Mary’s Miracle Baby and Other Nativities

by Horace Alexander |  25 December 2023  |

Birth has been described as the earliest miracle of human life, and before the science of fertilization, conception, and gestation were more completely understood, birth was seen as miraculous, a gift from God. Even with our scientific knowledge, birth is still full of wonderment and mystery. There is something sacred about bringing new life into the world. In Bible times, when a birth occurred there were grand celebrations (Isaiah 54:1; Psalm 113:9; Genesis 11:30; 25:21; 29:31). Conversely, barrenness was considered the greatest curse for a woman (Deuteronomy 28:1-4, 15-18; Genesis 30:1,2).

Nativity

The birth of Jesus is referred to as “The Nativity.” According to Webster’s Third International Dictionary, ”nativity” means “The process, fact, or circumstances (such as time, place, or manner) of being born.” Of course, when we refer to The Nativity with a capital “N,” we are referring specifically to the birth of Jesus, but there are many nativities, or birth stories, in the Bible. What does the nativity of Jesus have in common with the other nativities in the Bible? The answer to that question may surprise you.

 The Birth Story

In biblical literature, the Birth Story is a distinct narrative genre. It is a recognizable category of literature with its own features and characteristics. However, since each person is unique, not all stories have all the characteristics, but most of these stories have most of these characteristics. Generally, the Birth Story is as follows:

• A barren wife or couple desires a child.
• A messenger from God, sometimes an angel, appears and promises a son.
• The birth occurs, often accompanied by supernatural events.
• Hostile forces threaten the life of the child.
• God protects the child, so he grows to adulthood,
• He becomes a great hero, deliverer, or savior.

Let us see how these features are shown in some of the birth stories of the Bible.

1. Every one of these women suffered barrenness:

• • Sarah, mother of Isaac: Genesis 15:2; 16:2.
  • Rebekah, mother of Jacob: Genesis 25:21
  • Rachel, mother of Joseph: Genesis 30:1-2
  • Manoah’s wife, mother of Samson: Judges 13:2
  • Hannah, mother of Samuel: 1 Samuel 1:2, 5-8
  • Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist: Luke 1:7

Is this mere coincidence? Why did these women have trouble getting pregnant? In biblical literature, whenever one sees mention of a woman being barren, one knows that a great man is about to be conceived. It foreshadows the birth of a great leader.

In the case of Mary, the mother of Jesus, she was not barren, but she, like the others, would conceive a child under miraculous circumstances. Each birth story involves a miracle pregnancy. Each baby is a miracle baby.

2. Before the miracle pregnancy, a messenger from God promises a son:

• • Sarah: Genesis 17:1-6, 16,19; 18:10-14
  • Manoah’s wife: Judges 13:3,9
  • Elizabeth: Luke 1:11-13, 19-22
  • Mary: Luke 1:26-32

3. Then the birth occurs, sometimes with supernatural events:

• • Sarah: Genesis 21:1-7
  • Rachel: Genesis 37:3
  • Manoah’s wife: Judges 13:24-25
  • Hannah: 1 Samuel 1:20
  • Elizabeth: Luke 1:23-25, 41,57 Zechariah’s dumbness relieved.
  • Mary: Matthew 1:21 (see also Luke) Star, Magi, angelic chorus.

4. Also, hostile forces threaten the child. In the case of Joseph, it was his own brothers: “Behold the dreamer cometh. Let us kill him and see what cometh of his dreams” (Gen 37:18). For Samson as a young man, it was a lion he met on his first trip to the big city of Timnah (Judges 14:5); for Moses it was Pharaoh’s ordering the slaughter of all boy babies of the Hebrews (Exodus 1:16,22), and for Jesus it was Herod’s killing of all boy babies two years and under in Judea (Matthew 2:16).

5. God protects the child in each case, so he lives to become a man. Joseph is sold as a slave instead of being killed (Genesis 32:26-27), Samson gets superhuman strength to kill the lion (Judges 15:14-16), Moses is rescued by Pharaoh’s daughter (Exodus 2:2-10), and Jesus’ parents receive a vision to flee to Egypt to escape Herod’s treachery (Matthew 2:19-23).

6. Finally, all these male children grew up to be outstanding leaders, and the rest, as we know, is ancient history. (See Genesis 26:1-6; Genesis 45:5-8,26; Judges 15:20; Exodus 14:31 et seq.; 1Samuel 3:19-21; Luke1:80; Matthew 1:21).

Bible writers were limited to seeing the world through the lenses of their gender and culture. The Bible’s being the product of a patriarchal society, nativities are limited to males. It is therefore not surprising that there is no birth story for a great military leader such as Deborah, a diplomat such as Esther, an “undercover” agent such as Rahab, or other women such as Ruth, an ancestor of Jesus, and all the matriarchs already mentioned. There is no nativity recorded for Mary, the mother of Jesus. Catholic tradition credits her conception to St Anne, an unexplained “immaculate conception” so that Mary could be a fit vessel to bring the son of God into the world. It is noteworthy that in none of the biblical nativities does the newly blest woman give birth to a daughter. Apparently, only the birth of a son adequately removes the curse of infertility.

Then, as now, patriarchy is the prevailing mindset in the Middle East. Unfortunately, many modern-day believers and institutions, including those outside of the Middle East, seem unable to differentiate between universal principles espoused by our spiritual ancestors and the cultures through which they filtered their spiritual perceptions.

How do we explain these patterns of nativity in the Bible? Are these merely coincidences? Some scholars suggest that in the Hebrew mind, a great man must have a great beginning. Decades, and sometimes centuries, after a man achieved greatness, an appropriate birth story is developed that reflects the greatness of the man. Of course, stories composed decades after the fact leave open the likelihood of legend and myth. In the case of Jesus, for example, stories of his birth were probably carried forward by decades of oral tradition until the gospel of Matthew finally presented an account in writing. Scholars estimate that Matthew was written around the year 80 CE, so about eighty years passed before Jesus’ nativity was described by the writer of the Matthew gospel.

Perhaps these birth stories were meant to suggest how God chooses to intervene in human history. This is God’s M.O. He introduces great leaders into human history in such a way that we are reminded not to take these leaders for granted, but to regard them as special gifts from God. The birth story of Jesus may not have been as unique as we have thought, but it is the last of its kind in the Bible, and in a sense, it is the climactic birth story. It is the one that introduces the ultimate hero, the ultimate deliverer, the ultimate savior of humankind.

Horace B. Alexander M.A., Ed.S., Ed.D., is a Professor Emeritus of English with a specialty in the literature of the Bible. The author of the historical novel Moon Over Port Royal, he has also served as a school principal, district superintendent, dean of instruction, and college vice president.

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