Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel”
(which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus (Matthew 1:18-25).
Matthew tells us multiple times that Jesus is born to a virgin (18, 20, 23, and 25). This fact is no unimportant detail of Christian legend; it is actually a truth critical to Jesus’ identity and mission. If his body had been created in heaven and then simply sent down to earth, we would rightly doubt whether he was really human; he would simply be too different for us to accept as truly one of us. But if Jesus had been born entirely through normal means, we would doubt his divinity. Matthew emphasizes the virgin birth because it reveals who Jesus is. He is the God-man, fully God and fully man, the Son of God made human.
Adapted from the ESV Story of Redemption Bible
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