Polemical Preaching

Defending the perpetual virginity of Mary

02/06/2020

Mark 6:1-6 Jesus departed from there and came to his native place, accompanied by his disciples. When the sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What kind of wisdom has been given him? What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands! Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joseph and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house.” So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith.

I hope you don’t mind hearing a little polemical preaching this morning. “Polemics” means taking sides in a hotly controversial issue and marshaling the reasons your side is right. Today’s gospel from Mark 6 provides the point of the controversy when Mark mentions: “Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joseph and Judas and Simon?” And as if to turn up the heat a little higher, Mark adds: “And are not his sisters here with us?” Put simply, did Jesus have other biological brothers and sisters, or put differently, did the Blessed VIRGIN Mary have other biological children besides Jesus? Here, then, are the two sides of the controversy: some Protestants (though not all) deny the perpetual virginity of Mary, while Catholics devoutly defend that doctrine. After all, that is my Mother you’re talking about!

Let me list four reasons I believe the Catholic side is right in this matter. First, here’s the historical reason. For the vast majority of the 2,000 year history of the Church, all Christians have unanimously believed in Mary’s perpetual virginity. The Church Fathers believed it; all the ecumenical councils believed it; the Orthodox Churches believe it; and even the early Protestant reformers like Martin Luther, Thomas Cranmer, and John Wesley believed it. The fact that some Protestants today deny Mary’s virginity doesn’t mean they have to answer me in this debate. Rather, they must respond to the vast array of saints and scholars up and down the centuries who have believed in Mary’s virginity, including the key founders of Protestantism itself.

Secondly, the grammatical reason. We must take care not to interpret the scriptures too literally. Indeed, we hope people will not understand all we say in English in a literal way. For instance, if I say, “It’s raining cats and dogs outside today!” I hope you will not call Animal Control and make sure all the poor puppies and pussy cats are properly provided for. We know that is an idiomatic expression and not meant literally. Similarly, the Greek work for brother, “adelphos,” may mean a biological brother, but also includes the meaning of “cousins” or “half-brothers” or “step-brothers.” Grammatically-speaking, the Greek word “adelphos” has a much broader meaning than the word brother or sister does in English. We should remember that broader meaning reading Mark 6.

The third reason is a culture consideration. In Semetic societies, like in the time of Jesus, as well as in many parts of the world today, like my home country of India, or in Mexico, there is no notion of a “nuclear family” – merely mom, dad, the kids and the dogs. Instead, extended families frequently live under the same roof, where uncles and aunts serve as surrogate parents, and cousins are called brothers and sisters, because they all live together and play together. The Spanish term for cousin is “primo hermano” which literally means “first brother.” Hence, it’s entirely possible that Jesus’ extended family lived very close, maybe even under the same roof, where cousins were equivalent to siblings. Our American notion of the nuclear family can distort our appreciation of Semetic families like that of Jesus.

Lastly, a theological thought. Protestant theology tends to emphasize the finished work of Christ for the sake of our salvation. And that emphasis is both right and good: Jesus’ death on the Cross is indeed sufficient to save us. Often, however, they achieve that emphasis by simultaneously deemphasizing anyone else’s role in redemption, especially the role of Mary. If Jesus is to be the Savior, Protestants propose, then everyone else must be a sinner. As a result, they must show that Mary is like everyone else, like normal people who marry and have multiple children. Normal people are not virgins (like priests are not normal people!).

Catholics, on the other hand, believe Christ’s saving work is so super-abundantly sufficient that he can even include us in it as his partners, without diminishing a drop of his own unique and all sufficient role. Hence, Catholics accord to the saints and especially to Mary, and heck, even to me and to you, some share in the saving work of Christ. Don’t we help each other to salvation when we pray for each other? One way Catholics celebrate that spiritual sharing in salvation is honoring the perpetual virginity of Mary. Mary remains a perpetual virgin, as amazing as that sounds, because Jesus’ work in her is indeed “amazing grace.”

Once you weigh the historical, the grammatical, the cultural and the theological reasons for Mary’s perpetual virginity, maybe you can see why we Catholics believe we stand on the right side of this controversy. Of course, only in Paradise will we know whose polemical preaching was truly on point.

Praised be Jesus Christ!