What About Mary? (Mother's Day) -- 5/12/13

Sunday, May 12, 2013

MARY, THE MOTHER OF JESUS

            I don't often alter my preaching because of holidays.  One of the reasons is because now we have holidays for everything.  I don't always preach about mothers on Mother's Day, but my desire is to be led by the Spirit.  Today I would like to address us along the lines of Mother's Day.  So let me start by asking you a question:  "Who is the greatest mother in the Bible?"  Let me broaden that question:  "Who is the greatest saint to ever walk the earth?"  I will make it multiple choice...

              a.  Moses

              b.  David

              c.  Mary, the mother of Jesus

              d.  The apostle Paul

              e.  Some saint who lived between the time of Jesus and the present (such as Hudson Taylor)

              f.  Some saint who is living today

              g.  You aren't sure

            This morning I want us to think about Mary, the mother of Jesus.  Am I saying she is the greatest saint who ever lived?  No, I am not saying that, but many people would strongly affirm that.  Obviously, Mary was a mother; she was the mother of the Messiah, Jesus our Lord.  What do you think about Mary?  Most of us are aware that opinions vary greatly.  Was Mary chosen to be the mother of Jesus because she was the most spiritual woman on earth at the time?  Was she just like any other woman who loved the Lord her God?  Does Mary deserve special reverence above other women of God? 

            It is not difficult to find and read what the New Testament says about Mary.  It is possible that I might have missed a passage or two, but to the best of my knowledge I have listed all the New Testament passages that refer to Mary.  You can find the list in your bulletin.  This morning we are going to take time to read through all of these passages, with the exception that we won't read all of Luke 2, because most of the verse 20 verses are very familiar to us.  As we do, let's think about what we can learn from Mary.  While that may have some special relevance to mothers, it certainly applies to us.  As women can learn from Peter and Paul's example, so men can learn from Mary's example.  While we learn from Mary, it is also impossible not to consider some of the claims that are made about Mary, particularly by the Roman Catholic Church.  Are these claims valid from a scriptural viewpoint.

            Let me be very clear at this point.  There are a number of you that come from a Catholic background.  More of you have relatives and/or close friends that are Catholic.  Our purpose is never to condemn Catholicism, as there are true believers among Catholics.  On the other hand, the beliefs of all groups must stand the test of scripture, and that includes our beliefs as a church and as individuals.  My purpose is to help us understand what the scripture says and how that relates to other claims about Mary.

            Let's begin by simply reading what the Word says about Mary.  That will take some time, but I believe it is important for us to understand exactly what the Bible says concerning Mary.

I.  What the New Testament Says

Luke 1:26-56 NKJV 26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. 28 And having come in, the angel said to her, "Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!" 29 But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. 30 Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 "And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. 32 "He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 "And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end." 34 Then Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I do not know a man?" 35 And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 "Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. 37 "For with God nothing will be impossible." 38 Then Mary said, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her. 39 Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah, 40 and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 "But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 "For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. 45 "Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord." 46 And Mary said: "My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. 48 For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed. 49 For He who is mighty has done great things for me, And holy is His name. 50 And His mercy is on those who fear Him From generation to generation. 51 He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. 52 He has put down the mighty from their thrones, And exalted the lowly. 53 He has filled the hungry with good things, And the rich He has sent away empty. 54 He has helped His servant Israel, In remembrance of His mercy, 55 As He spoke to our fathers, To Abraham and to his seed forever." 56 And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her house.

Matthew 1:18-25 NKJV 18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. 19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. 20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 "And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins." 22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: 23 "Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which is translated, "God with us." 24 Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, 25 and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name JESUS.

Luke 2:21-24 NKJV 21 And when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the Child, His name was called JESUS, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb. 22 Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the LORD"), 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, "A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons."

Luke 2:33-35 NKJV 33 And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, "Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against 35 "(yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed."

Luke 2:48-51 NKJV 48 So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, "Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously." 49 And He said to them, "Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father's business?" 50 But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them. 51 Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart.

John 2:1-11 NKJV 1 On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. 3 And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, "They have no wine." 4 Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come." 5 His mother said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it." 6 Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece. 7 Jesus said to them, "Fill the waterpots with water." And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And He said to them, "Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast." And they took it. 9 When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom. 10 And he said to him, "Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!" 11 This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.

