Who Is The Beloved Disciple and the Mother of Jesus in the Gospel of John?

Composing the Gospel

using the Theology of Anonymity

by Lawrence Fox 

Why does the author of John's Gospel not identify the name of the mother of Jesus nor the name of the beloved disciple? 

John painted himself
in his Gospel anonymously

He uses  various expressions: “beloved disciple,” “Jesus’ mother,” “woman,” “mother of Jesus,” and “the disciple whom Jesus loved” with no names associated. The reader of John’s Gospel would have to consult the Synoptics (Matthew, Mark, Luke) in order to associate Mary with the mother of Jesus and the name of John with the beloved disciple. So what gives?  

“Who is my mother, brothers, sisters...those who do the will of my Father.” (Mt, 12:48, Mk. 3:35) By using the term "beloved disciple" for himself, John allows all Christian disciples to self-identify with John himself. But he is also showing us his sources in a very oblique and beautiful way.   

The authors of Sacred Scripture have their own peculiar ways of connecting events within their text and identifying their own unique sources, witnesses, and inspiration. Matthew — the tax collector — hones in on two events in the life of Jesus which have to do with money. The other sacred authors do not. 

Mark identifies his source, Simon of Cyrene, as a non-apostolic witness to the crucifixion. “A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross.” (Mk 15:21) Connect this identification to Romans 16:13, where Paul greets Rufus, and you realise the Crucifixion of Jesus converted Simon’s family.

Modern Movie Director M. Night Shyamalan routinely put himself in bit parts in his own movies.  Movie Director Peter Jackson shows up in a cameo appearance at the beginning

Movie Director M.Night Shyamalan
played bit parts in his own movies 

of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug  bitting on a carrot.  Many famous painters have obscurely placed themselves or others in a picture.  A new trend is to redo classic paintings replacing the main character with a modern person or superhero.

John is doing the same thing with his gospel.   John is identifying his sources for his contemplative Gospel, but not by name. Instead he uses the terms "beloved disciple" or "mother of Jesus." There are only two people that can fit those descriptions, the author himself and the mother of Jesus, Mary. Those are two key witnesses to his own gospel. John is saying, “I was there. I saw it. I also knew his mother.”   

Jesus said, “Who is my mother, brothers, sisters...those who do the will of my Father...” (Mt, 12:48, Mk. 3:35) John purposely framed the Gospel narrative so that each baptized Christian could insert their own name in the expressions “beloved disciple” and “mother of Jesus” while meditating upon the words of the Gospel. Every Christian by grace is a beloved disciple of Jesus Christ and a child of Mary. And by grace, each Christian is a mother of Christ while nurturing the Word of God in their heart and mind. 

This approach preserves both a literal and spiritual sense to the reading and interpretation of Sacred Scripture. John wanted the reader of the gospel to participate literally in the experiences of himself and Mary, Mother of Jesus. He wanted the Mystical Body of Christ (the Church) to be identified as both disciple and mother. “But the Jerusalem above is free, who is our mother...” (Gal. 4:26) That means the Gospel of John -- inspired by the Holy Spirit -- provides a tremendous vehicle for spiritual meditation and discipleship. Let us look at some examples.

The wedding feast of Cana is a contemplative narrative for those who take the time to watch and listen to it unfold. In it, the evangelist uses the expressions, “Jesus’ mother was there,” and “Woman,” and “His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’” (Jn. 2:1,3,5) The name of Mary is not mentioned which would have been most reasonable. John

The Mother of Jesus

then goes on to say, “After this He (Jesus) went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and disciples.” Earlier John identifies some of these disciples including: Andrew, Philip, Simon, and Nathaniel. If others disciples were present, John choses not to tell. If the beloved disciple was not present, then the mother of Jesus is a logical source for the story. This does not exclude the memory of the other apostles. 

In the Synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, the authors have no difficulty associating the name Mary with the mother of Jesus. The references are exhaustive and not necessary to identify here. This absence of the name of the beloved disciple and the mother of Jesus is one of those features which makes the Gospel of John unique from the Synoptics. Since this pattern of not identifying the mother of Jesus or the beloved disciple continues throughout the whole Gospel (even to the last paragraph), it is logical to conclude that the same author (John the apostle and evangelist) is responsible for the whole narrative. In addition, the evangelist adds the word “hour” to the Cana narrative, which links the wedding feast with several other key events in the Gospel of John.  

