Why was Jesus born of a woman? Galatians 4:4-5 declares, “But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.” Jesus was born of a virgin (His Divinity), but He was also born of a woman (His humanity). Why is it important that He have a human mother?
If the biological role of a human father was bypassed in Christ taking on flesh, why was the role of a human mother not similarly bypassed? Why did Jesus need to be born of a woman?
David Dykes (long time pastor of mega-church Green Acres Baptist Church in Tyler, TX) points out: “When a birth announcement is sent today we often read that a certain child was born to John and Jane Q. Public, but the Bible never says Jesus was born of Joseph and Mary. He was the Son of God, born of a woman. There’s a prophetic reason why Paul chose this exact language. Jesus fulfilled the very first Messianic prophecy in the Bible.
“The first prophecy about Jesus is found on the third page of your Bible. After the serpent deceived Eve and they had disobeyed God, Adam and Eve realized they were guilty. The lie of Satan is still that sin won’t hurt you, when the truth is that sin enslaves you.
“After God came searching for the guilty pair, He pronounced a curse upon the serpent… “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel” (Genesis 3:15). Satan’s offspring are those who live their lives separated from God’s love. When Galatians 4:4 says Jesus was ‘born of a woman’ this is literal fulfillment of this prophecy. The wicked serpent tried to strike at the heel of the Messiah. But at the cross, Jesus crushed the head of the serpent. A heel wound isn’t fatal, but no one survives a crushed head.”
Pastor Donald McCulley (Dresden, TN) declares, “‘Born of a woman’. Here is a divine Father and a human mother. Jesus showed up as the God-man. He didn’t come before nor behind His time but at just the right time. The world did not go after Him, He came to the world. How? By way of Mary’s womb.”
Theologian F. Dale Bruner observes, “(Muslims) do not believe that God would so lower himself because ‘Allah Akbar,’ God is great, and would not demean himself to be an ordinary human being.
“But Christian Faith believes that precisely because God IS so great, he shows his greatness in this great Christmas act of humility and condescension…by becoming one of us and even going to the…extent of dying for us as a common criminal. Then when God raised Jesus from the dead on Easter (the other great Christian celebration), God validated and authenticated, in history, the wonder of The Incarnation – that all this was for real.”
C. S. Lewis said it well: “The Son of God became a man that men might become sons of God.”
Jesus did not descend from heaven as a super being. Instead, the One who spoke the worlds into existence entered humanity as a helpless little baby. He could not feed Himself nor change His own diaper. He grew and experienced everything that you and I experience. Hebrews 4:15 declares, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.” Thank You Jesus that You became one of us and know our weaknesses, frailties, and failures!
This Sunday, December 11, we will continue our Christmas teaching series, “Old Testament Prophecies of Christ!” with the glorious truth that Jesus would be “Born of a Woman!” He became one of us! Please invite someone to join you at 10:35am either in the building or online for the Live broadcast on either Facebook (Honolulu AG) or our YouTube channel (Honolulu Assembly of God). We Livestream every Sunday to both locations.
A Big Mahalo goes out to Shirley and everyone who helped make Saturday’s 11th annual “Christmas Lunch and Treasure Trade” such a wonderful event. It made a big difference for all the women and girls who were part of it.
Aloha ke Akua!