Luke 1:34 “How can this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
The announcement to Mary could not be elucidated scientifically or logically. She could not justify her miracle socially as she was a virgin. She did not have the essential components to produce a baby. Yet, Mary believed that the God who created the heavens and the earth is more than capable of generating the “Y” chromosome in the womb of a virgin. This was an “onetime miracle”. There were no precedents and there will be no more such occurrences. Hence the faith of Mary the young teenager and her tenacity to face the society in a day and age where she could have been misunderstood and stoned to death, was commendable. Jews were very well informed about the virgin birth of the Messiah. It was in fact the prayer of every Jewish girl before she got married, to be handpicked to be the blessed mother of the Messiah. But the teenager who was pleasantly shocked at the announcement asked “How can this be”.
Prophecies are God’s announcements about our future. If we try to decipher the promise with human understanding, unbelief will grip our heart. We would also ask, “how can this be”? When God says that He would make a ‘stutterer’ into a ‘speaker’, a ‘wayward’ into a ‘worshipper’, an ‘illiterate’ into a ‘teacher’, it is quite natural to be confused like Mary.
Miracles are supernatural interruptions of the natural laws, hence cannot be understood scientifically.
The laws of miracles:
1. Scientific: Miracles are scientific interventions to change the end result that cannot be justified. A medical miracle of cancer being healed cannot be rationalized by medical reports. A miracle intervenes and reverses the diagnosis and prognosis. Likewise, the bloodline of humanity was infested with the ‘sin virus’. The birth of Jesus with the uncontaminated blood of God the Father, is the antidote that reverses the ‘sin virus’ that science cannot explain. The womb of Mary was only the incubator for the fetus. In fact, science supports that the mother’s blood does not mix with the blood of the fetus during pregnancy. However, science cannot expound the miraculous conception. Miracles are interruptions to the laws of science.
2. Simple: Only the simple, humble and meek can experience the miracle. This is why Jesus chose a lowly home and an ordinary middle class family as His temporary abode. When the angel informed Mary, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you” (Luke 1:35a), Mary without any further questions, made room in her heart, home and womb for the Christ Child. Many scholars miss the miracles as they try to analyze the prophecy with philosophies. Only the humble simpleton can experience the supernatural.
- Submit: Finally, unless we submit to the instructions and directions of the Lord, we will not enjoy the miracle. Mary’s response, “I am the Lord’s servant,”…“May your word to me be fulfilled.” (Luke 1:38), qualified her to house the glory of God. Only a surrendered soul enjoys the supernatural.
Supernatural miracles cannot be explained scientifically – they can only be experienced.
Luke 2:19 Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
Prayer: God of Miracles, You are the author of both science and the supernatural. May I never negate your miracles by my scientific reasoning. Amen.
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