John 2:12 NKJV 12 After this He went down to Capernaum, He, His mother, His brothers, and His disciples; and they did not stay there many days.

Matthew 12:46-50 NKJV 46 While He was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him. 47 Then one said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You." 48 But He answered and said to the one who told Him, "Who is My mother and who are My brothers?" 49 And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers! 50 "For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother."

PARALLEL:  Mark 3:31-35;  Luke 8:19-21

Matthew 13:54-58 NKJV   54 And when He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, "Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works? 55 "Is this not the carpenter's son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas? 56 "And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these things?" 57 So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house." 58 Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

PARALLEL:  Mark 6:1-6

John 6:42 NKJV 42 And they said, "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that He says, 'I have come down from heaven'?"

Luke 11:27-28 NKJV 27 And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, "Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!" 28 But He said, "More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!"

John 19:25-27 NKJV 25 Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, "Woman, behold your son!" 27 Then He said to the disciple, "Behold your mother!" And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.

Acts 1:14 NKJV 14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.

II.  What Can We Learn from Mary?

            As we look at this brief sketch of Mary, one thing is clear -- the New Testament casts her in the best light possible.  No one can find fault with Mary.  God chose her to be the mother of Jesus.  She faithfully fulfilled this assignment, though it could not have been an easy one.  After Jesus died, rose, and ascended back to heaven, we find Mary together with the other believers, as they waited to be clothed with power from on high.

           

A.  Mary was thoughtful and humble.

            I find the first chapter of Luke to be the passage which reveals the most about Mary.  That makes sense, because that is where the most is written about her (along with chapter 2).  When the angel Gabriel came to her and said, "Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women," Mary "was troubled at the saying and considered what manner of greeting this was" (Luke 1:28-29).  Mary had never seen an angel before, much less heard such alarming news from heaven.  No wonder she was troubled.  But notice that we are not told that she did anything outwardly.  Rather, the writer informs us that she considered the words of the angel.  The word translated "considered" literally means "to think through."  Other translations include:  KJV -- cast in her mind; NASV -- kept pondering; Young -- was reasoning.  Concerning all the things which happened at the birth of Jesus, we read these words of Mary in Luke 2:19, "But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart."  Later after Jesus said to her, "Didn't you know I must be about my Father's business," Mary kept all these things in her heart (Luke 2:51).  In later situations, we do not find Mary reacting.  She remained quiet and thoughtful.

            Closely related to this idea of being thoughtful is her obvious humility.  Though we never read any statement saying, "Mary was humble," I cannot escape that conclusion.  After Mary considered the nature of the angel's greeting, she then heard Gabriel say, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.  And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS.  He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.  And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end" (Luke 1:30-33).  Wow!  He dumped the whole load on her.  At that point Mary asked the question:  "How can this be, since I do not know a man?" (34).  Mary is not doubting the word spoken to her; she simply seeks to understand how it is going to happen.  Surely she speaks with the utmost humility. 

            Consider her encounters with Jesus during His ministry, when He was over 30 years old.  When they were at the wedding feast in Cana, she brought it to Jesus' attention that they had run out of wine.  Jesus immediately said to her, "Woman, what does your concern have to do with me.  My hour has not yet come" (John 2:4).  We don't want to accuse Jesus of being harsh, but his mother could certainly have taken it that way.  But she did not scold Him in any way.  There is no record of a reaction.  Instead, she simply said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it" (5).  We see her humility.

            Later on she and Jesus' brothers found Jesus and tried to speak to Him.  The problem was that Jesus was surrounded by crowds of people whom He was teaching.  The message came to Jesus, "Your mother and your brothers want to talk to you" (Matt. 12:47).   Jesus responded with these words:  "Who is My mother and who are My brothers?"

 And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers!  For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother" (12:48-50).  Moms, could you possibly be offended, if your son spoke to you like that?  There is no record that Mary took offense.  Behold her humility.