“Woman why does this matter involve you and me, my hour has not yet come.” (Jn. 2:4)  That is Jesus’s response to His mother’s statement,  “They have no wine.” This use of the word, “hour,” combined with not naming John and Mary, connects three events in the life of Jesus of Nazareth: The wedding feast of Cana, the Last Supper, and the Crucifixion and death of Jesus. 

The changing of water into wine -- thanks to His mother’s request -- is the first of Jesus’ miraculous signs, “...and his disciples put their faith in him.” (Jn. 2:11) But the miracle moves Jesus closer to an “hour” coming on Holy Thursday. The Evangelist alludes to this “hour” several times in the Gospel. Jesus tells the Samaritan woman at the well, “The hour is coming and is already here when man will worship God in spirit and truth.” (Jn. 4:23) Other references to this “hour” are found in John 7:30 and John 12:27. The “hour” arrives at the Last Supper, “It was just before the Passover Feast, Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave the world and go to the Father.” (Jn. 13:1) The “hour” in which men would worship God in Spirit and Truth begins with the Last Supper. 

When Jesus tells his disciples that one of them will betray Him, there is a commotion. The text reads,  “One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, ‘Ask him which one he means.’” (Jn 13:25) Again John is not mentioned by name. 

At this juncture, I want to point out that  what takes place at the wedding feast at Cana -- changing the substance of water into the substance of wine -- precedes a greater miracle at  the Last Supper.  Jesus — through the spoken word — identifies bread and wine as something substantially different. It is now “My Body and Blood.” The synoptic authors also capture that significance, “This is my body...this is my blood.” 

But John captures that significance in  Jesus’ Bread of Life discourse which took place in Capernaum, “My flesh is real food and my blood is real drink...” (Jn. 6:55) Similarly, John connects the wedding feast of Cana with the Last Supper and the crucifixion using the word “hour” and by emphasising the mother of Jesus and the beloved disciple at the foot of the cross without naming them. 

“Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, ‘Woman, here is your son,’ and to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother.’ From that hour on, this disciple took her into his home.” (Jn. 19:25-28) The beloved disciple and the mother of Jesus are not named and John identifies this “hour” -- the death of Jesus on the Cross -- as the hour in which he (John) became the son of the woman who gave flesh to the Eternal Word of God. 

What is interesting about the expression “hour” is that Jesus identifies it as the time and manner in which He will glorify the Father. How does a disciple glorify the Father? Well by obeying the words of Jesus Christ, “This is my beloved Son, listen to Him.” (Mt. 17:5, Lk. 9:35, Mk. 9:7) In other words, the beloved disciple glorified the Father by obeying the words of Christ, “Behold your mother.” 

People — especially those who have adopted the “me and Jesus alone spiritually” — wonder where Catholic and Orthodox Christians get the gumption to trust the Mother of Jesus as part of their journey with Jesus Christ. Place yourself at the foot of the cross with the beloved disciple! Listen with your heart to the words of Jesus, and act as John acted. Take Mary into your home! That would help the bewildered Christian to understand Catholic and Orthodox devotion to Mary. 

Since the word of God is something living and alive and Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever, a disciple should be able to hear Jesus say again in their own spiritual journey, “Behold you mother.” I understood this point more clearly when a friend told me something privately happened to him at Catholic Mass while he was pondering his relationship to Mary. 

Just before receiving communion, he heard the words of the eucharistic minister, “The body of Christ.” The communicant then says, “Amen.” Afterwards, my friend heard  the words, “Behold your mother.” He didn’t understand the message until one day he read the Gospel of John 19:25-28. He grasped interiorly that he was a “beloved disciple” literally beholding the body of Christ and then Jesus spoke from the cross in the midst of his one eternal sacrifice to the Father, “Behold your mother.”

 I mentioned earlier that the authors of Sacred Scripture use various and unique  methods of connecting events, and identifying sources and witnesses to text. Closing out the Gospel of John is the statement, “This is the disciple who testifies to these things...” What disciple? John the Beloved Disciple, whom we are discussing, is the author of the Gospel of John. The fact that John took Mary into his home  from that hour forward explains to a great degree the  formation of John’s Gospel.  

