I read a note that Joseph had supposedly written to Mary asking her to admit that she had another man. He would forgive her but it would at least end this awkward situation.

And it made me think. What is the problem with virgin birth? People don’t think virgin birth stupid in particular. I think they just find the idea of a God who would do that unbelievable. And of course if I don’t believe in God I wouldn’t believe in a virgin birth either. But arguing that virgin birth is so ridicules that there can’t be a god…?

Yes, I admit, I am something you might call a Trekkie. No, I don’t own a uniform or have any collectibles. I have not been to any conventions nor have I read any fan fiction (except for one book I can’t remember anymore). But I at least watched every episode of every TV show of Star Trek (yes, including Enterprise and TAS) and all movies. And for the writer and fans of Star Trek the idea of a higher being impregnating a lower lifeform is not far fetched. (Not to mention the birth of Anakin Skywalker.) And if we look at Greek mythology we see a Zeus who happens to love having sex with humans giving the endless soap opera of Mount Olympus another generation of half-breeds for the next season. (With Prometheus we even have a cliffhanger.) So, no, the idea of a deity and a woman having a child is not unbearable.

I am a Christian. And I believe in the virgin birth. And why not? I believe in a higher being and as I said from there to virgin birth is less than a small step. But it somehow still bags the question why. Why did God choose this path to bring Jesus into the world?

The first sub-question would be: why a birth at all? Why baby Jesus? Just so that we can celebrate Christmas? I don’t think so. The short answer to what I do think is twofold. Since Jesus did not just come riding on the clouds he knows how it feels to be us, to be human. He understands. He does not just hover two feet off the ground not touching this filthy earth. No, he dug his hands into it. He grew up here. He even learned a profession. He knows. And Jesus came in weakness. He was not the untouchable almighty supreme lord over everything when he was lying in the manger. He was approachable. He needed care. Yes, he cried at night. He had full and smelly diapers. He needed food and drink. He needed his parents to care for him. Otherwise he would have starved to death. So Jesus knows where we are.  He lived our life. He knows how it feels to be weak and needy. We don’t have to be afraid of what he might say to us, for he knows our situation not only intellectually but from his own experience. We can go to him, for he understands.

But then why virgin? Or was it virgin? One of the arguments I heard over the years against miracles in the Bible in general is: the people didn’t know better. Maybe Joseph and Mary just didn’t really know where babies come from. G. K. Chesterton, one of my favorite authors, addresses that question in his book “orthodoxy” (one of my favorite books). His argument is simply this: If you don’t know better you don’t call it a miracle.

A while back I read an article written by a ventriloquist about the challenges in this line of art. And one growing problem is the fact that kids are not enchanted anymore. They look at the puppet and just assume from their past experiences that it has batteries, mechanics, recordings, and a speaker. And all the ventriloquist does is to press a button to start the act. And there is nothing magical about that. Kids don’t understand and therefore they don’t see the miracle.

But again: why virgin? Church history is full of smaller and bigger discussions about the divinity of Jesus. The most notable was the first Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D., where Jesus’ place in the trinity was cemented. And yes, for Jesus being God the virgin birth is somewhat important. But I like to point out another aspect of this: us.

Every group in the history of mankind that believes to some extend in a higher power also believes that the connection between us and this power is distorted. And even the ones that think that everything is god don’t just sit and do nothing about it. They strive to a form of higher unity. But is that even possible? Can we come closer to God?

The Bible is quite harsh when it comes to the relationship between God and us. It is not distorted or incomplete. It is broken. All the way through. In the story of mankind loosing Paradise the entrance is sealed never to be opened by humans again. The separation is complete. And in this context Jesus was born. And the virgin birth is so crucial for us because it is something impossible. It is the perfect unity of God and men. And this is why I think the miracle of the virgin birth is so utterly important for everybody today. Because it heralds something new for all of us to hear. The perfect unity of God and men is no longer impossible. And it is not just possible, it is the goal. It is what God is aiming at. Now that what we were striving for has come into our reach. It is no longer impossiple. And some thirty years later on a wooden cross somewhere outside Jerusalem Jesus proclaimed to be now true what his birth promised. With his dying breath this broken relationship was finally healed. This awful chapter came to an end. He just closed the book declaring:

“It is finished!”