The story of the apparitions of the Virgin Mary to Juan Diego in 1531 at Tepeyac hill near Mexico City has become an integral part of Mexican culture and Catholicism. According to tradition, Mary appeared several times to Juan Diego, who was an Aztec convert to Catholicism, and requested that a church be built on the site of the apparitions. She also left an image of herself imprinted miraculously on Juan Diego’s tilma (cloak), which has become Mexico’s most popular religious and cultural image, known as Our Lady of Guadalupe.
But are these apparitions and the image on the tilma just legends and myths? Or did Mary really appear to Juan Diego and leave her image on his cloak? Let’s examine what the Bible has to say about apparitions of Mary and other supernatural occurrences.
What does the Bible say about apparitions and visions?
The Bible contains several examples of God communicating to people through visions and dreams. In the Old Testament, prophets like Ezekiel, Daniel, and Zechariah experienced vivid visions from God (Ezekiel 1, Daniel 7, Zechariah 1:7-17). In the New Testament, Ananias was directed by the Lord in a vision to go to Saul (Acts 9), Peter had a vision that led him to share the Gospel with Cornelius (Acts 10), and the apostle John recorded his series of visions on the island of Patmos that became the Book of Revelation.
So according to the Bible, it is clearly possible for supernatural encounters and visions to occur. However, the Bible also gives warnings about false visions and lying signs and wonders that can originate from sources other than God. For example:
Deuteronomy 13:1-3 – “If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, ‘Let us go after other gods,’ which you have not known, ‘and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams.”
Matthew 24:24 – “For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.”
2 Thessalonians 2:9 – “The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders.”
So the Bible tells us to test any supernatural encounters, visions, or miracles carefully against the revealed Word of God. If they contradict God’s Word or point people away from the truth, they should be rejected as false signs from deceiving spirits.
What criteria can we use to evaluate Marian apparitions?
Given that false visions can occur, here are some biblical criteria we can use to evaluate modern-day reported visions of Mary or other supernatural phenomena:
- Are the visions/messages consistent with Scripture? (Isaiah 8:20, Acts 17:11)
- Do they exalt Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior? (1 Corinthians 12:3)
- Do they align with biblical teaching on the role of Mary and the saints? (Luke 11:27-28, Revelation 19:10)
- Is there any manipulation, control, or request for money associated with the visions? (2 Peter 2:1-3)
- What spiritual fruit is produced in the lives of those who believe the visions? (Matthew 7:15-20)
The Bible must be our ultimate authority in evaluating any supernatural occurrence or message. Anything contrary to the Word of God must be rejected.
What does the Bible teach about Mary’s role?
Before examining the specifics of the Guadalupe apparitions, it’s important to understand what the Bible teaches about Mary. While she was a godly young woman chosen to bear the Savior (Luke 1:26-38), Scripture never exalts her as divine or ascribes worship to her. Her song of praise focuses entirely on God her Savior, not herself (Luke 1:46-55).
Throughout the Gospels, Mary plays a quiet, background role in Jesus’ ministry. At one point Jesus even emphasizes the blessedness of those who hear and obey God’s word over the physical fact that Mary was His mother (Luke 11:27-28). Mary appears praying with the disciples in the Upper Room before Pentecost (Acts 1:14), but isn’t mentioned again after that.
The Bible gives no indications that Mary remained a perpetual virgin or was assumed bodily into heaven. It likewise gives no support for Mary playing an ongoing intervening role in salvation history. Scripture instead teaches repeatedly that Jesus Christ is the lone Mediator between God and man (John 14:6, Acts 4:12, 1 Timothy 2:5, Hebrews 7:25).
So while Mary was a godly woman used by God, the Bible does not exalt her with divine titles nor accord her the power to provide aid or blessings beyond any other believer. We see no biblical examples of early Christians praying to Mary or venerating her with feast days, so these concepts appear to have developed later in church history.