Why is that? Christian Biblical Scholar Origen (185 -  254 AD) answers the question: “No one can grasp the meaning of the Gospel (of John) unless he has placed his head at the breast of Jesus and unless he has received from Him Mary, who becomes his mother also." (Origen, Commentary on John, 1:6)  

Mary was so receptive to the Word of God that through the power of the Holy Spirit she conceived the spoken Word in her heart and in her Womb. Christians through Faith and Baptism receive the indwelling of the Word of God. Mary in perfect humility conceived the Word of God by grace. 

Christians ponder the Word of God; Mary nurtured and fed Him. St. Paul writes that every gift of God is given for the building up of the whole body of Christ, “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” (1 Cor. 12:7)  The Spirit which overshadowed Mary and the fruit of her womb continues to build up the whole body of Christ.

Luke receives the infancy narratives from Mary. Luke twice in the infancy narratives identifies “Mary, as treasuring these things and pondering them in her heart.” (Lk. 2:33, 2:51) This observation has been made by numerous commentators on the Gospels. 

Matthew’s infancy narrative is written -- so it seems -- from the perspective of Joseph the adoptive father of Jesus. It relates Joseph’s dreams, journeys to Egypt and Bethlehem, his decision not to divorce Mary publicly  and that fact that he is a just man. Again this perspective could have been provided by Mary, the Mother of Jesus to Matthew. The affectionate manner in which Mary speaks about Joseph to her Son at the temple is noticeable, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.” (Lk. 2: 48)  Joseph is dead before Matthew begins to write.  

Mathew’s grasp of the person of Joseph is quite interesting. He identifies Joseph not only as a “just man” but as a man of purposeful dreams that allow him to care for the safety of Mary and Jesus. Joseph takes Jesus and Mary safely down into Egypt, safely out again, and for 30+ years provides for both of them while Jesus is “growing in wisdom and grace before God and men” in Nazareth. 

Another Joseph, the son of Jacob in the Old Testament,  is a young man of dreams who is sold into slavery and taken down into Egypt. This Joseph by the grace of God is able to provide for his extended family who come down into Egypt searching for provisions due to a drought. When the Israelites leave Egypt centuries later, they take the bones of Joseph with them. The life of the  New Testament Joseph is a recapitulation of the life of the Old Testament Joseph.

In essence, Matthew sees that Joseph — by providing for Jesus and Mary — parallels Joseph’s care for the family of Israel in the Old Testament. “My son whom I have called out of Egypt.” While Jacob, the father of Joseph in the Old Testament,  adopts Joseph’s sons, Manasseh and Ephraim,  Joseph, the husband of Mary, adopts Israel, aka Jacob, in the Person of Christ, who is literally a son of Jacob.      

Recall the Patriarch Jacob’s outrage at one of his son’s dreams:  “When he (Joseph) told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, “What is this dream you

had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?” His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.” (Gen. 37:10)  Such remembering on Jacob’s part sheds light on Luke’s statement in the gospel, “Mary, as treasuring these things and pondering them in her heart.”  Living centuries apart, Jacob and Mary give us insight into Joseph, Jesus’ adoptive father. But what does this have to do with the expression by the beloved disciple, “from this hour, taking Mary into his home.”

John opens his Gospel with the revelation, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...” The theological depth of John’s writing illuminates more powerfully the Synoptic Gospels; dispelling any confusion about the divinity of Jesus Christ, true God and true man. John’s Gospel is a scandal to the materialist, to adherents of Gnosticism, Arianism, Judaism, Islamism, and forms of Unitarianism, which all share a confusion about Christ’s human and divine nature. 

From where does John get such insight into the Mystery of Jesus Christ?  Origen says there are two ways to become a beloved disciple. Contemplate the heart of Jesus  — inflamed with divine love.   And take Mary as your mother into your home. 

Mary was so filled with the Word of God that she shared it with the authors of the written Word. Mary helped John to see the mystery of Christ as no other human person could. She is the unnamed source and inspiration within John’s Gospel. She is a named source within Matthew and Luke.  

