Mary Was There Beginning to End

Posted on by K.B. Vogelman

Famed mother of Jesus of Nazareth, Mary, was a witness throughout the exceptional life of her son – the only one who was there from beginning to end to experience events involving Jesus.^[1] Like most mothers, every amazing detail about her son was memorable.

Mentioned twice in Luke before Jesus turned 13, the Gospel says Mary “treasured all these things in her heart.”^[2] Nativity accounts of Gospels of Matthew and Luke could only come from Mary herself.^[3]

As a girl living in Nazareth, population of about 2000, Mary came of marriageable age at about 13 years old when was betrothed to Joseph.^[4] Betrothal for Mary was no different than for any other Jewish girl…until she was visited by the angel Gabriel.

Turning from ordinary to extraordinary, Mary’s remarkable life took only a moment. Angel Gabriel, the messenger of God, announced she would be impregnated by the Holy Spirit and would give birth to the Son of God.^[5] No doubt, the message shocked her to the core.

Informed by Gabriel that Elizabeth was pregnant, Mary promptly traveled to visit her relative to share the experience. They had something in common – special pregnancies.

Elizabeth had been married for many years, but had been childless. Even Zechariah, her husband who learned of her pregnancy from the angel, Gabriel, had still doubted the possibility of Elizabeth becoming pregnant because of her age.^[6]

Merely a few days pregnant, even before Mary herself experienced any physical changes from the pregnancy, Elizabeth affirmed Mary was pregnant the moment she arrived:^[7]

^{LK 1:42-44} “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child in your womb! And who am I that the mother of my Lord should come and visit me? For the instant the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.” _(NET)

Mary went back home to Nazareth three months later when it was time for Elizabeth to give birth to her son, later becoming known as John the Baptist. No other interaction between Jesus and John are recorded until Jesus was baptized.

Giving birth to Jesus in a stable in Bethlehem, not at home in Nazareth, came as a result of many unreal events that took Mary and Joseph to the hometown of King David. It was a short-lived visit because God warned them to leave due to King Herod seeking to kill Jesus and they quickly hid in Egypt before returning to Nazareth

A stark reminder their son was distinctively different from his siblings came when Jesus was 12 years old. Upon leaving the Passover celebration going back to Nazareth, Joseph and Mary assumed Jesus was in their traveling group, but could not find him when they arrived home.

Frantically searching for their son and going back to Jerusalem, they found Jesus sitting in the Temple courts with teachers asking questions and astounding them with his knowledge. Understandably his parents chided Jesus, but his response jarring their senses, not fully understanding his response:

^{LK 2:49}“Why were you looking for me? Didn’t you know that I must be in my Father’s house?” _(NET)

When a wedding party ran out of wine, Mary knew Jesus could rescue the event. Knowing her son had special powers who could perform miracles, it suggests Jesus had done other miraculous things privately within their family.

Mary asked her son to save the marriage celebration and instructed servants to do whatever Jesus said. Not ready to publicly reveal his capabilities of performing miracles, in-spite-of being a grown adult, Jesus did as his mother asked performing the first publicly recorded miracle by turning pots of water into wine.^[8]

At his home in Capernaum, Mary and her family tried to meet with Jesus, but they could not reach him because the crowd was too dense. Some people told Jesus his family was outside wanting to see him and Jesus responded saying that he considered those around him to be his family.^[9]

Next mention of Mary was about three years later during the most dreadful of scenarios, all the more horrifying for a mother, when she watched her tortured son being executed by crucifixion.^[10] What emotions she experienced can scarcely be imagined.

