I think youre starting at the wrong end, as if youre putting the Bible ahead of Christ, and reducing Christ to a mere functionary. And its at best vain and futile to speculate on what God could have done; we know only what He did. And, again, the recurring limitation to only whats necessary -- sounds like the all too common grumble, Thats not my job, the careful avoidance of doing more than strictly required.
The end result - the salvation of God's people - would still be the same.
Again, such speculation is vain.
Roman Catholics' view of life is clouded by their untoward veneration of Jesus' mother.
Some Protestants (especially Calvinists) view of reality is clouded by their untoward veneration of self -- to the extent that Christ becomes a mere functionary, whose purpose -- job in some posts -- is to save them. I find it jarring, as if Isaiah had described the seraphim glorifying God in the words, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Host -- on account of He made ME! Its a truly insidious idolatry of the self. Do you never glorify God because of what He is in Himself? Do you really never glorify for any of His Creation except yourself?
And what do you intend by Jesus mother? Do you believe that the Word became flesh -- that Jesus is in fact the Incarnate Word -- or that the Word merely inhabited flesh?
Christ goes so far as to tell us not to look to His mother as our family, but to His followers - those who believe in His name.
I thought it was those who hear the word of God and keep it, which would seem to mean living by His commandments. The point being that we cant get out of our proper response to God because someone else does it better.
Mary is simply one of those most fortunate of human beings, a sinner saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ ALONE.
She was saved from being a sinner because of the unimaginable dignity and glory of her calling, to bear God Himself. She heard the word of God and kept it!
If venerating and praying to Mary were important or necessary, Christ would have told us so in the Bible. The apostles would have written about it.
None did.
Again, the double-entry bookkeeping approach to religion. Hardly likely to inspire anyone to great heights of devotion!
Instead, fallen men add insult to injury as centuries pass and Christ fades as the goddess grows to celestial heights - "Queen of the Universe." Do some Protestants denigrate Christ to a mere functionary so that they can denigrate Mary even further, or do they really not understand the Divinity of Christ?
Great post!