Mary Carried Jesus for Nine Months
From one of the web’s most popular articles, written by CRTL, on: What Does the Bible Say About Abortion?
The New Testament refers to Jesus in the womb as a “child”. The Bible also indicates that Mary had a normal gestation period while carrying Jesus. (See Luke 2:1-6 and 1:56-57.) The Lord’s body was developing within his mother for a full nine months, showing that the Jesus began His earthly human life as a tiny embryo, a single cell.
Many centuries before the Incarnation, the most famous twins in the history of the world, Jacob and Esau, fraternal twins, are called “children” in the Scriptures while they are in the womb. And of course, to this day, twins grab hold of one another in the womb, and unborn children suck their thumbs, play with their toes, sleep, dream, and even learn the melodies of songs, and their own mother’s voice.
Regarding God’s command to the woman who later bore Samson, to not drink wine, her “child” would be a Nazirite “from the womb,” for a Nazirite is a person who, among other things, does not drink alcohol.
Artwork credit:
Kay Eneim, EneimFineArt.com
Modern child-welfare laws in 18 states (AZ, CA, FL, IL, IN, IA, MD, MA, MI, MN, NV, OK, RI, SC, TX, UT, VA, WI) recognize that a pregnant mother who drinks alcohol not only can harm her child, but can inflict him or her with fetal alcohol syndrome. Also, fetal thirst helps regulate the amount of amniotic fluid in the womb. Excess amniotic fluid, called hydramnios (or polyhydramnios) affects 2% of pregnancies and can be somewhat alleviated by fetal swallowing (and eventual expelling) of amniotic fluid, which swallowing can be increased by injection into the womb of an artificial hunger stimulator (peptide) or even by the mother eating sweets.
Children in the Womb: So it is not only for Jesus, but for Jacob, Esau, Jeremiah, and children generally, that the Bible speaks of a “child” or uses some other personal noun or pronoun when referring to the fetus in the womb. The scriptures referenced above state:
“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son.” Mat. 1:23
“Rebekah his wife conceived [and] the children struggled together within her.” –Moses, Genesis 25:22
“Behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. Now drink no wine or similar drink… for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb…” –Judges 13:7
“[John] will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. And… the babe leaped in her womb…” –Luke 1:15, 41
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you…” –Jeremiah 1:5
And consider the Lord in the womb as described by a modern psalmist:
Seed of woman, serpent slayer
To whom we raise our desperate prayer
Began on earth a single cell
In Mary’s womb, Emmanuel
From ovary, oocyte descending
Now to the Logos bowing, bending
Haploid gamete, Holy Wind
Joined! Rejoice! New life begins!
Full human now, a diploid cell
Is Jesus, hope of Israel
In brave young Mary softly dwelling
Whose womb (she feels the weeks) is swelling
She trusted in her mighty Savior
Spoke: “Blessed am I”
She did not waver.
She guarded Jesus,
Defying powers
Persevered through desperate hours
To bring to birth the Holy One
Son of God
And Mary’s son.
Please also, consider donating to CRTL (and if you’re interested see more about the Bible and the unborn child).
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