Walking With Christ

Did you know Mary?

Mary might be one of the most popular female names in the bible. My research suggests that it is the most common female name in the entire bible. It’s Mary this, and Mary that. It’s always Mary, Mary, Mary (Brady Bunch reference). The name Mary is mentioned so much in the bible that it can be kind of hard to recognize that there is more than one Mary. There are actually six different Mary’s in the bible.

1. Mary of Rome
a. Mentioned by name in a greeting from Paul in Romans 16:6.
2. Mary, Wife of Clopas
a. Mentioned as standing near the cross with the other Mary’s and Jesus’ aunt in John 19:25.
3. Mary, Mother of James the younger and Joses (or Joseph)
a. Mentioned in Mark 15:40 and Matthew 27:56, 28:1.
4. Mary of Bethany
a. Sister of Martha and Lazarus (who was raised from the dead). Anointed Jesus’ feet in John 12:1-8. Sat at Jesus’ feet while Martha was busy making preparations and serving in Luke 10:38-42. Expresses her grief to Jesus at the loss of Lazarus in John 11. Oddly, this Mary is not mentioned at the resurrection.
5. Mary, the Mother of Jesus
a. Virgin who conceived the messiah as a baby through the holy spirit? Yes, that Mary. She is oddly almost absent by name in the book of Mark with the exception of a reference in Mark 6:3. She is a prominent character in the other three gospels (Matthew 1:16, 18-25, Luke 1:26-56 and 2:1-19, John 2:1-11 and 19:25-27).
6. Mary Magdalene
a. The only Mary to be prominently mentioned in all four gospels by name. Had seven demons cast out by Jesus. A woman who financially supported the ministry of Jesus which suggests that she was a woman of means. Witness to the trial (probable), crucifixion, and burial of Jesus. FIRST witness of the resurrection. Commissioned by Jesus to tell the other disciples about the resurrection.

This isn’t an exhaustive list of the times the name Mary is mentioned in the bible. It is important to note that Mary Magdalene is often falsely associated with being a prostitute. None of the Mary’s listed in the bible we directly known to be prostitutes. The fact that they are mentioned by name is a good indication that a detail such as their occupation would have been mentioned had they been a prostitute.

To sum up, we have three minor Mary’s and three major Mary’s. Mary Magdalene is the most prominent Mary in the entire bible. Many people get her confused for unnamed women in the bible.

Names have meaning in the bible. People who are named in the bible have significance. People who are mentioned more than once often have a bigger role to play. Often times, if a person is not named in the bible, it is the event and the results of the event that are important and not the who.

I didn’t know Mary. Now, perhaps, we all know Mary just a bit better.