Chapter 12: My Soul Magnifies the Lord
Chapter 12: My Soul Magnifies the Lord The Son of God became man to obtain the salvation of His people. “When the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman.”188 The humble woman from Nazareth was God’s chosen vessel so that the eternal Son might take upon Himself a human nature. From among all women Mary was granted the unique privilege of being the Lord’s mother according to His flesh. With good reason we refer to Mary as “blessed.” Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Saviour. For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; for behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.”189
Mary is an example and model for all Christians with regards to faith, obedience and humility. She realized her own lowly estate; her ambition was only to praise and exalt God: “My soul magnifies the Lord.” Her desire was not at all her own exaltation. Against her own will, throughout the greater part of church history, Mary was accorded such titles and worship that are fitting to God alone. The image of “Our Lady” in Catholic religion jars against what the Bible has to say about her.190 A brief survey of the more important Marian titles reveals that they are non-biblical, misleading or even untrue.
“Ever Virgin”
We confess in the Creed that Christ “was born of the virgin Mary.” The gospel includes the narrative how Jesus was miraculously conceived in Mary’s womb by the power of the Holy Spirit. The angel explains to her betrothed, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.”191
Joseph and Mary were married, but they had no sexual relation until Jesus was born. Joseph “took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name JESUS.” 192 The implication is plain, but the Catholic Church insists that Mary remained a virgin all her life. She is called “the all-holy ever-virgin Mother of God.”193
What is the purpose of this doctrine, the perpetual virginity of Mary? Could it be to give the impression that celibacy is a higher and purer state than married life? Indeed, the Catholic Church curses anyone who says that “it is not better and more blessed to remain in virginity, or in celibacy, than to be united in matrimony.”194 Moreover, some Church Fathers had the mistaken notion that sex is always sinful, even among married couples.195 Given this bias, it is not surprising that they wanted to defend Mary from such “sin.” For example, Epiphanius wrote: “And to holy Mary, the title "Virgin" is invariably added, for that holy woman remains undefiled.”196 But God’s gifts are all holy and pure, “marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled,” so much so that the Bible compares the relationship between Christ and His church to the bond of man and woman in marriage.197 “Mother of God” The Creed of Chalcedon (451) refers to Jesus “born of Mary the virgin, who is God-bearer in respect of his humanness.” The purpose of the expression “God- bearer” (or as it is sometimes translated, “Mother of God”), was to emphasize that Mary’s child, Jesus, is also truly God.
However the term is easily misunderstood, and indeed it has acquired a meaning far different from that intended by the early church. When Mary is called “Mother of God” it is often implied that she has maternal authority over the Lord.
Scripture teaches us how Christ, who is God from eternity, also became human. He humbled Himself and was subject to Joseph and Mary as long as He lived with them in Nazareth. As soon as He entered His public ministry He was no longer under their authority, but was subject only to the Father’s will. Quite significantly, at the beginning of His public ministry, during the wedding at Cana, the Lord Jesus told His mother, “Woman, what have I to do with thee?”198 As God, Christ is eternal. God has no beginning; therefore it would be absurd to say that God has a mother. Mary does not exercise authority over the Lord; rather, she is His maidservant. Christ is the Lord over her and everyone else, for He is Mary’s creator, Her Master and Saviour.
“Mother of the Church”
Catholic tradition holds that Christ appointed Mary “the mother of the church” when He was dying on the cross and told John, “Behold your mother.” However, if it was Christ’s intention to give Mary as mother to the whole church, why did He address John only, and not all the disciples near the cross?
“Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, "Woman, behold your son!" Then He said to the disciple, "Behold your mother!" And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.”199 Did Christ mean to make Mary the mother of the church? Or was it Christ’s intention to entrust His mother to the care of John after His death? The answer is found in the immediate context: “And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.” Jesus simply wanted to make sure that His mother would be taken care of by his intimate friend, John, as a son would take care of his mother. The Lord Jesus draws a sharp distinction between His relationship with Mary and His brothers according to the flesh, and the spiritual relationship with His church. On one occasion His mother and brothers stood outside seeking to speak with Him. One said to Him, “Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You.” Did Jesus snatch the opportunity to teach the people the appropriateness of seeking Mary’s intercession, or praying to her? Not at all. His reaction is rather startling - and instructive: “He answered and said to the one who told Him, "Who is My mother and who are My brothers?" And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother."”200 The Lord Jesus points out that our relationship with Him, characterized by joyful submission to the Father’s will, is much more important than a physical relationship with Him, even though it be His own mother. It is a dangerous presumption, then, to think that you will be able to appeal to His mother when you appear before Him for judgement. Remember: to those who made the observation, “Behold, your mother,” the Lord answered, “Who is my mother?”
