But what do the critics say about Mary's eyewitness testimony? Acts 9:6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? (26-27) … Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. By placing one after the other and structuring them in a similar format, Luke obviously meant the two be read in parallel. A prolonged form of a primary verb; to 'know' in a great variety of applications and with many implications. 34  Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a  man?”. She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” Luke 1:46-55 ESV / 11 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. In pointing to the example of Elizabeth, Gabriel was assuring Mary that what he had told her would eventuate. This article analyses what Luke 1:26-38 actually says, at times referring to other sections of the Bible to explain the meanings in these verses. Everything about Elizabeth’s reaction tells us she is pious, as does her introduction in Luke 1:6, where she is said to be “blameless” with respect to the law. (Acts 1:6-7, 2:29-30). ; Luke 1:34 ff. Keep in mind that at the time Mary was betrothed to Joseph. By far the most voluminous narratives about Mary in the New Testament are the infancy stories in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke.In their present form, both accounts make a point of asserting that Jesus was conceived in the womb of Mary without any human agency (Matthew 1:18 ff. The Roman Catholic position on Mary’s question is based on the assumption that Mary was referring to her carnal state and intentions in this regard when she said, “I do not know a man”. These examples from the Old Testament illustrate this: Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; And I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”  (Jeremiah 1:4-5). Mary would have a son who would be eligible to sit upon the throne of David. In the Liturgy it is said, “One is Holy, One is Lord, Jesus Christ, to the Glory of God the Father” and in other places that Jesus is the only sinless one. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.” (Luke 1:28-30) Many Protestants will insist this text to be little more than a common greeting of the Archangel Gabriel to Mary. ", Luke’s first chapter includes two announcements by the angel Gabriel, one to Zacharias and the other to Mary. luke 2:49,50 why didn't joseph and mary understand what jesus said ? At separate times, John, Elizabeth and Zacharias were all “filled with” the Holy Spirit, (Luke 1:15, 41, 67)  while the Holy Spirit was “upon” Mary, Simeon and Jesus. God would give him the throne of his father David. The angel came to her and said, “Greetings! Some examples of these translations are given below. The, the definite article. Even so, the angel’s reply to Mary would not have conveyed the idea of a virginal conception to her, or to the Hebrew people of the Bible. We know few other facts about Luke's life from Scripture and from early Church historians.. He wrote that God sent the angel Gabriel “to a virgin promised in marriage to a man named Joseph of David’s house, and the name of the virgin was Mary.” (Luke 1: 26, 27) Mary confirmed that she was a virgin. An Angel Appears to Mary - During Elizabeth’s sixth month of pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin. Clearly, the Holy Spirit, that is the spirit of God, “coming upon someone” is not describing the act of impregnation. It is a sign of how flimsy the arguments for virgin birth are when one of the two main pillars supposedly supporting the virgin birth doctrine is found not in the announcement to Mary, but merely in the response to her question. i   Worldwide English (New Testament), also see Amplified Bible, Contemporary English Version, Moffatt, The New English Bible (1961 edition), Revised Standard Version, Weymouth, Young's Literal Translation, ii   Good News Bible, also see English Standard Version, New American Standard Bible, New International, Version, New English Bible (1970 edition), New Revised Standard Version, The Revised English Bible, iii   The Jerusalem Bible, also see New Century Version. The place that we find most about Mary from is Luke's gospel. Verb - Future Indicative Middle - 3rd Person Singular. Although no doubt unintentional, a consequence of these “interpretations” is that they present Mary as being either very naïve or dim-witted. If it be objected that such a thing would be at complete variance with accepted Jewish thought, we answer first that the Incarnation and all its circumstances were also at variance with prevailing Jewish Messianism and thought.”, A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture: Commentary on St Luke, 748d, First published February 1953. The text is Luke 1:38 which says “ ‘I am the Lord’s Servant,’ Mary replied. Judges 13:8-12 Then Manoah intreated the LORD, and said, O my Lord, let the man of God which thou didst send come again unto us, and teach us what we shall do unto the child that shall be born…. This becomes clear when we consult the Greek, in which Luke’s gospel was composed, to see what is meant here by the word know. Spirit of God and Holy Spirit is the same thing. Answer, bid, bring word, command. ; also as exclamation, how much! Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. The list would have been long. Luke, the writer of the Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles, has been identified with St. Paul's "Luke, the beloved physician" (Colossians 4:14). And Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord, And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. Then Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this happen? Although verse 46 comes first, it is in the present tense, whereas verse 47 is in the past tense. 