By Craig
Bluemel
Pregnancy starts when
a male’s sperm fertilizes a female’s ovum (egg), and the fertilized ovum
implants in the lining of the uterus.
Mary became pregnant when God created a sperm cell in her mature egg
after the egg was released by one of her ovaries, and traveled down her
Fallopian tube toward the uterus.
Because pregnancy changes a woman’s normal hormone patterns, one of the
first signs of pregnancy is a missed menstrual period. When Mary missed her period, she realized
her pregnancy had already begun.
Matthew 1:18-25 Now the
birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed
to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy
Spirit. 19 And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to
disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. 20 But when he had considered
this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "
Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child
who has been conceived (procreated) in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 "She
will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people
from their sins." 22 Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by
the Lord through the prophet: 23 "BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD
AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL," which
translated means, "GOD WITH US." 24 And Joseph awoke from his sleep
and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, 25
but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His
name Jesus. NASU
Reproduction
is the process whereby all living organisms produce offspring and is one of the
essential functions of plants, animals, and single celled organisms. In the healthy human reproductive cycle a
number of single-celled organisms multiply through conjugation (sexual
intercourse) in a complex design that corresponds to fertilization. This occurs when two related (i.e. – “like”)
one-celled life forms called ‘organisms’ combine by fusion, exchange nucleic
properties, and then break apart. Each
organism then makes a replica by fission.
The
author of the Book of Hebrews describes Jesus the man as being, “…made LIKE his
brethren in ALL things.” Why did God
the Father procreate Jesus by using the human reproductive cycle instead of
making him from the dust of the earth as He also made Adam, the first man? The answer to this question is clearly
stated in the context of Hebrews 2:14-17; concerning Jesus again he says, “…
that he (Jesus) might BECOME a merciful and faithful high priest in things
pertaining to God… since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered,
He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.”
Jesus
shared in the same flesh and blood as his brethren so he could be tempted,
tried and tested, overcome, and in THIS WAY become a truly sympathetic High
Priest.
Hebrews 2:14-17 Therefore, since the children share in flesh
and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He
might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, 15
and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all
their lives. 16 For assuredly He does
not give help to angels, but He gives help to the descendant (spérmatos) of
Abraham. 17 Therefore, He had to be
made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and
faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the
sins of the people. 18 For since He
Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the
aid of those who are tempted. NASU
In
Hebrews 2:17 the Greek words translated as, “He had to be made like His
brethren in all things,” is, “homoiootheénai hína pánta toís
adelfoís.” The Greek word
homoiootheénai means, “to be or become like.”
The Greek word pánta (adverbially), means, “wholly, altogether, in all
ways, in all things, in all respects,” as it is used in Acts 20:35. Therefore Jesus the man was made to be like
his brethren in all ways, in all respects, in all things, wholly and
altogether.” There’s no doubt from this
passages definitions that Jesus was conceived and born as part of the process
used to insure he fulfills this description of him.
In the
beginning God designed human conjugation as the method of sexual reproduction
by which living organisms include the genetic cellular make-up from both male
and female reproductive cells called ‘gametes.’ These gametes unite to form a single cell, known as a ‘zygote,’
which later undergoes successive divisions to form a new organism that grows
into an unborn child in the womb. The terms fecundation and fertilization are
applied to the union of the male and female cells. In this form of sexual
reproduction, half the genes, the carriers of inheritable characteristics, in
the zygote come from one parent and half from the other parent.
The
human male reproductive cell, which is known as a sperm, is a motile cell with
a head containing the nucleus and a whip like tail with which it swims. The human female reproductive cell, which is
known as an egg or ovum, is a rounded cell many times larger than the sperm and
containing large amounts of cytoplasm surrounding the nucleus.
The internal
deposit of semen occurs in the process of copulation, also known as coitus or
sexual intercourse. The male inserts the male genital organ, the penis, into
the female genital orifice, the vagina, discharging the semen therein. This
process is known as insemination. Obviously God did not use copulation to
produce the motile sperm cell thru insemination. Instead, in a haze of brilliancy His spirit surrounded Mary as He
effortlessly created the male gamete cell within the fertile egg of this virgin
woman. The male gamete that God created
subsisted with all the necessary DNA molecules to produce a male human being,
including allelomorphic and mitochondria properties.
