A Portrait of Mary. According to the Four Gospel Writers

Transcription

1 A Portrait of Mary According to the Four Gospel Writers And Mary said: "My soul glorifies the Lord 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed. Luke 1:46-48 Rodney Kerr Merrylands Anglican Church, 2014

2 2014 Rodney Kerr This Booklet was made for personal study. Please don t reproduce or copy without permission 2

3 A Portrait of Mary according to the Four Gospel Writers Contents Introduction.5 Four Portraits of Mary...6 Gospel Comparisons..6 Table 1:... 6 Matthew s Account... 8 Mark s Account... 9 Luke s Account John s Account A Gospel Comparison of Jesus rejecting his Biological Family Table A Gospel Comparison of Jesus hometown recognising him through his Biological Family.. 14 Table Conclusion.15 A Biblical Portrait of Mary.17 The Young Mary...17 Mary Visited by an Angel Joseph s Story Mary visits Elizabeth Mary s Song Mary gave birth to Jesus Mary & Joseph present Jesus Visited by the Magi Fled to Egypt Mary Parenting Jesus Conclusion.25 3

4 Mary during Jesus Ministry...28 Mary and Jesus Partying The Concern of a Mother Blessed is the Womb Jesus identified as Mary s son The Absence of Mary Conclusion.33 Mary during the Crucifixion and after the Ascension..35 The Grieving Mother A True Disciple Conclusion.36 The Portrait of Mary.37 4

5 Introduction Many people love Mary the mother of Jesus. For some, this love of Mary has led to great adulation and even worship but for others Mary is simply another person who God worked through in order to bring about his purposes. This has led to great controversy about Mary. Who was she? How are we to understand her? And what part should she play in our lives today? For many people, the doctrines of The Church and the writings of the early church fathers give us great insight into understanding Mary. However, as Christians, it would make sense to look to what God has to say about Mary in the Bible, for all Christians believe that the Bible is God s word. My hope is to be able to put together a concise portrait of Mary based purely upon what the Gospel writers say about her. In this way, I am not intending to look into any Old Testament prophecies or passages that might talk about her in the end times (as in Revelation 12), nor am I intending to interact with the many doctrines about Mary but will attempt to understand what the writers of the Gospels were hoping to convey about who Mary was during her lifetime. Throughout this booklet I have added many Bible passages to make it easier for you to see more clearly what the Bible is saying. All the Bible passages are taken from the New International Version (NIV) of 1984 as it is the most widely read English translation of the Bible and the one my church is currently using. But while it is convenient to have the Bible passages in the booklet it is also important to read these passages in the context from which they were taken. I would recommend looking up each passage in your own Bible to be sure that I have not taken anything out of its original context and to help you to see the portrait that the Bible paints of Mary. 5

6 Four Portraits of Mary Gospel Comparisons No matter which translation you buy, when you go into a shop to buy a Bible you will find it all bound in one cover. This means that we can sometimes forget that the Bible has a number of human authors (of course God is the ultimate author) who wrote their scrolls and letters with their own reasons and audiences in mind. When it comes to the Gospel writers, we find that Matthew, Mark, and Luke, seem to be similar in the way they format their biography of Jesus while John s Gospel follows a different storyline. At this point I think it is important to remind ourselves that the four Gospels are all about Jesus and not Mary. The fact that Mary is included in these Gospels means that we can learn about her and gain an understanding of who she was but we cannot press the Gospels to do more than what they were intended to do and that is to tell us about Jesus. Table 1: Matthew Mark Luke/Acts John 1:16 Mary s appearance in the Genealogy of Jesus 1:18-25 Mary betrothed & an angel visits Joseph 1:26-38 An angel visits Mary & announces the impending birth of Jesus 1:39-56 Mary visits Elizabeth and sings her song 2:4-7 Joseph & Mary go to Bethlehem. Jesus is born 2:16-19 The Shepherds visit & find the baby as the angels had said 2:22-35 Jesus presented at the Temple & Simeon prophesied about Jesus and Mary 6