B.  Mary was submissive and obedient.

           

            Come back again to Luke 1.  After the angel Gabriel gave her the astounding news that she would bear the Son of the Highest, who would inherit the throne of His father David, Mary asked how it could be, since she didn't know a man.  Gabriel responded:  "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing will be impossible" (Luke 1:35-37).  He added the part about Elizabeth's pregnancy to encourage her.  If Elizabeth, who was old and barren, could conceive a child, then Mary could conceive without a man, for nothing is impossible with God.  Notice that Mary asked no further question.  She offered no excuses as to why this could happen.  She did not declare her unworthiness.  Mary simply said, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word" (38).  She submitted completely to the will of her God. 

            We must understand that this was no easy thing for Mary.  What would people think when it became obvious that she was pregnant?  Could she still marry Joseph?  Would he believe her?  What about her own parents and family?  How could she possibly explain this to anyone?  It is hard for us to put ourselves in her position, because we live in a society where having children out of wedlock is commonplace.  Though many still know it is wrong, we can't possibly imagine what this was like for Mary.  Nevertheless, she submitted completely to the will of the Lord.  She was His obedient servant.

C.  Mary was trusting and faithful.

            The faith of Mary is obvious.  The only way she could fulfill this role was to simply trust God.  From her viewpoint at that time, there might not be anyone else on her side except the Lord.  She did not receive any divine promise that Joseph would understand.  We know that an angel would also appear to Joseph, but Mary didn't know it.  What she knew was that her God could be trusted, and she did trust Him.

            Now come to chapter 2.  Mary and Joseph encountered Simeon in the temple.  Listen again to his words in Luke 2:33-35,  "And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, "Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against 35 (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed."  Simeon tells Mary clearly that a sword will pierce through her own soul also.  Later, when Jesus was hung on that cross, a soul did pierce through her own soul.  Mothers, can you imagine anything worse than watching your son die unjustly as a criminal?  And that wasn't the half of it, because Mary had so much more to ponder in her heart.  But praise God, even that didn't destroy Mary.  Even as Jesus hung on that cross, He spoke to her and to His apostle John, committing the care of Mary into his hands.  When we come to the gathering of the disciples in the upper room a month and a half later, Mary is there with them.  Through it all, she remained faithful.

            Finally, come to those powerful words spoken by Mary, as recorded in Luke 1:46-55  We won't take time to read it again, but those words are worthy of our meditation.  Notice especially those opening words:  "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior" (46-47).  She has heard words of congratulations and praise from Elizabeth, but she immediately turns and give the praise to Him who alone is worthy.

            Yes, we can learn much from Mary.  Praise God for her example.

III.  What About the Exalted Claims Made for Mary?

            When I speak about the exalted claims made for Mary, I am not talking about the virgin birth.  The scripture is absolutely clear that Jesus was born of a virgin.  After the angel told Joseph not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife, because her conception was of the Holy Spirit, we then read:  "So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying:  'Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,' which is translated, 'God with us'" (Matt. 1:22-23).  Jesus was born of a virgin, and Mary was that virgin.

            However, that isn't the end of the story.  Down through the centuries many have claimed for Mary what is termed "Perpetual Virginity."  That simply means that Mary never had sexual relations with any man, including her husband Joseph.  While Protestants generally don't believe that today, some of the leading Reformers did.

            We have read what the Bible says about Mary.  Is this a scriptural claim?  We must say that the scripture does not emphatically claim that Mary did continue as a virgin or did not.  However, there are some scriptural statements that must be considered.  First of all, consider the last two verses of Matthew 1:  "Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name JESUS" (Matt. 1:24-25).  The phrase "till she had brought forth her firstborn Son," though it does not categorically state it, it certainly implies that Joseph and Mary had normal marital relations after the birth of Jesus.  (John Calvin concluded that this statement alone cannot settle the case either way).

            Along with that we must consider the statement in Luke 2:7, "And she brought forth her firstborn son..."  It has been pointed out that in the Old Testament God commanded the firstborn to be consecrated to Him (see Ex. 13:1-2).  When the parents obeyed that command, they had no other children, nor were they guaranteed that other children would be born.  Though they might never have another child, that was still considered their firstborn at the time of his birth.  On the other hand, the most natural way to read this statement is with the idea that Luke is looking back and seeing Jesus as the firstborn of the sons born to Mary.  But again, by itself, this is far from conclusive.

