Mary is a central figure in the Christian faith. She has always been key since when she was told that she is blessed among all women in the book of Luke. She is the best-known woman in the entire Bible. She is first mentioned in the Bible in the genealogy of Jesus presented in the book of Matthew, where it is stated that she was betrothed to Joseph. Although she is first mentioned in this context, Mary soon is seen as a godly woman through whom God chose to bring the promised Messiah into the world. Little is known about Mary’s history. However, it is said that she belonged to one of the peasant families from Judah’s tribe. Besides, she belonged to the lineage of David. The Bible does not mention her parents, but it seems that she must have been raised in a devout Jewish family, as demonstrated by her character and knowledge of the scriptures. Mary is considered a key figure in the Christian faith since the genesis of the written word.
Mary’s Role in Salvation and Reconciliation between God and Man
The fall of Man
Mary is the mother of Jesus Christ, who brought God’s salvation to mankind and reconciliation between God and Man. She gave Jesus human nature as well as its mortality. As indicated in Luke 1:26-33, Mary freely consented to God’s plan for her salvation as well as that of the entire humanity. It is through her son that human beings became reconciled back to God after the fall in the garden of Aden. When God created Adam and Eve, He placed them in the garden of Aden. Back then, everything was perfect, including the relationship between God and man. He provided everything that man needed in the garden and placed him in charge of it. God placed two vital trees in the garden, the trees of life and the knowledge of what is good and evil (Bartholomew, 2014). God provided Adam with clear directions to tend or take care of the garden and not consume fruits from the two trees. If he ever eats those fruits, God promised Adam that he would die as a consequence. Adam communicates this information to his wife, Eve.
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When Satan came to the garden, in the form of a serpent, he lied to Eve. He told her that God had forbidden them to take fruit from the trees in the middle of the garden because He knew that their eyes would be opened. As a result, they would be like God and understand that evil and good (Bartholomew, 2014). “You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman, for God knows that when you eat of it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:4-5, NKJV). Eve believed the serpent’s lie, ate the fruit, and shared it with her husband, Adam. Immediately, they noticed that they were naked and quickly made clothing out of leaves to cover their nakedness. As a result of disobeying God, they were thrown out of the garden, and the relationship between them and God was destroyed. Man became alienated from God because of his disobedience/sinning against God. In response to the fall of man, God had a plan for salvation and restoration of the relationship between Him and man.
Salvation through Jesus Christ
After the fall of man, God was still willing to forgive and reconcile man back to Him, and He had a plan for that. The plan was implemented through Jesus Christ, who was born by Mary. This places Mary in an important position in the salvation plan and reconciliation of man to God. Jesus Christ was born to die so that the relationship that existed between God and man before the fall can be restored (Bartholomew, 2014) . God chose Mary to conceive and birth Jesus into the world so that he could take away the sin of man. Mary’s willingness and the act of surrender to the will of God enabled the accomplishment of this plan. When angel Gabriel brought the news of her being chosen by God to be the mother of the promised Messiah, Mary responded with these words indicating obedience “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38, NKJV). Through the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus, the sins of humankind were forgiven, and they were reconciled back to God. Jesus became the only means to obtaining salvation. Only those who believe in Him have salvation as stated, “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6, NKJV).
Mary’s Involvement in Major Events in the Life of Jesus
Being the mother of Jesus, Mary was present in all important events of Jesus, from His birth to death. She provided Him with the kind of upbringing He needed to accomplish his salvation mission. This section discusses Mary’s participation in the birth, upbringing, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The Birth and Upbringing of Jesus
As previously mentioned in this paper, Mary gave birth to Jesus through conception by the Holy Spirit. She ensured that Jesus underwent all the Jewish practices/rituals for children. In Luke 2:22-40, it is indicated that forty days after Jesus was born, Mary and her husband Joseph took her to the temple for presentation. The purpose of the presentation was for Mary’s cleansing after birth and redemption of Jesus because he was the firstborn child to Mary and Joseph ( Foskett, 2019 ). The presentation was done as commanded in the Mosaic Law. As they entered the temple, they came across Simeon, who was a prophet in the temple. When Simeon saw Jesus, he stated “ Behold, this child is set for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which is spoken against, yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed” (Luke 2:34-35, NKJV). He prophesied that Jesus would redeem humanity. He also stated that he was ready to die after seeing God’s salvation that He had prepared for all people in Luke 2:29. The role of Jesus as the savior was also affirmed by Anna, who was a prophetess in the temple. She prayed and praised God for the Messiah and told all the people present about His role in redeeming the Israelites.
The Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus
While some of Jesus’ followers forsook Him when His hour of tribulation came, Mary remained with Him all through. She was present when her son was being crucified to bring salvation to man. In Matthew 27: 55-56, the author records that there were many women present when Jesus was being crucified, and they were watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from the town of Galilee to minister to Jesus (Foskett, 2019). Among the women mentioned by Mathew is Mary, the mother of Jesus. Also, John 19:26 indicates that Jesus’ mother was at the place of His crucifixion. In His words to a woman and John, His disciple, Jesus was referring to his mother (Foskett, 2019). He charged John to take care of her. Besides, Mary was among the first to see the resurrected Christ. Besides, she was among the three Mary’s who witnessed the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Mary as a Believer since Birth to the Resurrection of Jesus
While still in her womb, Mary believed in her son as the promised Messiah who would bring salvation. She believed in the words of the angel during the annunciation of the savior’s birth and the words of Anna and Simeon during the presentation of Jesus at the temple. Although Jesus was her son, she did not see Him as her offspring only. She believed in Him as the savior. This is evidenced by her mention in the books of Luke and Acts and her presence during the Pentecost, after the death and resurrection of Jesus.
Mention of Mary as a Believer
The books of Luke and Acts focus on Christian believers in the early church. Mary, the mother of Jesus, is mentioned among believers in the two books. She is the only believer who had the closest relationship with the Savor throughout his life and the church (Rodriguez, 2020). Mary, the mother of Jesus, is mentioned as one of the believers in these words, “These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers” (Acts 1:14, NKJV). The passage indicates that even after the death of Jesus, Mary continued being a devout believer and was one of the active women in the early church. According to Rodriguez (2020, the house of Mary where believers were gathered to pray, as mentioned in Acts 12:12, must have been that of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Besides, as Luke describes Mary in different contexts, he shows that Mary was a believer.
Mary’s Presence on the Day of Pentecost
After the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus, Mary continued being a believer, as evidenced by her presence among the believers who had gathered together on the day of Pentecost. The disciples of Jesus gave themselves to prayer, and on the day of Pentecost, they gathered in the upper room (Rodriguez, 2020). The author of the book of Acts 1:13-16 mentions that Mary, the mother of Jesus and all His brothers, were among the people who were in the upper room praying on the day of Pentecost. It was on this day that the people present received the Holy Spirit as Jesus had said, and they began talking in tongues.
Lessons that the Church Today can learn from Mary
Mary demonstrated total faith and trust in the word of God presented by Angel Gabriel and in the Scriptures. Although she developed fear after the angel sent by God announced to her that she had been favored by God and chosen to bring the savior into the world, Mary made a choice to trust in God’s will (Mayden, 2019) . She never made any objections. In Luke 1:29, it is indicated that Mary was troubled in her heart after angel Gabriel announced that she would conceive. She was betrothed to Joseph and was still a virgin. However, she chose to trust in God’s plan for her life (Mayden, 2019). Mary’s obedience and trust in God is of major significance and an important lesson to the church or believers today.
There are a lot of fears that Christians experience when they receive God’s call to follow and serve Him. For example, some might fear that they will be rejected by people because of their faith in Jesus, while others get worried about how things will turn out in the future. However, just like Mary, Christians should demonstrate total trust in God’s word. His plans for believers are good and therefore, all that a believer has to do is to trust God to lead or guide him. Also, today, there are many fears that people are experiencing, such as those associated with the current COVID-19 pandemic. Regardless of this situation, Christians should still trust in God’s word about them.
References
Bartholomew, C. G. (2014). The drama of scripture: Finding our place in the biblical story . SPCK.
Foskett, M. F. (2019). Mary, the mother of Jesus. The Oxford Handbook of New Testament, Gender, and Sexuality , 447-468. doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190213398.013.21
Mayden, K. (2019, December 24). 5 lessons from Mary the mother of Christ in trusting God. https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/lessons-from-mary-the-mother-of-christ-in-trusting-god.html
Rodriguez, J. (2020). Mary, mother of Jesus. The Oxford Handbook of Latin American Christianity , 472-487. doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199860357.013.32