Examining the apparitions at Guadalupe
With this biblical foundation on Mary’s true role, we can now examine the reported Guadalupe apparitions. According to tradition, Mary appeared multiple times to Juan Diego, an Aztec peasant, on the hill of Tepeyac near Mexico City in 1531. She requested that a church be built on that site in her honor.
The local bishop, Juan de Zumárraga, was skeptical of Juan Diego’s account and requested a sign. After several more encounters, Mary instructed Juan Diego to gather roses in his tilma, even though it was winter. When Juan Diego presented the roses to the bishop as proof, an image of Mary was miraculously imprinted on his tilma. The bishop then built a church on Tepeyac Hill which became the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
This image on Juan Diego’s tilma became Mexico’s most beloved religious symbol and inspired widespread conversion to Catholicism. Scholars have been unable to explain the formation of the colors and preservation of the cloth. However, there are also some problems with the Guadalupe narrative that should give Christians pause:
- The earliest written account doesn’t appear until 1649, over a hundred years after the apparitions reportedly took place. The original tilma is also no longer available for study.
- The story relies heavily on oral tradition and legend. Many scholars believe it was likely influenced by an earlier legend surrounding the Aztec goddess Tonantzin.
- A shrine to Tonantzin apparently existed on Tepeyac Hill in the 16th century, and the date of December 12 that Mary allegedly appeared to Juan Diego aligned with an Aztec festival honoring this goddess.
- The tilma image depicts a Mary that resembles an Aztec goddess, dressed in royal Aztec clothing and surrounded by symbolic Aztec icons.
- The worship practices that developed around the tilma image incorporate Aztec customs and concepts foreign to Christianity.
So there are many aspects of synccretism – the merger of Aztec paganism and Catholicism – that raise questions about the origins of the Guadalupe apparitions. They seem to take on a very local Mexican character that does not square with the universal message of Scripture.
A biblical evaluation of the Guadalupe apparitions
Using the criteria from Scripture, here are several concerns with the Guadalupe apparitions:
- They promote dogmas not found in the Bible – perpetual virginity, bodily assumption into heaven.
- They encourage devotion to Mary beyond what Scripture allows.
- The reported messages did not point people directly to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior or the authority of the Bible.
- The convenient “sign” linked to an Aztec goddess festival and questionable oral history raise doubts about supernatural origin.
- Practices that blend Aztec paganism with Catholicism developed, reflecting syncretism.
When examining any supernatural occurrence, we must filter it through the truth of God’s authoritative Word. In the case of Guadalupe, several aspects raise red flags about the reliability and source of these apparitions. There are doctrinal problems and too many hints of possible cultural mythmaking for it to be considered a true miracle from God.
This does not mean that God could not have used a highly embellished legend for His purposes. The Guadalupe tradition does seem tied to the massive expansion of Catholicism across Latin America. But as Protestants, we do not need to uncritically accept every alleged miracle within the Catholic Church. Since aspects of the Guadalupe apparitions contradict Scripture, they should be considered false reports and not binding on Christian believers.
The only totally trustworthy revelation we have from God is His Word. The Bible does not mention any Marian apparitions at Guadalupe or anywhere else. While God may act in supernatural ways that are not recorded in Scripture, we must judge all such reports by the standards of His authoritative, revealed Word.
Some lessons for Christians
When evaluating supernatural reports, we can apply these biblical lessons:
- Test all visions, miracles, and revelations against Scripture (Isaiah 8:20, Acts 17:11).
- Beware of anything promoting false doctrine or excess devotion to Mary and the saints (1 Timothy 1:3-4).
- Remember that we walk by faith, not sight, trusting God’s Word over subjective experiences (2 Corinthians 5:7).
- Judge spiritual fruit, not just claims of miracles (Matthew 7:15-23).
- Make Christ the focus of our faith, not additional supernatural revelations (Hebrews 12:1-2).
While intriguing, the Guadalupe apparitions do not align with the sole authority of biblical truth. Our calling is to make disciples of Jesus Christ from all nations (Matthew 28:19-20), not promote devotion to Marian apparitions and images. As we share our faith with Catholics, we should lovingly guide them back to the all-sufficient truth and authority of God’s Word.
