We often hear people say that God spoke to them. We hear this so frequently that we scarcely notice it. Usually, such revelations are harmless. They do not impact any theology.
Others claim to have mystic experiences. One such person was Maria Valtorta, who lived in Italy at the beginning of the 1900s. Bedridden for most of her life as a result of a physical assault, she claimed that Christ dictated certain things to her while she lay in bed. One was a very detailed description of what happened at the cross. She wrote about the physical sufferings of the Lord, explaining, for example, how His feet slipped when the soldiers first attempted to nail them to the cross. She also described how His blood flowed from His wounds and what the soldiers said while He was suffering.
Many consider such writings to be inspired. I believe that Mel Gibson used the writings of such mystics when he made his famous movie, The Passion of the Christ. Someone may look at such a movie and conclude that even if such mystical “revelations” are not inspired by God, they are helpful. Maria could have been a spiritually sensitive woman. What she describes may have been true. But even if it is not completely accurate, it helps us understand the agony our Savior went through. There is nothing wrong with “filling in the blanks.”
But these mystics do not just fill in the blanks with things such as how Christ’s body reacted to the torture He experienced. They also promote terrible theology. In the case of Valtorta, she had a very high opinion of Mary. That opinion comes through in her description of Golgotha.
According to Valtorta, the believing thief asks Mary to pray for him to obtain forgiveness. He then asks Christ to forgive him in the name of His mother.
As Jesus nears death, He also looks to Mary for help. On the cross, He whispers, “Mother, mother.” She extends her arms towards Him as an expression of the help she offers. When Christ is offered gall, Valtorta says He looks like a starving baby “seeking the nipple of its mother.” Mary understands His desire and asks the Father to lift her up to the cross so she can quench His thirst with her own blood. She has no breast milk to offer Him.
Valtorta says that the Lord’s last words are not recorded in the Bible. The loud cry of the Lord immediately before His death (Matt 27:50; Mark 15:37; Luke 23:46) was an attempt to say the word mother. I suppose that in English, it would be like yelling out “Mom!”
As you might suspect, Valtorta also speaks of the need to repent of one’s sins in order to make it into the kingdom. That also comes through in her record of what various people near the cross said.
Many are impressed with mystical experiences and revelations. What these mystics wrote might even move us, much like Mel Gibson’s movie. But these revelations did not come from God. They include more than what might have happened historically. If you accept Valtorta’s writings as inspired, you will accept a heretical view of Mary. You will also accept a false gospel.
It’s a big deal. Let’s stick with the Bible.
