Participants: Pr. Stephen Bohr
Series Code: MMJ
Program Code: MMJ000001
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00:38 Shall we bow our heads for prayer?
00:40 Father in heaven, we thank You so much for the privilege of 00:44 being here to open and study Your word. 00:46 And as we examine what the Bible has to say about Mary, the 00:52 mother of Jesus, we ask for the guidance of Your Holy Spirit, 00:55 and we thank You for hearing our prayer for we ask it 00:58 in Jesus' name, Amen. 01:01 As I mentioned in my prayer, we are going to study in this 01:06 series about Mary, the mother of Jesus. 01:10 In our study today we're going to look at what the Bible has 01:14 to say about Mary. 01:16 We are going to be exhaustive in our study. 01:19 In other words we're going to leave no stone unturned 01:23 as we examine the Biblical evidence. 01:25 We are not going to embellish the record. 01:28 We're not going to add to what Scripture has to say. 01:32 We simply are going to take the testimony of 01:37 Scripture at face value. 01:39 Now it might be surprising to some that the Bible does not 01:44 have a lot to say about Mary, the mother of Jesus. 01:48 Actually, the only place that we really find Mary mentioned 01:54 is in the four gospels. 01:57 After the four gospels there is really no direct mention to 02:03 Mary, the mother of Jesus. 02:04 What we're going to do is we're going to take a jaunt 02:08 through the gospels. 02:09 Actually there's one reference after the gospels, 02:12 but it really is in the context of what Jesus did when He 02:16 died on the cross on the Day of Pentecost. 02:18 But we're going to examine the references to Mary 02:21 in chronological order. 02:23 The first reference that we're going to find about Mary 02:28 is found in the nativity stories that we find in the gospels, 02:35 in other words the record of the birth of Jesus. 02:39 The second place that we're going to take into account is 02:43 when Jesus visited the temple when He was twelve years old. 02:47 That's the next mention of Mary, the mother of Jesus. 02:50 Then we're going to visit the wedding feast where Jesus went 02:56 to Cana and He performed His first miracle 02:59 as He began His ministry. 03:01 Then we're going to examine a couple of references to Mary 03:05 during the ministry of Jesus. 03:07 Then we will go and visit the reference to Mary as Jesus 03:13 hung on the cross of Calvary. 03:15 And finally, we will examine Mary as she is found on the Day 03:22 of Pentecost after the death of Jesus, actually fifty days after 03:29 the resurrection of Christ. 03:30 And then towards the end of our study together we're going to 03:34 examine one other passage, which some people have taken 03:39 to be referring to Mary, and that is Revelation 12; 03:43 the woman who is clothed with the sun, who's standing on the 03:47 moon, and has on her head a crown of twelve stars. 03:51 This woman has been taken as representing Mary, 03:55 the mother of Jesus. 03:57 And so we are going to examine that reference as well. 04:00 So lets go immediately and speak about the nativity references 04:06 that we find in the gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. 04:12 The first thing that I want us to notice is that both Joseph 04:17 and Mary were of the lineage of David. 04:21 Mary, who was the natural mother of Jesus, 04:26 was of the lineage, the royal lineage of David, 04:31 and Joseph was as well. 04:32 What this means is that Jesus, biologically, as well as legally 04:38 through Joseph, had a right to kingship. 04:41 He had a right to the throne of David. 04:44 Please go with me in your Bibles to the gospel of Luke 2:4, 04:49 and we'll notice that Joseph was of the lineage of David. 04:54 It says there: 05:13 Very clearly, Joseph was of the line of David. 05:18 But Scripture makes it equally clear that Mary was 05:22 of the lineage of David. 05:24 Notice Romans 1:3, Romans 1:3. It says: 05:42 You'll notice that Jesus got His flesh from Mary. 05:45 So if He was born of the seed of David, according to the flesh, 05:49 it must mean that Mary was of the lineage of David. 05:55 I would like to read a statement also from that majestic 05:59 biography of Jesus called, The Desire of Ages. 06:03 And this quotation is found on page 44. 06:31 See, Cyrus and Caesar Augustus played a very important role 06:36 in prophecy being fulfilled. 06:38 And then we find this reference, speaking about Mary. 06:51 So, very clearly, both Joseph and Mary were of 06:55 the lineage of David. 