The mystery of the most Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit was presented to Mary at the Annunciation. Mary — like no other prophet in the Old Testament — fulfilled the meaning of the words, “The word of the Lord came to the prophet...”  She shared this prophetic gift and inspiration with the son given to her from the Cross, John. 

Bring her home! Today, praying as a beloved disciple all can become children of Mary.  Her gift -- knowledge and love of Christ —  is therefore shared with the entire mystical body of Christ.

The Beauty of God's Work: Dinosaur Ridge

Susan Fox 

by Susan Fox 

Colorado has more dinosaur footprints than anywhere else in the world. Dinosaur Ridge outside Denver is one of those prehistoric clusters. The irony is that the exposed ancient beach is now high in the Rocky Mountains!

  

Let us go to the Front Range!

An elemental air gusts fresh as a savage surf. 

A cold gale has stirred up all the beauty of time. 

Taken on a wind, I climb an ancient seaside

in a mundane mobile coach powered by pistons. 

Smell the ancient salt shore.

Hear the cry of the hoary goliaths  — 

                        dinosaurs marching in parade! 

Once in their living glory... 

now a cavalcade in extinction — evidence preserved in the Rockies.

Dinosaur footprints at Dinosaur Ridge, Denver, Colorado

I sing of a merciless existence, fierce and true

hulking feet sucking in the mud, 

cries of mountainous brutes,

dancing by the low sea high in the Rockies.

“We were here! We spun, strutted, swayed and danced!”

We capered along the shore!

It was life!” 

Now who would believe it? 

Who would imagine He (peaking from Outside Time) could capture their feet

on a lofty once aquatic peak? 

Behold! God’s polaroid shines. 

I am here! I am alive!

I would run on the beach with the beasts.

Feet sucking into the same mud. 

Fantastic cries echoing down the eons.

Smell the antediluvian coast:

A duck-billed brute issues from a dense jungle, 

driving palm fronds, flowering monocots and mangrove leaves from his path. 

I love the squishy sand and the tropical breeze now on Colorado’s cold prehistoric sea! 

I will walk with the duck-billed dinosaur,

while he frolics on the shore,

snorting, thundering, hollering for his kind

— followed by 

               a crafty Tyrannosaurus.

These brutes relished the shore that God raised to the sky. 

Their hope was in the briny sun:

the glorious feast scattered about the beach. 

Now the waterfront is frozen, and they are done; 

running no more, 

leaving only prints of their wandering feet,

leaving not a single wave, not one tropical tree,

leaving me no place to run — 

with dinosaurs by the sea.

Instead, I must labor up a rocky path alone

examining their footprints in stone 

and then return home

in a smelly motorised and moving bundle

running on the remains of a prehistoric jungle.

Epiphany! Despite the Confusion of Our Times, He Will Rule With Justice and Truth!

Sermon by Rev. John Paul Shea

The Epiphany of the Lord, Jan 8, 2017

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, Tucson, AZ

Today the Church celebrates the awesome celebration of the Epiphany. 

In Ancient Greek, the word for Epiphany is theophany, meaning "vision of God." This was the word used to describe Moses' experience

on Mount Sinai when God gave him the Ten Commandments. There was a fiery flame, reaching to the sky with loud notes of a trumpet! The whole mountain -- wrapped in smoke -- trembled violently! People at the bottom of the mountain trembled in fear.

In today’s Gospel (Matt 2: 1-12), we hear of  epiphany in a different way. It is in the form of a mysterious star. 

The Magi, who were astrologers or what we would call “wise men,” had their eyes fixed in

the heavens looking for the signs of God, which they recognised through a star. 

Even though the Magi were pagans, this star led them to Jesus Christ Light of the World and True King to come.  The Magi opened their hearts to honor the One True God by offering Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Today we celebrate the manifestation of God in our world. Jesus Christ is the True Light and True King who will rule of all the Nations in justice and truth.

Therefore, today’s celebration calls us to rejoice! Today’s first reading (Is 60:1-6) says, “Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come… Nations shall walk by your light, and kings by your shining radiance… for the riches of the sea shall be emptied out before you, the wealth of nations shall be brought to you. Caravans of camels shall fill you, dromedaries from Midian and Ephah; all from Sheba shall come bearing gold and frankincense, and proclaiming the praises of the LORD!”

