Page 35 - Advanced Life of Christ - Student Textbook

overshadow you” (Luke 1:35). The angel encourages Joseph to not fear marrying Mary with these words:
“What is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 1:20). Matthew states that the virgin “was
found to be with child through the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 1:18). Galatians 4:4 also teaches the Virgin
Birth: “God sent His Son, born of a woman.”

From these passages, it is certainly clear that Jesus’ birth was the result of the Holy Spirit working within
Mary’s body. The immaterial (the Spirit) and the material (Mary’s womb) were both involved. Mary, of
course, could not impregnate herself, and in that sense, she was simply a “vessel.” Only God could
perform the miracle of the Incarnation.

However, denying a physical connection between Mary and Jesus would imply that Jesus was not truly
human. Scripture teaches that Jesus was fully human, with a physical body like ours. This He received
from Mary. At the same time, Jesus was fully God, with an eternal, sinless nature (John 1:14; 1 Timothy
3:16; Hebrews 2:14-17.)

Jesus was not born in sin; that is, He had no sin nature (Hebrews 7:26). It would seem that the sin nature
is passed down from generation to generation through the father (Romans 5:12, 17, 19). The Virgin Birth
circumvented the transmission of the sin nature and allowed the eternal God to become a perfect man
(https://www.gotquestions.org/virgin-birth.html).

Birth of Christ Jesus of Nazareth (Matthew 1: 18-25, Luke 2: 1-7)

When was Jesus Born?
No one knows precisely when Jesus was born. Even the year of his birth is an educated guess based on
what extra-biblical information is available. The Jewish historian Josephus places the death of Herod the
Great in 4 BC, but as we have already discovered, 1 BC might be more accurate. Both Gospels say Herod
was king at the time of Jesus’ birth and we do know that Herod died shortly after Jesus’ birth. Herod
became king of Palestine in 37 BC and most likely died in 1 BC. Outside the book of Matthew, the
slaughter of innocent babies is not mentioned in any historical writings, but certainly is consistent with
other atrocities that Herod committed. Since Herod’s calculations led him to target boys under two
years of age, Jesus was probably born one to two years before Herod’s death or about 2 - 1 BC. 1 BC fits
the chronology of Jesus’ life and length of ministry.

We know that it was Elizabeth's sixth month, perhaps late December or a little beyond. “Now Mary
arose in those days [the same basic time frame] and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of
Judah, and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. And it happened, when Elizabeth heard
the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb” (verses 39-41).

Elizabeth at this time was in her sixth month of pregnancy with John the Baptist. It would not be a
stretch to understand from the previous passage that Mary was now also pregnant with Jesus. Elizabeth
even speaks of Mary as though she knows Mary is an expectant mother: “But why is this granted to me,
that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting
sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy” (verses 43-44).

Verse 56 says, “And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her house”. Time wise
it was now late March. Mary stayed with Elizabeth right to the birth of John the Baptist. “Now
Elizabeth’s full time came for her to be delivered, and she brought forth a son” (verse 57).

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