06:57 Through Joseph Jesus had the legal right to the throne. 07:00 Through Mary He had a biological right to the throne. 07:05 Now it's interesting to notice that the Bible does not mention 07:10 anything about the birth of Mary. 07:12 I know that through tradition, we've come to believe that 07:18 the parents of Mary were called Saint Anne and Saint Joachim, 07:22 but that actually comes from an apocryphal work 07:26 of the second century A.D. called the Nativity of Mary. 07:32 So it's not found in Scripture that her parents were called 07:35 Saint Joachim and Saint Anne. 07:39 In actual fact, the Bible has nothing to say about when Mary 07:44 was born, where Mary was born, to whom she was born, 07:49 or how she was born. 07:51 Scripture is silent about the birth of Mary, 07:56 although the Bible has much to say about the birth of Jesus. 08:00 The Bible makes it very clear that Joseph and Mary 08:04 had absolutely no sexual relations before Jesus was 08:09 conceived and He was born. 08:11 I'd like to read three passages from the gospels which show 08:16 that Jesus was born from a virgin. 08:19 Notice Luke 1:26, 27, Luke 1:26, 27. It says: 08:42 By the way, that means engaged. 08:50 See there you have it again. 08:56 Now we need to remember that Luke was a physician. 08:58 And so Luke would know very well what a virgin was. 09:02 And he makes it very clear in these verses, these two verses, 09:06 Luke 1:26, 27, that Mary was a virgin when she 09:12 conceived Jesus Christ. 09:14 Notice also Luke 1:34, 35, Luke 1:34, 35. It says: 09:28 To know means to have sexual relations in Scripture. 09:32 I haven't known a man. 09:33 I haven't had any sexual relations, she says. 09:52 Once again we're told that she did not know a man 09:55 before Jesus was born. 09:58 One final text that speaks about the fact that Mary was a virgin 10:02 until the moment of the birth of Jesus, is found in Matthew 1:18 10:09 where we find the following words: 10:28 Once again, before they had come together she conceived 10:34 this child in her womb. 10:36 Now a question which comes up very frequently is whether Mary 10:41 had children after Jesus was born. 10:44 Whether Mary was a perpetual virgin, and whether Joseph was 10:49 a perpetual virgin. 10:51 Some people believe that Joseph never actually had 10:55 sexual relations with Mary, either before, obviously, 10:59 or after Jesus was born. 11:01 Now can that be corroborated from the testimony 11:04 of Holy Scripture? 11:05 Well, lets see what the Bible has to say. 11:08 Notice Luke 2:7, Luke 2:7. 11:14 And today we're just studying the Biblical foundations. 11:17 I'm going to go through everything that the Bible 11:18 has to say about Mary, no stone unturned, there are not any 11:23 other references than the ones that we're going 11:24 to take a look at. 11:26 So we want to know what the Bible has to say about Mary. 11:29 Luke 2:7. It says there: 11:44 Notice that Jesus is called the what? the firstborn Son. 11:48 It wouldn't make any sense to say that He was the firstborn 11:52 son unless she had other children. 11:55 In that case she would say her only son. 11:59 But Jesus is called her firstborn son. 12:03 Notice also Matthew 1:24, 25. 12:07 The idea is that Mary did not have any sexual relations, 12:12 even after Jesus was born. 12:14 In other words Mary was perpetually, 12:17 by a miracle of God, a virgin. 12:19 Notice Matthew 1:24, 25. 12:33 And now notice this: 12:45 He did not know her, he did not have sexual relations with her, 12:49 until the birth of Jesus. 12:52 It would be senseless to say that he did not know her until 12:56 Jesus was born, and to say that she did not have sexual 12:59 relations with Joseph after Jesus was born. 13:03 In other word she was a virgin until Jesus was born 13:07 according to this text. 13:08 Notice also Matthew 1:18, Matthew 1:18. It says: 13:31 Before they came together. 13:33 It's obvious that afterwards they came together, 13:36 or else you wouldn't have to say before they came together. 13:40 Also, if you examine Psalms 69, which is a Messianic prophecy, 13:45 let me just give you a couple of references that indicate this. 13:48 You have, for example, in verse 9, Zeal for Your 13:52 house has eaten Me up. 13:54 Jesus quoted that verse when He was referring to 13:56 cleansing the temple. 