The preparation for the incarnation

Some of the most important events in our lives often require a great deal of preparation. For example, a wedding cannot be improvised, but must be organised carefully and well in advance.

Similarly, the incarnation of the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, was such an extraordinary event that God wanted to prepare it in advance and with great care.

This planning involved announcing it many centuries before it took place. We find the anticipated news of his coming in the pages of the Holy Scriptures.

All Evangelical Focus news and opinion, on your WhatsApp.

We find it in texts such as Deuteronomy 18:15, in which Moses anticipates the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

Some of the passages from the prophet Isaiah are better known: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (which means God with us) Isaiah 7:14, or “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government will be upon his shoulder: and he will be called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace”, Isaiah 9:6.

Another famous prophecy is that of Micah: “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times”, Micah 5:2.

These and many other Old Testament writings are quite popular among those who know something about the Bible. They prove the existence of God, because only He can predict the future with such accuracy.

However, it is not well understood that the incarnation of the Son of God was brought about by miracles. Specifically, by a series of portentous events which, due to their supernatural nature, prepared the ground for God's coming into this world.

I am referring to other supernatural births. For instance, Sarah, Abraham's wife, gave birth to Isaac despite being barren and her husband being one hundred years old (Genesis 11:30 and 21:1–5). Similarly, Rebekah, Isaac's wife, gave birth to Jacob despite being barren (Genesis 25:21).

Likewise, Rachel, Jacob's wife, could not have children (Genesis 29:31), but she finally gave birth to Joseph.

Later on, we have the story of Samson's mother (Judges 13:3), to whom the Angel of the Lord said: “You are barren and childless, but you are going to become pregnant and give birth to a son”.

[destacate]The incarnation of the Son of God was brought about by a series of portentous events which, due to their supernatural nature, prepared the ground for God's coming into this world.[/destacate]Another woman who had no children was Hannah, the wife of Elkanah. The Bible tells us that God remembered her, and she gave birth to a son whom she named Samuel (1 Samuel 1:5, 19, 20). He became one of the great prophets of Israel and anointed David as king.

But it is not only the Old Testament that records these supernatural births. In his Gospel, Luke, the beloved physician, recounts that the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ was preceded by the pregnancy of Elizabeth, an elderly, barren woman, whose husband was also elderly (Luke 1:7, 9).

The miraculous birth of John the Baptist, the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth who would be the precursor of Christ, foreshadowed the birth of Jesus himself, the greatest miracle of all, the incarnation of the Son of God.

This is how the angel Gabriel announced it to the Virgin Mary: “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end”. “How will this be”, Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God”.

Mary's astonishment at such an announcement: ‘How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?’ is understandable. Therefore, it is very significant that Gabriel immediately added these other words: “Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month, for nothing will be impossible with God, Luke 1:36-37.

This news, unknown to Mary, about the miraculous pregnancy of her relative Elizabeth is revealed to the Virgin so that she may realise that the God of the Old Testament , the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, was still active in her time.

Gabriel uses the same words that God himself used to assure Abraham that his wife Sarah would bear his son Isaac: “For nothing is impossible with God” (Genesis 18:14). The God who brought about supernatural births in the history of Israel is now doing so with Elizabeth.

This miraculous sign strengthened Mary's faith in God's promise through Gabriel that he would do for her what he had promised. Moreover, Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, confirms to Mary that what has happened to her is divine, and that “what was spoken to her by the Lord will be fulfilled” (Luke 1:45).

Mary's faith is evident in the Magnificat, her song of praise to God for the salvation that would come to the world through her Saviour, Jesus Christ (Luke 1:46–55).

It is clear that although previous supernatural births showed God's great power, Jesus' birth was unique because it was conceived without male intervention (Matthew 1:20).

The ultimate purpose of those births was to prepare us for the greatest miracle of all: God taking on flesh like ours, yet without sin.

[destacate]The good news of Christmas is that a Saviour has been born to us (Isaiah 9:6). God offers this Saviour to the world so that the world may be saved through faith in Him.[/destacate]Therefore, God himself carefully prepared the miracle of the virgin birth of the Lord Jesus through prodigious signs.

We can see a very clear pattern of divine behaviour: when God is going to carry out a work of salvation, he announces it through supernatural events.

The other births brought people into the world who pointed to Christ, but in the end they could only bring temporary and momentary salvation. That is why the virgin birth of Christ, the greatest miracle of all, shows that in Him we do have the true Saviour:

“There were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord”. Luke 2: 8 -11.

Therefore, the angel instructed Joseph to name his son Jesus, because he would save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21).

The Son of God would not be a temporary or political saviour, but the One who would meet our greatest need: the forgiveness of our offences against God.

He would achieve this through his once-and-for-all atoning sacrifice on the cross (Hebrews 10:10). His blood cleanses us from all our sins through faith in him (1 John 1:7–10).

Salvation is not within your reach. You cannot earn it through your own merits or efforts, reconciliation with God is divine work from start to finish.

But the good news of Christmas is that a Saviour has been born to us (Isaiah 9:6). God offers this Saviour to the world so that the world may be saved through faith in Him.

God has shown that He alone can be our Saviour. Put your trust in the Lord Jesus, for it is written: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).