Matthew’s account focuses on the role of Joseph, “the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born.” (Matthew 1:16) Mt Chapter 1, verse 18, explains that Mary, a virgin, was found to be pregnant before she was united with her fiancé, Joseph. On learning of this, Joseph, a “righteous” man, determined to end their engagement secretly so as not to expose Mary to public shame. However, God let him know that the conception had been by the power of holy spirit and that he had chosen Mary for a special role as the mother of the Savior. With this assurance, Joseph took Mary home, “but had no intercourse with her until her son was born.”​—Matthew 1:25, The New English Bible.

Luke, on the other hand, presents the account from Mary’s point of view. The essential facts are the same, but he gives details of the conversation between Mary and the angel who revealed to her the privilege of motherhood that she was being offered. Astonished, Mary responded: “How is this to be, since I am having no intercourse with a man?” To her it all seemed beyond belief, as it may seem to you. The angel then explained to her that the conception would be miraculous, by holy spirit, by the power of the Most High, whose son the child thus would be. Mary accepted the honor readily and duly gave birth to a son, Jesus.​—Luke 1:26-38.

Matthew records that Joseph “had no intercourse with [Mary] until she gave birth to a son,” Jesus. (Matthew 1:25) Commenting on the significance of “until” here, the Revised Standard Version, Catholic edition, published by the Catholic Truth Society, London, claims: “This means only that Joseph had nothing to do with the conception of Jesus. It implies nothing as to what happened afterwards.”

[Diagram on page 5]

(For fully formatted text, see publication)

A female’s egg contains two X chromosomes. The male sperm cell has an X and a Y. Each parent provides one chromosome. If two X’s combine, a girl is produced. If an X and a Y, the child will be male.

Laboratory-induced parthenogenesis causes a female egg to divide and grow, so the result (XX) must be a female.

Such a type of parthenogenesis could not have occurred with Mary, for her firstborn (Jesus) was a male. Since she was a virgin, the Y chromosome must have been supplied miraculously, as the Bible indicates.

Scientifically Possible?

Reproduction without a male is known as parthenogenesis [Greek, parthenos meaning “maiden” plus “genesis”]. Recently scientists have been experimenting successfully with parthenogenesis in mammals. The Economist of August 1, 1981, reports: “Embryo development in the absence of sperm is the natural means of reproduction in many lower species of animal. . . . Parthenogenesis is being studied using laboratory mice. Several means exist for artificially activating an unfertilised mouse egg.”

Similarly, Dr. M. B. V. Roberts of Marlborough College, England, writes: “An unfertilized egg was removed from a female rabbit, activated by pricking, and then popped back into the uterus. Hormone treatment had been previously given to the female so that her uterine mucosa was prepared for implantation. Normal development ensued, and a visibly normal offspring was produced.”

Are we to conclude from this that God induced Mary’s pregnancy in some such way from an unfertilized egg? No. From the accompanying chart, you can see why. If Mary’s firstborn had received both chromosomes (X) from her, the offspring would of necessity have been female.

Hence, something more must have been involved in the conception of Jesus. Just what this was the angel explained to Joseph: “That which has been begotten in her is by holy spirit.” (Matthew 1:20) We do not know precisely how this was done. Yet we must admit that if mere man can in a limited way manipulate the fertilization process in the laboratory, surely it is not beyond the power of the Creator and Life-Giver of the universe to do so and to transfer the life-force of his Son from the heavens to the ovum of a virgin girl.

Someone would have to step down from the heavenly realm. Appropriately, the one to do this was the firstborn Son of God. He had to become a perfect man and yet not lose his continuity of life. His life-force was not to be extinguished but would be transferred to the ovum of the virgin girl, Mary. She, ‘overshadowed by the protective power of the Most High,’ could produce a perfect body for the babe Jesus.​—Luke 1:35.

This explains also why the life-force could not come through an imperfect human male in the normal way. An imperfect Jesus could not have become the ransom. Nor could he have become such as an incarnation or God/​man.

Jehovah selected a virgin to be the earthly mother of Jesus so that it would be clear that he was the son, not of an imperfect human father, but of God. Had a married woman been given this great honor there would always have been doubt about this.