26 And in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, called Nazareth,27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.28 And the angel being come in, said unto her: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. Jesus, Zechariah, Elizabeth, John the Baptist, Mary, the disciples, Herod the Great, Pilate and Mary Magdalene. Logically, if Luke relates all initial events involving Mary, ending in the genealogy, it must be Mary . the young Mary has just received a message from God. The churches have always interpreted Luke’s narrative in a way that is totally foreign to the Jewish mind of the first century. Answer: The Bible, clearly, does not tell us how the gospel writers, for example Matthew, knew what Jesus said in his conversation with the Father in the garden. For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.” Her name was Mary. — This was not the language of distrust, or of doubt, respecting what the angel said, but of a desire to be further instructed, for the direction of her conduct. "When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped 1291 in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit." Luke uses it on 22 other occasions, for example in Zacharias’ question: 18 And Zacharias said to the angel, “How shall I know this? Some Bibles translate Mary’s question literally. One of the most amazing stories Luke wrote about was the birth of the Savior. mary was visted by an angel before jesus was born and she was told who jesus was---- the son of god joseph was visted by an angel and he was told who jesus was before he married mary. The virgin's name was Mary. Do not be afraid for you have found favour with God. Mary reveals something here very significant about praising and worshipping God. Luke 1:46-50 (Excerpt From Mary's Song) And Mary said: "My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. And these words, recorder thousands of years ago, continue to have important lessons for modern readers.  – Luke 2:19 Mary must have stored up many memories of her remarkable son Jesus. (John 1:45, 49), Interestingly Jesus used similar words: “Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.”  (Matthew 5:9), 36  Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old. Each time it is used in the sense of “learning” or “knowing” about something. 4 - Luke , chapter 1 verses 30-32 shows us that biologically Jesus was also the Son of David. * Mary’s questioning response is a denial of sexual relations and is used by Luke to lead to the angel’s declaration about the Spirit’s role in the conception of this child . The words are a beautiful reminder of the faith of Jesus' future mother, particularly in the midst of a difficult and confusing time. He and his wife Elizabeth were well advanced in years and childless. Mary in the Bible. As Luke tells us in his next chapter, it is written in the Law that every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. It was this knowledge about Joseph that prompted Mary’s question. (1:41) Why is that? I have said to thee: Let my son go, that he may serve me" (Ex., iv, 22 sq.). We know the angel Gabriel visited Mary to bring her the news of God’s plan. Mary's Magnificat, recorded only in Luke's Gospel, is one of four hymns, distilled from a collection of early Jewish-Christian canticles, which complement the promise-fulfillment theme of Luke's infancy narrative.These songs are Mary's Magnificat; Zechariah's Benedictus (1:67–79); the angels' Gloria in Excelsis Deo (2:13–14); and Simeon's Nunc dimittis (2:28–32). "And Mary said unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?." Elder Bruce R. McConkie (1915–85) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles says that Luke probably got his information about Jesus’s birth from Mary herself. Also, as was common, Mary had a … Matthew states the situation frankly in his opening chapter. The first announcement was to Zacharias, a priest of the division of Abijah. Of time: when, after; of cause: since, because; otherwise: else. (2) The idea that Catholics worship Mary is one that I think you know is false. Young’s Concordance shows the Greek word used in Mary’s question is ginosko – to know. Mary was unsure how this could be since she was a virgin. A spirit that rejoices in God leads to a soul that … But Mary received no such rebuke, indicating that her question was not an expression of disbelief, but a request for more detail. Note: The word translated “conceive” is from the Greek word “sullambano” and means “to receive seed”. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 1:27–33) And Mary did not say, “How shall I know this?” God has told her it will be. For one thing, Mary is never mentioned in Luke, while Joseph is the last person in Luke’s genealogy. Dressed as a priest, David danced and leapt in front of the ark (2 Sam. At first glance, Mary’s question seems odd coming from someone who is soon to be married and no doubt expecting to have children. Jesus Anointed at Bethany () (). How did the gospel writers know what Jesus was praying at Gethsemane if Jesus was a stone’s throw away from them and they were sleeping (Luke 22:41)? Mary's Magnificat, recorded only in Luke's Gospel, is one of four hymns, distilled from a collection of early Jewish-Christian canticles, which complement the promise-fulfillment theme of Luke's infancy narrative.These songs are Mary's Magnificat; Zechariah's Benedictus (1:67–79); the angels' Gloria in Excelsis Deo (2:13–14); and Simeon's Nunc dimittis (2:28–32). They have her saying that because she is presently chaste or unmarried, she cannot understand how at some future time she could have a child. It is only in the context of Mary being betrothed to Joseph, but knowing that he could not father the child spoken of, that her question makes sense. 