Mary, the Mother of Jesus

For the List of the "Women of the Bible", click Blog Archive, 2008 December

25 Questions
Scripture Reference: Matt 1:18-25; Lk 1:26-80; 2; John 19:25-27
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#1. How many Marys you are aware in NT?

#1. There are many Marys in the NT, and at times it appears confusing. Before we Quiz on Mary, the Virgin, let us look at all the other 5 (may be 6, not sure) Marys of the NT.

a)Mary of Bethany:
Her sister Martha and brother Lazarus are close friends of Jesus. This Mary anointed Jesus' feet with perfume. Lk. 10:38-42;
Jn 11:1-46; 12:1-8; ( Mt 26:7; Mk 14:3).

b) Mary, mother of James and Joseph (and probably wife of Clopas):
A Galilean woman who after being healed, followed Jesus and supported his ministry financially. She was an eyewitness to death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Jn 19:25; Mt 27:56; 28:1; Mk 15:40,41,47, Mk 16:1

c) Mary, Magdalene:
Another Galilean woman whom Jesus healed, and who helped to support Jesus' ministry.
Jesus cast 7 demons out of her(Mk 16:9; Lk 8:2); appears at Jesus' crucifixion;
followed the body of Jesus to the grave; she was first to learn of the Resurrection, thus she was a key witness of Jesus' last days. mt 28:1-8; Mk 16:9; Lk 24:1-12
Jn 19:25; Mt 27:56,61;28:1; Mk 15:40,47; 16:1,9; Lk 8:2; Jn 20: 1-2, 11-18.

d) Mary, mother of John Mark:
A sister of Barnabas; her home was a meeting place for the Jerusalem church/ch.
When Peter was freed from prison he went to this Mary's house(Acts 12).
Acts 12:12,13; Col 4:10

e) Mary of Rome:
A Christian commended by Paul in Rom 16:6
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#2. What was the first and foremost assignment of Virgin Mary?

#2. Mary, the young Jewish virgin, chosen by God to bear the Savior. Thus a woman's body became the dwelling place of divinity.
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#3. Did Mary comply the eligibility of David's line to become the mother of Jesus, the promised Messiah?

#3. Yes
Mary lived in Nazareth, where Joseph was a carpenter. Mary and Joseph both are the seeds (descended from) of David.
Acts 2:30
Rom 1:3
2 Timo 2:8
Genealogy of Jesus orderly lists tracing his human ancestry found in Mt 1:1-17 and Lk 3:23-38. Each genealogy is intended to establish Jesus as a descendant of David and guards the doctrine of the virgin birth. Jesus' legal right to the throne is established through Joseph, while his biological descent from David is established through Mary.
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#4. Where was Jesus' place of birth?
a)Nazareth; b)Bethlehem; c)Egypt; d)Jerusalem

#4. b (Lk 2:1-18)
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#5. Where in the text of Luke portray Mary's faith, character, courage and joy?

#5. Lk 1:26-56
In this passage Mary also expressed her willingness to bear the "the son of the Most High", even though her pregnancy would surely be misunderstood and put her future at risk with personal shame.
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#6. Was Mary present in the Upper Room?

#6. Yes. (Acts 1:12-14)
Mary was praying with the disciples, other women, and Christ's brothers.
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#7. What does Jn 7:5 say about Mary?

#7. Mary is notably absent from Jn 7:5, which says, "Even his own brothers did not believe in him".
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#8. How did Mary express her humble submission to the will of God, when the angel Gabriel approached her?

#8. Lk 1:38 Mary expressed true faith in God by submitting to his will. She told the angel,
"I am the Lord's servant. May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.
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#9. What was the promise, Gabriel announced to Mary?

#9. Lk 1;32 "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."
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#10. When Mary raised the question of her virginity, what did the angel comfort her with how the conception would be?

#10. Lk 1:34-35 "How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"
35The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. 37For nothing is impossible with God" .
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#11. When was Baby Jesus Presented in the Temple?
#11. Jesus Presented in the Temple
On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise him, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he had been conceived.
When the time of their purification according to the Law of Moses had been completed, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 as it is written in the Law of the Lord, "Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord", 24and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: "a pair of doves or two young pigeons."
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#12. What was the threat posed to the baby Jesus by the visit of Magi?

#12. Herod forced the family to take refuge in Egypt.
Matt 2:1-18 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up," he said, "take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him." 14So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: "Out of Egypt I called my son." Hos 11:1
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#13. How Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist was related to Mary?

#13. 8. Both are distant cousins. Lk 1:36
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#14. Where was Mary when Jesus entrusted Mary to the care of John?