            The other factor is the brothers of Jesus.  These brothers are mentioned in Mt 12:46; 13:55; Mk 3:31; 6:3; Lk 8:19; Jn 2:12; 7:3; 20:17; Acts 1:14; 1 Co 9:5; Gal 1:19.  If we eliminate the parallels, brothers of Jesus are mentioned eight times.  The most natural way to understand them is to assume they were the later children of Mary and Joseph.  However, those who contend for the perpetual virginity of Mary have made various suggestions:  that they are step-children from a previous marriage of Joseph, that they are cousins rather than literal brothers.  It is true that the word translated "brother" can sometimes have a looser meaning.  However, in four of the eight occurrences of Jesus' brothers, Mary is present with them.  That would certainly imply that they were her sons. 

            Let's leave this concept for a moment and come to another -- The Immaculate Conception of Mary.  The Roman Catholic Church teaches that unlike every other human being except Jesus, Mary did not have original sin.  In practical terms, Mary was sinless from the time of her conception.  What does the Word of God say?  Again, there is no direct statement which tells us that Mary sinned, and there is no assertion that she did not sin.  Of course, it must also be stated that the same could be said of many biblical saints.  While there is mention of the sins of David, Peter, and even Paul, there is nothing said about the sins of many other godly men and women in the Bible.  Do we conclude that they are sinless?  No.  Why?  Because it is clearly stated in Rom. 3:10-12, "As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one; 11 There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. 12 They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one."  Again in verse 23, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."  While that seems clear enough, Catholicism views Mary as the lone exception.  There is a great danger in this.  If Mary is an exception, who is to say there are not other exceptions. 

            The key biblical support for this teaching is found in Luke 1, especially Luke 1:28, "And having come in, the angel said to her, 'Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women.'"  [Some texts don't include "Blessed are you among women," but it is in all texts of 1:42].  Following the Latin Vulgate, the Douay-Rheims Bible, which was once the recognized Bible among most Catholics, reads, "Hail, full of grace."  The word our translations render "highly favored" is built upon the root word that means "grace."  Out of that, Catholic theologians emphasize the perfect tense and take it to mean "full of grace" or "perfection of grace."  From there it is concluded that Mary this fullness of grace means sinlessness.  One apologist then concludes that "blessed among women" means "holiest of all." 

            The third Roman Catholic doctrine we will consider concerning Mary is the Assumption of Mary.  This is the teaching that Mary did not suffer death, but was taken up into heaven as was Enoch and Elijah.  The proclamation of Pope Pius XII that made this official church dogma in 1950 reads like this:  "by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and by our own authority, we pronounce, declare, and define it to be a divinely revealed dogma: that the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory."  Basically, it has no direct biblical support, except that if Mary is indeed sinless, then it might be reasonable for God to take her to heaven without death (though our Lord Jesus was subject to the worst of death).

            These doctrines are fiercely defended by the Roman Catholic Church.  I would say that these doctrines did not grow out of the Bible, and that is why they lack biblical support.  Why is the perpetual virginity of Mary so strongly defended?  It is almost as if continuing as a virgin somehow made her more holy.  This is reflected in the Catholic commitment to the celibate priesthood, which contradicts biblical teaching.  The Assumption of Mary seems to be a corollary to the Immaculate Conception teaching.  And it is this doctrine -- that Mary was free from sin -- that is so dangerous.  If that were true, that would put Mary in a class all by herself, above all other human beings.  Is it any wonder that as a result Catholicism teaches that people can "pray through Mary"?  That is, they can go to Mary and ask her to intercede.  The idea is, "We can ask Mary to pray for us, just as we can ask someone on earth to pray for us."  But the Bible is clear:  "There is one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus" (I Tim. 2:5).  We pray through Jesus and no one else, because Jesus and Jesus alone bore our sins.

Conclusion

            So now I come back to the question with which we started:  "Who is the greatest saint who ever lived?"  Is it Mary?  Not necessarily.  The apostle Paul?  Not necessarily.  It isn't about who is the greatest.  We have no means to compare the greatness of the greatest.  We have no way to compare ourselves with others.  The good news is that you can fulfill the role God has given you, just as Mary fulfilled the role that God gave her.  Mary is no more precious in the sight of God that anyone here this morning who is a child of God.  We thank God for her, but she is our sister in Christ, and will be recognized as such when we meet her in heaven.