Characters at the Cradle: Mary, The Divine Conception

by David Chadwick

There are many holy and purposeful connections that took place between the Creator of the universe and his creation leading up to Jesus’s entrance into the world. Join me as we continue to look at some of the special characters at the cradle.

I love the significance of both Gabriel and Joseph as characters at the cradle. But today, I want to place our focus more specifically on Mary, who played the very special role as mother of the Savior of the world.

I left you with a cliffhanger yesterday, thinking about the profound question Mary asked after hearing from Gabriel of the coming Savior. Mary said to Gabriel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”

The answer: it was only done by the power of the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Godhead, who is also known as the silent sovereign.

Mary’s conception as a virgin is the reality that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit. It is one of the most profound mysteries of the Christian faith. Some false theologians have tried to downplay the importance of the Virgin Birth. They have implied that it is not an essential doctrine of the Christian faith. Hear me loud and clear, my dear friends, and I don’t use this phrase lightly, but this is a false teaching. Anyone teaching this could not be more wrong, and their teaching is heretical. You should never ascribe to it as a follower of Jesus. It’s a biblical teaching. The early church’s credal statements affirmed it. So should we if we are faithful followers of Jesus.

The Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary’s humanity to conceive a holy child in her womb. Jesus, the Son of God, would be different. He would live as a perfect human and the Savior of the world. Perfect God and perfect human at the same time. A mystery, for sure, but it’s what the Bible clearly teaches.

Jesus’s perfect holiness came from a divine conception. He had to be perfectly human in order to die for our sins, but perfectly God in order to forgive us for our sins. The Incarnation, God coming to earth as a man, paved the way for the greatest story ever told!

As we wrap up the miracle of divine conception, do you notice the Trinity here? The Father, the Most High God, ordained the entrance of Jesus, his Son, who was then created by the Holy Spirit in the womb of a virgin. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit all present in the divine conception!

Characters at the Cradle: Mary, An Introduction to Gabriel, Mary, and Joseph

by David Chadwick

This week, we will continue to look at some more characters whose lives had profound intersections with the cradle of Jesus. Over the past two weeks, we studied Zechariah and Elizabeth.

This week, we study Mary, the mother of Jesus. But in order to understand Mary, we have to understand Gabriel and Joseph as well.

After Gabriel visited Zechariah with the amazing news that his wife would give birth to a baby named John (the Baptist), God gave him a second assignment. He told him to go visit a young virgin girl named Mary in the town of Nazareth in Galilee. She was betrothed to a man named Joseph who was from the house of David. In those days, the betrothal time was a set apart year-long period during which a couple could get to know one another before marriage.

In order to fully understand the significance of Mary and Joseph, you must know these two important biblical truths. First, Mary was a virgin. She had to be a virgin in order to fulfill the Isaiah 7:14 prophecy. The Christ child had to be conceived by the Holy Spirit to a virgin woman in order to bypass the way that Adam’s sin was transmitted through humanity ever since the Fall in Genesis 3. Secondly, Joseph had to be in the household of David in order to fulfill the prophecy that the Messiah would come from David’s lineage (Jeremiah 23:5).

Joseph, too, is an important part of the story. Gabriel appears to him in Matthew’s gospel to assure him that Mary is impregnated by the Holy Spirit. He obeyed and must have been a great father.

Gabriel, the same angel that appeared to Zechariah, also appeared to Mary saying, “Greetings, O favored one.” He announced the coming Messiah, telling Mary she would have a son named Jesus, which means Savior, for he will save the world of its sins. Jesus would be the Son of the Most High God. He would reign over Israel and God’s Kingdom.

Mary was a Godly woman, likely a young teenager, who was specifically chosen by God to carry out a very important mission. She was not perfect, as Catholics assume, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). But I do think she should be honored more than many Protestants tend to honor her.

Much like Zechariah, Mary was troubled, startled, and overwhelmed. Mary wondered, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” This question is profound, and I will help answer it tomorrow. Stay tuned.

Characters at the Cradle: Zechariah, Husband to Elizabeth

by David Chadwick

After the encounter with the angel Gabriel and being rendered mute by the Lord, what did Zechariah do next?

Luke 1:23 says this of Zechariah: “And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home.” To Elizabeth and to his safe place of love and care. I can only imagine how he felt as he pondered all he had just seen and heard, probably praying in his spirit to the Lord about John.

And have you ever thought about how he told Elizabeth about his experience with the angel Gabriel? Hand gestures? A game of charade? Writing it out? Surely he found a way to tell her. What a special moment that must have been!

A few days later, Zechariah’s wife Elizabeth conceived. The Bible says that “for five months she kept herself hidden’ (Luke 1:23).”

Can you imagine what she felt? The joy. The anticipation. The excitement. But given the fact that she went silent for five months, she probably also felt the extreme holiness of this moment.

Can you believe Elizabeth kept this pregnancy a secret for five months! When someone becomes pregnant after a long wait, they often rush to tell everyone and anyone who will listen! The excitement overwhelms them, making it hard to keep a secret.

But Elizabeth, a good and Godly woman, went silent. Why? Most likely to pray and to ponder God’s goodness. To reflect on the other childless women in the Old Testament like Sarah and Hannah who waited many long years for a child and finally saw God answer their cries as well. I can only imagine the tenderness she felt as she watched her belly swell day by day, week by week, probably rubbing her belly with great joy!

Then, after five months, when Elizabeth began to show her child, she began to say all around her, “Thus the Lord has done this for me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among the people” (Luke 1:25).

During that time, barrenness was considered a curse. Upon seeing a barren woman, people would ask, “What is her sin that has brought this curse upon her?” Now, in a single moment, with an angel’s word of promise, all of the shame and chatter was taken away. Done. Forever removed. Elizabeth’s mountain was moved and her breakthrough occurred.

If God can do it for Elizabeth, he can do it for you! Keep praying. Keep believing.

And make your request known to God. And know that it’s in his hands to do it 1) his way and 2) in his time.