Modern
medical science has developed a method of insemination whereby both animal and
human spermatozoa can be kept alive outside the body for long periods by
freezing. Artificially introduced into
the female reproductive tract, such spermatozoa produce pregnancy in a
remarkably high percentage of healthy women. For many decades now the method,
called artificial insemination, has been used successfully in many animal
species, including human reproduction, to produce offspring where either the
male or the female is sterile.
Should
we think the Creator of the universe incapable of producing the male gamete
cell necessary for the procreation of Jesus?
Why do Christians spiritualize this event beyond reason when mere mortal
humans have demonstrated skill and success with artificial insemination?
The
human female normally has a 28-day reproductive or menstrual cycle, with
ovulation usually occurring about 14 days before the onset of the
menstruation. Menstruation is the
periodic vaginal discharge in humans and other mammals, which consists of blood
and cells shed from the endometrium, or lining of the uterus. Menstruation accompanies a woman's
childbearing years, usually beginning between the ages of 10 and 16, at
puberty, and most often ceasing between the ages of 45 and 50, at menopause.
Menstruation is part of the process that prepares a woman for pregnancy. Each
month the lining of the uterus thickens; if pregnancy does not occur, this
lining breaks down and is discharged through the vagina. The three to seven
days that menstruation lasts is called the menstrual period.
Mary was
the young virgin chosen by God to bear the male child He would call His son
Jesus. She was most likely between the
ages of 16-18 and was in her childbearing years. It was no big deal for God to determine the time of her menstrual
cycle. In most women the menstrual
cycle is about 28 days, but it can vary considerably even from one month to
another.
Hormones
in her bloodstream initiate a woman’s menstrual cycle; these hormones stimulate
the ovaries, which are the two female organs that produce the ova, aka
eggs. Each month, hormones cause an egg
in one of the two ovaries to mature and become capable of being fertilized and
develop into a fetus. The ovaries also
produce hormones of their own, primarily estrogen, which cause the endometrium
to thicken. About midway through the menstrual cycle, 14 to 15 days before the
next period, the ovary releases the mature egg in a process called ovulation.
The egg passes through the Fallopian tube to the uterus. If the egg unites with
a sperm on its way to the uterus, fertilization occurs and pregnancy ensues.
During
Mary’s ovulation one of her ovary released a mature egg that passed through her
Fallopian tube on its way to the uterus; at the instant this happened, God
created a sperm cell perfectly compatible and able to unite with the egg;
fertilization occurred and the infant Jesus was procreated. This is the exact description of the
scientific process that occurred.
The
three to five days the egg takes to reach the uterus after being released by
the ovary is known as the woman's fertile period. If fertilization does occur,
the fertilized egg attaches itself to the enriched uterine lining and pregnancy
continues. Menstruation does not occur during pregnancy, and a missed period is
often the first indication of pregnancy a woman notices. If fertilization does
not occur, the lining of the uterus does not receive the hormones it needs to
continue the thickening process. Thus, the uterine lining breaks down and is
discharged from the body during menstruation.
After fertilization of
the egg, the resulting zygote undergoes cell division and differentiation to
form the embryo. The embryo is implanted in the uterus and is nourished by the
mother until almost completely developed. The period during which pregnant
women carry their young internally is known as the period of gestation.
In humans the period of
years during which reproduction can occur begins with the onset of puberty, and
the reproductive capacity of the female ends at what is known as menopause, or
when menstruation ceases.
So this
is how I reconcile the processes used; Mary’s ovulation was normal and typical;
her ovary released a mature egg, as it traveled down the Fallopian tube, God
inseminated the egg by creating the gamete cell that would unite with her
fertile egg, making it now a fertilized egg, which then attached itself to the
uterine wall, and the pregnancy began.
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