Bible Contradiction? Was Mary (the mother of Jesus) blessed?

Here’s a Bible contradiction that the Skeptic Annotated Bible has stated as not yet having any Christian response so we’re going to respond to it.

We begin with the question: “Was Mary (the mother of Jesus) blessed?”

Here’s the answer the skeptic gave along with the Scriptures:

Yes, according to the angel Gabriel.

Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” (Luke 1:26-28)

No, according Jesus.

27 While Jesus was saying these things, one of the women in the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore You and the breasts at which You nursed.” 28 But He said, “On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.” (Luke 11:27-28)

Note the above translation comes from the New American Standard Bible.

Let’s take a closer look at whether or not there is a contradiction:

• Mary definitely was blessed by God.
  • This is the case when we examine Luke 1:26-28.  Luke 1:28 clearly record that Gabriel as an angel of God declared Mary as “favored.”  In the King James version, which the skeptics used on their website, “favored” is translated as “blessed.”
  • Mary’s relative Elizabeth also echoed the angel’s declaration of Mary being blessed in Luke 1:42: “And she cried out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!”
  • Elizabeth’s acknowledgement of Mary being blessed didn’t just happen once but twice as we see in Luke 1:44.
  • These verses and the multiple occurrence of stating Mary as blessed makes the skeptic annotated Bible’s explanation that the angel was merely being polite as unlikely.
• Of course in order for there to be a Bible contradiction, there needs to be a verse that demonstrates Mary was not blessed.  The question now hinges on whether or not Luke 11:27-28 supply that contradiction.
  • In Luke 11:27 a woman referred to Jesus’ mother as blessed.  This truth is affirming what is taught in Luke 1:28, 1:42 and 1:44.
  • But did Jesus denied his mother was blessed?
• Luke 11:28 does not deny Mary being blessed.
  • Again the Skeptic Annotated Bible’s website used the King James Version which translates “But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.”  Saying “yea” is not denying his mother being blessed.  Rather it affirms it.
  • Someone might point out that the NASB and other versions does not say “yea” in the affirmative but “On the contrary” as a denial of Mary being blessed.  I hesitate to invoke the Greek and do so as little as I can for the sake of the readers but we must ask what is going on in the Greek when English translations are not in agreement.  I would argue that exegetically from the Greek Jesus is not denying Mary being blessed but actually is in agreement that Mary is blessed.
    •  What is translated as “yea” in the King James and “on the contrary” in the NASB is a single Greek particle word: Μενοῦν.
    • According to Joseph Fitzmyer the word has three possible meaning (Fitzmyer, 928).  It can be adversarial with the idea of “nay, on the contrary….”  Secondly it can be affirmative as in “yes, indeed.”  Thirdly it can also be corrective as in “yes, but rather.”  Of course, to determine meaning one must look at the context to see how the word function lexically.
    • As a quick side note readers who don’t like how the Greek term could mean its opposite might think of a modern English use of the word “bad.”  It can mean what is immoral but also as a slang for something that is really good.  Again context determines which meaning is used.
    • Here’s a Gloss on the word Μενοῦν.  Note that there is no denial that Μενοῦν does definitely function in the affirmative in its usage in Romans 10:18.  It’s clear.  Both the King James and the NASB agree in translating it as “Yes” or “Indeed.”
    • Actually from the link one might make the argument that every usage of this term in the New Testament functions in the affirmative and thus strengthen the argument here.
    • Fitting with the rest of the Book of Luke’s teaching on Mary being blessed it seems best to see this particle Μενοῦν as referring to affirming Mary’s blessedness.
  • Again, I don’t want to unnecessary rely on the Greek so as to go over anyone’s head.  I think Luke 11:28 does not deny Mary being blessed if we examine the remainder of the verse when Jesus said “blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.”  Has not Mary heard God’s Word and obeyed it?  Mind you she was not perfect but Luke 1:38 affirms that Mary obeyed God beyond what most people would have to endure: bearing a child as a virgin and one can imagine people’s misunderstanding.  Again the main point in Luke 11:28 is affirming the need of following God.  So if Mary has done so by the grace of God, one can say she’s blessed.  It’s rather silly to make this verse a denial of Mary’s blessedness.

Conclusion?  This is not a Bible contradiction.