This post is Day 23 in a series of studies about “Mary’s of the Bible”. I strongly suggest you begin with the introduction to this study, please click here to read it.

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Mary’s of the Bible – Day 23

Look back in this study and read it again, to remind yourself that Jesus was brought up in an ordinary family with brothers and sisters. He was different because He did not have the same father as His siblings. He was different because He was the Son of God.

Mark 16:1

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body.

The Thought

Continuing the theme of yesterday, we see that Mark describes the Mary who accompanied Mary Magdalene to the tomb on the first day of the week after the burial of Jesus, as Mary the mother of James. Not the mother of Joseph as we identified the Mary we thought about yesterday! But that is not a problem because it still agrees with the other verse we mentioned on Day 7. Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t His mother’s name Mary, and aren’t His brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? (Matthew 13:55).

Earlier in his account of the life of Jesus, Mark had named the women watching at the crucifixion. Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph, and Salome (Mark 15:40-41) (Day 12).

It seems to me that this is the same Mary! The mother of Jesus was there at his birth, and at His death, probably remembering the prophecy of Simeon on the day that Jesus had been circumcised. A sword will pierce your own heart too (Luke 2:34) (Day 6).

Action

Look back in this study and read again Day 6 or Day 12 to remind yourself that Jesus was brought up in an ordinary family with brothers and sisters. He was different because He didn’t have the same father as His siblings. He was different because He was the Son of God. And His life and His death invite all of us to become sons and daughters of the living God too. I will be a Father to you, and you will be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty (2 Corinthians 6:16).

Meditate on that throughout your day today.

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