth in May. We may talk about having Christmas in July. We may say that we should celebrate the Savior’s birth every day. We may even speculate that the day of Jesus’ birth was most likely in May. Clement of Alexandria, an Early Church Father suggested dates in April or May. But it still seems wrong, or at least slightly inappropriate to be reading about Jesus’ birth in May. After all, the world over celebrates either December 25 or January 6 (Epiphany – which is called the Christmas of the Gentiles) as the day of Jesus’ birth.

Inappropriate as that may be there are at least two issues with regard to Matthew’s account, and the Old Testament foundations of Jesus’ conception and birth that seem quite appropriate to consider.

First is the startling fact that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary. This is right up there with the resurrection. Babies aren’t conceived apart from a sexual union between a man and a woman. We know how babies are conceived. Even in this day of artificial insemination or in vitro fertilization, there is extraordinary difficulty associated with success in this manner. And it really wasn’t an option.

Some have suggested that the prophecy in Isaiah doesn’t really state that a virgin shall conceive and bear a son. They argue that the Hebrew in Isaiah 7:14 is best translated as, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman [emphasis added] is with child and shall bear a son and shall name him Immanuel.” This is the RSV translation, part of the scandal among conservative Christians regarding that translation of the BIble. The Greek is unambiguous, however, and the RSV gets it right there: “Look, the virgin shall become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel.” I’ll go with Matthew here. This was a miraculous conception, and a marvelous gift from God, taking on human flesh in this manner. A miracle “wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger” (cf. Luke 2:7).

Second is the clarity of God’s word about human sexual relations. There is no doubt about how God feels about people who hook up sexually. The passage from Deuteronomy goes into great detail here. Bottom line, if a man has sexual intercourse with a woman outside of marriage he is to take her as wife, or be severely punished – both the man and the woman.

We’ve lost that battle today in the church. Fornication is an out-of-date prohibition in the minds of almost everyone outside the church, and even some within it. This should not be. God’s design is that one man and one woman should be united as one for life. The pattern is given in Genesis 2:18: “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”

There are many who have failed to keep this commandment pure – within and outside of the church. But those who follow Jesus turn to God in contrition, repentance, and faith. They know they need God’s mercy and forgiveness to sustain a relationship with him. They also know that God’s perfect, pure, and spotless Son is their righteousness. Our Savior: born of a virgin, crucified by sinners, raised in power. He is gracious, merciful, forgiving, and gloriously alive.