Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

MARY

(Gk. María, Mariám)

Madonna and Child, oil by Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528); Uffizi, Florence (Alinari/Art Resource, N.Y.)

1. Mary the mother of Jesus. Biographical information regarding Mary is limited. According to Luke, her home is the insignificant Galilean village of Nazareth (Luke 1:26), but Matthew places her in Nazareth only after the birth of Jesus (Matt. 2:1, 23). Both Matthew and Luke identify Joseph as Mary’s husband (Matt. 1:24; Luke 1:27; 2:4-5). References to the brothers and sisters of Jesus (Mark 3:31-35; 6:3; Matt. 12:46-50; 13:55-56; Luke 8:19-21; John 2:12; Acts 1:14) indicate that she and Joseph have additional children, although the later Christian tradition of Mary’s perpetual virginity leads some to speculate that these are children of Joseph by a previous marriage or cousins of Jesus. Since Luke describes the offering of Mary and Joseph following Jesus’ birth as turtledoves or pigeons rather than the more costly sheep (Luke 2:24; cf. Lev. 12:8), she probably is from a poor family that managed little beyond subsistence income.

Even these slender details about Mary’s life are uncertain. The insistence of Christian tradition on identifying Jesus with David may well influence Matthew when he locates Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem prior to Jesus’ birth, since Bethlehem is closely identified with David. Luke’s partiality for the poor may be at work when he locates Jesus’ own family among the poor.

However obscure biographical information regarding Mary remains, all of the canonical Gospels make reference to her, and the portrait rendered in each is distinctive. In Mark, widely regarded as the earliest of the Gospels, Mary appears in one brief scene and is mentioned in another. Identified only as “his mother,” Mary and Jesus’ brothers seek Jesus, prompting his response that his family consists of those who do the will of God (Mark 3:31-35). In Mark 6:3 residents of Nazareth who find their neighbor Jesus astonishing exclaim, “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary . . . ?”

Matthew contains parallels to both these scenes (Matt. 12:46-50; 13:54-58), but here Mary appears as early as the genealogy of Jesus that introduces ch. 1. Her name occurs at the end of the genealogy, following those of four other women: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and “the wife of Uriah” or Bathsheba (Matt. 1:3, 5-6). The unusual composition of this group of women has prompted speculation for centuries, as some interpreters have identified the women as sinners, Gentiles, or participants in irregular sexual unions. At the very least, the fact that Mary is grouped with these four women suggests that some scandal will plague her story as well.

Two crises occur in the Matthean birth narrative, and both involve Mary. In response to the report of Mary’s pregnancy prior to marriage, Joseph plans to dissolve his relationship with her (Matt. 1:18-25). The action Joseph contemplates would have devastating social and economic consequences for Mary and her unborn child. In the second half of the birth narrative (Matt. 2:1-23) King Herod attempts to have the infant Jesus killed; throughout this section, Matthew refers to “the child with Mary his mother” (2:11) or “the child and his mother” (vv. 13, 14, 20, 21), thereby suggesting that Herod’s threat to Jesus also includes his mother, Mary. In both crises, the one initiated by Joseph and the other by Herod, angelic intervention rescues Mary and Jesus. Throughout the narrative, Mary speaks not a word and takes no independent action. She exists in the story to reveal the dangers surrounding Jesus even before his birth.

The birth narrative in Luke’s Gospel consists of a series of parallel scenes which compare and contrast the birth of Jesus with that of John the Baptist. Here Mary appears both more often and in more active roles than in Matthew. When the angel Gabriel announces to this unmarried young woman that she is to bear a child, she responds with the consent of a disciple, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord” (Luke 1:38). In the presence of her relative Elizabeth, Mary interprets the anticipated birth in prophetic language that borrows from the OT figure Hannah (Luke 1:46-55; cf. 1 Sam. 2:1-10). Following the birth itself (Luke 2:1-7) and the visit of shepherds to the infant Jesus, Luke reports that Mary reflected on the events (v. 19; cf. v. 51).

