Who Was Jesus Mother?

Luke 1:26-38 “26. And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, 27. To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. 29. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. 30. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. 31. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. 32. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 33. And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. 34. Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? 35. And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. 36. And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. 37. For with God nothing shall be impossible. 38. And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.”

Now Let us continue reading this Biblical account in the book of Matthew.

Matthew 1:18-25 “18. Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. 19. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. 21. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins. 22. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, 23. Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. 24. Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: 25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name Jesus.”

In these verses the Bible clearly says that Mary was a virgin. A virgin is one who has never been involved in any kind of sexual relationship. After Jesus’ birth, Mary was married to Joseph and it seems that they had several children together. (Mark 3:31) The Bible doesn’t refer to Mary as a virgin again after the birth of Jesus.

How important and prominent is Mary in the Bible?

Because certain Orthodox Christian denominations emphasize Mary, many logically assume that the Bible places a great emphasis on Mary. They may be surprised to realize there is much less emphasis placed on her than some might think. Her significance is eclipsed by the importance of Jesus, her Son. Mary is mentioned in the Bible as the mother of Jesus even more than she is mentioned by her own name. This fact indicates that her significance in the Gospel message comes from the fact that she brought into the world a much more important person, Jesus Christ.

Numerically, the personality of Mary does not hold prominence above other Godly women in the Bible. Mary is only mentioned by name in the Bible in 19 different verses. Mary is referenced as the mother of Jesus an additional 22 times, but not by name. Other women in the Bible were mentioned by name much more than Mary was. Queen Esther is mentioned by name 46 times, Sarah is mentioned by name 32 times, Rebekah is mentioned by name 29 times, and even an evil woman named Jezebel is mentioned by name 20 times. All of these women are mentioned by name more than Mary, who was mentioned by name only 19 times. This simple logic alone should help us understand that, although God used her in a special way, Mary does not hold a special prominence above all other women in the Bible.

If we study all the Bible verses in reference to Mary (Matthew 1,2,12,13, Mark 3,6, Luke 1,2,8, John 2,6,19, & Acts 1:14) we will soon find that she is not the predominant person in the Gospel story. Jesus is the central person in the narrative of the Bible. If there had not been a Mary, Jesus could have chosen another virgin in Israel through which to come to the world. Mary was simply another ordinary human being in History, who was willing to let God use her in extraordinary ways. Perhaps this is why Mary found such special favor with God.

Jesus did not give Mary any prominent position or special honor above other people who do the will of God. Mark 3:31-35 “There came then his brethren and his mother, and, standing without, sent unto him, calling him. 32. And the multitude sat about him, and they said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren without seek for thee. 33. And he answered them, saying,Who is my mother, or my brethren? 34. And he looked round about on them which sat about him, and said, behold my mother and my brethren! 35. For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my mother.”

If the Bible does not give Mary excessive prominence above other women, why do some Orthodox Churches give Mary so much supremacy in there teachings, tradition, and religious practices? Why do some churches have statues of Mary in their churches when the Bible is so clear that we should not make graven images? Exodus 20:4-5, Leviticus 26:1 Could it be that traditions and outside cultural influences have influenced these belief systems?

The Bible never calls Mary “the Queen of Heaven”. Instead the Bible refers to Mary as the mother of Jesus. Matthew 1:18, Acts 1:14 The Bible doesn’t mention anything about Mary’s so called “immaculate Conception”; on the contrary, it indicates that Mary was indeed a sinner. Luke 2:22-24, Leviticus 12:8 The Bible declares that all mankind (except Jesus) are born with a sinful nature and therefore need to be saved from their sins. Romans 3:10,23 Romans 5:12 Mary was no exception. Mary cannot save us because she was also a sinner. Luke 1:47-48 “And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.”

The Bible simply does not support the tradition of Mary’s assumption to Heaven. The Bible does not indicate that we are to pray to Mary, nor does the Bible say that Mary can be an intercessor. I Timothy 2:5, “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” Hebrews 7:22-25 Rather, scriptures are clear that we are to worship God alone. Exodus 34:14, Matt. 4:10, “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” Rev. 22:9

Is there any significance to Mary?

While the Bible doesn’t place very much importance on the person of Mary, it does place an abundant amount of emphasis on Mary’s son, Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ came into this world by the miracle of the virgin birth, but remember Jesus was existent long before Mary brought Him into the world. Jesus declared that He came from heaven, and that He was alive before Abraham. John 16:28 “I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father.” John 8:58 “Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.” Jesus did not come into existence when he was born on earth. No, the Bible says that Jesus created the world.

John 1:1-3, 14 “In the beginning was the Word(Jesus), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made. 14 And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the father,) full of grace and truth.” Colossians 1:16-17 “For by him (Jesus) were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principali/es, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.”

Mary’s significance is that she had the opportunity to carry her Creator, Saviour, and Lord in her womb. What a Mystery! Luke 1:43

Bible Prophecy foretold of the Virgin Birth of Jesus the Messiah.

According to the word of God, the prophet Isaiah wrote that a virgin would conceive and bear a son. Keep in mind that the prophet Isaiah lived about 700 years before Jesus was born. Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” The New Testament declares that Jesus Christ was the fulfillment of this Old Testament prophecy. Matthew 1:23 “Behold a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”

Let’s look at another prophecy of Isaiah concerning the birth of Jesus. Isaiah 9:6 “Unto us a child is born, unto to us a son is given: and the government shall be on his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The prince of Peace.” How is a child born and yet called the mighty God? Jesus wasn’t just an ordinary prophet for no other prophet was virgin born. Only Jesus was virgin born. Why? Jesus was unique; His birth was different from every other human being. Mary was an ordinary girl who God favored with an extraordinary opportunity. As a regular human being, she was a sinner just like anyone else, but by the miracle of the virgin birth she birthed a sinless Savior. The Bible indicates that our sin natures are passed down to us paternally from our father Adam. If Joseph were Jesus’ father, Jesus would have been merely a normal man with a sin nature. Since God is His Father, Jesus is both Divine and without sin. Romans 5:12-19, I Corinthians 15:21-22

In conclusion:

The Biblical account of Mary concerning the virgin birth of Jesus Christ is certainly fascinating. However, let’s not place too much emphasis on Mary. Instead let us turn our focus to the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God. Mary cannot save us from sins, but Jesus did! Mary was not divine, but Jesus is! Let us look to the Lord Jesus alone for the Salvation of our soul. And let us also heed the advice that Mary gave to the young men at the occasion of the miracle of Jesus turning the water into wine. John 2:6 “His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.” This certainly is good advice! Let us look to the Lord Jesus alone for Salvation and do what ever Jesus says. John 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”