When reflecting on the virgin birth of Christ, there was a single miraculous moment: the conception. Following that moment, which could be argued as one of the greatest moments in human history, was the natural cycle of gestational development and child birth. God purposely encompassed the full human experience for the coming Savior. Whether it was day 1 or day 150 of Mary’s pregnancy, the unborn Christ child followed the well worn path that every human has and will ever follow. Pregnancy is a common path, universal to all, but no less mysterious. And while Mary’s conception was again, one of the greatest moments of the divine’s engagement with humanity, her pregnancy was mysterious in the most natural way. With that said, the advent story explicitly conveys that to be human is to be conceived, developed within the womb, and then delivered into a chaotic world to live out the human experience. And that brings us to that nasty word: abortion.
It is expected that the disciples of Christ would live and believe very differently than disciples of the world. But, it is troubling for the church to disagree so intensely within–especially on an issue of literal life and death implications. Unfortunately, it persists and it persists with great division. Further, the complexity and mystery of human conception is muddied by non-central talking points: women rights, health care access, the constitution, and so forth. While those can be valid talking points, it is not the central point. The central point continues to be a slippery and evasive item: can we, as a species, morally justify the deliberate termination of a pregnancy? That is without question the central issue.
Can there be a simple answer—yes. Can the topic be complicated—definitely. But while facts can be true (the autonomy of a woman’s body, the unique identity of the unborn, etc.), they do not overshadow the truth. And we know this truth from the virgin birth of Christ: to be human is to be conceived, developed within the womb, and then delivered to exist in the land of the living. This is God’s creative design and this is God’s truth as fully encompassed within the life of His Son (including every moment of His unborn life). And while the circumstances surrounding a conception can be incredibly joyous or incredibly painful, that reality does not undermine the overarching truth of what it means to be human.
In Matthew 25, Jesus gives insight into His coming judgement. It concludes in verse 40 when the righteous are questioning their supposed acts of compassion towards Jesus: “The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it [acts of kindness] to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’” (NASB) Christ’s message is not intended to be an inclusive list of what constitutes charity, but instead it provides insight into the eternal and refutable truth that the Father is interested in every human at every point of their existence—especially those moments when one appears small, weak, afflicted, needy, or overlooked. To extend compassion to them, is to extend compassion to their King. And this is the paradox of a kingdom not of this world, the paradox of a compassionate God, and the paradox of how the Messiah came to live amongst us.
