Mary

Mary was a common name among Jewish women in the first century. Six or possibly seven women in the New Testament had this name.

Mary, the mother of Jesus. According to the accounts of the birth of Jesus in Matthew and Luke, Mary was a young Jewish virgin. She was probably from the tribe of Judah. She was engaged to Joseph, who was descended from David and also belonged to the tribe of Judah.

Before Mary and Joseph married, Mary became pregnant through the work of the Holy Spirit. Mary accepted what God had called her to do (Matthew 1:18–25; Luke 1:26–38).

Mary and Joseph married and lived in Nazareth in Galilee. They later traveled to Bethlehem, Joseph’s family town, for a census. Jesus was born there (Matthew 2:1; Luke 1:5; 2:4–5).

Soon after the birth of Jesus, the family fled to Egypt to escape King Herod (Matthew 2:13–14). They later returned and lived again in Nazareth (Matthew 2:23; Luke 2:39).

We have little other information about Mary. She cared deeply for Jesus as his mother. This is clear when she corrected him after finding him in the temple (Luke 2:48). She also trusted his ability, as shown at the wedding in Cana (John 2:1–4).

Mary also cared for several other sons and daughters. She was present at the cross when Jesus died. There, Jesus asked “the disciple whom He loved” to care for her (John 19:25–27).

After Jesus rose from the dead, Mary and the brothers of Jesus joined the other disciples in prayer. They were present when the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost (Acts 1:14). The New Testament does not mention Mary again.

Mary’s song of praise in Luke 1:46–55 (called “The Magnificat”) shows her humility and trust in God’s will. She is truly “blessed … among women” (Luke 1:42).

Mary, the mother of James and Joseph. The Gospels use several names for her. In each account, she appears as a faithful follower of Jesus who stood near the cross and later witnessed the empty tomb.

Matthew calls her “Mary the mother of James and Joseph” or “the other Mary” (Matthew 27:56, 61; 28:1). Mark uses a few names for her. First, he calls her “Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses,” “Mary the mother of Joses,” and “Mary the mother of James” (Mark 15:40, 47; 16:1).

In John’s Gospel, she is “Mary wife of Clopas” (John 19:25). But this may have been a different Mary. According to early Christian tradition, she was Jesus’s aunt because Clopas was believed to be Joseph’s brother (Eusebius’s Ecclesiastical History 3.11).

Mary Magdalene. This Mary was from Magdala in Galilee. We know little about her life before she met Jesus. Jesus freed her from seven demons. After this, she joined his followers and traveled with him (Luke 8:2).

Mary remained faithful to Jesus when many of his male disciples fled. She was present near the cross when Jesus died (Mark 15:40; John 19:25). She also watched where his body was buried (Mark 15:47).

Mary later witnessed the events connected with Jesus’s resurrection. Matthew, Mark, and Luke name her among the women who went to the tomb (Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:1; Luke 24:10). John says that she was the first of these women to find the tomb empty and report it to the disciples. She was also the first to see the risen Jesus after she stayed near the tomb when the others had left (John 20:1–2, 11–18). Jesus then told her not to hold on to him (John 20:17).

Mary of Bethany. This Mary was the sister of Martha and Lazarus. She lived in Judea. The Bible records three important events about her.

First, she was such a devoted follower of Jesus that she neglected her household duties to listen to him (Luke 10:38–42). Jesus approved this.

Second, she was apparently upset with Jesus when he did not come to heal her brother before he died (John 11:20, 28–33).

Finally, before Jesus died, she anointed him with an expensive ointment while he feasted at her home in Bethany (Matthew 26:6–13; Mark 14:3–9; John 12:1–8).

Mary, mother of John Mark. This woman appears only once in Scripture (Acts 12:12). The persecuted church met in her home. Her house seems to have been large, and she had servants. This suggests that she was wealthy. She may also have been a widow because the passage does not mention a husband.

The church gathered in her house to pray for Peter. After Peter was released from prison, he went to her house. Her son John Mark later traveled with Paul and probably Peter as well.

Mary of Rome. In Romans 16:6 Paul greets a woman in Rome named simply “Mary, who has worked hard among you.” At some time she had been in Greece or Asia Minor, perhaps being forced out of Rome with Aquila and Priscilla (Acts 18:2; around AD 49).

While she was there, she met Paul and may have become a Christian through his ministry. She worked hard with him to spread the gospel or care for the church. By AD 56, when the book of Romans was probably written, she had returned to Rome. Paul praised her and his other coworkers who lived there.