The Messiah: Born of a Woman – A Promise of God’s Redemptive Plan

The Messiah: Born of a Woman – A Promise of God’s Redemptive Plan

by Neil McBride

The Messiah: Born of a Woman — The Glory of Incarnation and the Wonder of Birth

One of the earliest and most profound promises concerning the coming of the Messiah centres on this pivotal truth: He would be born of a woman. This divine declaration, embedded in the earliest chapters of Scripture, affirms the Messiah’s full humanity and reveals God’s masterful redemptive plan. The entrance of the Saviour into the world would not be sudden or supernatural in appearance, as with angelic beings. Rather, it would occur through the most natural, earthly, and vulnerable of processes: human birth.

This truth magnifies both the humility and the intimacy of the incarnation. God did not choose to send His Son in a blaze of celestial glory, but in a mother’s womb’s quiet, hidden development. The One through whom all things were made (John 1:3) submitted Himself to the process of human development, from conception to birth so that He might walk fully in our experience.

The First Promise: The Seed of the Woman

The promise of a Redeemer begins at the moment of humanity’s fall. As God pronounces judgment upon the serpent, He also proclaims hope to fallen man:

“And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”

Genesis 3:15, KJV

This is no ordinary prophecy. In biblical genealogies, the male, the father’s line, traces lineage. Yet here, God speaks of “her seed,” hinting at a child born of a woman without reference to a man. This unusual phrase finds its fulfilment in the virgin birth of Jesus Christ, a miracle that would occur millennia later. This “seed” would one day crush the head of the serpent — Satan — though not without cost, as the serpent would bruise His heel. This sets the stage for a Messiah who would suffer, but ultimately triumph over evil.

The Virgin Shall Conceive

Centuries after the Edenic promise, the prophet Isaiah affirms and expands the prophecy:

“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”

Isaiah 7:14, KJV

Here, the sign of the Messiah is not military might or political power but a miraculous birth. A virgin would conceive, bearing a child whose very name, Immanuel, means “God with us.” This is more than a poetic statement. It is a declaration that God Himself would come down, not in distant majesty but in intimate proximity, clothed in human flesh.

The Fulfilment: Christ Born of a Woman

Paul confirms this in his letter to the Galatians:

“But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.”

— Galatians 4:4–5, KJV

The phrase “made of a woman” echoes Genesis 3:15. Christ came into the world through a woman’s womb, in full accordance with natural human development. He was not formed as Adam was, from the dust, but through the same biological process that every human being experiences, except without the intervention of a human father. This birth placed Him under the law, under the same burdens and limitations as humanity, to fulfil the law and redeem those under it.

The Wonder of Natural Birth: A Scientific Perspective

To fully appreciate the depth of Christ’s incarnation, it is worth reflecting on the marvel of human birth; a process that God Himself designed, and one through which He chose to bring His Son into the world.

From conception, a single fertilised egg begins to divide and grow with extraordinary precision. Within the first 24 hours, it starts multiplying, forming what will become the full structure of the human body. By just three weeks, the heart begins to beat. By eight weeks, all major organs are present. Over nine months, in a sacred and hidden place — the womb — a child is knit together, as King David wrote:

“For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and my soul knoweth right well.”

— Psalm 139:13-14, KJV

This intricate development is no accident. Every movement, heartbeat, and neuron forming in the fetal brain points to God’s intelligent design and creative genius. In the case of Jesus, the very God who formed the first man in Eden chose to form Himself in the womb of a young virgin, Mary.

Imagine: the infinite Son of God, who spoke galaxies into existence, allowed Himself to be a zygote, then an embryo, then a fetus — dependent on the nourishment of His mother, hearing her heartbeat, feeling her warmth, growing in silence and secrecy. This is not only biological; it is miraculous. God became a baby.

The Necessity of Christ’s Humanity

Hebrews helps us grasp why it was essential for Christ to share in our humanity fully:

“Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;”

— Hebrews 2:14, KJV

Jesus had to be truly human to die a human death; to absorb the penalty of sin fully. He had to live under the constraints of the body: tiredness, hunger, sorrow, and pain. He wept (John 11:35), He hungered (Matthew 4:2), and He suffered (Luke 22:44). And yet, He did not sin. As Hebrews 4:15 declares:

“For we have not a high priest who cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”

This perfect identification with us allows Christ to be our merciful High Priest, understanding our weaknesses and representing us before God.

The Humility of His Birth

The glory of the incarnation is matched only by the humility of its circumstances. Jesus was not born in a palace, nor celebrated by kings. He was born in a stable, wrapped in swaddling clothes, and laid in a manger:

“And so it was that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.”

Luke 2:6-7, KJV

From the outset, Jesus identified with the poor and lowly. His birth was announced not to royalty, but to shepherds. The Son of God chose poverty and obscurity to lift the humble and draw near to the broken.

Conclusion: The Word Made Flesh

The truth that the Messiah would be born of a woman is not just a fulfilment of prophecy; it is the heart of the Gospel. It proclaims that God did not remain distant but drew near in the most intimate and vulnerable way. He stepped into our world, not merely to observe, but to participate, to redeem, and to restore.

“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

John 1:14, KJV

Let us never lose the wonder of this truth. The One who formed the womb entered it. The Creator became a creature. The infinite became an infant.

And all of this,  so that we might become children of God.

“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor the will of man, but of God.”

John 1:12-13, KJV

The Messiah: Born of a Woman – A Promise of God’s Redemptive Plan

DTA – Neil McBride

(CEO and founder of Downtown Angels)