We know very little about Mary, the young woman who was chosen to be the mother of Christ. We know she was a righteous and pure woman, who loved the Lord and had a deep desire to be obedient. Beyond that, not much has been said.
“Mary, Mother of Jesus” by Bruce E. Dana takes the information we do have and compiles it into one source, putting Bible and Book of Mormon mentions of Mary into one volume so we need not hunt from book to book. He also takes into account the cultural climate and the traditions of the Jews at that time and postulates about Mary’s growing up years, the formal and informal education she might have received, the training to be a wife and mother she would have undergone, and the betrothal and marriage ceremonies that would have taken place.
One aspect of the book I found particularly fascinating was the light that was shed on the relationship between Christ and His mother. Some read the scriptural accounts of the way Christ spoke to Mary and believe He was demeaning to her, but in this book, the author delves deeper, pointing out that when the Savior called His mother, “Woman,” He was actually using a term of great respect for her. Indeed, I cannot imagine our Savior being unkind to His mother, and this is born out when we take a look at one of His last acts on this earth, that of asking one of His chosen disciples to look after Mary as though he were her own son.
As we go through the book, we see how Mary was involved in the different aspects of Christ’s life, at some points in the background, but always supporting Him, always remembering His mission on this earth and encouraging Him in it. I appreciated the way Dana went to other scholars to back up his theories and we are able to see how theologians of both the Latter-day Saint faith and other Christian religions visualize this holy woman and look upon her with respect.
It’s true that as Latter-day Saints, we do not worship Mary, but we do honor her, seek to emulate her, and regard her with admiration for the examples of purity and service she gave to us. “Mary, Mother of Jesus” is a lovely tribute to this woman who bore and raised our Savior and fitted Him for His mission upon the earth.
(This book was published in 2001 by Cedar Fort.)
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Tristi Pinkston is a full-time blogger at Families.com. Click here to read more of her articles.