THE VIRGIN BIRTH IN THE RECORDED TESTIMONY OF CHRIST HIMSELF

THE VIRGIN BIRTH IN THE RECORDED TESTIMONY OF CHRIST HIMSELF

 

"And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?"

 

These are the first recorded words of our Lord. I resolutely adopt the second marginal reading of the Revised-which is direct translation from the Greek. They were spoken when He was twelve years of age, being then, as Luke so beautifully describes Him, "the boy Jesus." It has often been pointed out that they are very significant as giving the key to the whole of His life and work. The compelling force, the "must" behind all His doing and teaching, was always the same: the things of His Father. He lived and wrought only to do the will of God. There is, however, another value in them. Because He was "the boy Jesus," a most real and true Boy, we gather from these words not only the inherent grace and truth of His character, but also how careful had been His training from babyhood. From the annunciation to Mary, and the revelation to Joseph which Matthew records those two people in a holy fellowship had shared the secret as to that wonderful Child. With what reverent awe and tender solicitude they must have watched His growth and development! And again, because He was a real human Child, they were responsible for all His earliest instruction in "the things of God." The result is seen in this simple, natural, unaffected word, spoken, be it noticed, to both of them: "Knew ye not that I must be in the things of My Father?" The difference between this Boy and our children is admitted; but let us not forget His identity with them. If we remember, we shall ever seek to train them to the same complete conception of life. It is a great thing when as the result of our training and example, our children relate all their lives to God by its "must" of complete surrender.

Preliminary Statement

Joseph and Mary would not likely give it publicity - why?
Certainly the same would be true of Jesus Himself.

There is a passage in Luke 2:48-49 which indicates that our Lord very early knew something about the unusual circumstances  of His own birth.

"Know ye not that I must be in my Father's house?"

Even assuming now that in ordinary matters the child grew in wisdom as Luke says, it is not unreasonable to presume that His parents must have informed Him regarding His origin. No child, thus born, could grow up in company with other children without having faced their cruel taunts. Children are the same in every generation.

The Jews apparently realized that Jesus was claiming a supernatural birth when he insisted that he had come down from heaven (John 6:33,38,41-42).

"For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world."
"For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me."
"The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven. And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven?"

Can a man be a Christian and deny the Virgin Birth?
It depends upon what we mean, cf. Machen's view (The Virgin Birth  of Christ pp. 391-97).

The answer of our Lord still stands (John 8:23-24)

"And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world. I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am He, ye shall die in your sins."