The Divine Universe

There was a problem. The claim that Jesus was Messiah rested in part on his direct descent from David. Matthew and Luke trace his lineage through Joseph, but it seems to have been widely known that the child was conceived out of wedlock. The Jews taunted Jesus with this during an argument in Jerusalem. Luke, the only writer to give us a detailed account of Jesus’ birth, accepts this as true, but, in a very beautiful manner, explains that it was God’s action and providence.

Early converts to Jesus’ way, reading Luke’s gospel, were satisfied that Jesus was indeed of royal descent and, in later times, Christians affirmed the royal status also of Mary, his mother. But she and Jesus both offer us quite revolutionary models of royalty and even a radically different model of holiness. An ‘illegitimate’ child was regarded by the Jews as a seriously flawed and defective individual. A man, executed for blasphemy and sedition was absolutely beyond the pale. The claim that he was Messiah was a bold one, contradicting normal assumptions completely.

There is nothing heroic or glamorous about Mary. The tiny glimpses we have of her in the gospels are of a woman who suffered much humiliation and hardship. As well as the prurient suspicion about her firstborn child’s conception, she found herself giving birth in the most degrading conditions. Late in Mary’s pregnancy, she and Joseph, the courageous and generous man who became her husband, had to go to Bethlehem for an official census. When they got to the town they found all the accommodation was booked up and they ended up in the stable of a hotel.

While there, they had some interesting visitors. There were shepherds. Shepherds were among the most disreputable members of society and looked down on by everyone, but they seemed to be aware that this baby was something very special. Luke tells again of angelic messengers.

Then, according to Matthew, some foreign scholars, probably astrologers, arrived at the stable. In contrast to the shepherds, they belonged to the very top social echelon in their own country, and they brought expensive presents. Mary and Joseph were, no doubt, puzzled by all this. There were strong hints that the boy was much more important than anyone imagined, even his parents perhaps.

Actually, the “wise men”, as Matthew calls them, thinking they were looking for a royal birth, had gone first to Herod’s palace. Herod immediately became paranoid, thinking that this was some threat to his throne, and he ordered the slaughter of all boys under two years old. Joseph got wind of this (a dream this time) and took the three of them off to Egypt. So they spent their first years together as asylum seekers in a foreign country. (Luckily it was 1st century Egypt, not 21st century Australia.)

After Herod’s death the family came back and settled in the rather disreputable town of Nazareth. Here, according to Luke, Jesus grew to be a credit to Mary and Joseph. We may be sure that he was exceptionally gifted, but I imagine he may have been a worry to his mother at times. Luke tells a story of Jesus’ eccentric and, some might say, quite naughty ways.

This is what happened. The whole extended family went to Jerusalem for Passover. When it was over they all set off home again. In that kind of family people didn’t worry too much about their children. They all looked out for each other. So it was not for a couple of days that Mary and Joseph realised that Jesus was not with the party. You can imagine the panic. There was nothing for it; they’d have to go back and find him.

The frantic parents set out to return to Jerusalem, scanning the countryside for any sign of Jesus. Nothing. After two days’ walking they arrived back in the city, exhausted and desperate. They decided to contact the police or someone official in the temple. Arriving there they noticed a little knot of scribes and lawyers, and when they got close they saw Jesus in the middle, in deep conversation with them.

Mary probably broke down and wept with relief, but she and Joseph were angry too. “Look here, young man, you’ve scared the wits out of your mother and me. You must never ever, ever go off on your own like this again.” It’s not easy being the mother of a genius, especially when you’re poor and no one knows of your royal connections.

As Jesus reached manhood, Mary’s troubles grew no less. Jesus stayed home and worked in the shop till he was about thirty, but then he went off on his own as an itinerant teacher and healer. He made a great reputation with some people, but others, especially religious people, were often much offended by his teaching. They tried to say he was crazy and sent for the family to come and take charge of him. His mother and younger brothers went to find him, but when they did he didn’t seem to want to have anything to do with them. It must have been worrying.

Things got worse. There were alarming rumours. Jesus was making powerful enemies. His life might be in danger. But there was nothing the family could do. Mary could only pray and trust in the Lord.

Then, one Passover, her worst fears were realised. Jesus had been arrested in Jerusalem and convicted of blasphemy and sedition. One can imagine the shock to Mary and Jesus’ closest friends. They rushed to Jerusalem and arrived just in time to witness the dreadful execution. The devastation and anguish Mary must have felt is beyond imagining.

But it was not the end. Shortly after Jesus’ death and burial some of the disciples reported seeing him in various mysterious ways, and they were convinced he was alive.

We don’t know if Jesus ever appeared to his mother, but some weeks later, early in the morning of the festival of Pentecost, she and the disciples had an extraordinary experience. Frightened of both the Jewish and Roman authorities, they were hiding in an upper room in Jerusalem. Then, suddenly, it was like there was a mini-cyclone in the room. They felt as if they’d been struck by lightning. And their whole mood changed. The disciples felt confident and full of the urge to go and tell everyone about Jesus and the fact that he was alive.

There is no further information about Mary, but I like to think that she was looked after by John and their friends in her latter years, and that she enjoyed a serene old age. She never became a celebrity, of course, and, I’m sure, never wanted that, but for Christians down the ages she is seen as the greatest of all the saints and is the subject of a special theology: the Queen of Heaven, an essential part of the Christ event.