Mary, Mother of Jesus

Mary, the wife of Joseph, was the virgin mother of Jesus. Luke tells us that as a young girl in Nazareth, Mary was engaged to Joseph, a local carpenter. Before they married, an angel told her she would become pregnant by God's Spirit and give birth to the Son of God (Luke 1:26–35). Mary accepted this extraordinary message with simple faith, humbly agreeing to God's will (Luke 1:38; see also Luke 1:46–55). Soon after, her relative Elizabeth confirmed the message, calling Mary the most blessed of all women (Luke 1:39–45). People saw Mary's miraculous bearing of the Son of God as a fulfillment of prophecy (Isaiah 7:14).

Jesus was born under unusual circumstances. Joseph took Mary to Bethlehem for a Roman census. The child was born in a stable because no other lodging was available (Luke 2:1–7). Later, Mary and Joseph fled to Egypt to protect the child from Herod's massacre of young boys in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:13–18). When they returned, they settled in Nazareth to raise their family (Matthew 2:19–23). After Jesus was born, Mary likely had several other sons and daughters (Matthew 13:55–56; Mark 6:3). Mary probably told Luke the details of the birth of Jesus and the unusual events surrounding it (see Luke 2:51).

When Jesus was twelve, he stayed in the temple during a family trip to Jerusalem. Mary and Joseph scolded him for staying behind when they left, but they did not understand his response (Luke 2:41–51). Early in his public ministry, Mary urged Jesus to perform a miracle at a wedding in Cana (John 2:1–11). Later, when she and his brothers went to see Jesus, he said that his disciples were his true family (Matthew 12:46–50; Mark 3:31–35; Luke 8:19–21).

When Jesus was put to death on the cross, Mary was among the women watching (see Mark 15:40, 47; John 19:25). As Jesus was dying, he asked John, the “disciple whom He loved,” to care for Mary as his own mother (John 19:26–27). After Jesus died and came back to life, Mary was part of the believing community. She is mentioned among those praying together when the Holy Spirit came on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 1:14).

God chose Mary to bring his Son, the Savior, into the world. For all Christians, she serves as a model of humility and obedience to God's will.

Passages for Further Study

Matthew 1:16, 18–25; 2:11, 13–23; Luke 1:26–2:51; John 19:25–27; Acts 1:14