Much attention is made of Mary Magdalene’s Resurrection encounter at the tomb recognizing Jesus after he rose from the dead. Perhaps Jesus’ own mother and family were even better suited to confirm or refute that Jesus was alive again after his death on the cross.^[11]

James, one of the half-brothers of Jesus, was willing to die for belief in his brother. According to Roman Jewish historian Josephus, James became a martyr for preaching about Jesus:

“…he [Ananus] assembled the Sanhedrin of judges, and brought before them the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was James, and some others, [or, some of his companions.] And when he had formed an accusation against them as breakers of the law, he delivered them to be stoned…” – Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews ^[12]

From her miraculous conception, the circumstances of his birth, many of his miracles, his crucifixion to seeing him alive again, Mary was the sole witness from the beginning to the end of the life of Jesus of Nazareth. Some of the incidents have been substantiated by sources outside of the Gospels – Roman historians and Judaism and through astronomy, and archeology.

Does Mary’s witness account provide believable evidence attesting to his life?

Updated May 31, 2024.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

REFERENCES:

[1] Luke 1:2.
[2] Luke 2:19; 2:51. CR Luke 1:66. NASB. NASB, NIV. Luke 2:19.
[3]Northcote, James Spencer. “The Life of Mary in the Gospels.” 1856-60. <https://www.salvemariaregina.info/SalveMariaRegina/SMR-182/LifeMary14.htm> “Who was With Jesus When He Ascended?” Pathos.com. 2017. <https://www.patheos.com/blogs/christiancrier/2015/12/15/who-was-with-jesus-when-he-ascended> “Mary.” SquareSpace.com. image. 2013. <http://static1.1.sqspcdn.com/static/f/498894/21585377/1357687844620/Mary-Mother-of-the-Christ-Myriam-Christian-Movie-Christian-Film-DVD-Odeya-Rush-Peter-OToole-Ben-Kingsley1.jpg?token=HQ84OGWo1X3XauVE74a6xoLFvXY%3D>
[4] “Nazareth.” New World Encyclopedia. 2018. <https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/nazareth> “Nazareth.” Jewish Virtual Library. 2019. <https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/nazareth> Kiddushin 3b. Sefaria. <https://www.sefaria.org/Kiddushin.3b?lang=bi> “Marriage.” Judaism 101. <http://www.jewfaq.org/marriage.htm> “Majority.” Jewish Encyclopedia. 2011. <http://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/10310-majority>
[5] Luke 1:26-35.
[6] Luke 1:39-45.
[7] CR Luke 1:8-25, 57-66.
[8] John 2:1-11. CR John 4:46.
[9] Matthew 12:46-50; Mark 3:31-34, Luke 8:21.
[10] John 19:25. CR Luke 23:49.
[11] Acts 1:12-14. CR John 2:12;
[12] Josephus, Flavius. Antiquities of the Jews. Trans. and commentary. William Whitson. The Complete Works of Josephus. 1850. Book XX, Chapter IX.4. <http://books.google.com/books?id=e0dAAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false>

How Can Jesus Be Heir to the Throne of David?

Posted on by K.B. Vogelman

How Can Jesus Be Heir to the Throne of David?

If Mary, a virgin, miraculously conceived Jesus by the Holy Spirit, how then can Jesus of Nazareth have a legal claim to the royal inheritance rights of the House of David without a biological father? The answer lies in the established legalities of the Jewish laws of family and priest hereditary rights.

“… he who comes first in the order of hereditary succession transmits that right to his descendants, and that the father comes before all his descendants in hereditary succession…” – Jewish Encyclopedia

In a normal situation, betrothal and marriage would have provided the legal means for Joseph to pass to Jesus his rights of inheritance to the lineage of David.^[1] Mary’s unique circumstances were anything but normal and the freewill of Joseph was a wild card.

Joseph was visited by an “angel of the Lord” with a message that Mary became pregnant by the Holy Spirit and would bear a son as a fulfillment of prophecy. Although he was not the biological father of Mary’s baby, Joseph decided he would not divorce her and be the father to her baby.