#14. Mary and John at the cross and Jesus on the cross (Jn 19:25-27).
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#15. What are the 4 distinctive Roman Catholic doctrines about Mary?

#15. a) Perpetual Virginity
b) Intercession
c) dogma of the Immaculate conception (1854)
d) Assumption of Mary (Pope declared this dogma in 1950)

Catholics' reaction is that Protestants have often failed to honor Mary sufficiently.
None of the post apostolic developments has any support in Scripture and hence Protestants, including Mar Thoma Church do not accept it. But all Protestants including Mar Thoma Church admire, honor, and love Mary because she was the mother of our Savior. Certainly, she was a blessed woman.

A)perpetual= a)continuing or enduring forever; everlasting; b)lasting an indefinitely long time; c)continuing or continued without intermission or interruption; ceaseless:

B)intercession = a prayer to God on behalf of another.

C)immaculate = a)Impeccably clean; spotless; b)Free from stain or blemish; pure;
c)Free from fault or error.

D)assumption= (Ecclesiastical). a) the bodily taking up of the Virgin Mary into heaven. Mary's body did not decompose in the grave but was reunited by God to her soul soon after she died; b)a feast commemorating this on August 15.
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#16. Joseph seems to have died before the crucifixion of Jesus. What is the last incident we see him with the family?

#16. With Jesus in the temple when he was 12. (Mt 1-2; Lk 1-2 Read the infancy story)
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#17. Can you locate the passage and sing Mary's hymn of praise to God for the favor accorded her in being the mother of the Messiah?

#17. Mary's Song

Lk 1:46-55 And Mary said:
"My soul glorifies the Lord
47and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,........

(refer the Bible for the rest of the song........)
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#18. Where did Mary talk first time about Jesus' super natural powers?

#18. During the wedding at Cana in Galilee Jn 2:1-11 Mary seems to have some intimation that Jesus had more than natural powers, but Jesus corrected his mother regarding her notion about the use of these powers.
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#19. True or False. Neither Mary nor Joseph fully understood her son.

#19. True.
Lk 2:49 "Why were you searching for me?" he asked. "Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?" 50But they did not understand what he was saying to them.
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#20. Who does Mary call Jesus' father? Who does Jesus say his father is?

#20. Lk 2:48-49 When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you."
49"Why were you searching for me?" he asked. "Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?"
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#21. How many children Mary had by her husband Joseph?

#21. Mary was the mother of at least 6 children, after Jesus. So Jesus had 4 half brothers and at least 2 half sisters.

a)Matt 13:55-56; "Isn't this the carpenter's son? Isn't his mother's name Mary, and aren't his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? 56Aren't all his sisters with us?

b)Mark 6:3 Isn't this Mary's son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren't his sisters here with us?"
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#22. Did Mary's family relation as the mother, give her any special spiritual advantage?

#22. Scripture doesn't provide any.
a)Matt 12:46-50 While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. 47Someone told him, "Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you."
48He replied to him, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?" 49Pointing to his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers. 50For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother."

b)Mk 3:31-35 Then Jesus' mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. 32A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, "Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you."
33"Who are my mother and my brothers?" he asked.
34Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! 35Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother."

c)Lk 8:19-21 Now Jesus' mother and brothers came to see him, but they were not able to get near him because of the crowd. 20Someone told him, "Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you."
21He replied, "My mother and brothers are those who hear God's word and put it into practice."
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#23. Did Jesus appear to Mary after His resurrection?

#23. There is no record for this.
The last mention of Mary is in Acts 1:14 where she was with the disciples in prayer.
Acts 1:14 They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.
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#24. God said to Mary, "nothing is impossible". Can you find at least 3 comparable promises in the Scripture?

#24. a)Joshua 4:23-24 For the LORD your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The LORD your God did to the Jordan just what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. 24 He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the LORD is powerful and so that you might always fear the LORD your God."

b)Matt 19:26 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
25When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, "Who then can be saved?"
26Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

c)1 Cori 1:25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength.
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#25. The Magi bowed down and worshiped Jesus. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. What thoughts Mary might have had about these priceless gifts?

#25. Myrrh is a plant and its aromatic resin used as an ingredient in anointing oil(Exod 30:23), applied as perfume (Esther 2:12), placed in clothes to deodorize them (Ps 45:8), given as a gift (Matt 2:11) and used to embalm bodies(John 19:39).

The gold and incense are royal treasures and probably had helped them survive their stay in Egypt. She might have wondered about the myrrh. At the time of Jesus' burial, Mary might have figured it out. It was the embalming oil for the King.