3 Things You’ll Want to Know about Netflix’s ‘Mary’

1. It's a Mix of Scripture, Tradition, and Creative License

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Netflix's Mary includes the biblical story you know and love. The angel Gabriel visits Mary, telling her, "You are to become a mother and have a son. He will reign over the house of David." When Mary expresses surprise, Gabriel replies, "All things are possible with God. You will name him Jesus, and all the world will know Him, Mary, for you are blessed among women." A humble Mary responds, "Let it be me." Mary visits Elizabeth, who also is pregnant, and tells her relative, "This child in my womb jumps at the sound of your voice." A bright star appears over Bethlehem the night of the Christ child's birth, as shepherds come to worship. The film even includes a few biblical elements not seen in other Christmas movies, such as Anna and Simeon rejoicing over the birth of Jesus in the Temple.

Of course, the biblical account of Christ's birth is rather short, so Mary -- like nearly all movies about the Nativity -- adds elements not in Scripture. Many of those plotlines are from Catholic tradition. Mary's parents have names: Joachim and Anne. Unable to conceive, they earnestly pray for a child. (The Catholic Church celebrates her parents through feast days.) As a youngster, Mary is a servant in the Temple. (That is from the Protoevangelium of James, an apocryphal text.)

Other elements in the film have no historical basis, including a couple of major scenes in the final moments.

Yet the movie ends with a scene straight from Scripture, with Simeon declaring: "This child is destined to cause the rise and fall of many in Israel."

The Mary character in Netflix's film is who I imagine as I read the Bible: humble, faithful and full of grace. She cites Scripture. She prays fervently.

No doubt, Catholics and Protestants view Mary differently -- a contrast that the late Protestant pastor R.C. Sproul noted has led some within the Protestant tradition to undervalue her significance. Sproul once preached a Mother's Day sermon about her. "We're so much caught up in the polemic with the Roman Catholic Church about Mary, that we have missed a magnificent example of godliness," he said. He has a point.  

Photo Credit: ©Netflix