13:57 In verse 21 you have the reference, gall for food, 14:02 and vinegar to drink, which is what was given to Jesus 14:05 as He hung on the cross. 14:06 Now notice what we find in verse 8. 14:09 Here the Messiah is speaking, Jesus is speaking, and He says: 14:21 Did you catch that point? I have become an alien 14:25 to My mother's children. 14:27 Of course the mother of the Messiah was Mary. 14:31 It seems to indicate that Mary, the mother of Jesus, 14:34 had other children. 14:36 Now you're probably wondering what about the sons, 14:40 or rather the brothers and sisters of Jesus. 14:45 Well let me read that passage. 14:47 It's found in Matthew 13:55, 56, Matthew 13:55, 56. 14:55 The people marveled at the knowledge of Jesus, 14:58 and we find these words: 15:21 So you'll notice here that Scripture says that Jesus had 15:27 brothers and sisters. 15:29 The most likely explanation to this, however, is that the 15:32 brothers and sisters, which are mentioned in the gospels, 15:35 are actually sons and daughters of Joseph 15:39 from a previous marriage. 15:41 And it becomes obvious that Joseph was a 15:43 lot older than Mary was. 15:47 She was a very young maiden, according to Scripture. 15:50 You know, you see, for example, in the gospels that the brothers 15:53 and sisters of Jesus are constantly wanting 15:56 to Lord it over Him. 15:57 That's something that older brothers and sisters would do 16:01 to a younger sibling. 16:03 Now some people say, Well no, actually the expression brothers 16:07 and sisters is a different way of saying cousins, 16:11 they were cousins of Jesus. 16:13 Well, the fact is that the Greek language has a very 16:16 definite word for cousins. 16:17 It's the word anepsious. 16:19 For example, it's used in Colossians 4:10 where we're told 16:25 that Mark was the cousin of Barnabas. 16:28 So if the gospel writers had wanted to say that these 16:32 individuals were actually cousins of Jesus, 16:35 he could have used, or they could have used the word cousins 16:39 because it existed. 16:41 Allow me to read you, once again, a statement from this 16:44 classic biography of Jesus, The Desire of Ages, page 90. 17:20 So very clearly, according to the author of Desire of Ages, 17:25 it says the sons and daughters of Joseph knew this. 17:30 And so the brothers and sisters of Jesus, in the gospels, 17:35 most likely are a reference to sons and daughters of Joseph 17:39 before Joseph actually married Mary. 17:44 Now a question that always comes up when you deal with Mary is 17:48 whether Mary was the mother of God. 17:51 You say, that sounds almost blasphemous! 17:54 Now in the strictest sense of the word, Mary was not 17:59 the mother of God, because we know from Scripture that Jesus 18:04 actually pre-existed Mary. 18:07 In fact we find in John 17:5, in the prayer of 18:12 Jesus to His Father, He says this: 18:25 Obviously, Jesus pre-existed the creation of the world, 18:28 according to that text. 18:29 Jesus also said in John 8:58, Verily, verily I say unto you, 18:35 before Abraham was, I AM. 18:39 John 1:1-3, In the beginning was the Word, 18:42 and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 18:45 He was in the beginning with God. 18:47 All things were created through Him. 18:50 In other words, Jesus, very clearly according to Scripture, 18:54 pre-existed Mary. So could we really call Mary the mother 19:00 of God in the strictest sense? Absolutely not! 19:04 But there is a sense in which we could call Mary, 19:08 the mother of God. 19:09 And that is in the sense that the human nature of Jesus was 19:15 joined with His divine nature, and the human and divine child 19:19 was born from Mary into this world. 19:21 In that sense you could say that Mary brought the God 19:26 man into the world. 19:28 The God man was born from Mary. 19:30 But in the strictest sense of the word, we could not say that 19:34 Mary was the mother of God, because Jesus existed as God 19:38 previous to the incarnation. 19:40 In fact, I'd like to read you a very interesting statement that 19:43 we find in the devotional book, Lift Him Up. It says there: 20:07 So Mary did bring the God man into this world. 20:12 But the divinity of Jesus pre-existed His humanity 20:17 before His incarnation. 20:19 Now let's notice some characteristics about Mary. 20:23 First of all, Mary was a very humble and obedient person. 20:29 Notice Luke 1:38, Luke 1:38. 20:38 When the angel says, You've been chosen to bring the Messiah into 20:42 the world, notice what we find. 20:56 In other words, I am willing. 