The “Lost” Story of Mary
Mary’s opening lines set the tone for the movie. With baby Jesus in her arms and Joseph in the background, Mary says: “If you think you know my story, trust me, you don’t.” We immediately wonder, “Why not? Are the biblical Gospels false or incomplete? Has Mary’s true story been hidden from us?” Whatever the reason, viewers familiar with the Bible will likely agree with Mary’s statement—we do not know this story. Mary’s father desperately prays for a child and is promised one by the angel Gabriel on the condition that he and his wife dedicate Mary to God. When she is of age, she is sent to live in a temple where she learns and serves—until she is seen by a man, Joseph, who falls madly in love with her and becomes betrothed to her. When Mary is discovered to be pregnant (as foretold by the angel Gabriel), she is cast out of the temple and ostracised by her community. The rest of the film sees the couple fleeing for their lives, both from angry community members as well as the soldiers of the power-hungry sociopath King Herod, who seeks to kill the newborn King of the Jews. The film ends with Gabriel condemning Herod for his wickedness and Mary returning to the temple from which she was banished to present to them Jesus, their Messiah.
Where did all of this unfamiliar material come from? Mary is based on the Gospel of James, also called the Infancy Gospel of James or the Protoevangelium of James. It is a second-century work that allegedly describes the birth and life of Mary and early years of Jesus. It is also significant because it asserts the perpetual virginity of Mary, meaning she remained a virgin her entire life. Why is this alleged Gospel not included in the biblical canon? Apologist J. Warner Wallace explains that “scholars have observed the author of the text appears to know little or nothing about the Jewish customs of the 1st century,” which James, half-brother of Jesus, would have known. Also, its second-century dating makes the work far too late for it to have been written by James. The Gospel of James was condemned by third-century Christian scholar Origen, who rejected its trustworthiness and deemed it heretical. It was also condemned in the fifth century by Pope Gelasius. Thus, the Gospel of James should not be considered a reliable source of historical information.
Such is the case of many of the so-called “lost” Gospels. Contrary to the assertions of those who believe that the formation of the biblical canon was conspiratorial or political, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are the primary and most trustworthy narratives of the life of Jesus.
Other Concerns?
Besides the historical untrustworthiness of the source material, are there other concerns Christians should have about Mary? The film does change some events from the biblical account, like omitting Joseph’s visitation from Gabriel to tell him about Mary bearing Jesus, and having the couple go to Bethlehem to flee violence instead of as a response to a census.
Mary is also elevated in the film to a near Messiah-like status herself. At times, it seems she is more important than Jesus and that she has a magical quality to her. Mary offers some questionable elements, such as Elizabeth telling Mary to trust the strength inside her instead of telling Mary to trust God. Also, her story seems to be copied from Samuel from the Old Testament: childless parents pray for a baby and are promised a child on the condition that the child be raised in the temple.
While the story is not “woke,” as many had feared coming from Netflix, there is a minor scene when Mary gathers bread from her friends to give to a beggar outside. The implied message is that the religious people are safe and fed inside the walls of their temple and they ignore the people who are poor, hungry, and suffering on the outside. Thus, Mary is not only the mother of the Savior of the world, but she is also a champion of social justice. The Bible absolutely commands us to help the poor and oppressed, but we must be careful to discern between biblical justice and the “quasi-religious commitment to ‘social justice.'”
However, the film does bring to life some important themes. We see how powerful Rome was and how difficult life could be for people during the time of Jesus’ coming. We don’t know exactly how Mary’s community reacted to her being unwed and pregnant, but it must have been very hard for her and Joseph. While we ought not venerate Mary or elevate her too highly, we can still respect and admire her and Joseph as people of great faith and dedication to God. We likely will never be given as challenging a task as they were (raising the Son of God!), but we can still emulate their example by trusting completely in God in every situation. Let Mary’s (biblical) words encourage and inspire us: “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38).
Final Verdict
What is the final verdict of Mary? It’s a mixed bag. Some may enjoy it, others may view it as an unnecessary origin story. While it’s good to see a film about a biblical character created for a major streaming service, the events portrayed are sensational and mostly non-historical. Mary may not drive viewers to seek biblical answers to life’s biggest questions, but maybe it can present an opportunity for us to have meaningful faith conversations with others.