The adoption of Jesus

Did you know Jesus was adopted? As we learn from the Bible, Jesus was born of a virgin. Since Jesus was born of a virgin, His mother was Mary, but Joseph was not His father. However, Joseph adopted Jesus into his family and raised Him as his own child. We even learn that Jesus followed in the trade of Joseph.

One of the most important aspects of understanding that Jesus was adopted is that His being born of a virgin allowed Him to be fully human and fully God.

Matthew 1:18-25 depicts His birth narrative and explains that Mary was still a virgin when she bore Jesus.

Several aspects that show Jesus's humanity are that as the Son of Man, and fully human, he experienced humanity: physically (Matthew 8:24; 4:2), mentally (Luke 2:52), and emotionally (Matthew 26:36-39).

As amazing as it is to believe that Joseph adopted Jesus as his own son, and raised Him, we still see that Jesus's own family did not immediately follow Him as Savior. Wayne Grudem writes, "The people who were closest to Jesus for much of His life - His own brothers and the people in His own hometown - recognized Him as merely a man, just like everyone else. He was fully human" (Grudem, Systematic Theology, p. 534-535).

However, those of us that proclaim to be Christians and are striving to become more Christlike in our day to day life can take comfort in knowing, "Follower of Christ, you have a Savior who is familiar with your struggles - physically, mentally, and emotionally. He is familiar with your sorrow. He is familiar with your suffering (Heb. 2:18). This is why it's comforting to affirm that Jesus was born of a woman, as the Son of Man" (Platt, Matthew, p. 21-22).

As Christians, through Jesus, we have been adopted into God's family. And the adoption by God to His children is permanent and forever an adoption as His own. How beautiful the process of adoption here on this earth that we can provide a glimpse of the Gospel through answering the call to bring a child in need into a forever family.

What a privilege and a joy!