20:58 And lest anybody think that this was an easy thing, you need to 21:02 remember that many people did not believe that what was 21:06 conceived in the womb of Mary was actually the Son of God. 21:10 They believed that Joseph and Mary had had sexual relations 21:13 actually before marriage. 21:15 And so Mary would have to live all of her life with this stigma 21:20 upon her of having been unfaithful, and having committed 21:24 sexual improprieties before Jesus was actually conceived, 21:29 before she actually married Joseph. 21:32 Now I would like to mention also that Mary, besides being 21:37 obedient and humble, Mary was also very poor. 21:42 And we know this because when Jesus was brought to be 21:46 dedicated to the temple, they were not able, Joseph and Mary 21:50 were not able to bring the normal lamb, which was required 21:55 for the dedication service. 21:56 I'd like to read Luke 2:22-24 where the law 22:04 of Leviticus 12:6-8 is referred to about what needed 22:08 to be brought at the dedication. 22:10 It says there in Luke 2:22: 22:39 If you go back to Leviticus you'll discover that those who 22:41 were not able to afford a lamb, could actually bring a pair 22:46 of turtledoves or two young pigeons. 22:49 Another interesting characteristic about Mary is 22:52 that Mary was blessed. 22:54 I want to underline that the Bible does not say 22:57 that Mary was the blesser. 22:59 Scripture says that Mary was blessed. 23:04 Notice Luke 1:48, 49. 23:29 Obviously it would be a great blessing to have the privilege 23:33 of bringing the Messiah into the world. 23:34 And so the text tells us very clearly that Mary was greatly 23:39 blessed by the Lord. 23:41 Notice also verse 42 of Luke 1. It says: 23:49 This is Elizabeth. 23:57 Notice that we're not told here, Blessed are you above women. 24:01 It says, Blessed are you among women. 24:04 And for those who think that this is some peculiar, special 24:09 way of addressing Mary because she was out of the ordinary, 24:13 this expression is used more than one time 24:16 in the Old Testament. 24:17 Notice for example Genesis 30: 13. 24:21 This is speaking about the birth of Asher from Leah, 24:27 from Leah and Jacob. 24:28 And you'll notice what Leah says. She says: 24:39 The identical expression that we find in Luke 1: 24:43 The daughters will call me blessed. 24:45 You'll notice that Scripture does not say that Mary was 24:49 the fountain of blessings. 24:51 She was not the giver of blessings. 24:52 She was actually blessed by God so that she could bring 24:56 the Messiah into the world. 24:58 Another very clear characteristic of Mary in the 25:04 stories about the birth of Jesus is the fact that Mary 25:09 is a sinner in need of redemption, 25:14 in need of a Redeemer. 25:15 In fact we're told in Romans 3: 23 that all have sinned 25:21 and come short of the glory of God. 25:23 Now Scripture makes it very clear that there's one 25:25 exception to this. 25:26 In fact in Hebrews 4:15 we find these words: that Jesus was 25:32 tempted in all things such as we are, yet without sin. 25:38 So if you read the Bible, if you read the New Testament 25:41 particularly, you're going to discover that there is only 25:44 One who is excepted from sin, and that is Jesus Christ. 25:50 I want you to notice Luke 1: 46, 47 where we're told very 25:56 clearly that Mary needed a Redeemer; 26:00 She needed a Savior. It says there: 26:15 Notice that she rejoiced in God her Savior. 26:18 Mary needed a Savior, because all have sinned and come short 26:24 of the glory of God. 26:25 I'd like to read another statement from the book, 26:28 The Desire of Ages, page 147, where we have a reference 26:33 to this need that Mary had of a Redeemer. 26:35 The author of this biography says: 27:16 In other words Mary was one with the lot of humanity. 27:20 She needed a Savior to save her from sin, according to the 27:25 testimony of Scripture. 27:26 Not only according to the gospels was Mary greatly 27:31 blessed, but we also find that Mary was highly favored by God. 27:37 Notice what we find in Luke 1: 28, and we are using 27:42 the New King James Version. 27:43 Luke 1:28. It says: 28:05 Notice here that Mary is called highly favored one. 28:10 Now there's one version of the Bible that gives a different 28:15 translation, and that is the Douay version of the 28:19 Roman Catholic Church. 