Let us hear these words of Isaiah! Let us rise

up in spender! Let us proclaim the praises of the Lord! For our Light has come! 

Today’s story reveals another side to the story. There is another individual who wants to be led to Our Lord Jesus Christ. This is King Herod. 

Although the Magi could see the star of our Lord, King Herod could not. Herod could not see past his own desire for power and control. For, the same child, Jesus, that the Magi honoured is the same child that Herod sought to  kill for political gain.

Therefore, Herod, in a sense, represents the dark obstacles that even today seek to prevent the kingship of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Herod can be seen as a player in the battle between good and evil.

This is a cosmic battle. As Saint Paul says in his letter to the Ephesians, “Our struggle is not with flesh and blood, but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens.” (Ephesians 6:10-12)

 

Fr. John Paul Shea

My brothers and sister,  there are all sorts of things that will blind us from recognizing the presence of Our Lord --  materialism,  pornography,  pride,  the desire for money. When we get caught up in the things of the world, then we become blind to the ways in which God is leading us. We become blind to His Star of Truth.

In fact, the guiding star for us is our Church  and her teachings. Let us read the Catechism. Let us know the truth! 

God has also has given us our Blessed Mother. She also is our guiding star. If we devote ourselves to Mary, She always leads

us to Her Son. She always points us in the right direction.

In fact, in our time today, as we await the second coming of Our Lord in all His glory, we need to call upon the protection of our Blessed Mother more than ever! She calls us to repentance and conversion, and to pray the Rosary  because so many souls are being lost.

We have now have begun a new year. It is a very critical time. Do not underestimate our Blessed Mother’s call. We live in a time  of  confusion. Even in our Church, the consequences of sin are denied. 

The final battle between light and darkness is

Exodus, another theophany 

already upon us. 

As we celebrate the Epiphany, let us focus our hearts on the Light. Let us be led by His star. “For darkness covers the earth, and thick clouds cover the peoples; but upon [us] the LORD shines, and over [us] appears his glory.” 

Hold firm to our faith so that we may have the protection of obedience and be guided by the Light of Christ at all times. Amen!

Transfiguration, another theophany

Epiphany! You Are Invited to the Feast of All Nations!

Sermon by Fr. Joseph Mungai

The Epiphany of the Lord, Jan 8, 2017

Immaculate Heart Mary and Christ the King  Catholic Parishes, Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.A.

"Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do Him homage." (The Magi inquired of King Herod, Matt 2:2)

One day a young man sought a holy monk in Egypt, who happened to be quite muscular and burly. The young man asked: "Oh, holy man, I want to know how to find God." 

The monk replied, "Do you really want to find God?" The young man answered: "Yes, I do." So the monk took the young man down to the river. Suddenly, the monk grabbed the young man by the neck and held his head under water. At first the young man thought the monk was giving him a special baptism. But  after one minute, the monk didn’t let go and the young man began struggling. Second by second, the young man fought harder and harder. After three minutes, the monk pulled the young man out of the water and said: "When you desire God as much as you desired air, you will have the Epiphany of God"

Today the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Epiphany -- a Greek word meaning "appearance or manifestation." We celebrate today the manifestation of Our Lord to the

whole world. After He was made known to the shepherds keeping watch outside Bethlehem, he is now revealed to the Magi, who have come from the East to adore Him. 

Epiphany is the Feast of all Nations because on this day we celebrate the manifestation of

Christ, the true Light of all nations, calling us

to become more and more filled with His Light, to clothe our  communities with the universality of this Light and to labour to bring the Light to those living in darkness.

In age of electricity and artificial lights, it is difficult for us to appreciate the symbolism of light; but the truth is that Christ as Light is the fullest expression of God's work in the world.

Therefore "Arise, shine!" cries out Isaiah, "for your light has come and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you." We Gentiles thank God that

today we are being invited to God's Kingdom, his Church, which is our means to reach heaven. 