7 2:11 The Magi visit & pay homage to Jesus 2:13-14 Joseph flees to Egypt with his family 2:19-21 Joseph brings his family back to Israel 12:46-50 Jesus rejects his biological family in favour of his spiritual family 13:55-56 Jesus recognised by his home town through his family 3:21 Jesus family think he is out of his mind 3:31-35 Jesus rejects his biological family in favour of his spiritual family 6:3 Jesus recognised by his home town through his family 2:39-52 Joseph & Mary lose 12yr old Jesus during the Passover 8:19-21 Jesus rejects his biological family in favour of his spiritual family 11:27-28 Jesus rejects a blessing about Mary Acts 1:12-14 Mary & Jesus brothers pray with the disciples while waiting for the Holy Spirit 2:1-5 Jesus & Mary go to a wedding party. 2:12 Jesus, Mary & his disciples went to Capernaum together 6:42 Jesus recognised by his home town through his family 19:25-27 Mary at Jesus crucifixion. 7

8 Sometimes it is worth making comparisons of a particular story that comes up in the different Gospels. By doing this we not only get a fuller understanding of a particular story but we can also see how one Gospel writer focused on a particular point of that story while others might ignore that point and focus on another. Sometimes, these comparisons can actually highlight what a writer wanted to say in a clearer way than if we hadn t made any comparison at all. The table above is a type of Gospel comparison about Mary the mother of Jesus. In it are all the passages that each writer has written about Mary in chronological order. As you look at the table, it is worth noting how the Gospels have different stories about Mary. This means that a full portrait of Mary can only really be done by having a good look at what all the Gospels have to say about Mary rather than one particular Gospel. It is also worth noting that there are only two times when more than one Gospel writer mentions Mary s name in the same context or storyline. This means that they are important parts of the story to look at and we will have a more detailed look at these two stories later on. Matthew s Account Mary features very early on in Matthew s Gospel, firstly in the genealogy and then in the Birth Narrative of Jesus. In Matthew s Gospel we read of how Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, of how she was pregnant even though she was a virgin, of an angel announcing Mary s pregnancy in Joseph s dream and that the child would be named Jesus because he would save his people from their sins. By chapter two we read of the Magi who came to pay homage to the new King of the Jews and they visited Mary and Jesus in their house. Joseph was then told in another dream to take Mary and Jesus and escape to Egypt. When the danger was past, Joseph was told later to return to Israel. The surprising part of Matthew s version of the Birth Narrative is just how passive Mary is throughout the story. Firstly, the story began with Joseph protecting Mary from public disgrace by wanting to divorce her quietly. God then intervened by sending an angel in a dream to Joseph and Joseph took Mary home to be his wife. Once Mary had given birth to a son, Joseph then named him Jesus. It was Joseph who was instructed to take his family to Egypt and it was Joseph who was instructed to bring them back to Israel. In Matthew s Birth and Infancy Narrative, God worked through Joseph and his family rather than through Mary who happened to be marrying Joseph. Unfortunately, this means that we don t get any great insight into Mary or her thoughts and feelings on what was happening throughout this part of Jesus story. Matthew simply described her as a virgin who had no union with Joseph until after 8

9 she gave birth to Jesus. He also described her as Joseph s betrothed and later his wife. Lastly, he described her as the mother of Jesus. There is only one part of the Birth and Infancy Narrative in Matthew s Gospel when Joseph didn t feature and it was when the Magi came to visit Jesus. The Magi had gone to King Herod to find the one who had been born king of the Jews but he wasn t there. The Magi s search for this king led them to the house where Joseph and Mary lived but Matthew tells us that when they came to the house only Mary and Jesus were there. However, throughout this visit the focus was totally upon Jesus, not Mary or the absent Joseph. The Magi worshipped Jesus and brought gifts for him. Mary was simply there as his mother. After the Birth and Infancy Narratives, Mary doesn t feature in Matthew s Gospel again until the story of Jesus rejecting his biological family in favour of his spiritual family (Matthew 12:46-50). In this story we find that Mary and Jesus brothers were no longer seen as his family because they were not doing the will of God, Jesus heavenly Father. The last time Mary is mentioned in Matthew s Gospel is in the story of Jesus being a prophet without honour in his hometown (Matthew 13:55-57) and while Mary s name is mentioned there is not much more information that we can gain from that passage about Mary. So, Mary is presented in Matthew s Gospel in a fairly passive way. No words came from her mouth, no angel spoke to her, and she didn t direct anything in this Gospel. The only possible exception to this was when Mary and Jesus brothers came to see him but even then there is nothing in Matthew s Gospel to say that it was Mary who directed this visit, it could have been one of Jesus brothers. Mark s Account Mark s Gospel is the shortest of the four Gospels and he devoted the least amount of space to Mary. Mark doesn t have a Birth or Infancy Narrative, nor did Mary make an appearance before Jesus started his ministry. In fact, it was only after Jesus had begun his ministry that his family decided to come and take Jesus home. This was because they thought he was out of his mind (Mark 3:21). This is a very important verse because it gives us great insight into the story of Jesus rejecting his biological family in favour of his disciples (see both Table 2 and The Concern of a Mother pg 29). Jesus family thought he was out of his mind but Jesus felt that they were no longer doing God s will. At this point you could say that Jesus biological family was split. 9

10 The only other mention of Mary is in the story of Jesus being rejected in his hometown but again, this passage says very little about the person of Mary (Mark 6:3). So, the only real insight into Mary in Mark s Gospel is largely negative though you could say that Mary was greatly concerned for Jesus. Mary may well have acted out of love for Jesus in wanting to bring him home but she obviously thought something was wrong with Jesus at this point as the family thought he was out of his mind. This one story doesn t portray Mary as a passive person for she actively took part in the decision to bring Jesus home and if this was the only Gospel a person was to ever read then they would have to conclude that Mary wasn t a real supporter of Jesus. Luke s Account In contrast to Matthew and Mark s account, Mary really features in Luke s Gospel. In fact, there are seventy six verses in Luke s Gospel and another three verses in Acts, which feature Mary in some way. It is also true to say that Mary is not passive in Luke s accounts but has an active role especially in the Birth and Infancy Narratives. I think it is fair to say that when we look at Luke s writings in both his Gospel and in Acts we find the fullest account of Mary and her story. Mary features throughout the Birth and Infancy Narratives of Luke s Gospel. She is portrayed as good and honourable. The angel Gabriel appeared to her and she not only believed his message but showed her willingness to participate in the Lord s work by declaring, I am the Lord s servant, [...] may it be to me as you have said. (Luke 1:38). This is in direct contrast to Zechariah, the priest and father of John the Baptiser. Luke deliberately intertwines the Birth Narratives of John the Baptiser with Jesus Birth Narrative and a key feature is the contrast between these two soon-tobe parents. Zechariah was old and experienced. He was a man of God who worked in the temple and was carrying out a most important religious duty when he was approached by an angel who told him that he would soon have a son. Zechariah didn t believe or at least hesitated and doubted. Mary received a similar message from an angel and believed. Luke is the one Gospel writer who gives us the details of the night of Jesus birth. We read of the shepherds being visited by the angels and instructed to go and find the baby. Luke tells us that they found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. (Luke 2:16). This is also the first Gospel to give Mary a voice. Mary not only spoke with the angel, she also sang a song that glorified God. It was also Mary who rebuked Jesus for staying at the temple when he was twelve 10

11 years old (Luke 2:48). Even when Mary and Joseph took Jesus to the temple for circumcision, Mary featured in Simeon s prophecy about Jesus (Luke 2:34-35). We even get insights into Mary s thoughts and feelings about all that was happening as she pondered and treasured these events (Luke 2:19; 51). So, the young Mary is portrayed in a very positive light. She was pious and dedicated to God. She was visited by an angel. She travelled to Elizabeth on her own and considered to be blessed. She was seen as a caring mother at the birth of Jesus and was very concerned about him when Jesus stayed at the temple as a twelve year old boy. She was contemplative as she pondered and treasured these events in her heart. And she was active throughout the Birth and Infancy Narratives while Joseph played a passive role. However, it is worth noting that while Mary is portrayed in such a positive light early on in Luke s Gospel, this is not the case as the Gospel continues. In the story of Jesus biological family being rejected by him we see that Mary was no longer a key figure in the story of God s plan of salvation. For, when Jesus said, My mother and brothers are those who hear God s word and put it into practice (Luke 8:21), the implication was that Mary and the rest of Jesus biological family were not hearing God s word and putting it into practice. Suddenly, Mary was seen in a negative light. Similarly, when a woman called out a blessing about Mary, Jesus rejected this blessing saying, Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it. (Luke 11:28). The pious and devout woman of God who was blessed by Elizabeth (Luke 1:42 & 45) and who declared that all generations would call her blessed (Luke 1:48) was no longer obeying God and following his word. If we were to only read Luke s Gospel then we would be saddened to see how far this woman of God had fallen; no longer obeying God, no longer following his word and outside of God s blessing. However, Luke wrote a second scroll which continued the story of Christ and his church and this scroll is known as Acts. Luke s inclusion of Mary in the first chapter of Acts shows us that Mary was now once again obedient to God and his word; Mary had become a believer in Jesus. So, Mary s story in Luke s Gospel begins with a very high view of Mary. She was pious and obedient and contemplated all that was happening through her. But Luke also shows us that Mary didn t always get it right. Despite this, Luke s accounts show that while Mary got it wrong during Jesus ministry, she did become a follower of Jesus later on and was counted amongst the believers. 11

12 John s Account Mary is first introduced in John s Gospel when Jesus is fully grown and about to start his ministry. Mary and Jesus, along with some of Jesus first disciples, were at a wedding in Cana when Mary spoke to Jesus about the party running out of wine. If a reader was only to have ever read John s Gospel then this story would have convinced the reader that Mary was a very earthy and strong willed woman. Mary was not passive in this story. In fact, she was very vocal, persistent, and possibly even manipulative in a way that only a mother could be. Mary let Jesus know that there was no more wine with the expectation that he would do something about it and then went to the servants and told them to do whatever Jesus told them to do (John 2:3-5). Clearly, Mary was controlling the situation but Jesus would not allow this to happen after his ministry had truly begun. After the wedding party in Cana, Jesus went to Capernaum with his mother, brothers and his new disciples (John 2:12). This means that Mary and Jesus brothers not only knew the disciples but they may have even been part of Jesus early ministry. Unlike the other three Gospels, there is no story of Mary and Jesus brothers thinking that he was out of his mind or coming to take him home. John doesn t mention the idea of Jesus rejecting his biological family or that Mary was no longer listening to God s word and being disobedient. Rather, Mary is not mentioned again until Jesus crucifixion when Jesus showed great love to his mother by making sure she would be cared for by the disciple that he loved. Of course, if John did care for Mary like she was his own mother then it would be fair to say that John probably knew her better than the other Gospel writers. It makes sense that he would portray her in the way that he knew her, as a real woman. So, in John s Gospel Mary is not portrayed in the same high and pious way that Luke portrays Mary early on in his Gospel. Neither is Mary portrayed as not hearing God s word and being disobedient during Jesus ministry. Mary is simply Jesus mother who wanted him to do something for her at a party, stayed with Jesus and his disciples at the beginning of his ministry, and watched as her son died a brutal and bloody death on the cross. A Gospel Comparison of Jesus rejecting his Biological Family In the 114 verses that feature Mary across the four Gospels, there are only two parts of the story which feature in more than one Gospel. The first is the story of Jesus rejecting his biological family in favour of his spiritual family. In the table below (Table 2) is a gospel comparison of this story which highlights some of the similarities and differences between the first three Gospels. 12

13 Table 2 Matthew 12:46-50 Mark 3:31-35 Luke 8:19-21 While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. 47 Someone told him, "Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you." 48 He replied to him, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?" 49 Pointing to his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers. Then Jesus' mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. 32 A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, "Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you." 33 "Who are my mother and my brothers?" he asked. 34 Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! Now Jesus' mother and brothers came to see him, but they were not able to get near him because of the crowd. 20 Someone told him, "Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you." 21 He replied, 50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother." 35 Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother." "My mother and brothers are those who hear God's word and put it into practice." All three versions of this story are remarkably similar. They all state that it was Jesus mother and brothers who had come to see Jesus. There was a crowd around Jesus and this made it hard for his family to get access to him. Jesus family had to stand outside as they couldn t get in to speak to him. Jesus was told by someone that his mother and brothers were outside. All three Gospels talk about Jesus family looking for him though this is not as easily seen in the NIV. A more literal translation of Matthew 12:47b is seeking to see you rather than wanting to see you, for Mark 3:32b seeking you rather than looking for you, and Luke s is accurate 13

14 enough with wanting to see you. Finally, all three Gospels have Jesus replying to this person s statement though one of the replies is slightly different to the others. In Matthew and Mark, Jesus asked the question, who are my mother and my brothers or words to that effect. Jesus then pointed specifically to those who were around him, to those closest to him physically. Matthew tells us that they were his disciples but Mark tells us that they were simply those seated in a circle around him and could have been anyone nearby at that time. Jesus then stated that those people whom he had pointed to were his mother and brothers. This question and answer in Matthew and Marks Gospels demonstrate Jesus rejection of his biological family in favour of another form of family. But what qualified a person to be part of this new family? This is answered in the last verse of all three of the Gospels though these answers are slightly different. Matthew and Mark highlighted the doing of God s will to make a person one of Jesus brothers, sisters and mother. Luke has a twostep understanding and stated that those who heard God s word and put it into practice were Jesus mother and brothers leaving out the sister reference. There may not be much of a real difference in this Gospel Comparison though we could say that Luke seems to report a more general idea of those who are thought of as being part of Jesus spiritual family. Luke doesn t have Jesus referring to his disciples or to those sitting around him but to anyone who heard God s word and put into practice. However, this Gospel Comparison has highlighted the importance of this one story. Of all the stories about Mary s life, this is the only one which features in more than one Gospel (the next comparison below mentions Mary s name but she is not really part of the story). The great significance of this is that three Gospel writers saw this as a key event in Jesus life and ministry. Mary and her family had been rejected by Jesus and the criteria of being part of Jesus spiritual family was found in a person s relationship with God through Jesus. This impacts the portrait of Mary in a very negative way for at this point in her life she was seen as not being obedient to God and his word. Without Luke s reference to Mary in Acts, the final part of our understanding of Mary would have been very condemning. A Gospel Comparison of Jesus hometown recognising him through his Biological Family Table 3 is a Gospel Comparison of the time when Jesus came to his hometown and the people didn t recognise him as a prophet. They thought they knew Jesus and his family and therefore they didn t consider him to be a prophet. Now, I could spend a far amount of time looking at this comparison but I don t think it really adds much 14

15 to our portrait of Mary. Jesus was simply identified and rejected by his hometown through his family and his family s business. The only other thing to say about this is that at least two of the Gospel writers felt that they needed to include the detail of Jesus biological family. Jesus had an earthly father who s name was Joseph, his mother was Mary, his brothers were James, Joseph, Simon and Judas, and Jesus also had sisters. Table 3 Matthew 13:55-56 Mark 6:3 John 6:42 "Isn't this the carpenter's son? Isn't his mother's name Mary, and aren't his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? They said, "Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? 56 Aren't all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?" Aren't his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him. How can he now say, 'I came down from heaven'?" Conclusion By deliberately looking at what each Gospel has to say about Mary we can see how the different writers wanted to say different things about Mary in their Gospels. Matthew obviously thought that the virgin birth of Jesus was important but his focus was never on Mary. She was completely silent and passive throughout Matthew s Gospel as the focus rested on Joseph and Jesus. At best Mary was seen as being devoted to God and to her family as she married Joseph and followed him to Egypt and back to Israel. Unfortunately, Jesus rejection of his biological family means that Matthew s last word on Mary is that of a woman who wasn t doing God s will. Mark s account is rather negative. Mary s only appearance was when she wanted to take Jesus home because she thought he was out of his mind. Jesus 15

16 rejected her approach to do this and Mark never mentions Mary or the family again. In no way does Mark venerate Mary. Luke has the fullest and most positive account about Mary. She was an active participant in the Birth and Infancy Narratives with the angel visiting her. Mary spoke to the angel, to Elizabeth, to Jesus and even sang a song of worship to God. Significantly, Luke describes Mary s inner thoughts and feelings. It is obvious that these narratives were taken from Mary s perspective and it is likely that Luke knew, or at least interviewed Mary, in order to write his Gospel (Luke 1:1-3). However, while the stories of the Young Mary were extremely positive, Luke still included a negative story of Jesus rejecting his biological family in favour of his spiritual family. Luke then reinforced this negative aspect of Mary s life by adding another negative story. Jesus rejected a blessing for his mother in favour of a blessing for those who obey the word of God. Luke may have started with the most positive outlook on Mary but he also reinforced the negative. Luke doesn t mention Mary again until his next scroll, Acts, when he included Mary and Jesus brothers in the names of those who were waiting for the Holy Spirit. So, Luke s account of Mary follows a bell curve: she started off so well then fell away only to be restored once again. John s portrait of Mary is that of an ordinary earthly mother. There were no angels or Virgin Birth Stories. Mary was not seen as pious and obedient to God. She was simply a mother who was happy to tell her son what he should be doing at a wedding party. Mary somehow seems to be a real person in John s Gospel. She is not portrayed in positive or negative terms but rather as a mother who had a normal relationship with her son. This idea is reciprocated as Jesus asked John to care for his mother as he died on the cross. This was a very normal and earthly thing to do and it not only demonstrates Jesus love for his mother but a normal mother-son relationship. Each Gospel writer says something different about Mary and each portrait of Mary is important as the other. By reading them all individually and comparing each account to the other we have been able to get a fuller appreciation and understanding of who Mary was. Now we need to look at all these portraits together and try to come up with a fuller and more nuanced portrait of Mary. 16

17 A Biblical Portrait of Mary The Young Mary Mary Visited by an Angel Mary s story begins in the New Testament with an angel coming to tell her of her role in the birth of Jesus. Luke 1:26-38 In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." 29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31 You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end." 34 "How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?" 35 The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. 37 For nothing is impossible with God." 38 "I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her. Mary is described as a virgin, which means that she was a young woman who had not had sex yet. She was most likely around years of age. Mary had been pledged to be married to Joseph, which was a form of being engaged, though I don t believe there was any diamond ring involved. Mary was betrothed to Joseph and he was considered to be her husband though she would not have lived in his house until the proper marriage ceremony. Mary s virginity is an important part of this passage as it comes up three times and Mary even referred to her own virginity as a stumbling block to the message that she was going to conceive a child. How will this be, Mary asked the angel, since I am a virgin? (Luke 1:34). It is important to notice that this was said in the present tense. This means that at that very moment, when she was visited by the angel, Mary could say that she was a virgin. This verse does not say anything about her perpetual virginity. The angel Gabriel then assured Mary that nothing is impossible for God, she would conceive despite never having had sex, and so she submitted to God s will (Luke 1:37-38). At this point you would have to say that Mary played an important 17

18 role in the incarnation of Christ (Gal 4:4), for it was through her that the Christ-child was born God in human flesh. The other controversial part of this passage is the idea of Mary being favoured by God (Luke 1:30). Was Mary favoured because she was more impressive than anyone else? Some have said that she was immaculately conceived and was therefore without original sin but the bible doesn t mention this anywhere. Was Mary like a favourite child that a parent might like more than the other children? It is possible but there is not enough evidence that would make this conclusion correct. Or was Mary simply shown favour by God merely because he decided to show her favour? In other words, God favoured Mary simply because he chose her to be the mother of Jesus, not because Mary was better than anyone else or because she was God s favourite child. Interestingly, Luke reinforces this approach of one person showing another favour in Luke 1:43, when Mary visited Elizabeth, but I will look at that in further detail when we come to that particular passage below. Joseph s Story While Mary was visited by an angel when she was awake, Joseph had a dream in which an angel appeared to him about what was happening to Mary and what Joseph was to do in this situation. Matthew 1:18-25 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. 20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"--which means, "God with us." 24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus. Here we read that Joseph was a righteous man (Matthew 1:19); he wanted to do the right thing and divorce Mary from their engagement. However, the angel told Joseph that he should marry Mary and name the child Jesus (Matthew 1:20-21). Interestingly, Matthew refers to Mary as a virgin by quoting from Isaiah 7:14. It is as if this information was understood by Joseph because Matthew then explicitly states 18

19 that Joseph had no union with Mary until she gave birth to Jesus. Of course, this statement has been hotly debated as to its actual meaning. A more literal translation of the Matt. 1:25 is, he did not know her until she bore a son (Matthew 1:25 ouvk evgi,nwsken auvth.n e[wj ou- e;teken ui`o,n). The original Greek speaks of knowledge rather than union. However, this knowledge refers to carnal knowledge, like Adam knew Eve. Therefore, the passage is telling us about the nature of their sexual relationship, that Joseph did not have sex with Mary before the birth of Jesus. Some would like to say that Matthew is telling us that Joseph never had sex with his wife, however if this was the case then surely Matthew would have used language that clearly stated that Joseph never had sex with his wife. The plain reading of the text would indicate that while Joseph didn t have sex with Mary before the birth of Jesus, he most likely did have sex with Mary after she gave birth to Jesus. Mary visits Elizabeth Mary was told by the angel Gabriel that Elizabeth was also pregnant (Luke 1:36). Mary decided that to go and visit Elizabeth though we are not told why she went to visit her. Luke 1:39-45 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40 where she entered Zechariah's home and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!" Both of these women loved the Lord and were miraculously pregnant. Their sons would become great men who would change the world. However, the significant part of this passage is found in the words of Elizabeth. Elizabeth recognised Mary as being blessed by God (Luke 1:42 & 45). It must be noted, however, that Elizabeth wasn t saying, in verse 45, that Mary was blessed because she believed but simply describes Mary as the blessed one who has believed. Mary was blessed simply because she was part of God s plan for bringing Jesus into the world. Another thing worth noting is the way in which Elizabeth was favoured by Mary. In verse 43, Elizabeth said, But why am I so favoured, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? The question can be asked, What is the meaning of 19

20 favoured here? Had Elizabeth done something to win Mary s favour or had Elizabeth always been Mary s favourite relative? None of these ideas come out of the passage. Rather, the passage tells us that Elizabeth was favoured simply because Mary visited her. In the same way, I believe Mary was favoured by God simply because he visited her and decided to make her part of his plan to bring Jesus into the world (Luke 1:30). Mary s Song Mary s response to Elizabeth s greeting was to break out in song. Luke 1:46-56 And Mary said: "My soul glorifies the Lord 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, 49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me-- holy is his name. 50 His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. 51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. 52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. 53 He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. 54 He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful 55 to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as he said to our fathers." 56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home. Mary sang praises to God she magnified his name. The great thing about this song is that we see how Mary saw herself as another one of God s servants (Luke 1:48), totally dependent upon him for mercy (Luke 1:50 & 54) and salvation (Luke 1:47). She was indeed blessed by God and all generations have called her blessed, though we may have had different ideas about what that blessing means. Mary gave birth to Jesus The only gospel to describe the actual birth of Jesus is Luke s Gospel. Luke 2:4-7 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke simply tells us, she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. (Luke 2:7). We are not told of the length of the labour, the time of birth, or the weight of the baby. However, we are told that they went to Bethlehem to register, that there was no lodging place or room for them to stay in, and that when she gave birth Mary 20

21 wrapped Jesus in cloths and laid him in a manger. It speaks of a simple birth rather than something extraordinary. Luke 2:16-20 So they [the shepherds] hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. The most extraordinary thing about that night didn t happen during the birth but after it. The shepherds had been visited by angels who told them of the birth of the Saviour (Luke 2:11). When the angels left they decided to find the baby and they went and found Mary, Joseph and Jesus. It is at this point we get an insight into Mary, But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. (Luke 2:19). Mary wasn t amazed by what the shepherds had seen (Luke 2:18) for she had already seen and heard from the angel Gabriel a similar message that the shepherds had heard but she did treasure these things and pondered them in her heart. In other words, while she knew something about what had been happening (for she had been told by an angel), she didn t know everything and she wondered what it would all mean for the future. Mary & Joseph present Jesus Eight days after the birth of Jesus, Joseph and Mary took him to the temple where he was circumcised and officially named Jesus. While they were there a man named Simeon came to the temple and prophesied about Jesus. Luke 2:27-35 Moved by the Spirit, he [Simeon] went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: 29 "Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. 30 For my eyes have seen your salvation, 31 which you have prepared in the sight of all people, 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel." 33 The child's father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too." Simeon described Jesus as someone who was destined to cause the rising and falling of many in Israel (Luke 2:34). In other words, people would be divided because 21

22 of Jesus. There would be those who would reject Jesus and they would be headed for a fall but there would also be those who would accept Jesus and they would be vindicated for their faith in him. It is true to say that people were divided in their opinion about him throughout his life and ministry but this verse may even look beyond the lifetime of Jesus and into the final Judgement Day when people will be divided by Jesus for their eternal destination. In this way, there are those who will fall into an eternity of hell and those who will be raised into an eternity in heaven. Verse 35 is a hotly debated verse. One commentator shows ten different ways that people have understood this verse. 1 The most difficult part is to work out if the hearts of many will be revealed because of the division which comes with Jesus or because of the sword that pierces Mary s soul. It is difficult to be too dogmatic about the meaning of this verse as it is fairly cryptic (it is a prophecy, after all) and a person s theology will colour how you understand it. For me, I would say that the rest of Jesus story in the bible would direct me to believe that the hearts of many will be revealed because of Jesus and the way that people would be divided over him. Finally, a word of grief was given to Mary, And a sword will pierce your own soul too. Once again, this is very cryptic, what did Simeon mean by this? To me, this prophecy sounds like the pain of grief. The piercing of Mary s soul most likely refers to the time when Mary would watch as her son, Jesus, was crucified on a Roman Cross. Some say that this points to the idea of Mary s sacred heart undergoing the suffering of the cross but this verse doesn t give enough detail to fully support that idea. Anna, a prophetess, was also at the temple when Simeon spoke about Jesus and she began to speak praises to God about Jesus. Luke 2:36-39 There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. 39 When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. 1 Darrell L. Bock, BECNT: Luke 1:1-9:50, (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Baker, 1994),

23 Mary and Joseph were devout Jews, doing what the law required of them to do but one of the most interesting parts of these two passages is in verse 33, The child s mother and father marvelled at what was said about him. When the shepherds came to see Jesus on the night of his birth, Mary wasn t amazed at what they had to say because she had heard similar things from the angel but now Simeon and Anna were adding new information about Jesus. It could be that Mary was amazed because of what they were saying, but it could also be that they were amazed because they didn t expect anything out of the ordinary to happen when they brought Jesus to the temple. Yet, here were two people making a fuss about Jesus, praising God and telling others that the baby Jesus being the promised king. Meeting Simeon and Anna, and hearing what they had to say about Jesus, caused Mary and Joseph to be amazed. Visited by the Magi While many nativity scenes have the Wise Men coming to see Jesus on the night of his birth it is unlikely that it actually happened this way. The Gospel of Matthew tells us that the Magi (or Wise Men) went to Jerusalem asking, Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? (Matt. 2:2 italics mine). In other words, they believed that this king had already been born. Matthew 2:11 On coming to the house, they [the Magi] saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. We can see in Matthew 2:11 that the Magi went to a house and saw Jesus and his mother Mary. In the Birth Narrative found in Luke s Gospel there was no room in any house for them to stay in but here we see Mary and Jesus living in a house. Joseph is not mentioned in this scene and we can only guess about his absence maybe he was at work when the Magi visited? Another clue as to the Magi not being part of the nativity scene is seen in Herod s orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem two years old and younger (Luke 2:13 & 16). If the Magi were present the night of Jesus birth then there would be no need to kill babies as old as two. So, it is unlikely that they were present at the birth of Jesus but they obviously met with Mary and Jesus. Sadly, while Mary is present in this passage there is nothing about how she felt, what she did, or thought about the Magi coming to visit as this story is taken from Matthew s Gospel and Mary is silent throughout his Gospel. 23

24 Fled to Egypt Once again we see some divine intervention. In Matthew 2:12 the Magi were warned in a dream not to go back to Herod and so they went home by another route. Joseph also had a dream and was told to take the child to Egypt. Matthew 2:13-15 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up," he said, "take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him." 14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: "Out of Egypt I called my son." This is the only passage that speaks of Jesus spending time in Egypt. We are not told about what their life in Egypt was like or exactly how long they stayed but once the threat was gone they were instructed to return to Israel. Matthew 2:19-21 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 20 and said, "Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child's life are dead." 21 So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. Once again we can say that Joseph and Mary were willing to listen to God and to do what He asked them to do. They would have been aware of the danger as children around them were killed. We can only assume the kinds of stresses and emotions they must have gone through at this time. Mary Parenting Jesus The stress of losing a child in a shopping mall is immense but for a child to go missing for three days must have been unbearable. Luke 2:40-51 And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him. 41 Every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover. 42 When he was twelve years old, they went up to the Feast, according to the custom. 43 After the Feast was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. 44 Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. 45 When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. 46 After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you." 49 "Why were you searching for me?" he asked. "Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?" 50 But they did not understand 24

25 what he was saying to them. 51 Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. It s interesting to think about what makes a perfect child when you are a parent. Often it is based around the idea of how easy the child is to raise; how obedient he is to your parenting style. But Jesus did something that I think any parent would have thought was a problem. The family went on their annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover and Jesus decided that he would stay behind in the temple and talk with the teachers and it seems that he didn t inform his parents about this. Mary s rebuke to Jesus is understandable, Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you. Children that go missing for three days might not come back! Anything could have happened and they didn t have a clue as to where he was. Mary was rightly anxious. Jesus response was to say that it should have been obvious as to where he was, he would be in his Father s house. Did Jesus know something about who he was at this time? It is hard to say but verse 50 tells us that Joseph and Mary didn t fully understand either. Later, Jesus would often refer to God as his Father and this got him into trouble as it made him equal to God in the eyes of his enemies. It was a way of referring to his divine status as the second person of the Trinity. Could it be that Jesus had some kind of understanding of this at twelve years of age? While Mary couldn t understand what he was saying, she did treasure all these things in her heart, which must have been something she did after she had calmed down from the trauma of losing Jesus for three days. Conclusion The young Mary was very brave, devout, obedient, faithful and contemplative though not everyone may have thought this way about her at the time. Life would not have been easy for a young girl who suddenly found that she was pregnant. This would have brought shame upon her, her family, and upon Joseph. Their reputation as a family would have diminished and people may well have seen them as defiled. In many people s eyes, God would judge them poorly. However, Mary s story portrays her as something different to what those around her may have judged her to be. Mary and Joseph were visited by angels on a number of occasions. We are not told if they received other messages at other times but it is important to see how they responded to the messages that God had given them in these Birth and Infancy Narratives they heard the word of God and obeyed. 25