37  For with God nothing will be impossible.”. We honor her because of her faith, and her obedience to Christ. So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife; and when he went in to her, And the LORD visited Sarah as He had said, and, Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, “. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the. If not, let me be clear: we don’t worship Mary. In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. Luke 1:30-33. Simeon also told Mary, "Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed" (Luke 2:34–35). Or Mariam of Hebrew origin; Maria or Mariam, the name of six Christian females. I am a virgin.” vi. 30 But the angel said to her, 'Do … Both words can be translated as “wind” or “breath”. (Luke 1:32-33). Luke records the angel Gabriel visiting Mary and telling her that she would give birth to a son who would be the Savior. 14 Now the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were scheming to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. 35 And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you…. She has been told that the Holy Spirit will conceive in her -- a virgin -- this child. The New Testament points to a future fulfilment. Matthew and Luke are the only writers in the New Testament who show an interest in the circumstances of Jesus’ birth. would be called the Son of the Highest; and. The virgin’s name was Mary. However, it was for good reason that she was perplexed by Gabriel’s message. He first mentions all … But, although of the House of David, Joseph’s line could never ascend the Davidic throne. Do not be afraid for your prayer is heard. Nathanael said this while believing Jesus was a mortal man, the son of Joseph. Mary became pregnant, even though she and Joseph had not had sexual intercourse. In Colossians 10-14 speaks of those friends who are with him. (Luke 1:35, 2:25, 3:22)  It means the spirit of God was with these six persons at these times. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One … Luke explicitly states that the lineage is through Joseph with no mention of Mary at all anywhere near the genealogy. The term holy one applies to others besides Jesus. (Luke 2:23). According to Young’s Concordance, this Greek word is used in relation to both Elizabeth and Mary. age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. 1  The angel promised Mary that her son (Jesus) would be given the throne of his father David, and he would reign over the house of Jacob forever. Luke 1:46-50 (Excerpt From Mary's Song) And Mary said: "My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. One of the foremost scholars of the New Testament doubts that Mary or Joseph is responsible for any part of the narratives in Luke (Mary’s point of view) and in Matthew (Joseph’s point of view) (Fitzmyer, vol. Mary reveals something here very significant about praising and worshipping God. However, this argument does not carry any weight. Judges 13:8-12 Then Manoah intreated the LORD, and said, O my Lord, let the man of God which thou didst send come again unto us, and teach us what we shall do unto the child that shall be born… In so doing, she declared her need of a Savior just as much as anyone else. * In any case, it does seem that Mary was a widow by the end of Jesus’ ministry. For one thing, Mary is never mentioned in Luke, while Joseph is the last person in Luke’s genealogy. 1. Yet, in order to explain Mary’s question, this is the proposition put forward by the scholars of the Roman Catholic Church. Mary traveled to the house of Elizabeth and Zechariah in the hill country of Judea (Luke 1:39). Understand the meaning of Luke 1:34 using all available Bible versions and commentary. Jesus was both human and divine. Gabriel said Elizabeth, although old and called barren, had conceived and would soon have a child, for with God nothing is impossible. We know from Matthew and Luke that Mary was a virgin, and had never been married before, so her marriage age would have been set by common custom. The latter Mary has replaced Susanna. The churches regard the angel’s announcement to Mary, recorded in the first chapter of Luke, as one of the two pillars of the virgin birth doctrine. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. Mary, mother of Jesus. How shall this be, she asked, seeing that I am to live separate from man?”, The Glories of Mary for the Sake of her Son, quoted in The Teaching of the Catholic Church: A Summary of Catholic Doctrine arranged and edited by Monsignor Canon George D. Smith, D.D., Ph.D., Fourth Revised Edition, p 519. The Lord is with you.' I only know of six: Mary, the Mother of our Lord, (Luke 1.43). In fact the words refer as much to Elizabeth as they do to Mary. ‘The angel said to her “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Quotations are from the New King James Version, unless otherwise stated. (Luke 1:24, 36, and 1:31, 2:21), The angel Gabriel told Mary she would have a child who would be given the throne of David. (3) “Why should we give Mary special attention?” Mary says that all generations will honor her (Luke 1:48), while you say we should ignore her. They are juxtaposed to the Twelve (8:1). A central figure. 