As we draw close to Christmas, we anticipate that “the virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall name him Emmanuel” (Isa. 7:14), as our First Reading proclaims.
Some biblical scholars argue that the Hebrew word employed in Isaiah 7:14, alma, means “young maiden,” whereas Isaiah refrains from using a word that explicitly means “virgin,” e.g., “betulah.” And that it’s also likely Isaiah would not have anticipated such a miraculous fulfillment to his words.
Okay, but would the prophet have denied such a wondrous deed possible for God? In addition, back in the ancient Hebrew day, one could safely infer that a young maiden was a virgin. (The initial fulfillment of God’s word was the birth of King Ahaz’s son, the righteous King Hezekiah, who served as a type of our Lord Jesus Christ.)
More, to the point, St. Matthew definitively interprets Isaiah 7 with respect to Mary: “Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son” (Matt. 7:23). In part, Matthew relies on the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), which renders Isaiah 7:14 as parthenos, i.e., “virgin.”
After all, if that Son is “Emmanuel” (Matt. 1:23), God who “became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14; 8:58), should we be surprised that the same Incarnate Word could also be born of a virgin? Not only that, but Isaiah prophesies a Virgin who will give birth miraculously, i.e., without labor pains:
“Before she was in labor she gave birth; before her pain came upon her she was delivered of a son. Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things?” (Luke 66:7–8)
Davidic roots
Also, the Messiah’s Davidic roots, which are hinted at in our First Reading (Isa. 7:13), are drawn out in today’s Gospel by the angel Gabriel:
“Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:30–33).
The patriarch Jacob, whose father was Isaac, whose father was Abraham, is the greatest patriarch (Matt. 1:1–2). The same Abraham whom God promised he would bless all the nations through his offspring (Gen. 22:18). This prophecy, among various others, was coming true in the conception and birth of Jesus.
When Mary wonders how such can occur, since “I know not man” (Luke 1:34), Gabriel proclaims she will miraculously conceive, invoking how the Lord was most intimately present in the Old Covenant tabernacle with the ark of the covenant:
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God” (Luke 1:35).
Gabriel uses the same expression that is used in the Greek version of Exodus 40:35 to describe how Yahweh “overshadowed” the tabernacle (and ark).
Indeed, this will be a miraculous conception and thus a Virgin Birth. And what can God do for his Blessed Mother, who “proclaims the greatness of the Lord” (Luke 1:46), and for her cousin Elizabeth, “who was called barren” (Luke 1:36) yet who conceives and gives birth, he can also do for us, even if it’s not quite as dramatic. For regarding what is most important in our lives, “nothing will be impossible for God” (Luke 1:37). Come, Lord Jesus!
