These days one comes across a rather strange idea that Jesus was not genetically related to his mother, Mary. Christians believe that he was not genetically related to Joseph, since he was born of a virgin, but he was truly Mary’s son, and she was truly his mother.
The idea that Mary was merely a surrogate host for an unrelated human is propagated mainly in anti-Catholic circles, such as Adventism, in order to justify their rejection of the concept that Mary is the Mother of God.
Catholics and Orthodox call Mary the Mother of God, or Theotokos, because the person she was mother to was indeed God. In no way does it mean that she was the mother of the Godhead, or the originator of his divinity. It simply means that, as her son, in her womb and afterwards, he was fully God, and didn’t become God at a later stage in his life, as Nestorians believe. The vast majority of Protestant denominations accept this as truth … some, however, object to the title “Mother of God” – mainly due to a lack of understanding of what it really means. I’ve got an article on my website explaining that in a bit more detail.
Was Jesus really a descendant of David? Was that meant to be biologically, or merely a legal issue?
If Jesus was the seed of Eve who was to crush Satan’s head, he had to be biologically descended from her.
Rom 1:3 KJV Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh
Gal 3:16 KJV Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is
Christ.
2Ti 2:8 KJV Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel
Heb 2:16 KJV For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.
We can believe that … or we can believe this:
Rom 1:3 RPV Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made like the seed of David according to the requirements of the law
Gal 3:16 RPV Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith
not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to the likeness of thy seed, which is Christ.
2Ti 2:8 RPV Remember that Jesus Christ, likeness of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel
Heb 2:16 RPV For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the appearance of the seed of Abraham.
The whole idea that Jesus was not a biological descendant of Mary is just a ruse to escape from the complete Catholic/Orthodox explanation of the Biblical evidence.
It is a biblical fact that Mary was Jesus’ mother – she is called that in many places. So either she was the mother of his entire person, or he was two persons. and she was the mother of the human person. Catholicism and Orthodoxy and Protestantism are united in rejecting the idea that he was two persons – the neo-Nestorian claim is limited to a few groups and individuals who haven’t come to grips with the evidence and the arguments around this issue.
Elizabeth calls her the “mother of my Lord” … by the neo-Nestorian argument made above, she was wrong, and Mary was either not the mother, or her Lord was not yet God.
The idea that Jesus was not a biological child of Mary is a novelty not supported by the Bible, and merely a reactionary stance.
