People around Jesus

Who Was Mary, the Mother of Jesus?

Mary was a young Jewish woman of Nazareth, engaged to a carpenter named Joseph, whom the Gospels present as the mother of Jesus. When the angel told her she would bear the Messiah, she gave a humble yes that has echoed through history. She followed Jesus to the cross and was among the believers at Pentecost. Christian traditions honour her in different ways, which are worth understanding honestly.

Her life in the Gospels

Mary appears first as an ordinary young woman met by an extraordinary calling. Her answer to the angel is one of the great acts of faith in Scripture.

She raised Jesus in Nazareth, was present at his first miracle at Cana, and did not abandon him even at the cross, where he entrusted her to the care of his disciple John.

Where the traditions differ

All Christians honour Mary as the mother of the Lord and a model of faith. Beyond that, the traditions differ, and it is only fair to say so plainly. Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Christians hold beliefs such as her perpetual virginity, and Catholics also confess the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption. Most Protestants honour Mary but do not hold these later doctrines, since they are not stated in Scripture. The Living Bread is not tied to one denomination, and points you to the Gospels themselves.

Why this matters for you

Mary’s greatness in the Gospels is her yes: her willingness to let God do something in her that she could not have planned. Her own last recorded words point away from herself and toward her son: whatever he says to you, do it (John 2:5). That is still where she points.

Frequently asked questions

Who was Mary in the Bible?

Mary was a young Jewish woman of Nazareth, engaged to Joseph, whom the Gospels present as the mother of Jesus. She accepted the angel's message with faith, raised Jesus, followed him to the cross, and was among the first believers at Pentecost.

Do all Christians believe the same things about Mary?

No. All Christians honour Mary as the mother of Jesus and a model of faith, but Catholic and Orthodox traditions hold additional beliefs (such as her perpetual virginity, and for Catholics the Immaculate Conception and Assumption) that most Protestants do not, since they are not stated in Scripture.

Was Mary sinless?

Scripture does not say Mary was sinless; in Luke 1:47 she calls God her Saviour. The Catholic Church teaches the Immaculate Conception, that she was preserved from sin, while Orthodox and Protestant Christians understand this differently. This is one of the honest differences between traditions.