Luke draws attention to the faithfulness of Mary and Joseph. They conform to the Law by having Jesus circumcised, and they take him as a newborn to the Jerusalem temple (Luke 2:21-35). They also go to Jerusalem each year for Passover (Luke 2:41-52). Luke makes no further reference to Joseph, but Mary appears in 8:19-21 (par. Mark 3:31-35). In Luke’s second volume, she is among those followers of Jesus who gather in Jerusalem in anticipation of Pentecost (Acts 1:14).

John refers to “the mother of Jesus,” but never uses the name Mary. She appears in two scenes, first at the wedding in Cana (John 2:1-12), where she sets events in motion by telling Jesus that there is no wine and by instructing the servants to do whatever Jesus says. Jesus’ response to Mary (“Woman, what concern is that to you and to me?” John 2:4) is highly ambiguous. It can be read as a rejection of any role for Mary in Jesus’ ministry, but it may be no more than another element in the enigma created by this highly complex and symbolic scene.

Mary appears again only at the Crucifixion. Along with three other women and the figure John calls the “beloved disciple,” she witnesses the death of Jesus. Jesus presents the beloved disciple and Mary to one another with the words, “Woman, here is your son,” and “here is your mother” (John 19:25-27). Some scholars argue that this is only an act of filial devotion, while others insist that Mary plays a highly symbolic role here in that she represents the Church and its task of nurturing Jesus’ disciples.

None of the remaining NT writings demonstrates an interest in Mary. Paul identifies Jesus as “born of a woman” (Gal. 4:4) and “descended from David according to the flesh” (Rom. 1:3), expressions that serve to emphasize the normal means of Jesus’ birth and his place in Israel. Rev. 12:1-6 depicts a woman “clothed with the sun,” who gives birth to a messianic figure, but here the focus is on an apocalyptic confrontation rather than on the mother of Jesus.

If NT writings display little interest in Mary’s life, other early Christians soon responded with stories that supplied missing information and responded to charges that Jesus’ birth was illegitimate. The Protevangelium of James, written by the end of the 2nd century, draws on the language of the OT and the canonical birth narratives to construct a story about the conception, birth, and nurture of Mary. She is the child of the elderly and wealthy Anna and Joachim, and is raised in the Jerusalem temple so that her purity may be protected. At the onset of puberty, she is betrothed to the elderly Joseph. When she becomes pregnant, both Mary and Joseph undergo the test of bitter waters (prescribed in Num. 5:11-31 only for women accused of adultery) to prove their innocence. So exceptional is Mary’s purity that she remains a virgin even following the birth of Jesus. Although the Protevangelium of James consists largely of late tradition that has little claim to reliability, it has exerted great influence on Christian imagination.

2. Mary Magdalene. The NT writings identify this Mary consistently by her town of origin (Magdala, on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee), not by reference to a husband or son (as in “Mary the wife of Clopas”). Probably this identification means that she has neither and that she is in control of her own property (cf. Luke 8:2-3 for the comment that Mary Magdalene and other women provided for Jesus from their own resources). Sometimes interpreters see in the association of Mary with Magdala already a hint of a bad reputation, but that exaggerates a comment in later Jewish sources about Magdala.

All four of the canonical Gospels place Mary Magdalene in the narratives of Jesus’ death and resurrection. The Synoptic Gospels name Mary Magdalene first among the women present, and John draws attention to her importance through her encounter with the risen Jesus. This emphasis on Mary Magdalene suggests that she was highly revered in the memory of early Christians.

In Mark Mary Magdalene stands first in each list of the women who witness the crucifixion and burial of Jesus (Mark 15:40, 47), and who bring spices for anointing him, only to discover the empty grave (16:1). Mark explains that these women “used to follow him and provided for him,” and that they had followed him to Jerusalem (Mark 15:41), all of which signals their faithfulness.