2  Luke 3:23 names the father of Jesus, who was a descendant of David, and from a line eligible to sit upon the throne of David. Young’s Concordance shows the Greek word used in Mary’s question is ginosko – to know. Verb - Present Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular. Where the Bible says Hannah and others conceived through God’s intervention, no one takes this to imply virginal conception. When approaching the question of how old Mary was when she gave birth to Jesus, it's important to recognize and to refrain from imposing on antiquity the norms of the 21st century. Luke … Mary’s question to Gabriel, as explained earlier, was due to the fact that Joseph could not father the child that she had just been told she would bear. 304-08). They were both anxious. (Luke 1:47). Although Joseph and Mary knew much about Jesus, full understanding had not yet dawned. It is never suggested that Elizabeth had conceived other than in the normal way. Furthermore, Mary is in the genealogy in Matthew 1:16, between Joseph (her father) and Jesus (her son). Well, Mary responded "be it unto me according to thy word" (Luke 1:38). "Scripture taken from the New King James Version. It is only when the words are applied to Jesus that theologians, in order to prop up their virgin birth story, give them a unique interpretation. (Matthew 1:18)   Luke is more circumspect and it is only in the second half of Chapter 3, after describing the activities of John the Baptist, that he explicitly states Joseph is not Jesus’ father. However, the translators of many other Bibles have taken it upon themselves to interpret “I do not know a man” in a way that supports the churches’ explanations, and in doing so distort both the words and meaning of the question. Both deal with the sensitive matter that Joseph was not the father of Jesus. - Luke 3:23 (NASB) There seems to be a widely held view among conservative theologians that Luke's record is actually tracing Mary's genealogy and not Joseph's. What puzzled Mary was Gabriel’s statement that this son would be given the throne of David. Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers, NT Gospels: Luke 1:34 Mary said to the angel How can (Luke Lu Lk). The angel told Mary that she should call her son Jesus. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name. And now you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus”.’ Read Luke 1-26-38. I have no husband.’ i, Mary said to the angel, “I am a virgin. Mary, the mother spoke, but she specifically included Joseph, his father. In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and told her: In the points listed it is seen that the angel Gabriel spoke similarly to Zacharias and Mary, the only significant variant being the different roles mapped out for their respective sons. 28 The angel went to her and said, 'Greetings, you who are highly favored! One of the most esteemed of their theologians of recent centuries, Cardinal Newman, wrote: “Though all Jewish women in each successive age had been hoping to be the Mother of the Christ, so that marriage was honourable among them, childlessness a reproach, Mary alone had put aside the desire and the thought of so great a dignity; she who was to bear the Christ gave no welcome to the great announcement that she was to bear him, and why did she act thus towards it? luke 2:49,50 why didn't joseph and mary understand what jesus said ? You are one up on me. St. Luke is identified by early (2nd century) … How exactly does the Orthodox Church view the sinlessness of Mary? Mary was betrothed to Joseph, who was of the House of David. Luke 1:34-38. That Mary’s question was one of genuine enquiry can also be ascertained by comparing the different treatments handed out to Mary and Zacharias. Young’s Concordance shows the Greek word used in Mary’s question is ginosko – to know. God had expressly forbidden it. The Gospel of Luke says Mary is a virgin betrothed to Joseph, while the Gospel of Matthew says Jesus' virginal conception happens before Mary lives with Joseph in his house, because, in a Jewish wedding, by being betrothed to a man, the woman is already his wife, yet she does not start living in his house until the wedding is over. Mary could be closely related to Elizabeth and still come from the line of Judah. According to The Catholic Encyclopedia (TCE) under the topic of Hail Mary, it says, “Hail (Mary) full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou amongst women” embodies the words used by the Angel Gabriel in saluting the Blessed Virgin (Luke, I, 28).” The Roman Catholic Church derives all sorts of teachings concerning Mary from the phrase “full of grace.” Her question could quite reasonably be put like this: How can this be, since I do not know a man who has the credentials to be father of the son you have just told me about? Luke records the material in the infancy narrative in a way that implies Mary was the source of much or all of it (Luke 2:19, 51; more here). Two common titles for Mary derive from Elizabeth's prophetic insights: " Blessed Virgin Mary " is a title commonly used by Catholic Christians. When the Bible speaks of God’s role in a person’s conception, it is not suggesting anything other than normal conception. Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular. Mary’s question directly addresses this conundrum, and nothing more. They handle this issue in different ways. What books of Scripture did St. Luke write? Mary was not challenging what Gabriel had just told her, rather she was seeking further information. Then said Mary to the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? This assurance was to do with the son she would bear, not the manner of his conception. We honor her because of her faith, and her obedience to Christ. when jesus was born in bethlehem angels apppeared to the shepherds they told them who jesus was. At the time of his death, Jesus entrusted his mother to the apostle John. According to Luke 1:26-35, the angel Gabriel announced that Jesus would be called (v, 32) “the Son of the Most High.”