David’s son without sin
By JACOB M. VAN ZYL on December 19, 2020.
Every Christmas we celebrate the greatest of all miracles: God visited humanity in human form and lived among them. This cosmic event carried the wonderful message that we do not have to climb up to God with good works; he came down to us and paid for our sins, so that we can be saved by grace.
God said to the first humans that they would die if they broke God’s rules. When they did, God set a plan of salvation in motion – a sinless human being would die in the place of sinners, freeing them from the second death which is eternal damnation: “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23).
God the Father gave his only Son to become a human being, to suffer and die as human being for lost sinners, so they can be forgiven and reconciled with God (John 3:16).
The way the Son of God became the Son of Man boggles our minds. He had to be sinless, a sacrifice without blemish. He had to be the son of David, but without David’s hereditary sin.
God accomplished that by creating in Mary a fertilized ovum with David’s corrected DNA: it had the genes of the Davidic lineage but purified of sin. Does that sound impossible? Would such a tiny thing be too hard for the Almighty who made and controls the immeasurable universe with its millions of galaxies?
The embryo became the fetus, fed by Mary via the umbilical cord. She was a descendant of David; therefore, her child was that, too (Luke 3:23-38). Matthew gives the genealogy of Joseph. Although he was not Christ’s biological father, he was his legal father.
Mary and Joseph were privileged to raise the incarnated Son of God as baby, toddler, child, adolescent and young adult.
They became so used to the idea that Jesus was their child that they forgot who he really was. Mary reprimanded him when he was 12 years old, for staying in the temple while they were on their way home. Jesus reminded her who his real Father was (Luke 2:41-47).
When crowds followed Jesus to see his miracles and hear his messages, Mary thought he was out of his mind and tried to persuade him to take another approach (Mark 3:21, 31).
After Jesus was raised from death, Mary remembered the words of the angel Gabriel: “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” (Luke 1:35).
He was truly God and truly human.
Jacob Van Zyl of Lethbridge is a retired counsellor and the author of several faith-based books.
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“David’s corrected DNA”?
The only “cosmic” event associated with Christmas that I am aware of is the “Christmas Star” which can be seen on the Solstice this year. A remarkable alinement of Jupiter and Saturn.
The Biblical story is oft repeated as a source of inspiration at this time of year and offers to many, comfort, whilst to others a fairy tail without any basis in fact . Faith as a comment also in today’s Herald re Paganism states, is deeply personal, bringing peace and hope in a topsy-turvy world.
Freedom of religion is sacrosanct – as is the freedom to reject such teachings.
Rather than a belief in the “control of millions of galaxies” and DNA manipulation by a divine entity , a belief in the earth and respect for that body, makes considerably more sense to me.
The writer has his belief, I have mine.
well said, jpn
while i accept that there is a higher power than humans – it makes no sense that beings that sum up collectively as predominantly dark, ignorant, dim witted, superstitious, hateful, insecure and fear based – that power is most definitely not a male judge that resorts to behaving like the immature humans i noted. the bible presents “god” as an egotist, as judgemental, as cruel, and as a simpleton. any entity that could create a universe as wondrous as we have, would far more likely be above and beyond the rogue and distasteful image of “god” that too many organised religions default to without real thought.