Unlike the people of the Old Testament, let us not forget how God is so good to us. Let us not provoke Him, so we end up in exile as slaves to pagans. Whatever challenges you and I may go through in life let them not cause us to be unfaithful to God. We do not want to be excluded from our true home -- where "the glory of the Lord will shine" forever.

The Epiphany is a festival of light, for on this

day we celebrate the manifestation of Jesus Christ in the darkness of the world calling all humankind to come and bathe in His Light. 

At the birth of Jesus, three wise men from the East, guided by a star came to worship him. It is a custom to picture them as black, white and brown; thus they represent all the people of the earth, particularly the Gentiles. Hence, "This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus." (Eph 3:6)

This makes us to rejoice for we appreciate the gift of true faith. This gift means that we know where we came from, we know where we are going and we are certain that that is a wonderful eternal place.  Holding onto our faith and following the right path, we also know the Way there. We may have to climb some hills that look as steep as Calvary, but after Calvary comes the Mount of the Ascension. Yes Epiphany is the feast of all Nations.

The Magi are the central personages in today's feast. They were pagans who did not know the true God of the Jews. Yet  God revealed to them that the promised King of the Israel had come.

They came to Jerusalem, the capital of Judah, expecting to find the whole country rejoicing. Instead they found suspicion and hatred in the reigning king -- a hatred which in a few days turned to murder. 

Among the religious leaders they found knowledge of their past history. These leaders knew that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. They recognised that the Magi were very sure  the foretold Messiah had come.  In spite of all that, the thought of going to Bethlehem with the Magi never occurred to them. We too know the true facts concerning Christ, His mission and His present and future kingdom. Like the leaders of the Jews of his day, we also can become absorbed in the affairs of the world -- the quest for wealth, pleasure and power. We can become so totally absorbed in worldly affairs that we have no time to welcome Christ into our homes and hearts as Our True Lord.

We are baptised so we have the entire Light of Christ, but too often we think that is enough. The strange thing about Jesus is that

you can never get away from Him, but also you can never get enough of Him. 

Jesus Christ is  everything man needs. Therefore until God meets all our deepest needs, our quest for more and more of Jesus must go on. Meet Jesus daily. We need not look towards the stars to encounter Him. He is being born every day in our lives. He comes anew to us in every suffering we face, in every hand stretched out to us for help.

The Lord comes to us in the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist. He comes in the community of believers -- the universality of Christ. Hence it has to be a community that welcomes all peoples and races, that provides equality for all, especially the "little ones."

The more we Christians receive the Light of Christ, the more we want to give it to others.

People may appear to be seeking fame, fortune, exitement, but what they actually want is human fulfilment. Their search is for what is supreme and beautiful -- Jesus Christ. 

So we Christians have a  a lot of work to do. After Christmas there are already signs on the streets that work has resumed, sales have started, and schools have re-opened. The "back to work" motif is noticeable. 

Today's feast also calls us to bring Christ to all nations. "When the song of the angels is stilled, when the star in the sky is gone, when the kings and princes are home, when the shepherds are back with the flock, the work of Christmas begins: to find the lost, to heal the broken, to feed the hungry, to build the nations and to make music in the heart." (Anonymous)  God bless you all.

Today's Readings:  Is 60:1-6, Eph 3: 2-3, 5-6, Matt 2: 1-12

Consider That When the Word Became Flesh

God was an Embryo

by Lawrence Fox

Good News! St. Luke the evangelist captures an exchange between two women and their unborn children brought together by divine providence. The words shared between them will be known by generations to come as the Good News. For three months, “in the hill country of Judea” (Lk. 1:39) in the house of Zechariah, the joy of motherhood is celebrated in the fulfillment of promises made by the Lord God of Israel to His people.

The two children in the womb also join their mothers’ conversation; they even instigate aspects of it. The one child — John, six months old —  is filled with the Holy Spirit. He leaps for joy in his mother’s womb. The other child — Jesus, both divine and several days old — is the Word of God which sustains all things and for whom all things exist. Their mothers do not hear the exchange between their children, but they do experience it.

The older woman is Elizabeth, which means in Hebrew “my God is an oath.” The origins and existence of her people are the result of many oaths (covenants) and promises made between the Lord God and her ancestors. She knows through the writings of the prophet Jeremiah that the Lord God plans to establish a new covenant with her people,"'The day is coming,' says the LORD, 'when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah.'” (Jer. 31:31) Elizabeth is aware her pregnancy is an integral part of that promise.

