Does Mary Intercede for Christians?
by
Moisés Pinedo
It
has been argued that “Mary is the creature closest to God. Moreover,
while Christ is the mediator of all grace between God and creation, Mary is the
mediator of all grace between Christ and humanity. Consequently, Mary is a
powerful intercessor for all who turn to her”.
The
Bible clearly teaches that Mary is not Deity and should not be worshipped as
such. If she is not Deity, is she the closest human being to Deity?
Does
she play an active role in heaven, interceding for individual Christians? Does
she make intercession for us in prayer or have an effect on our salvation?
MARY
IS NO CLOSER TO GOD THAN ANY OTHER PERSON, PAST OR PRESENT.
When
referring to Deity, the Bible mentions only the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Spirit (Matthew 28:19; cf. Matthew 3:16-17; John 10:30; 17:21; Acts 5:3-4).
Mary
is never mentioned in that context.
The
idea that Mary occupies a special place in heaven, close to the Son, is a
tradition.
It
shows a lack of understanding concerning biblical teachings on the afterlife.
THE GIFT OF
INTERCESSION WAS NOT GIVEN TO MARY.
Catholics
have given the title of “Intercessor for the Saints” to Mary, although nowhere
in the Bible is it applied to her.
“Intercession”
means “seeking the presence and hearing of God on behalf of others”. There are
only two areas in which Christians need intercession: salvation and prayers. If
Mary is now, or ever has been, involved as “Intercessor for the Saints,” there
should be ample evidence in Scripture.
Concerning
salvation, the apostle Peter clearly stated that “there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under
heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts
4:12, NASB).
Of
course, he was referring to Jesus Christ.
Paul
wrote: “There is one God and one Mediator
between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5).
The
Hebrews writer added: “Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those
who come to God through Him, since He [Jesus] always lives to make intercession
for them” (Hebrews 7:25).
Jesus
is the one and only Mediator (Intercessor) between God and Man,
and He lives to continually intercede for those who come to God.
But what about
prayer? Does Mary intercede in the prayers of Christians? No, she does not.
This
intercession also belongs to Jesus.
When
teaching His disciples to pray to the Father (Matthew 6:9), Jesus did not teach
them to pray to (or through) Mary.
And
yet, Catholicism created a prayer—the “Hail Mary”—to include the words “Holy
Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of death.”
In
John 14:13-14, Jesus declared: “And
whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified
in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it” (cf. John 16:24).
Jesus
is the only One Who can mediate or intercede in our prayers, since
“[a]ll things that the Father has are [His]” (John 16:15).
If
all things that the Father has are the Son’s, then what is left for Mary?
The
prerogative of intercession supposedly given to Mary also is argued from the
fact that she “interceded” before Jesus on behalf of a family at a wedding in
Cana because the wine was running out during the celebration (John 2:2-3).
This
simple, solitary, tiny thread of argumentation, lost in a loom of confusion,
has been misused extensively by the supporters of Marianism.
By
going to Jesus with a request for help, Mary was not intervening on behalf of
anyone’s spiritual needs; she only reported the situation to Jesus.
Moreover,
consider Jesus’ response: “Woman, what
does your concern have to do with Me?” (John 2:4).
With
these words, He emphasized that Mary’s concerns did not dictate His actions.
Whatever He did in Cana that day would be according to God’s will,
not because of human or motherly influences or desires.
If
the situation recorded in John chapter two establishes Mary as the “Intercessor
of the Saints,” what should we conclude from Matthew 8:5-13 and other passages
that tell of similar circumstances?
In
Matthew chapter eight, a centurion “interceded” before Jesus for his servant
who was in bed, paralyzed, and greatly tormented. Seeing the centurion’s faith,
Jesus performed a miracle and cured the sick servant.
Should
we consider this centurion as the “Intercessor for the Paralytics, the Sick,
and the Tormented”? Should any paralytic, or anyone suffering from physical or
mental illness, pray to this man of great faith, asking him to intercede with
God on their behalf?
The Bible further
condemns the act of invoking the dead
(cf. Deuteronomy 18:10-13; 1 Chronicles 10:13-14; Isaiah 8:19).
Neither
this centurion, nor Abraham, nor Mary, nor anyone else—living or dead—can
intercede before the throne of God in favor of the faithful Christian, except
Jesus Christ Himself.
MARY, LIKE ALL
MEN AND WOMEN, NEEDED INTERCESSION.
In
Luke 1:47, Mary raised her voice and declared: “My spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior” (emp. added).
If
Mary had a Savior, then she needed salvation. And, if she needed salvation,
then she also needed the only Intercessor of salvation—Jesus Christ (Hebrews
7:25).
Therefore,
Mary’s condition was no different from every human being before or after her.
She sinned (Romans 3:23).
She
needed the only Intercessor who could make peace between her and God (2 Corinthians
5:18-19; Colossians 1:20).
Just
as Jesus “interceded” on behalf of Mary before He died to make sure her
physical needs were met (John 19:26-27), He interceded on her behalf to make
sure her spiritual needs were met.
Mary cannot intercede for any Christian
since she, herself, needed intercession.
Finally,
although Christians are commanded to pray for one another (1 Thessalonians
5:25; Hebrews 13:18; James 5:16),
Jesus is our only Mediator in prayer. Through
Him our prayers are answered.
Related Posts:
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