Lineage inheritance rights of the son and paternity by the father relied on several Jewish laws and customs. The law favored the rights of the unborn son who had no control over the circumstances of his own conception.^[2]

“Doubtful paternity involves not only the right of inheritance, but also, if the father be a kohen, the claim of priesthood with all its privileges and restrictions, including those regarding incest and prohibited marriage. Biblical chronology ignores the mother in the lineal descent of generations. The father was considered the stem of the family tree. The census was conducted “after their families, by the house of their fathers” (Num. §, 2). The father’s priesthood descended to his issue only by legal (with kedushlu) and lawful (not incestuous) marriage.” – Jewish Encyclopedia

For a female impregnated by someone other than the husband, paternity rights were also addressed by other Jewish legalities.^[3] Marriage preserved the lineage inheritance rights for Jesus from his father, regardless of Mary’s source of conception.

“Acts of adultery by a wife living with her husband do not affect his paternity of her children, as the maxim is “The issue follows the majority of cohabitations by the husband” – Talmud Sotah 27a

“Paternity can not be claimed for a child begotten out of wedlock when the alleged father disclaims it, even though the mother was his mistress and the child be born after he has married her.” The mother’s own claim, when denied by the man, is not accepted. But a man may establish his paternity of a son born out of wedlock, to entitle the son to the right of inheritance and of priesthood. A man may also disclaim the paternity of a child born to his legal wife; but he may not do so after that child has had a child (Shulḥan ‘Aruk, Eben ha-‘Ezer, 4, 29).” – Jewish Encyclopedia

Conception outside of marriage was not a disqualifying factor for the inheritance and lineage rights to the priesthood. Paternity by Joseph, the wild card factor, was a different matter – he still had the option to disclaim paternity.

Further action was required – Joseph had to establish that he accepted the child as his own. One definition of “establish” by Merriam-Webster is: “to cause (someone or something) to be widely known and accepted.”^[4] Joseph took several steps to establish Jesus as his rightful son.

As parents, Joseph and Mary had their 8-day old son circumcised. At that time, they officially named him “Jesus” as each had been independently instructed by an angel:^[5]

^{LK 2:21} And when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the Child, His name was called JESUS, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb. _(NKJV)

A month after the birth of Jesus, two more separate events took place as required by the Law – the purification by Mary after her childbirth and the Redemption of the Firstborn by Joseph, each with different requirements:

^{LK 2:22-24} “Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the LORD”), and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”” _(NKJV)

Additionally, every mother was required to forego a purification ceremony. The law required that 33 days after childbirth of a son, 60 days for a daughter, the mother was to offer a purification sacrifice.^[6]

A father of a mother’s firstborn had responsibilities known as the Redemption of Firstborn ceremony when every firstborn son was to be presented to a priest. Redeeming a first-born required no sacrifice, only a nominal payment to the priest.^[7]

Jewish custom expected the father to pronounce a blessing on his son to be followed by a feast. A priest attended the feast and had a dialog with the father to make an impression upon the attendees. One of the purposes of the Redemption of Firstborn ceremony was to affirm the right of inheritance of the firstborn:^[8]

“Any doubt regarding the primogeniture of a child is decided in favor of the father.” – Jewish Encyclopedia

“Primogeniture” has two definitions according to Merriam Webster. The first, “the state of being the firstborn of the children of the same parents.”^[9] The second relates to the first: “an exclusive right of inheritance belonging to the eldest son.”

Joseph publicly established paternity affirming the lineage and inheritance rights of Jesus through marriage and the Redemption of the Firstborn ceremony sanctioned by a priest. As a father, Joseph presented Jesus to the Lord and gave him a first-born blessing.

Jewish leaders never challenged that Jesus was born in the royal lineage of the House of David. Prophecies by Isaiah, Jeremiah and Zachariah, concurred by Rabbi sages, set forth the one commonly held requirement that the Messiah must be born in the House of David. What is the probability that the inheritance rights of Jesus met the requirements of the prophesied Messiah?

Updated November 15, 2023.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

REFERENCES:

[1] “inheritiance.” Jewish Encyclopedia. 2011. < http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/8114-inheritance > “adoption.” Jewish Encyclopedia. 2011. <http://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/852-adoption> Myers, Jeremy. Redeeming God. Jewish Law. image. 2011. <https://redeeminggod.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Jewish-law.gif >
[2] “Paternity.” Jewish Encyclopedia. 2011. <http://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/11939-paternity>
[3] “Paternity.” Jewish Encyclopedia. 2011. “primogeniture.” Jewish Encyclopedia. 2011. http://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/12362-primogeniture>
[4] “establish.” Merriam-Webster. English Language Learners Definition of establish. <https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/establish>
[5] Leviticus 12:3; Matthew 1:19-25; Luke 1:31. “Circumcision.” Jewish Encyclopedia. 2011. <http://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/4391-circumcision>
[6] Leviticus 12:2-8. “Childbirth” Jewish Encyclopedia. 2011. <http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/4328-childbirth>
[7] Numbers 18:15-16; Luke 2:22-24. CR Exodus 13:2; Numbers 3:46-49, Deuteronomy 21:17. “First Born, Redemption of.” Jewish Encyclopedia.
[8] ““First-born, redemption of.” Jewish Encyclopedia. 2011. “First-born, Redemption of.” Jewish Encyclopedia. 2011. <https://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/6138-first-born-redemption-of>
[9] “primogeniture.” Merriam-Webster. 2019. <https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/primogeniture>

The Temple – Significance to the Trial of Jesus

Posted on by K.B. Vogelman

The Temple – Significance to the Trial of Jesus

Prosecution by Caiaphas during the trial of Jesus of Nazareth was not going well because no two witnesses could agree on the same accusation as required by Jewish law.^[1] Finally two witnesses presented the same accusation:

^{MK 14:58} “”We heard Him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with hands, and in three days I will build another made without hands.’”” _(NASB)^[2]

Not quite accurate according to the Gospel accounts of Mark and John.^[3] Jesus actually said, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”^[4] No legitimate Jew would ever think of destroying the Temple – it was the sacred House of God. Rebuilding the Temple in 3 days was a feat that only God could do resulting in the accusation becoming the center point of the trial.

Hours later, the charge persisted at his crucifixion suggesting the mockers had been at the trial. The taunts asked Jesus that if he could destroy and rebuild the Temple in 3 days, why couldn’t he save himself from the cross?^[5]

. . . . .

History of the Temple began at Mt. Sinai with Moses. Atop Mt. Sinai, God not only gave Moses the Law, He also made five big promises to the Hebrews all tied to the place. Three of those promises – the permanent dwelling place for His Name; the place to observe the three annual pilgrim feasts; and the judgment seat of Israel – all involved the future Temple.^[6]

Until promises of the place came to fruition, instructions were given to the Hebrews for a temporary mobile structure as the place for God’s Name to dwell, a tent called the Tabernacle.^[7] God’s design for the Tabernacle served as the blueprint for the future Temple, its usage and contents.^[8]

Centuries later, King David wanted to build the permanent Temple, but God had other plans. The prophet Nathan delivered the message that David’s future son would fulfill the promise given to Moses to build the House of God.^[9]

David still chose the future location of the Temple, but the backdrop story is nothing like it would logically seem. The site was a threshing floor owned by the Jebusite Araunah (Ornan) where winds on the high location were perfectly suited for separating grain from chaff.^[10]

Wanting to offer a sacrifice to God to atone for his sin resulting in the deaths of thousands of Hebrews, David found Araunah’s threshing floor on high ground to be a suitable place for the sacrifice. Using his own money, the King bought the threshing floor along with all its equipment to use as the fuel for the sacrifice.^[11]

Building an altar himself, the King prepared the offering, then fire came down from Heaven and consumed the sacrifice. Moved deeply, David declared “This is the house of the LORD God, and this is the altar of burnt offerings for Israel.”^[12] The threshing floor was on Mt. Moriah where a thousand years earlier Abraham took his only son, Isaac, to be sacrificed then spared at the last moment.^[13]

Temple construction began in the fourth year of King Solomon’s reign and was completed seven years later.^[14] Solomon held a public consecration for the permanent dwelling place for the Name of God and prepared a sacrifice on the altar in front of the new Temple.^[15] The King proclaimed to God:

^{2 CH 6:2-11} “I have surely built You an exalted house, and a place for You to dwell in forever.”_(NKJV)

Spectacularly in the presence of all the Hebrews, God again sent down fire from Heaven to consume the sacrifice. It left no doubt this was the place for the Temple to serve as the dwelling place for the Name of God.^[17] During the night, God appeared to Solomon reminding the King that although He had fulfilled His promises from Mt. Sinai, it was not carte blanche – it came with a stipulation:^[18]

^{2 CH 7:19-20}“But if you turn away and forsake My statutes and My commandments which I have set before you, and go and serve other gods, and worship them, then I will uproot them from My land which I have given them; and this house which I have sanctified for My name I will cast out of My sight, and will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples.”_(NKJV)

After centuries of ignoring warnings from many prophets, the penalty stipulation was enacted – the army of King Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple. After 70 years of captivity in Babylon, the Second Temple was rebuilt under the decree of Persian King Cyrus with continued support from Kings Darius and Artaxerxes.^[19]

King Herod enhanced the Second Temple though primarily for his own personal ambitions. He was able to sell the idea to the Jewish leadership by saying he wanted to bring the Temple back to the intended grandeur of King Solomon which had been unaffordable at the time it was rebuilt.^[20] The enhanced Second Temple, also called Herod’s Temple by many, became the location of the trial Jesus of Nazareth.^[21]

. . . . .

Caiaphas asked Jesus to explain the accusations, but received no answer. As the High Priest, he had to be aware of the prophecy by the Hebrew prophet Zechariah foretelling the Branch would build the Temple:

^{Zech 6:12-13} “…Behold, the Man whose name is the BRANCH! From His place He shall branch out, And He shall build the temple of the LORD; Yes, He shall build the temple of the LORD. He shall bear the glory, And shall sit and rule on His throne; So He shall be a priest on His throne, And the counsel of peace shall be between them both.” _(NKJV)

Knowing the magnitude of the accusation for the ability to rebuild the Temple in 3 days had divine implications, it was evidenced by the next direct question by the prosecutor. Caiaphus cut straight to the heart of the trial pointedly asking Jesus:

“Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?”_{(ISV, NRSV)}^[22]

Jesus answered, “I Am,” serving as sufficient proof to Caiaphas that he had spoken a blasphemy. The High Priest and the Sanhedrin serving as jurors took actions to have Jesus put to death.^[23]

Was the claim by Jesus that he would rebuild the Temple in 3 days a daring metaphoric prediction spoken by the Son of God or was it a delusional claim of a man saying he would physically destroy and rebuild the Temple in three days?

Updated August 25, 2023.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

REFERENCES:

[1] Deuteronomy 17:6, 19:15; Numbers 35:30. Soncino Babylonian Talmud. Ed. Isidore Epstein. Sanhedrin 9a, 30a. <https://israelect.com/Come-and-Hear/sanhedrin/index.html> Resnicoff, Steven H. “Criminal Confessions in Jewish Law.” Project Genesis. 2007. <http://www.jlaw.com/Commentary/crimconfess.html>
[2] CR Matthew 26:60-61.
[3] Mark 14:59, John 2:19-21.
[4] John 2:19-21. NASB.
[5] Mark 15:29.
[6] Deuteronomy 12:5, 11, 16:6; 17:8-10. CR Exodus 12:14-15; Leviticus 23:4-8. CR Deuteronomy 16:1-8; II Chronicles 8:12-14, chapter 29, 35:1-6.
[7] Exodus 25:8-9. Leviticus 9:126:11; Numbers 9:15; Deuteronomy 12:22, 16:2, 6, 26:2; 2 Chronicles 5:2-10; I Kings 8:10.
[8] 1 Kings 6. 2 Chronicles 5-6.
[9] 2 Samuel 7:12-17.
[10] “Threshing.” Encyclopedia.com. 2019. <https://www.encyclopedia.com/plants-and-animals/agriculture-and-horticulture/agriculture-general/threshing> “Agriculture.” Jewish Encyclopedia. 2011. <http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/14378-thrashing-floor>
[11] I Chronicles 21:18-26; 2 Samuel 24:18-25. Josephus, Flavius. Antiquities of the Jews. Book VII, Chapter XIII.3. <https://books.google.com/books?id=e0dAAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q=Araunah&f=false> Dolphin, Lambert. “Mount Moriah, Site of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.” TempleMount.org. 1996. <http://www.templemount.org/moriah2.html>
[12] I Chronicles 22:1. NKJV.
[13] 2 Chronicles 3:1. CR Genesis 22. Josephus. Antiquates. Book I, Chapter III.
[14] 1 Kings 6:1, 37-38. CR 2 Chronicles 3:1-2.
[15] 2 Chronicles 6:1-7.
[16] “The Temple.” The Victor’s Place. photo. Feb. 2. ? <https://images.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search;_ylt=AwrCwOUslAdjzRoASQ0PxQt.;_ylu=Y29sbwNiZjEEcG9zAzEEdnRpZAMEc2VjA3BpdnM-?p=The+Temple%2C+Jerusalem&type=yhs-adk_sbnt_appfocus1_sm_ff&param1=20210118&param2=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000&param3=searchmanager_%7EUS%7Eappfocus1%7E&param4=%7Efirefox%7E%7E&hsimp=yhs-adk_sbnt&hspart=adk&grd=1&ei=UTF-8&fr=yhs-adk-adk_sbnt#id=96&iurl=https%3A%2F%2Fvhoagland.files.wordpress.com%2F2021%2F02%2Fdsc00129.jpg&action=click>
[17] 2 Chronicles 7:1-3.
[18] 2 Chronicles 7:11-18.
[19] Ezekiel 1:2-3; 6:7,12; 7:12-13, 23, 26. “Building the Second Temple.” My Jewish Learning. 2019. <https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/second-templer> Cohney, Shelley. The Jewish Temples: The Second Temple.” Jewish Virtual Library. 2019. <https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-second-temple>
[20] “Herod the Great.” Livius.org. Ed. Jona Lendering. 2019. <https://www.livius.org/articles/person/herod-the-great> Josephus. Antiquities. Book XV, Chapter XI. Edersheim, Alfred. The Temple – Its Ministry and Services. 1826 -1889. Chapter 1. <http://www.ntslibrary.com/PDF%20Books/The%20Temple%20by%20Alfred%20Edersheim.pdf> Hegg, Tim. “Separating the Most Holy from the Holy: The ‘Veil’ in the Tabernacle and First & Second Temples” Torah Resource. <http://www.torahresource.com/EnglishArticles/Veil%20ETS%20Paper.pdf> Spiro Ken. “History Crash Course #31: Herod the Great.” Aish.com. 2001. <https://www.aish.com/jl/h/cc/48942446.html> “Rebuild Herod’s Temple? A Few Israelis Hope.” New York Times. April 9, 1989. <https://www.nytimes.com/1989/04/09/world/rebuild-herod-s-temple-a-few-israelis-hope.html>
[21] Numbers 11:16-17, 24. Ariel, Yisrael. “The Chamber of the Hewn Stone.” The Temple Institute. 2019. <https://www.templeinstitute.org/illustrated/hewn_stone_description.htm> Ariel. “Blueprints for the Holy Temple.” <http://www.templeinstitute.org/blueprints-for-the-holy-temple.htm>
[22]2] Mark 14:61.
[23] Matthew 26:62-66; Mark 14:62-65; Luke 22:70-71.