Because there is a Catholic viewpoint and a Protestant viewpoint, I had many interesting conversations with Catholic readers who disagreed with me on the status of Mary. In spite of that viewpoint, Mary was not a perennial virgin. She lived in a small town, drew water from the village well, washed their clothes, spun fabric for clothing, and cooked meals for her family. She took care of her baby as any Jewish mother of the times did. Had Joseph been celibate, he would have broken God’s laws on marriage. I believe God wanted his Son to grow up in a normal Jewish home so he would understand the things we go through. When his father died, sometime after the time Jesus was in the Temple, talking with the elders at the age of 12, Jesus, as the oldest Son, became head of the household! He continued the raising of his brothers and sisters. (Yes, the Scriptures say He had sisters! It just doesn’t say how many. I gave Him three.)
The only thing I could do in all honesty was ask my dissenting friends to search the Scriptures for the answers. All through the novel, I walked with Mary as she experienced her life. I had to enlarge on the small snapshots the Scriptures give us. Like visiting her cousin. Elizabeth did not live in the next village, she lived 120 miles away in Juttah, where the priests lived with their families. How did Mary convince her parents to let her go so far at her young age and how in the world did she get there? That was one of my first challenges, but there were more situations to come!
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash
