All Articles
The Real Mary
The Real Mary: What the Bible says about the mother of Jesus
There are many different views about Mary the mother of Jesus in the religious world today. Some view her as a perpetual virgin, some view her as a god, some view her as equal with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, and some view her as a special godly woman who God trusted with a very special task. Those who worship Mary as a god have the following claims. She conceived miraculously, She lived a sinless in life, She was resurrected from the dead, and She was “the cause of salvation to the whole human race”. Let us examine what the Bible says about Mary.
Mary: The Virgin of Prophecy
Isaiah 7:14: “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.”
Luke 1:31-34: “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?”
Luke 2:7: And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
Acts 1:14: All these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer, together with certain women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as his brothers.
Mary: God’s Humble Servant
Luke 1:38: And Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
Luke 1:46-55: And Mary said: “My soul exalts the Lord, And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. For He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave; For behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed. For the Mighty One has done great things for me; And holy is His name. AND HIS MERCY IS UPON GENERATION AFTER GENERATION TOWARD THOSE WHO FEAR HIM…He has done mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart. He has brought down rulers from their thrones, And has exalted those who were humble. HE HAS FILLED THE HUNGRY WITH GOOD THINGS; And sent away the rich empty-handed. He has given help to Israel His servant, In remembrance of His mercy, As He spoke to our fathers, To Abraham and his descendants forever.”
Acts 1:14: All these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer, together with certain women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as his brothers.
Mary: Devoted Mother
Luke 2:48-51: When they saw Him, they were astonished; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You treated us this way? Behold, Your father and I have been anxiously looking for You.” And He said to them, “Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father's house?” But they did not understand the statement which He had made to them. And He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and He continued in subjection to them; and His mother treasured all these things in her heart.
John 2:3-5: When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does that have to do with us? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.”
John 19:25-27: Therefore the soldiers did these things. But standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, and His mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then He said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!”
Mark 6:3-6: “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are not His sisters here with us?” And they took offense at Him. Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and among his own relatives and in his own household.” And He could do no miracle there except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He wondered at their unbelief. And He was going around the villages teaching.
John 7:3-5: Therefore His brothers said to Him, "Leave here and go into Judea, so that Your disciples also may see Your works which You are doing. For no one does anything in secret when he himself seeks to be known publicly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world." For not even His brothers were believing in Him.
Acts 1:14: These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.
It seems very possible that Mary was a key influence in bringing her sons to be followers of the Lord.
Mary: Devoted Disciple of the Lord
Luke 1:46-47: And Mary said: “My soul exalts the Lord, And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.”
Luke 8:19-21: And His mother and brothers came to Him, and they were unable to get to Him because of the crowd. And it was reported to Him, “Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, wishing to see You.” But He answered and said to them, “My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.”
Luke 11:27-28: While Jesus was saying these things, one of the women in the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore You and the breasts at which You nursed.” But He said, “On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.”
Acts 1:14: All these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer, together with certain women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as his brothers.
Mary: The Faithful and Forgiving Christian
Acts 2:41-47: So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.
Mary surely was one of those who obeyed the Lord on the day of Pentecost, along with the other 3,000 who repented of their sins. Peter told many of those present, that they had been responsible for the Lord’s death.
Notice Acts 2:36-40: "Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ--this Jesus whom you crucified." Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brethren, what shall we do?" Peter said to them, "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. "For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself." And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, "Be saved from this perverse generation!"
As a member of the Jerusalem church, Mary assembled with those who were responsible for her Son’s death. To do this she would have had to forgive them. Can you imagine that? Forgiving all these people who had crucified her son! Mary shows the type of forgiveness we all need to have and the type of forgiveness we all can have from our sin when we obey the Lord.
Conclusion
How about you tonight? Have you been taught that Mary is some sort of god to pray to and to answer your prayers? Do you think Mary can save you from your sins? When we read about Mary the mother of Jesus we see a submissive, humble, servant of God and His Son Jesus Christ. Why not be like Mary and humbly submit to God. Why not repent of your sins and wash them away in the waters of baptism like she did. Please do not wait to obey the Lord today! We hope to see you next time on “Speaking The Truth In Love”.
