God’s plan for sending His Son Jesus, to be born of the Virgin Mary would seem to date back to the beginning of time. Many a theologian would draw parallels between Eve, the first woman, and Saint Mary who, it is held, chose to obey God at every point. She is regarded as the New Eve, an exemplar of virtue.
From Genesis 3:15 – God, speaking to Eve and the serpent who encouraged her to eat of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and evil, as recorded by Moses said, “I will put enmities between you and the woman, between your offspring and her offspring. She will crush your head, and you will lie in wait for her heel.”
It is held that this means Saint Mary will perhaps figuratively crush the devil, in a triumph of purity – the Immaculate Heart.
According to the Berean Study Bible, Mary, or “Μαριάμ” (Mariam) in Greek, is a name of Hebrew origin, “מִרְיָם” (Miryam), meaning “beloved”.
According to Catholic tradition, Saint Mary was a unique exception to humankind and lived a sinless life. As a pious teen she was “full of grace” and uniquely found favor with God. Her family was priestly, which helps explain how she could be immaculately conceived. She would fulfill prophecy to become mother of Jesus, from recorded scripture from the prophet Isaiah, hundreds of years before. From Isaiah chapter 7 – Isaiah speaking to Israelite King Ahaz on behalf of God said, “The Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” (Immanuel means God with us.)
From the Gospel of Luke, chapter 1:
The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.”
But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her,
“Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his Kingdom there will be no end.”
But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” And the angel said to her in reply,
“The Holy Spirit will come to 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. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God.”
Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.”
Then the angel departed from her.
In this time of Roman occupation, Augustus Caesar had mandated a census be taken of the Roman empire. Some nine months later, to be enrolled in the census, Joseph and Mary traveled the journey from Galilee from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, the lineage of the great King David. While they were there, the time came for her to have her child, and in a stable, she gave birth to Yeshua – “Jesus” in the Greek language, which is said to mean Salvation. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
God not only came down from Heaven out of love for the world, but He arrived in stark humility, according to His design.