What does Scripture show us about Mary?
Scripture honors Mary as the blessed virgin who believed God's word and bore the Messiah, and it shows her doing what every believer does: rejoicing in God her Savior, treasuring and pondering, suffering beside her Son, praying with the church. Every scene where she appears turns the spotlight onto Jesus.
This question arose from studying Who is Jesus? and What does it mean that Jesus is the Son of God?.
Begin by reading
Go into the Word
Not a summary of these passages: the passages themselves. Read them, then come back to the study below.
The study
What the Scripture says
Blessed because she believed
Gabriel's greeting troubled her, not inflated her. Her greatness, by her cousin's own Spirit-filled explanation, is located in her faith: 'Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of the things which have been spoken to her from the Lord!' Mary's response to staggering news is the model believer's response: behold, the handmaid of the Lord; be it to me according to your word.
Mary said, “Behold, the handmaid of the Lord; be it to me according to your word.” The angel departed from her.And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
She rejoiced in God her Savior
Mary's own song settles the question of her standing: 'My soul magnifies the Lord. My spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.' A Savior is needed by the saved, and she names herself among the lowly upon whom God has looked. She glorifies His holiness, His mercy, and His strength, exactly as every saint does who knows the grace of God.
Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord. My spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior,And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
Whatever he says to you, do it
At Cana Mary brought the wine problem to Jesus, and when He answered her, she turned to the servants with the finest direction she ever gave: 'Whatever he says to you, do it.' That is Mary's whole ministry in Scripture: pointing needy people away from herself to her Son, whose hour had come and whose glory they beheld.
Treasuring and pondering, pierced and present
She kept these sayings, pondering them in her heart; Simeon warned her a sword would pierce her own soul too. It did: she stood by the cross while her Son suffered, and there Jesus gave her into John's keeping, a mother cared for in the plainest human terms. Scripture treats her with tenderness, and never with titles her Son did not give.
But Mary kept all these sayings, pondering them in her heart.But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
Yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”(Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.
Therefore when Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing there, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” From that hour, the disciple took her to his own home.When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.
Found among the praying church
After the ascension, Luke tells us exactly where to find her: with 'the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers,' all devoting themselves to prayer as they waited for the Spirit. That is her last named appearance in Scripture: one believer among many, numbered with the disciples. Jesus had redefined His family around doing the Father's will, and Mary is found inside it.
All these with one accord continued steadfastly in prayer and supplication, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.
Looking around at those who sat around him, he said, “Behold, my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.”And he looked round about on them which sat about him, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.
As you read, you may wonder…
Scripture raises the next question
Studying the Word naturally opens more of it. Follow what you just read: it leads somewhere.
Explore further
What does it mean to be a child of God?→Our Walk with Him trail“But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become God’s children, to those who believe in his name:But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:”What does it mean that we were made for relationship?→Who We Are trail“God created man in his own image. In God’s image he created him; male and female he created them.So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”We haven't written this one yet. Take it to your church or small group: the Word answers it wherever it is asked. If we study it here later, all the better.
Hold onto these
Verses to meditate on
Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord. My spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior,And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
Mary said, “Behold, the handmaid of the Lord; be it to me according to your word.” The angel departed from her.And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
His mother said to the servants, “Whatever he says to you, do it.”His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.
All these with one accord continued steadfastly in prayer and supplication, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.
Worth visiting