Mary, the Mother of God?

In Luke 1:43, in her hymn of praise, Elizabeth says of Mary, “And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me?”

She was astounded that the one who was the mother of her Messiah (her declaration emulates David in Ps. 110:1) would visit her.  She is humbling herself and recognizing Mary’s “greater” position because she is carrying a greater child in her pregnancy.  She is acknowledging that Elizabeth’s visit is a great honor to her because the “more honorable” woman has made the trip to visit her. 

From this passage, though, the Roman Catholic church teaches that Mary is the mother of God — not just the mother of the incarnated God-Man, Jesus Christ, but the mother of the infinite God.  In the Roman Catholic Catechism, it says of Mary:

Since the Virgin Mary’s role in the mystery of Christ and the Spirit has been treated, it is fitting now to consider her place in the mystery of the Church. “The Virgin Mary…is acknowledged and honored as being truly the Mother of God and of the redeemer.…She is ‘clearly the mother of the members of Christ’…since she has by her charity joined in bringing about the birth of believers in the Church, who are members of its head.” “Mary, Mother of Christ, Mother of the Church.”…

By her complete adherence to the Father’s will, to his Son’s redemptive work, and to every prompting of the Holy Spirit, the Virgin Mary is the Church’s model of faith and charity. Thus she is a ‘preeminent and…wholly unique member of the Church”…

Her role in relation to the Church and to all humanity goes still further. “In a wholly singular way she cooperated by her obedience, faith, hope, and burning charity in the Savior’s work of restoring supernatural life to souls. For this reason she is a mother to us in the order of grace.”

“This motherhood of Mary in the order of grace continues uninterruptedly from the consent which she loyally gave at the Annunciation and which she sustained without wavering beneath the cross, until the eternal fulfilment of all the elect. Taken up to heaven she did not lay aside this saving office but by her manifold intercession continues to bring us the gifts of eternal salvation .…Therefore the Blessed Virgin is invoked in the Church under the titles of Advocate, Helper, Benefactress, and Mediatrix.” [Catechism, ¶963, 67-69.]

So the Roman Catholic church takes their assertion that Mary is the mother of God to its logical conclusion — that a created being (Mary) must then also be involved in the redemption of sinners.

Yet when Elizabeth makes her statement in Luke 1:43, she is pointing to Christ as the Messiah, “My Lord,” even as David did (Ps. 110:1).  She is pointing to the One who will be the Messianic ruler on the Davidic throne — a real human and a real king on a real throne.  She is not pointing to Mary as the mother of deity, but pointing to Mary as the mother of a genuine human being (which is one of Luke’s emphases in referring to Christ as the Son of Man). 

Verse 43 also affirms that she is thinking of the humanity of the child in Mary — Jesus was the physical “fruit” (product) of the physical “womb.” He is born of flesh and blood and is genuine/true Man and the genuine Son of Man.  As one commentator notes, “Elizabeth marvels that Messiah visits her and that her relative bears this significant child.” [Bock]

As we read the gospels we are wise to keep in mind the dual nature of Christ — He is truly both God and Man.  In those two natures, Mary is the mother of Jesus; she is not the mother of God.

In summary, John MacArthur helpfully says “God, being eternal (Gen. 21:33; Deut. 33:27; Ps. 90:2; Isa. 40:28; Hab. 1:12; Rom. 16:26), was never conceived or born, but has always existed. Mary was the mother of the human Jesus, not His eternal divine nature.…Mary is not the mother of God, or the queen of heaven. She plays no role in the redemption of sinners, and does not intercede for them or hear their prayers.” [MacArthur]

“Annunciation Glass – Mary” by Slices of Light is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.