Smoodock's Blog

According to his flesh, Jesus is a descendant of Adam through his mother, Mary. If Adam had corrupted the human race through his rebellion against God, how could one of his descendants undo what was done through him? Just as one is unable to unsee something he witnessed, neither can he undo something that’s already done. Adam’s rebellion brought death into the human race (Romans 5:12), separating him from the Presence of God (Genesis 3:21-24). In physical terms, if I had one million dollars, that would be the limit, which I was able to spend. Moreover, if I wished to give some or all of it to others, one million would still be the limit concerning which I’d be able to offer.

Thus, anyone who has inherited death (Romans 5:12) is unable to live any longer than the life he possesses, neither would he be able to offer (if that were humanly possible) any other person more life than he has. In other words, no savior who derives his life from Adam is capable to save mankind from death, vis-à-vis offer eternal life. Therefore, if this is logical and true, if humanity is to be saved from death, the Savior must come into Adam’s race from a source/beginning other than Adam.

Adam, like Jeconiah the king (Matthew 1:11; 2Kings 20:18), became a eunuch, as far as saving his race is concerned. Neither he, nor anyone produced by him would be able to escape death (Hebrews 9:27) and save humanity. Nevertheless, the Savior was promised (Genesis 3:15), but curiously as the “seed” of the woman, not of the man. How would this be done? The Savior would not be Adam’s seed, but would come from the woman!

Similarly, the Messiah was promised to come from David, but the royal line through Solomon ceased, when Jeconiah was made a eunuch (Matthew 1:11; 2Kings 20:18). Although, technically, the line continued through the adoption of David’s line through Nathan (Matthew 1:12; cp. Luke 3:27), the Lord had cursed the line, saying Jeconiah would be childless (Jeremiah 22:28-30). Yet, even if the curse were removed, how could a king from this line save humanity (Genesis 3:15), if death still reigned over him (Romans 5:12; Hebrews 9:27)?

Nevertheless, with the Lord nothing is impossible. According to the Law of Moses, a line that has become childless can be redeemed by a close relative, a kinsman redeemer, whereby the redeemer would marry his brother’s widow, and the first offspring of that marriage would be numbered as the son of the childless line (Deuteronomy 25:5-6), which is the manner in which David the king was born (Ruth 4:13-14, 18-22).

In the context of saving humanity, Jeremiah lamented over Jerusalem, which Nebuchadnezzar destroyed and wherein the king’s seed were made eunuchs. He calls Jerusalem a widow, describing her desolation as, her gates are sunk into the ground; her king and princes are held in captivity, and she (Jerusalem) is bereft of her sons, and she enters her widowhood without hope of redemption (Lamentations 1:1-8, 16). However, the Lord in his mercy remembers his promises to Israel and David. The barren one, who has become bereft of her sons, will have more children than she who is married (Isaiah 54:1). This one would not only live but also inherit the gentiles, making their desolate cities alive with hope (Isaiah 54:2-3). Her shame is laid aside as the Lord, himself, becomes her (kinsman) Redeemer (Isaiah 54:4-5; cp. Ruth 4:14).

In other words, it is the Lord, himself, who provides the Seed for the woman (cp. Genesis 3:15), vis-à-vis the widow (Jerusalem), and the King is born to the childless Jeconiah line (Matthew 1:11; 2Kings 20:18). Although this understanding is repudiated by Jews today, it wasn’t always so, only since the Gospel has this become true. According to ancient Jewish paraphrases of the scriptures (targums) the Jews expected a miracle birth:

“And Adam knew Hava his wife, who had desired the Angel; and she conceived, and bare Kain; and she said, I have acquired a man, the Angel of the Lord”[1]

Finally, the first century Jewish historian, Josephus, preserved an interesting historical event from the reign of Herod, about the time of Jesus’ birth:

“…and for Bagoas (the eunuch), he had been puffed up by them (the Pharisees), as though he should be named the father and the benefactor of him (the Messiah) who, by the prediction, was foretold to be their appointed king; for that THIS KING WOULD HAVE ALL THINGS IN HIS POWER, and would enable Bagoas to marry, and to have children of his own body begotten.”[2]

Thus, the ancient Jews believed that the birth of the Messiah would not have been according to strictly natural means, but would be a miraculous birth, which the virgin birth satisfies, and not only so, but is necessary, if the source of the Messiah is not Adam (Genesis 3:15).

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[1] See Targum Pseudo-Jonathan – Compare Genesis 4:1-2. Moreover, the Hebrew text has it: “I have acquired a man from the Lord” and could also be translated: “I have acquired a man, the LORD (YHWH). This idea is discussed in the ancient Jewish commentaries and “with the help of” was added to avoid difficulties of interpretation.

[2] JOSEPHUS: Antiquities of the Jews: Book 17; Chapter 2; Paragraph 4. – (parenthesis and emphasis mine).