The angels said, "O Mary, GOD gives you good news: a Word from Him whose name is 'The Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary.' He will be prominent in this life and in the Hereafter, and one of those closest to Me.

Jesus, son of Mary, was a human messenger of God sent to the Children of Israel (3:49, 61:6). The Quran calls him the Messiah, "His word that He had sent to Mary, and a revelation from Him" (4:171). It insists that he "is no more than a messenger like the messengers before him," and that he and his mother "used to eat the food" (5:75). Dr. Khalifa notes that the Quran always calls him "son of Mary," which he reads as a safeguard against those who would call him "son of God" (5:116).
His story starts before his birth. The angels told Mary that God had chosen and purified her above all women. They brought her good news of "a Word from Him whose name is 'The Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary'" (3:42-45). God's Spirit came to her in human form. When she asked how she could have a son when no man had touched her, he answered, "It is easy for Me" (19:16-21). She gave birth alone by the trunk of a palm tree, and the infant comforted her, pointing her to a stream and to ripe dates (19:22-25). Dr. Khalifa takes those falling dates to mean Jesus was born in late September or early October. When her family accused her, the baby spoke from the crib: "I am a servant of GOD. He has given me the scripture, and has appointed me a prophet" (19:27-33).
As an adult he came with proofs. By God's leave he made a bird from clay and gave it life, healed the blind and the leprous, and raised the dead. He confirmed the Torah, lifted certain prohibitions placed on the Israelites, and preached one message: "GOD is my Lord and your Lord; you shall worship Him alone" (3:49-51, 43:63-64). He also gave good news of a messenger to come after him (61:6). Many dismissed his miracles as magic, and God protected him from those who wanted to harm him (5:110). When he sensed their disbelief, he asked who would support him toward God. The disciples answered that they believed and were submitters (3:52-53). They asked for a feast from the sky to reassure their hearts. God sent it with a warning that anyone who disbelieved afterward would be punished as no one else had been (5:112-115).
His enemies plotted against him, and God said, "O Jesus, I am terminating your life, raising you to Me" (3:54-55). The Quran says they "never killed him, they never crucified him, they were made to think that they did" (4:157-158). Dr. Khalifa explains that Jesus himself, his soul, was raised the way any righteous person dies. Only then did his enemies arrest, torture and crucify his empty but still physically living body (footnote to 3:54-55;). On the Day of Resurrection, God will ask him whether he told people to make him and his mother idols. He will answer that he said only what he was commanded: "You shall worship GOD, my Lord and your Lord" (5:116-117).
The Quran's main lesson from his story concerns who he was. "The example of Jesus, as far as GOD is concerned, is the same as that of Adam; He created him from dust, then said to him, 'Be,' and he was" (3:59). Dr. Khalifa points out that this equality is also mathematical: Jesus and Adam are each mentioned 25 times. A virgin birth therefore makes Jesus no more divine than Adam was, since "It does not befit GOD that He begets a son" (19:35). The Quran calls those who say God is the Messiah, or a third in a trinity, pagans (5:72-73), and it says "You shall not say, 'Trinity'" (4:171). Dr. Khalifa titles that passage "Today's Christianity Not Jesus' Religion." The Messiah "would never disdain from being a servant of GOD" (4:172).
Two further lessons stand out. The feast shows that greater miracles bring greater responsibility. Dr. Khalifa applies this to the Quran's own mathematical miracle (5:114-115). Jesus also serves "as a marker for knowing the end of the world" (43:61). Dr. Khalifa explains that his birth date anchors the calculation that the world will end in the year 2280 after his birth. The verses believers are left with ask them to "be GOD's supporters, like the disciples of Jesus" (61:14).
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The angels said, "O Mary, GOD gives you good news: a Word from Him whose name is 'The Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary.' He will be prominent in this life and in the Hereafter, and one of those closest to Me.
"He will speak to the people from the crib, as well as an adult; he will be one of the righteous."
She said, "My Lord, how can I have a son, when no man has touched me?" He said, "GOD thus creates whatever He wills. To have anything done, He simply says to it, 'Be,' and it is.
"He will teach him the scripture, wisdom, the Torah, and the Gospel."
As a messenger to the Children of Israel: "I come to you with a sign from your Lord—I create for you from clay the shape of a bird, then I blow into it, and it becomes a live bird by GOD's leave. I restore vision to the blind, heal the leprous, and I revive the dead by GOD's leave. I can tell you what you eat, and what you store in your homes. This should be a proof for you, if you are believers.
"I confirm previous scripture—the Torah—and I revoke certain prohibitions imposed upon you. I come to you with sufficient proof from your Lord. Therefore, you shall observe GOD, and obey me.
"GOD is my Lord and your Lord;* you shall worship Him alone. This is the right path."
*3:51 This is precisely what Jesus is quoted to say throughout the New Testament. See for example the Gospel of John 20:17, and the book "Jesus: Myths and Message" by Lisa Spray, Ch. 4 (Universal Unity, Fremont, California, 1992).
When Jesus sensed their disbelief, he said, "Who are my supporters towards GOD?" The disciples said, "We are GOD's supporters; we believe in GOD, and bear witness that we are submitters.
"Our Lord, we have believed in what You have sent down, and we have followed the messenger; count us among the witnesses."
They plotted and schemed, but so did GOD, and GOD is the best schemer.
*3:54 We learn that Jesus' soul, the real person, was raised, i.e., Jesus' life on earth was terminated, prior to the arrest, torture, and crucifixion of his empty, soulless, but physiologically living body (See the details in Appendix 22).
Thus, GOD said, "O Jesus, I am terminating your life, raising you to Me, and ridding you of the disbelievers. I will exalt those who follow you above those who disbelieve, till the Day of Resurrection. Then to Me is the ultimate destiny of all of you, then I will judge among you regarding your disputes.
GOD will say, "O Jesus, son of Mary, remember My blessings upon you and your mother. I supported you with the Holy Spirit, to enable you to speak to the people from the crib, as well as an adult. I taught you the scripture, wisdom, the Torah, and the Gospel. Recall that you created from clay the shape of a bird by My leave, then blew into it, and it became a live bird by My leave. You healed the blind and the leprous by My leave, and revived the dead by My leave. Recall that I protected you from the Children of Israel who wanted to hurt you, despite the profound miracles you had shown them. The disbelievers among them said, 'This is obviously magic.'
"O John, you shall uphold the scripture, strongly." We endowed him with wisdom, even in his youth.
And (we endowed him with) kindness from us and purity, for he was righteous.
He honored his parents, and was never a disobedient tyrant.
Peace be upon him the day he was born, the day he dies, and the day he is resurrected back to life.