Elizabeth is a daughter of Aaron, the priest and brother of the prophet Moses — who wanted God to let him see His face. God told Moses, “'You cannot see My face, for no man can 

see Me and live!' Then the LORD said, 'While My glory is passing by I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by.'” (Ex. 33:21) What was once forbidden -- seeing God face to face -- will soon be allowed when man looks at the face of the Child Jesus. 

Elizabeth is married to Zechariah also a descendent of Aaron, who serves in the temple. Zechariah has been unable to speak for six months. He will not utter a word until the day when his son is born and circumcised. On that day, He will give his son the name, John, in obedience to God according to the message of the Angel Gabriel. John will be known by many in Judea as the baptiser. 

Zechariah, who doubted the angel's words, has not been able to speak since that encounter. He can only make signs with his hands. The angel had told him that God remembered his prayers; his wife Elizabeth will conceive and bear a son. Zechariah was afraid. He protested that God waited too long to give such a blessing, “How shall I know this to be true? I am old and my wife is stricken with years.” (Lk. 1:18) God’s ways are not man’s ways. Abraham had to wait for God to give to him a son through his wife Sarah. He too struggled with waiting, giving up and having a child through Hagar, the bondswoman of Sarah.

Still God’s timing is perfect. Elizabeth is not simply one of many possible woman to be the mother of God’s prophet; she and Zechariah were predestined to be the parents of the Baptist, “I knew you before you were formed in the womb.” For all things which exist do so first in the mind of God. “A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night.” (Ps. 90:4) 

Six months after Elizabeth conceives her son, her cousin Mary also conceives a child under  different and joyful circumstances. Even this short duration of time has meaning and significance. Six is a number of man, the number of man laboring, and the number of the commandment “Thou shall not murder.” Elizabeth in three months will go into labor. Mary's son will identify Himself as the “son of man.” Both sons will be murdered by political authorities in Judea and Jerusalem. 

Elizabeth’s cousin is a young betrothed virgin with child.  Her name is Mary (Mariam) which means in Hebrew “bitter.” Her name harks back to Israel’s past when another woman named Mariam lived. That Mariam was Moses’ sister during a time when the people of Israel were living a bitter life under the whip of the Egyptian Pharaoh. 

The people of Israel now exist under another whip. Caesar Augustus,  Emperor of Rome,  rules over the Holy Land along with his petty kings and governors. With the naming of one’s daughter as Mary (Mariam), the people are asking God to fulfill a promise made through Moses, who foretold, “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him.” (Deut. 18:15) Interestingly, Mary will say these same words to several servants at a wedding feast in Cana, “Do whatever he

"Do whatever He tells you," His mother told the servants.

(my son) tells you.” (Jn. 2:5 ) Mary speaks like Moses and like God the Father, Who says to the apostles Peter, James, and John on the Mount of Transfiguration, “This is my beloved Son, Listen to Him.” (Lk. 9:35)

Elizabeth represents the woman Israel who came out of Egypt and gives birth to genuine prophets — who receive a word from God and not men. This woman closes the pages of the Old Covenant. It is through this woman that God brings forth the final and greatest of prophets; one foretold through the lips of Isaiah “A voice of one calling: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.’” (Isaiah 40:3) and through the lips of Malachi. "I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come," says the LORD Almighty.”(Mal. 3:1) 

John will be that voice in the desert,  and that  prophet, who comes in the power and spirit of Elijah, preparing the way of the Lord. The pieces are all beginning to fit together within salvation history. There will be no doubt among many in Israel that the messianic age has come upon them. Tragically, the child born of Mary will be the cause of the rise and fall of many in Israel. A sword will pierce the mother's heart so that the thoughts of many will be revealed. Many will openly resist the kingdom of God. A small remnant will persevere in the revelation which is given by Jesus Christ, the Lord’s anointed. 