“Immaculate Conception” A controversy sparked off in the twelfth century eventually led to the dogma of “the Immaculate Conception” proclaimed in 1854 by pope Pius IX: “We declare, pronounce, and define that the doctrine which holds that the most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instance of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin, is a doctrine revealed by God and therefore to be believed firmly and constantly by all the faithful.”201 The English monk Eadmer wrote in favour of this doctrine, while other Catholic scholars opposed it, among them Bernard of Clairvaux, Peter Lombard, Bonaventura and Thomas Aquinas. In the fourteenth century the monk, Duns Scotus, developed the doctrine that was to give victory to the Franciscans over against the Dominicans who sharply opposed it. The Catechism refers to two Bible passages as evidence in favour of this doctrine.202 One of them (Ephesians 1:3-4) does not even refer to Mary but to all Christians. The other text is the announcement of the angel Gabriel. “Through the centuries the Church has become ever more aware that Mary, "full of grace" through God, was redeemed from the moment of her conception”, but does “full of grace” actually imply that she was “conceived without sin”? No, for the same term describes all believers in Ephesians 1:6. Certainly no-one would suggest that all Christians were conceived without sin!203 Being descended from Adam, Mary was born with original sin just like every other human being. “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.”204 The Word of God pronounces this verdict upon all humanity: “There is none righteous, no, not one... for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” 205 Mary herself confesses her need of salvation; she said: “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Saviour.”206 As the doctor heals the sick, so God saves the sinner from sin. Even the Catholic Church admits that Mary “was redeemed.” If she were sinless from the beginning of her existence, (as the angels are), Mary would not have needed redemption, that is the forgiveness of sins.207
Redemption The Catholic religion teaches that the mother of Jesus “was associated more intimately than any other person in the mystery of his redemptive suffering.”208 “And from this community of will and suffering between Christ and Mary she merited to become most worthily the Reparatrix of the lost world and Dispensatrix of all the gifts that Our Saviour purchased for us by His Death and by His Blood.”209 With such a stance, no wonder that the average Catholic looks to Mary also to achieve salvation. This is a fatal error. When Mary presented baby Jesus in the temple, Simeon announced to her, “Yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also.”210 We can only imagine what Mary felt as she saw her Son hanging on the cross. John, Mary Magdalene, Salome, and Mary the wife of Cleophas, loved the Lord and stood by the cross too. Like Mary, they too suffered greatly as they saw their Beloved in agony.
Nevertheless the sufferings and death of Christ served a totally different purpose than theirs. They suffered because of their compassion towards Him, but Christ suffered and died for their sins and for the sins of all His people.211 The apostle Peter explains how He who committed no sin, “Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree.”212
Moreover, Scripture consistently relates our redemption, not to His sufferings, but rather to His death. “We were reconciled to God through the death of His Son;” “He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions;” “In Him we have redemption through His blood;” “Washed us from our sins in His own blood;” Christ came “to give His life a ransom for many.” 213 The Catholic Church teaches that “with her suffering and dying Son, Mary endured suffering and almost death… together with Christ she has redeemed the human race” and Mary “died in her heart with Him, stabbed with the sword of sorrow”214 Actually Mary did not die on Calvary; Christ alone gave His life as a ransom for His people! The statues and pictures of the Immaculate Conception represent Mary crushing the serpent’s head. The Bible shows us something totally different. God said to the serpent, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.”215 “He,” the woman’s Seed, the Lord Jesus Christ, crushed the Devil’s head. He alone was conceived without sin, lived a perfectly sinless life and died as the Substitute of the unrighteous, to bring them to God.
More Blessed In his gospel Luke narrates a curious incident. “And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, "Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!"” In His response, Jesus does not deny that Mary was uniquely blessed for being His mother, but He leads us to a higher consideration and points to a blessing that is greater still. “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”216 The faithful are blessed “with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,” (chosen, predestined, adopted, redeemed, forgiven, made heirs of God, sealed with the Spirit)217 – and that is infinitely more important even than the unique privilege that Mary enjoyed. Indeed, as Augustine rightly observes, “It means more for her, an altogether greater blessing, to have been Christ’s disciple than to have been Christ’s mother.”218
Let us therefore follow Jesus’ counsel and learn the Word of God, believe and obey it from the heart (even as Mary did), that we too may magnify His Holy Name and enjoy His richest blessings.