28:20 It actually is a translation that is based on the 28:23 Latin Vulgate, which was translated by Jerome, 28:26 very much around the 320's, 325 approximately. 28:33 And the Latin Vulgate translates instead of highly favored one, 28:37 it translates gratia plena, which means, Mary full of grace. 28:44 And the idea is that Mary is full of grace and therefore 28:48 she's a dispensary of grace. 28:51 In other words, she's full of grace, and therefore she can 28:53 pour out, or she can give grace to the people that come to her 28:57 after her assumption into heaven, supposedly. 29:00 Now Luke 1:30 underlines the fact that she found grace 29:06 in the eyes of the Lord. 29:08 She found favor, she doesn't give favors. Luke 1:30 says: 29:22 Notice once again, she is the one who has found favors. 29:25 She is not actually imparting, or giving favors. 29:29 In actual fact, the Bible makes it very clear that there is only 29:33 One who is full of grace, and that is Jesus Christ. 29:37 Notice John 1:14, John 1:14. It says: 29:57 Who is the One full of grace? 29:59 It's Jesus who is full of grace. 30:02 Mary is highly favored. 30:04 She has received grace from the Lord, but Scripture never says 30:08 that she is a dispensary of grace. 30:12 Another interesting characteristic about Mary is 30:15 that Mary knew her Bible. 30:18 She knew the Old Testament Scriptures. 30:20 You say, how do we know that? 30:22 Notice Matthew 13:54, 55. 30:26 We read these texts before, but lets read them in 30:29 the new context now. It says: 30:56 And His sisters, are they not all with us? 30:59 Where did this man get all these things? 31:03 It becomes very obvious that Mary had homeschooled Jesus. 31:09 Mary had reviewed the Old Testament Scriptures with Jesus. 31:14 She felt that the greatest job to which a mother could aspire 31:18 was to bring up her children in the fear of the Lord. 31:22 You can imagine Jesus sitting on the knee of Mary as Mary 31:26 reviewed the stories of the Old Testament 31:29 which pointed to the Messiah. 31:31 You know, you've heard about the magnificat. 31:34 This is where Mary actually extols and praises God 31:38 for having chosen her to be the mother of the Messiah. 31:42 It's found in Luke 1:46-55. 31:45 You know, as you read the magnificat it's actually 31:49 a collection of quotations from the Old Testament, 31:51 and Mary is the one who is singing this song. 31:54 Do you know that she actually has Bible texts from 1 Samuel, 32:00 several from the Psalms, and also even a reference 32:03 from the book of Job? 32:04 So we find very clearly that Mary had a very good knowledge 32:10 of the Old Testament, and she shared this 32:13 knowledge with Jesus. 32:15 And, of course, we're going to come in a few moments to the 32:18 visit of Jesus to the temple. 32:19 Jesus was actually teaching the Rabbi's a few things 32:22 that they didn't know, and He was teaching them from 32:25 the Old Testament Scriptures. 32:26 Obviously He had heard many of these teachings 32:30 from Mary, His mother. 32:32 Now as you look at the story about the birth of Jesus, 32:37 you discover that Jesus is the center of attraction. 32:41 Never is Mary the center of attraction. 32:44 For example, I just mentioned these texts in Matthew 1:11 32:48 we're told that the wise men came and they bowed, 32:52 and worshipped Jesus. 32:54 We find in Luke 2:17, 18 that when the shepherds came in 33:00 they marveled at the child, and when they left the place 33:04 they publicized about the child far and wide. 33:08 Nothing about exalting Mary in the minds of the shepherds. 33:13 Also, Joseph and Mary, according to Luke 2:33, says that they 33:18 marveled at what Simeon said about Jesus. 33:21 You can read these nativity scenes in the gospels, 33:25 and you'll discover that always Jesus is the 33:28 center of attraction. 33:29 Never are Mary and Joseph the center of attraction. 33:33 Now something that Simeon said to Mary was very, very important 33:39 when they took Jesus to dedicate Him at the temple. 33:41 In Luke 2:35 Simeon says to her: 33:51 Do you know that Mary suffered along with Jesus all throughout 33:58 the ministry of Jesus, culminating with the death 34:01 of Jesus on the cross? 34:02 We could not deny that Mary suffered along with Jesus. 34:06 We're going to study a little bit later on in this series 34:09 that some people believe that Mary was actually 34:12 co-redemptorix with Jesus, co-redeemer, 34:15 because she experienced suffering and agony, 34:19 as Jesus suffered and agonized. 