Mary epitomizes the woman Israel who the prophet Isaiah identified as being clothed with the garments of salvation over whom the Lord God of Israel rejoices. (Isaiah 61:10) The garments of salvation are the flesh and blood of the Incarnate Word of God. The archangel

Gabriel gave to Mary this greeting: “Rejoice Mary, for you have found favor with God.” (Lk. 1:30) Israel in the person of Mary becomes a bride in the fullest sense for she is a virgin overshadowed by the glory cloud of God. She conceives in her heart and her womb the living Word of God. St. Luke writes, “In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.”

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. She ponders in humility God’s spoken word and seeks to understand it. She is the embodiment of faith seeking understanding. She will tell her cousin, “For He who is mighty as done great things to me and Holy is His Name.” (Lk. 1:49)

The angel says to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” This is a prophecy of wonder and sorrow. For in the background looms another revelation spoken to King David centuries before, “Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.” (2 Sam. 12:10) Mary will be reminded of this fact when prophet Simeon tells her, “And a sword shall pierce your heart.” (Lk. 2:35)

With great faith and trust, Mary gives the fiat (yes) to God’s Word — which was in the beginning with God and was God. Now God’s Word no longer will be comprehended solely within sacred scrolls nor hidden within an ark made of acacia wood, nor unapproachable within a temple made of stone — but at the moment of her yes, the Word was tabernacled amongst men.

Elizabeth’s unborn child is the fruit of her and her husband’s seed through a miracle of healing. Mary is a virgin who conceives in her heart and womb the eternal Word of God through the power of the Holy Spirit. Her child is the fruit of God and Mary’s seed (St. Ignatius of Antioch). Mary makes haste to visit her cousin.

St. Luke writes that Mary makes haste to visit her cousin traveling from Nazareth in Galilee to the hill country of Judea. She enters the house of Zechariah. When Elizabeth hears Mary’s greeting, she is filled with the Holy Spirit and the infant John leaps within the womb of Elizabeth. (Lk. 1:41) 

There is a cause and effect that Luke wants his readers to see -- that Mary’s words are anointed with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. She speaks prophetically. She is a living temple as described in Peter’s Letter, “As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1 Pt. 2:5)

Mary brings the Child Jesus to Elizabeth and John. The movement of John in Elizabeth’s womb is evidence of both natural and supernatural life; John is reborn from above. It should be noted that the archangel Gabriel told Zechariah that his son would be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb. (Lk. 1:15) St. Ambrose explains that the prophecy of the angel is literally fulfilled when Elizabeth hears Mary’s voice. Through the love of Mary and Elizabeth, the unborn Jesus meets the unborn John.

The Holy Spirit inspires Elizabeth to say to Mary that through her faith, the Lord is in the midst of His people Israel.“How is it the mother of my Lord should come to me?” Elizabeth asks Mary. Mary again is no more than several

days pregnant. St. Luke the doctor captures in the Gospel, that human nature — composed of body, soul, and will — begins at conception. With Mary’s yes, the hypostatic union exists. Jesus is one divine person, with two natures (human and divine). Jesus to be truly God and truly man must be united to human flesh, spirit (soul), and will.

With the conception of man, a complete human person exists. In essence, Jesus becomes an embryo in His mother’s womb to redeem the human embryo. Jesus becomes an unborn child to redeem the human unborn child. Jesus becomes a baby, a child, a teenager, and an adult so as redeem every aspect of human life.

Again Elizabeth says to Mary, “How is it the mother of my Lord should come to me?”

Elizabeth’s spirituality is passed onto her son John who will one day say to Jesus, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” (Matt.3:14) Mothers — so it is said — do pass something more of themselves to their sons; fathers to their daughters. The Catholic Faith teaches that God the Father gave to Mary a pure conception. Mary in turn gave to Jesus a pure human body. What is love but the giving of oneself to another? The Son dwelling in the womb of Mary sanctifies the son dwelling in the womb of Elizabeth. John in return will baptize Jesus who will be anointed with the Holy Spirit by God the Father. John will give his life to Jesus and Jesus will give his life for John and all humanity. Mary under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit will proclaim how much her whole being magnifies the Lord. 

St. Luke writes that Mary stayed for three months in the house of Zechariah. After three months the baby John is born and named. Zechariah speaks and it is well worth the wait.  Mary returns home to Nazareth and even this is by divine providence.

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