Just as God portrays His Triune nature in patterns of three throughout His Word, His nature, and His creation,
it is not surprising that there are three
women named Mary in close association to Christ in His earthly ministry.
These are Mary, mother of Jesus (Luke 1-2), Mary Magdalene, Jesus’s disciple from the time He cast out seven
demons from her (Mark 16:19),
and His close friend Mary of Bethany,
sister of Martha and Lazarus (Luke 10:38-42;
John 11:2). These women were bound to Jesus by love as His family, follower, and friend.
There are also three
additional women named Mary described in less detail in Scripture, but also
worthy of mention. One of these is referred to as "the other Mary" (Matthew
27:61), also known as the mother
of the disciples James and Joses (Matthew
27:55-61); and as the wife of
Cleophas (John 19:25). The
second is the mother of John Mark
(Acts 12:12); and sister to Barnabas (Colossians 4:10), who opened her home to the disciples to
meet for prayer (Acts 12:12). The
third is Mary of Rome, whom Paul
thanked for her "many labors" in support of his ministry to the Roman
Christians (Romans 16:6).
These three women: the “other Mary,” the mother of
John Mark, and Mary of Rome, are
known for their association to
Christianity by being relatives of
the first missionaries and by their service
to the early church. All six of these women have much to teach us about the
Biblical ideal of womanhood.
“Mary” in the
New Testament is the Greek equivalent of the Old Testament Hebrew names “Miriam,” given to the sister of Moses
and Aaron (Exodus 15:20-21),
and “Mara,” the name Naomi adopted
to reflect her great sorrow in bereavement (Ruth
1:20). The name means bitterness,
sorrow, or trouble, reflecting the pain,
grief and tribulation each woman bore, though in differing
circumstances.
The root word of this name is the same as for the spice
known as myrrh, a bitter, fragrant and costly herb. In symbolic terms, myrrh may represent the bitterness of childbirth, mandated by
the curse of sin (Genesis 3:16);
the joys of motherhood (Proverbs 23:22-25); and the priceless value of Biblical womanhood,
exemplified by the Proverbs 31
woman.
Myrrh was one of the gifts
presented to Jesus as a young child to symbolize that He came to die (Matthew 2:11); it was offered to Him on the cross (Mark 15:23); and it was used to anoint His body for burial (John 19:39-40). And yet it was also
included in the holy anointing oil
used in Old Testament worship (Exodus
30:23; Psalm 45:7-8); it purified
women such as Queen Esther (Esther
2:12); and it perfumed the
marriage bed. (Proverbs 7:17-18;
Song of Solomon 1:13,3:6;4:14).
In keeping with Divine triplets in Scripture, there were three Marys present at the crucifixion of
Jesus (John 19:25). Mary, mother of Jesus, came to the cross by submission to God’s calling her to
carry His Son (Luke 1:28-38). Mary Magdalene came by Christ’s mercy as He freed her from demonic possession (Mark 16:19); and Mary of Cleophas
came by her relationship with Christ’s
followers, for she was the close relative of two disciples.
These three Marys present at the cross of Christ therefore
represent the three-step process by
which every born-again believer (John 3:3-8) comes to know Christ and places their faith in
His death, burial and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) as the only
Way to Heaven (John 14:6).
First, we have some association with
Christians who share the Gospel with us; then we ask Christ for His mercy to forgive us and spare us from eternal
death that our sins deserve (Romans 3:23);
and finally we submit to His perfect
will for our life (James 4:7),
all through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Praise God that He gave us victory (1 Corinthians 15:55-57) over sin, death and hell! Three Marys witnessed the evidence of His resurrection firsthand as
they came to anoint His body at the tomb, only to find that He had risen! These
three were Mary Magdalene (Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:1; Luke
24:10; John 20:1), Mary
the mother of James (the “other Mary;” Matthew
28:1; Mark 16:1), and the
mother of Jesus, as one of the women that were with Mary
Magdalene at the cross (Luke 24:10).
Each of these women has a unique story, yet with common
themes that illustrate how we can lead lives pleasing to Lord Jesus Christ, as we shall see in subsequent
posts. Like the three Marys, may we turn from the bitterness of sin to the joy
of salvation and the blessings of serving
Him!
© 2015 Laurie Collett
6 comments:
wonderful post.
Thanks, Denise! God bless.
Laurie
Dear Laurie,
I have wondered where you get all this information from, as throughout my forty years of Christian living and Bible study, I have never noticed the significance of the three Marys who played an important role in the life and death of Jesus Christ. However, heresy has never been that far away, first with the Roman Catholic idea the Mary was the mother of God, since Jesus is the incarnation of the Second Person of the Trinity. Secondly comes this theory, dreamt up by modern academics, that Mary Magdalene was the wife of Jesus.
But despite all that, I admired the way Mary, whilst pregnant with Jesus at the presence of John and Elizabeth, recited a poem borrowed from Hannah the mother of Samuel, and delivered a beautiful magnificat to the glory of God.
A brilliant post. God bless.
Dear Frank,
Thank you for your kind words. I take no credit on my own for what I write, for only God deserves the glory. I pray each time I write that His Holy Spirit will guide me to the right passages and give me the words He would have me express, and I thank Him for His faithfulness. I am blessed by your comment just as I am by your own writing.
It is sad that false teachers have deified Mary and attempted to cast doubt on Christ's purity. Even Mary herself realized she too needed a Savior and willingly submitted herself to God's perfect plan.
God bless,
Laurie
God uses ordinary people to do his work. The apostles were ordinary men, with ordinary trades common in their day. These women were so ordinary as to have one of the most common names and are only distinguished by what they did, yet each one had a significant impact on the church throughout history, simply because they believed God. God rarely uses the gifted, the highly educated, or the wealthy but usually chooses the ordinary and unknown to accomplish his plan.
Great post.
Amen, Donald! God does not look for ability, but for availability. If He calls us to a mission and we are faithful to follow the call, He will equip us with talents and resources to fulfill it.
Thanks as always for sharing your insights, and God bless.
Laurie
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