34:22 Now we can't deny that there was suffering 34:26 of Mary along with Jesus, but does this raise Mary 34:31 to the level of co-redemptrix with Jesus? 34:34 We'll have to deal with that later. 34:35 Now what was it that Simeon was meaning when he said that 34:39 a sword would pierce the soul of Mary? 34:42 He was actually referring to the crucifixion of Christ. 34:46 You say, How do we know that? 34:48 Because he's really quoting a prophecy from 34:51 Zachariah 13:7 where it says: 35:07 So we've examined the nativity scenes, the scenes that speak 35:12 about the birth of Jesus, and we notice several characteristics 35:15 about Mary, the mother of Jesus. 35:17 Now we must move on to the moment that Jesus was taken 35:22 to the temple for His bar mitzvah. 35:24 In other words, He's going to be, He's actually 35:27 going to become a man. 35:28 And He's taken to Jerusalem, probably for the first time, 35:31 at the period of the Passover. 35:34 And as He goes to the Passover, and as He watches the ceremonies 35:40 which take place in the temple, He is profoundly impacted. 35:44 Everything in the temple service seems to speak about His life, 35:50 about His mission, about His origin, and about His destiny. 35:54 I'd like to read this passage. 35:56 It's a rather extensive passage. 35:58 And as we go along I would like to make a few comments 36:01 about this visit of Jesus to the temple. 36:03 Luke 2 and beginning in verse 43. 36:07 At this time remember Jesus is twelve years old. 36:10 It says in verse 43: 36:17 They had been in Jerusalem. 36:27 I want you to notice that at this point 36:28 Joseph was still what? Joseph was still alive. It says: 36:36 I find it very interesting that it doesn't say His parents. 36:39 It doesn't say Joseph His father, and Mary His mother. 36:43 It says Joseph and His mother. 36:45 It's seeming to indicate that Mary is His mother, 36:49 but Joseph is what? Joseph is not His father. 36:52 It continues saying, verse 44, But supposing Him to have been 36:59 in the company... They kind of neglected Him. 37:02 They went a days journey and sought Him among their 37:05 relatives and acquaintances. 37:07 So when they did not find Him they returned to 37:10 Jerusalem seeking Him. 37:12 Can you imagine the agony in the heart of Mary, 37:16 and in the heart of Joseph at Jesus being lost? 37:19 Now notice how long He was lost. 37:20 It continues saying, this... 37:24 Lets read once again verse 45, So when they did not find Him 37:28 they returned to Jerusalem seeking Him. 37:34 How long did the agony last? three days. 37:55 It seems to say that He asked them questions, 37:57 and then He kind of stumped them. 37:59 They weren't able to give the answers, and so He answered 38:03 His own questions. 38:04 Interesting that this twelve year old child was teaching the 38:08 Ph. D's in the temple. 38:09 Were did He get this knowledge from? 38:11 He got it from God, but He also got it through His mother 38:15 who taught Him the Scriptures of the Old Testament. 38:18 And then in verse 48 we find these words: 38:29 Well they were the ones that had neglected Him. 38:39 Notice she says, I and your father. 38:44 Now notice the answer of Jesus, verse 49: 38:55 What is Jesus saying? 38:57 He's saying, Joseph is not My Father. 39:00 God in heaven is My Father. 39:04 He's disowning the fatherhood of Joseph, and He's saying 39:07 that His Father is God in heaven. 39:09 And then notice they didn't understand what He was saying 39:12 when He spoke about His Father's business. 39:15 It says in verse 50: 39:19 I want you to remember this. 39:30 In other words she was reflecting about His words. 39:33 You know, I must be about My Father's business. 39:36 He denied that He's the son of Joseph, and He's speaking about 39:40 His Father's business. 39:41 And she's pondering these things in her heart. 39:44 She's trying to resolve this deep mystery 39:47 that is taking place in her mind. 39:50 Now I would like to read another statement from 39:53 The Desire of Ages, pages 82, 83. 39:56 Mary was to witness His last agony, and Jesus desired her 40:03 to understand His mission that she might be strengthened to 40:06 endure when the sword should pierce through her soul. 40:10 As Jesus had been separated from her, and she had sought Him 40:16 sorrowing three days, so when He should be offered up 40:20 for the sins of the world He would again be lost to her 40:23 for three days. And as He should come forth from the tomb, 40:28 her sorrow would again be turned to joy. 40:33 But how much better she could have borne the anguish 40:37 of His death if she had understood the Scriptures 40:41 to which He was now trying to turn her thoughts. 