In respect to procreation, God had performed the miracle of miracles. The Holy Spirit Himself had caused Mary to be with child. Not that we want to parse the conception of Jesus in biological terms, but we do want to see the uniqueness of Jesus as God the Son, taking on developing humanity like any other, in the womb of Mary.
“And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son,
and shall call His name JESUS.” (Luke 1:31, NKJV)
Jesus’ conception was unlike any other. We find records of barren women getting pregnant, women like Sarah (Gen. 18:9-11; 21:1-2) and Hannah (1 Sam. 1:19-20), attesting to the power of God to open the womb and to give life. But never do we find a woman becoming pregnant without male involvement.
Even the prophecy in Isaiah that the angel mentions to Joseph is not fulfilled in Isaiah’s day by a virgin. History would wait until the fullness of time, when God would send His Son to be born of a woman who was a virgin (Gal. 4:4).
In respect to procreation, God had performed the miracle of miracles. The Holy Spirit Himself had caused Mary to be with child. Not that we want to parse the conception of Jesus in biological terms, but we do want to see the uniqueness of Jesus as God the Son, taking on developing humanity like any other, in the womb of Mary.
Why was it necessary that Jesus be born of a virgin? It was not because the sexual act itself is sinful, or because the fallen sinful nature is passed on by the male, or because Mary was without sin and so a pure vessel for the Christ.
Rather, the virgin birth accomplished three things. As Matthew pointed out, it was a prophetic pointer to the Messiah. When a virgin conceived and bore a son, that was a telltale sign of the fulfillment of prophecy. The child was both Immanuel (God with us) and Jesus (the Lord saves)—God incarnate to save.
Second, taking on human nature allowed the eternal Son of God to be fully God and fully man in one person. He was the God-man.
