One of the profiles in People of the Bible, with every point tied to a chapter and verse you can check.
What Mary, mother of Jesus is known for
- The angel Gabriel's announcement that she would bear a son (the Annunciation)
- Her song of praise in Luke 1, known as the Magnificat
- Giving birth to Jesus in Bethlehem
- Prompting Jesus' first sign at the wedding in Cana
- Standing near the cross at the crucifixion
Mary, mother of Jesus’s life in order
The Annunciation
Luke 1:26–38
Luke reports that the angel Gabriel visits Mary in Nazareth while she is engaged to Joseph. He tells her she will conceive a son by the Holy Spirit and name him Jesus. Mary asks how this can be, and then accepts.
Visit to Elizabeth
Luke 1:39–56
Mary travels to the hill country to see her relative Elizabeth, who is also expecting a child. Elizabeth greets her as blessed. Mary responds with a song of praise and stays about three months.
Joseph's dream
Matthew 1:18–25
Matthew tells the story from Joseph's side. When Joseph learns Mary is pregnant, he plans to end the engagement quietly. An angel tells him in a dream to take Mary as his wife, and he does.
Birth in Bethlehem
Luke 2:1–20
A census takes Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem, where Jesus is born and laid in a manger. Shepherds arrive with news from angels. Luke says Mary held on to these events and reflected on them.
Presentation in the temple
Luke 2:22–38
Mary and Joseph bring the baby to the temple in Jerusalem. An old man named Simeon blesses them. He tells Mary that a sword will pierce her own soul.
Finding Jesus in the temple
Luke 2:41–52
When Jesus is twelve, he stays behind in Jerusalem after the Passover. Mary and Joseph search anxiously for three days before finding him with the teachers. Luke notes again that Mary held on to these events.
The wedding at Cana
John 2:1–12
At a wedding in Cana, the wine runs out and Mary tells Jesus. She tells the servants to do whatever he says. John reports that Jesus turns water into wine, his first sign.
At the cross
John 19:25–27
John places Mary near the cross with other women and the disciple Jesus loved. Jesus entrusts his mother to that disciple, and he takes her into his home. This is the last scene with Mary in the Gospels.
With the first believers
Acts 1:12–14
After Jesus' ascension, Mary is with the apostles and his brothers in Jerusalem. They gather for prayer in an upstairs room. This is the last time the Bible mentions her by name.
What does the name Mary, mother of Jesus mean?
Mary comes from the Greek Maria or Mariam, a form of the Hebrew Miryam, the name of Moses' sister Miriam. It was one of the most common names for Jewish women at the time.
The original meaning of Miryam is uncertain. Proposals include links to Hebrew words for “bitter” or “rebellious” and to an Egyptian word for “beloved,” but none is settled.
Key verses
““I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it happen to me according to your word.” Then the angel left her.”
“Then Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! For He has looked with favor on the humble state of His servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed.”
“But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.”
“His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever He tells you.””
“When Jesus saw His mother and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, “Woman, here is your son.” Then He said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” So from that hour, this disciple took her into his home.”
Verse text: Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain.
What Mary, mother of Jesus’s story shows
Questions alongside trust
Mary does not simply nod at the angel's message. She asks how it can happen (Luke 1:34) before she agrees. The story leaves room for honest questions.
A habit of reflection
Luke twice notes that Mary held on to what happened and reflected on it (Luke 2:19, 2:51). She is shown as someone who reflects on events she does not fully understand.
Grief is part of the story
Simeon's warning in Luke 2:35 is fulfilled at the cross in John 19. The Gospels do not hide the sorrow of a mother watching her son die.
Part of a community
The last picture of Mary is not alone but praying with others in Acts 1:14. She appears among the early believers after Jesus' resurrection and ascension.
How Christian traditions view Mary
Catholic and Orthodox Christians call Mary Theotokos, a Greek title meaning “God-bearer” or “Mother of God,” affirmed at the Council of Ephesus in AD 431. Both traditions hold that Mary remained a virgin throughout her life and honor her highly in prayer and feasts. Catholic teaching distinguishes this honor (veneration) from the worship given to God alone.
The Catholic Church also teaches, as dogma, the Immaculate Conception (defined in 1854), that Mary was preserved from original sin from her conception. It also teaches the Assumption (defined in 1950), that she was taken body and soul into heaven. Orthodox Christians celebrate her Dormition, or “falling asleep,” and generally do not accept the Immaculate Conception as Catholics define it.
Protestant churches respect Mary as a model of faith and obedience but generally reject teachings they do not find in Scripture. Many Protestant readers believe Mary and Joseph had other children after Jesus, pointing to Matthew 1:25 and Mark 6:3. Some early Reformers, including Martin Luther, still held to her perpetual virginity.
Mary beyond Christianity
In Islam, Mary is honored as Maryam, the mother of the prophet Isa (Jesus). A chapter of the Quran is named after her, and Islam affirms that she conceived Jesus as a virgin.