Matthew similarly identifies Mary Magdalene among the women who witnessed the Crucifixion, burial, and empty tomb (Matt. 27:56, 61; 28:1). In Matthew, by contrast with Mark, the women do not flee silently but run to tell the disciples, only to encounter the risen Lord themselves.

Luke alone introduces Mary prior to the crucifixion. In Luke 8:2 he describes Jesus’ ministry to Galilee and notes that he was accompanied by the Twelve and by some women “who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities,” presumably by Jesus. Mary Magdalene, who stands first in the list that includes Joanna and Susanna, has been exorcised of seven demons. The fact that she has been demon-possessed, however, does not designate her as especially sinful, and so the tradition of identifying Mary Magdalene with the unnamed woman in Luke 7:36-50 is groundless. Luke also places women among those present at the crucifixion and burial of Jesus (Luke 23:27, 49, 55), but he does not identify them by name until the discovery of the empty tomb (24:10), and again Mary Magdalene is the first named.

Unlike the other Gospel writers, John places Mary Magdalene last among the women who witness Jesus’ death (John 19:25). In this scene, however, John focuses attention on the mother of Jesus and her relationship to the beloved disciple, so that the order says nothing about the importance of Mary Magdalene. Indeed, she occupies a significant role in the Johannine Resurrection scene, for it is Mary Magdalene alone who discovers the empty tomb (John 20:1). She also becomes in John the first to encounter the risen Jesus and to proclaim the Resurrection to the other disciples (John 20:11-18).

3. Mary of Bethany. The Gospel of John identifies Mary of Bethany as the sister of Martha and Lazarus (John 11:1-44). Mary and Martha send a message to Jesus regarding their brother’s illness, but he arrives only after Lazarus had already died. Following exchanges with both Martha and Mary, Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. John also names Mary of Bethany as the woman who anoints Jesus with expensive perfume and who is criticized by Judas for so doing (John 12:1-8).

A story about Mary and Martha appears in Luke as well (Luke 10:38-42), although Luke does not associate them with either Lazarus or the village of Bethany, making an identification between the two sets of women uncertain. While Jesus is present in their home, Mary gives attention to his teaching (she “sat at the Lord’s feet and listened”), while Martha tends to “many tasks.” Martha asks Jesus to admonish Mary so that she might offer assistance, but Jesus responds that Mary has chosen the “better part,” which will not be taken away.

4. Mary the mother of James and Joseph. The Synoptics name Mary “the mother of James and Joseph” or “James the younger and of Joses” among the women who witness the death of Jesus and who discover his tomb empty (Matt. 27:56, 61; 28:1; Mark 15:40, 47; 16:1; Luke 24:10).

5. Mary the wife of Clopas. Only John 19:25 refers to this Mary, who witnessed the crucifixion of Jesus along with Jesus’ mother, her unnamed sister, and Mary Magdalene.

6. Mary the mother of John Mark. Acts 12:12 names Mary as the mother of John Mark. Because Luke refers to her house as a gathering place for believers in Jerusalem, she appears to be a woman of substantial means.

7. Mary of Rome. Among the persons greeted by Paul in Rom. 16 is Mary, whom he describes as having “worked very hard among you” (v. 6). Elsewhere that phrase applies to efforts made on behalf of the gospel, so that Mary may be among the Christian teachers or preachers in Rome (1 Cor. 15:10; Gal. 4:11).

Bibliography. R. E. Brown, K. P. Donfried, J. A. Fitzmyer, and J. Reumann, eds., Mary in the New Testament (Philadelphia, 1978); B. R. Gaventa, Mary: Glimpses of the Mother of Jesus (Columbia, S.C., 1995); C. Ricci, Mary Magdalene and Many Others: Women Who Followed Jesus (Minneapolis, 1994); B. Witherington, III, Women in the Ministry of Jesus. SNTSMS 51 (Cambridge, 1984).

Beverly Roberts Gaventa

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

MARY

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)