"Virgin Joseph" cartoon by nakedpastor David Hayward
Do you like this cartoon? Get a print of it HERE!
Yes, it is said Joseph was a virgin too. They argue that Jesus' brothers and sisters were really cousins. But Joseph being a virgin is just not as exciting as a woman being a virgin! That's news-worthy!
Why? Perhaps because there may be some very deep psycho-sexual and sexist themes present. Plus, it's the purity of the vessel, not as much the seed, that makes for a good savior story. And we have no shortage of savior stories.
Here's just an introductory list of miraculous births:
- Krishna
- Buddha
- Moses
- Isaac
- Jesus
- John the Baptist
- Melchizedek
- Kabir
- Zoroaster
- Marduk
- Sennacherib
- Horus
- Neith
- Perseus
- Hercules
- Helios
- Mithra
- Aphrodite
- Helen of Troy
- Some Caesars
- Augustus
- Qi
- Lao-tse
- Huitsilopochtli
- Quetsalcoati
- Momotaro
I've heard many¬†Christian leaders share their own miraculous birth stories. I don't remember anyone proclaiming they were born of a virgin, but they do talk about their miraculous births‚ like unheard of extended pregnancies, being born dead and resuscitated, being born prematurely and miraculously surviving, supernatural phenomena surrounding their births, prophecies predicting their births and important ministries, and more! Why do they tell us these stories? Because they want us to think they are special, divinely appointed, speak truth, and should be followed.
Miracles somehow validate the birth and exalt the child to divine proportions. The purity of the virgin purifies the child. This gives us hope that we will indeed be rescued.
As the list of miraculous births suggests, this is not just a Christian urge, not even a religious urge, but a human one.