“Is not this the carpenter’s son, his mother Mary, his brethren, and his sisters not all with us?”

(…continued from part one…)

II.            Matthew 13:55 & 56, “Is not this the carpenter’s son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? 56) And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?” Let us look at the noun ‘brethren.’ It is the Greek adelphos (ad-el-fos’) ‘1. a brother 2. (of faith) a brother in our Lord, Jesus {literally or figuratively; near or remote; much like ‘a’ for alpha i.e. union} [from ‘a’ –union (as a connective particle) and delphus “the womb”].’ The feminine ‘sister’ is adelphe (ad-el-fay’) 1. a sister 2. (of faith) a sister in our Lord, Jesus [feminine of adelphos].’ Jesus did share the same womb of Mary with at least six siblings. This is what adelphos and adelphe are pointing out. How can they, the siblings, share the same womb with the Lord Jesus and Mary would not be touched (for conjugal consummation), consequently leading to natural conception?                                                                                                                                               

One of the scriptures quoted in support of Mary’s adoration is the angelic greeting of ‘hail’ in Luke 1:28 “And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.” They claim that this greeting set Mary apart. The meaning of ‘hail,’ chairo (khai’-ro) is: ‘1. to be “cheer”ful, i.e. calmly happy or well-off 2. (impersonally, especially) as salutation (on meeting or parting), be well.’ Because of chairo they began to pray the idolization prayer of ‘Hail Mary.’ In the book of Matthew 28:9 “And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him;” it was the Lord Jesus, Himself, who did the ‘hail,’ which is the same chairo. Whose ‘hail,’ if I may ask,gathers a more prominent momentousness, angel Gabriel’s or that of Jesus, the Lord God? ‘Hail Mary’ is the same as, “Greetings Mary.” Why would anyone want to greet someone who is no longer resident on earth? For the simple anomalous worshipful reason; not more!                              

Jesus still a baby?!

                Luke 1:46, 47 “And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, 47) And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.” Mary’s admittance of needing a Saviour is an indication of her spiritual indigence. How could God’s own mother crave for a soteriological stance? Whoever seeks for divine salvation must be a sinner. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” [Romans 3:23]; Mary, the natural biological daughter of Heli, was born a sinner. I hope the past Popes, and especially the extant Pope Frances is not unaware of the scriptural facticity of Mary’s sinful birth, ergo, cannot be God’s Mother and consequently a Goddess!

                Jesus would not have His mother interfere with Divine operation in John 2:4. “Jesus saith unto her, “Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.” Let us treat the originalities of the words of this verse, where we have ‘woman,’ the Greek of which is gune (goo-nay’) ‘1. a woman 2. (specially) a wife.’ This is a clear case of an indictment. The word ‘what’ is tis (tis’) ‘an interrogative pronoun, who, which or what (in direct or indirect questions).’ The words ‘have I,’ emoi (em-oy’) is: ‘to me.’ And ‘to do with’? It is kai (kai’) conj. ’and, also, even, so then, too, etc. {Often used in connection (or composition) with other particles or small words} [apparently, a primary particle, having a copulative and sometimes also a cumulative force].’ The pronoun ‘thee’ is soi (soy’) ‘to thee [dative case of ‘thou’].’                      

 “Thou wife of Joseph, what is the matter with thee?”

                Jesus did not insult His mother. It was only a gentle rebuke. “Thou wife of Joseph, what is the matter with thee? Keep out of what concerns only the Members of the Divinity,” were the absolute import of the words of our Lord Jesus, to a wife and, consequently, mother of His siblings, and by her husband, the late Joseph.                                                               

When one hears something of the nature of Luke 11:27 “And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked;” does it not evoke the apotheotic Mariolatry of Catholicism? But thank God that Jesus did not disappoint God’s protocol: for He made an asseverative pellucidity in the next verse, “But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it” [Luke 11:28]. This pronouncement drags Mariology of Catholicism into one of the scriptural indictable offences.                                                                           

“My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it.”

                Luke 8:19-21 “Then came to him his mother and his brethren, and could not come at him for the press. 20) And it was told him by certain which said, Thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to see thee. 21) And he answered and said unto them, My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it.” The disciples of Jesus receive prominent cognizance even above the woman, who offered her matrix that ushered in the Incarnation, and the siblings of the Lord. Fact is that this woman has a good report as Luke 2:19 (& 51) “But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart” puts it.

(…to be continued…)                                                                                                                                        

NB= I’d very much love to read your candid contributions. Thank you!

Read part one here

Click to read part three

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