Mary the mother of Jesus
In approaching this subject I would like to make it clear
that I am not in the slightest bit interested in criticising any individual Roman Catholics.
My only aim is to compare what many Catholics have told me, in regard to their
beliefs about Mary the mother of Jesus, with what the Bible actually says about
her. If the Bible is correct, then the matter is not between the Catholic view
and myself, but between the Catholic view and the Bible.
I have heard, and
read, from various Roman Catholic sources that the general view on Mary is:
·She was a virgin all her
life,
·She was sinless all her
life,
·She did not die as most
people do, but was taken into heaven,
·She remains in heaven,
interceding on our behalf when we pray to her,
·She shares the Throne of God
with her Son Jesus,
·She is to be venerated, even
worshipped, above all other women.
The Bible teaching on these headings is as follows:
Was she was a virgin all her
life?
Mary was not a virgin, because the Bible tells us that she had many children.
“Is not his (Jesus’) mother called Mary, and his (Jesus’)
brothers James, Joses, Simon and Judas? And his sisters, are they not all with
us?” Mat.13:55,56
Was she sinless all her life?
Mary knew she was a sinner. She said “My soul
magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Saviour” Luke 1:47.
Mary needed a Saviour, therefore she must have been a sinner who needed to be
saved.
Lev. 12:2-8 teaches
that if a woman conceives and bears a male child, she is to remain ceremonially
unclean for forty days, at the end of which time she is to bring an offering to
the
As Jesus himself
said “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the
Spirit is spirit” John 3:6. and “Flesh and blood cannot inherit the
Did she not die as other
people do?
There is no mention anywhere in the Bible of Mary ascending
to heaven. Rather, she disappears from the story in the book of Acts, without
any special comment. If she did go to heaven she would have had to go before
her proper time, because Jesus says was the “firstfruits” of the dead. “But now
is Christ risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have
fallen asleep” 1Cor.15:20. In other words, Jesus is the only one who has risen
from the dead, and all the rest must wait for his return before they follow him.
In 1Thess. 4:16 we
are told that when Jesus returns to take the reins of government over the
planet . . .”The dead in Christ shall rise first” So Mary must still be dead,
in her “sleep”, waiting, along with every other saint, for the day when she and
they will rise together.
Does she intercede on our
behalf?
Mary does not
intercede on anyone’s behalf. “For there is one God, and one Mediator between
God and men, the Man Christ Jesus” 1Tim.2:5. “And as it is appointed for man
(all people) to die once, but after that the judgment, so Christ was offered
once to bear the sins of many” Heb.9”27.
Mary, like everyone else, died (once) and awaits the day of judgment, as
all people who die do.
Jesus gave his life
for all sinners, and finished the work of salvation and redemption by himself.
“Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith (without Mary’s help), who, for
the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has
sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” Heb. 12:2. Note: there is no
mention of Mary sitting with or beside him. Also, it was the work of the
Saviour to die and return to the Throne, while Mary neither died to save
anyone, or had any right to return to the Creator’s Throne since she was merely
a creature.
Is she to be venerated, even
worshipped, above all other women?
Mary is not to be
venerated or worshipped above any other person, either male or female. Mary
herself knew this was so, since she called God her Saviour (second point).
When the angel
Gabriel spoke to Mary (Luke 1:28) he said “Blessed are you among women”. Among
not above. The exact same thing was said about Jael, who killed Sisera: “Most
blessed among women is Jael . . . blessed is she among women in tents.”
Jud.5:24. God therefore does not elevate Mary above any other women, therefore
we ought not to either.
There are still
some misunderstandings about Mary to be cleared up, because there are some
references which have been interpreted to mean that she was unique in some way.
Apart from the fact that she was chosen by God to bear the Son of God, and
therefore had the privilege of being a mother to the Son of God, she could not
have been the Mother of God, since that would place her in the Godhead. Jesus
gave us the name of God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, therefore there is no
place for a woman as well.
·In John 2, at the wedding in
·In Mat.12:47, when Jesus’ mother
and brethren were trying to get in to see him through a densely-packed crowd,
Jesus said “Whoever does the will of my Father is my brother and sister and
mother”. By saying this Jesus brought the importance of being an obedient
follower of God up to a level of equality, and reduced the family relationship
down to zero.
·In John 19:25-27 when Jesus was on
the cross, he said to his mother: “Woman behold your son!” and then to John he
said “Behold your mother!” The gospel,
written by John, then says “And from that hour that disciple took her to his
own home”. Jesus made no special comment
about Mary, but simply passed her on to John, for him to care for, and for her
to have a home. Nothing else is said.
·In Acts 1:14, after Jesus had gone
up into heaven by himself: “These all continued with one accord in prayer and
supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his
brothers.” So Mary is just one of the believers, praying along with everyone
else, and that is the last mention of her in the Bible.
Tradition and Roman Catholic speculation
have viewed Mary as being guarded from actual sin by divine grace. This notion,
which prevailed from the 12th century, was developed into a Papal
decree on Dec. 8th, 1854. On Nov. 1st 1950 the Bull,
called Munnificentissimus Deus declared the dogma of the Assumption of Mary.
This dogma asserts “that the Virgin Mary, the Immaculate Mother of God, when
the course of her life was finished, was taken up, body and soul, into the
glory of heaven.” (Acts Apostolicae Sedis XXXII 1950, page 753 – 773)