Lessons on the Life and Ministry of Jesus Christ and His Apostles
Lesson No. Two

Mary the Mother of the Son of God and Joseph His Mortal Guardian

Matthew 1; luke 1 - important details of the events recorded in these chapters is provided by the Joseph Smith Translation (JST), the Book of Mormon, and latter day prophets:

Mary was “chosen and blessed among women” – “And the angel came in unto her and said, Hail, thou virgin, who art highly favored of the Lord. The Lord is with thee, for thou art chosen and blessed among women (JST Luke 1:28, see also Vs 42). We believe that in the pre-earth life faithful sons and righteous daughters of God were chosen to fulfill important assignments in this life. Prime examples of this is Jesus and Mary. Jesus, as the most worthy and prepared of all the Father’s sons was chosen to come to the earth as the Mortal Messiah. Likewise, Mary as the most worth and prepared of all the Father’s daughters was chosen to become the mother of the Son of God after the manner of the flesh.

Virgin birth – Mary was referred to as a virgin both before and after she gave birth to Jesus. Isaiah prophesied: ”Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (2 Nephi 17:14). Nephi saw in vision “a virgin most beautiful and fair above all virgins” (1 Nephi 11:15). A short time later Nephi “looked and beheld the virgin again, bearing a child in her arms” (1 Nephi 11:20).

Elder McConkie explained: “She conceived and brought forth her Firstborn Son while yet a virgin because the Father of that child was an immortal personage” (DNTC I, p. 82).

Jesus is the Son of God, not the Holy Ghost – “Just as Jesus is literally the Son of Mary, so he is the personal and literal off-spring of God the Eternal Father…Matthew’s statement, ‘she was found with child of the Holy Ghost,’ properly translated should say, ‘she was found with child by the power of the Holy Ghost’ (Matthew 1:18)’ (Ibid, p.82).

The Book of Mormon perfectly describes our Lord’s birth and conception: Jesus “shall be born of Mary,… she being a virgin, and precious and chosen vessel, who shall be overshadowed and conceive by the power of the Holy Ghost, and bring forth a son, yea, even the Son of God” (Alma 7:10). Nephi said that at the time of her conception, Mary “was carried away in the “Spirit,” with the result that the child born of her was “the Lamb of God” (1 Nephi 11:19-21).

Elder Talmage, with inspired words, explained Mary’s pregnancy: “Mary’s promised Son was to be “The Only Begotten” of the Father in the flesh; so it had been both positively and abundantly predicted. True, the event was unprecedented; true also it has never been paralleled; but that the virgin birth would be unique was as truly essential to the fulfilment of prophecy as that it should occur at all. That Child to be born of Mary was begotten of Elohim, the Eternal Father, not in violation of natural law but in accordance with a high manifestation thereof; and, the offspring from that association of supreme sanctity, celestial Sireship, and pure though mortal maternity, was of right to be called the “Son of the Highest” (Jesus the Christ, p. 81)).

The atonement required that Jesus be both the Son of God and the Son of Mary – Jesus taught: “Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father” (John 10:17-18).

As with all of us Jesus inherited physical death when He was born to a mortal woman. Mary was a direct descendant of king David, and therefore, He could be called the Son of David, a title he readily accepted. (See Matthew 23:9) In the pre-earth life Jesus was chosen to be born into mortality as the Only Begotten Son of God. (See Abraham 3:27) As the Son of God He inherited power over death from His Father.

Because of his parentage He was both man and God, human and divine, mortal and immortal. (See Mosiah 15:1-4) Because of this He could chose to lay down His life; no one could take it from him. To live or to die was His choice (no one else has a choice). The atonement required that this choice had to be voluntary, and therefore could only be made by the Son of God and the Son of Mary who was both sinless and had power over death.

Joseph, the earthly guardian of the Son of God – Joseph was chosen and prepared in the pre-earth existence for the honor of being the earthly guardian of the Son of God. Concerning this responsibility he was guided from heaven. The Gospels record four visions given to Joseph, but there may have been more. In each of the following scriptures the JST changes the word “dream” to “vision” which is a more accurate description. A dream suggest that Joseph was asleep, but a vision suggests that he was awake and the appearances of the angel Gabriel to Joseph was similar to Gabriel’s appearance to Mary.

  • The angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a vision, telling him to take Mary to wife. (See JST Matthew 1:20).

  • After the wise men departed the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a vision saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt…” (JST Matthew 2:13).

  • “And when Herod was dead, behold an angel of the Lord appeared in a vision to Joseph in Egypt, Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go in to the Land of Israel for they are dead who sought the young child’s life” (JST Matthew 2:19-20).

  • When returning from Egypt Joseph was told in a vision to go to Galilee. (See JST Matthew 2;22)

Jesus as the Son of David – Joseph was known to the people of Nazareth only as a carpenter and as the husband of Mary and the father of Jesus (see Luke 4:22). The people of Nazareth did not appreciate that both Joseph and Mary were direct descendants of King David. The genealogy in Matthew 1:1-17 is that of Joseph and is “the royal lineage, establishing the order of sequence among the legal successors to the throne of David.” The genealogy in Luke 3:23-38 is Mary’s and “demonstrates descent from David without adherence to the line of legal succession to the throne” (DNTC I, p. 94).

“Had Judah been a free and independent nation, ruled by her rightful sovereign, Joseph the carpenter would have been her crowned king; and his lawful successor to the throne would have been Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews” (Jesus the Christ, p. 87).