Summary & Reflection - 2nd February

Mary in the New Testament

Leonard Muli

Mary in the New Testament, we find references made to Mary as the mother of Jesus Christ the Son of God. The letter of St. Paul to the Galatia, the first letter to be written, dated 54 or 55, to the Christians community in Galatia made reference to the Jewish woman giving birth to a Messiah. Mark did not mention the name of Mary, but what is important is that: it is through Mary that the Son of God entered human history. She is the Mother of the Messiah who is Christ the Son of God. Ephesus was also seen as a great Marian centre. It is said that Mary would lived out her life with the Beloved Disciples in Ephesus. In fact, it was in Ephesus around 431 A.D., that the Church officially adopted the title Theotokos for Mary the Mother of Jesus. In Galatia, the letter of St Paul is all about the law and the Christians freedom in regard to its observance these laws.

In the Gospel of Mark, the oldest of the synoptic Gospel also made references to Mary. Mark speaks clearly and explicitly about Mary. In Mark 3:20; 3:31-35, Jesus relatives wanted to fetch him home, but he denied their role is a silent bystanders. In Mathew, and Luke the same situation is presented differently, their presentation is to make less the awkwardness for Christian readers. In Luke, we are presented with a scene where a woman praised Jesus’ mother, but his respond was those who hear the word of God and keep it are indeed blessed. The point is that, Jesus wanted to stress those who make up the eschatological family of God, though the natural family of Jesus as some scholars says is not excluded.

In Mark 6-1-6a, we see rejection of Jesus from different facets. Contextually speaking, the crowds no longer respond to Jesus favorably. The tile used for Jesus is prophet. Joseph is not mentioned as a father of Jesus; probably dead at this time, but his heavenly father is mentioned in this Gospels. Jesus’ only earthly parent is Mary. In Marks Gospel, Mary is presented as devout Mother who cares for the welfare of her family, his reputation, and course for her Son’s life. The faith content in Mark is that Jesus is truly the son of God (crucified Lord). Those who believe, belong to the family of Christ. The criterions for the membership into God’s family are doing the will of God, not by blood relations.

The Gospel of Mathew, Luke and Acts

It is said that Mathew account of the genealogy is not complete. The genealogy served a solid ground to shown that Jesus is placed within Judaism itself, and which also legitimize him. The evangelist also indented to highlight that the redemption was foreseen from beginning to the birth of Jesus to bring to completion the promise first made to Abraham and then to David. The evangelist listed 14 ancestors of Jesus from Abraham to David in three groups.

In the genealogy, four times the name of a woman is mentioned. The women mentioned all had a strange relationship. Most times, the word begins whose mother, but with Mary it changed. To get the fourteen generation, you have to add Mary, otherwise it is thirteen. I can therefore conclude that, the New Testament spoke precisely and definitely about Mary as the Mother of the Son of God.