Who is Jesus? I am sure we can all provide answers about Him being fully God and fully man and answers about His virgin birth, role in the Trinity and other aspects. Yet what does that mean? What took place when He stepped from eternity into time and entered and settled into the wall of Mary’s womb? What effect did this have on the Godhead? While He never lost His deity, He set aside the use of it for over three decades. I invite you to meditate on the passage below.
26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And having come in, the angel said to her, ‘Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!’
29 But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. 30 Then the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.’
34 Then Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I do not know a man?’ 35 And the angel answered and said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.
The Holy Spirit in some way settled upon Mary’s life and an egg in her womb was fertilized and the divine settled into human flesh and began to grow. It is easy to miss this when we celebrate Jesus birth every Christmas season (though He was likely actually born in the fall, not December). Post creation, this was the most significant event to impact humanity outside Jesus death and resurrection. Yet neither would have taken place without this incredible act of humility, favour and grace. In the coming weeks I will delve deeper into the significance of this Glorious Man who still is fully God and fully man and trust we shall learn some things together. For now let us stand in awe at what took place 2,000 years ago.