40:45 In other words, Mary did not understand the Scriptures 40:48 that spoke about the Messiah at this point. 40:50 I want you to remember this, because later on in this series 40:53 we're going to take a look at this idea, because some people 40:58 believe that Mary knew everything that was going to 41:00 happen with Jesus from before the time that Jesus was 41:04 conceived actually in her womb. 41:06 But very clearly Scripture says that they did not understand 41:10 what Jesus was saying when He said, I must be about 41:14 My Father's business. 41:15 Now we must move on to the experience at the wedding 41:19 of Cana, the next reference to Mary, the mother of Jesus. 41:23 At this point we know that Joseph was dead. 41:27 You say, How do we know that Joseph was dead? 41:29 Well, for three main reasons: 1. In John 2:12 when Mary 41:37 returned home after the wedding of Cana, we're told that she 41:42 went home with the brothers and sisters of Jesus, 41:46 but there is no reference to Joseph. 41:48 Notice John 2:12 says this: 42:02 No reference whatsoever to Joseph. 42:05 Also in Mark 3, which we're going to look at in a moment, 42:09 Mark 3:21 and verses 31-35, we find that the brothers and 42:13 sisters of Jesus, and Mary actually come to seize Jesus 42:17 during His ministry. 42:19 And we find that there's no reference to Joseph coming 42:24 with Mary and the brothers and sisters of Jesus. 42:27 Furthermore, when Jesus is hanging on the cross of Calvary, 42:30 we find that Jesus commends Mary into the hands of John. 42:37 She would never have done that if Joseph was still alive. 42:41 So at this point, when Jesus began His ministry, 42:44 Joseph was already dead. 42:47 In fact, The Desire of Ages, page 145 states this: 42:51 Death had separated her from Joseph who had shared 42:55 her knowledge of the mystery of the birth of Jesus. 42:58 Now there was no one to whom she could confide 43:01 her hopes and her fears. 43:03 And, of course, at the wedding the wine runs out, and so Mary 43:08 comes to Jesus and she says, There is no wine. 43:12 Obviously she's trying to get Jesus to do something about it. 43:17 And Jesus says, What do you have to do with me woman? 43:21 He's not being disrespectful. 43:23 This was a common way of sons addressing their mothers. 43:27 He says, My time has not yet come. 43:32 What did He mean when He said, My time has not yet come? 43:36 In what sense was He kindly, but firmly rebuking Mary? 43:43 Well, in The Desire of Ages, page 147, we find the 43:48 explanation as to what Jesus meant when He said, 43:50 My time has not come. 43:51 You know, in the gospels Jesus says the time is coming when all 43:54 those who are in the graves will hear His voice, right? 43:57 At that time He's going to be the glorious Messiah. 44:00 Notice in the light of that statement in John 5:28, 29, what 44:04 we find in The Desire of Ages, and once again the page is 147. 44:20 See He knew what she was thinking. 44:28 What was that expectation? 44:30 The description continues. 44:54 She was actually hoping that He would declare Himself king, 44:58 sit on the throne, destroy the Romans, and put the Jewish 45:02 nation where it should be: on top. 45:05 And Jesus says that moment, that hour has not yet come. 45:10 It's not the moment. 45:11 Do you know, actually Mary at this point, had a little feeling 45:16 that she has had some rights and some claims upon Jesus 45:20 because she was the mother of Jesus. 45:22 Notice this comment from the book, Spirit of Prophecy, 45:24 volume 2, page 101, regarding the response of Jesus to Mary 45:31 we find these words: His manner was respectful yet firm. 45:36 He designed to teach Mary that the time for her to control Him 45:41 as a mother was ended. 45:43 His mighty work now lay before Him, and no one must direct 45:49 concerning the exercise of His divine power. 46:06 So even she was tempted that, you know, because I'm the mother 46:10 I can kind of manipulate my son into doing 46:14 what I want Him to do. 46:16 The fact is that her motherly authority, at this point, 46:19 had already come to an end. 46:21 Now lets examine a couple of references to Mary 46:26 during the ministry of Jesus. 46:28 Mark 3:21 and then we'll jump down to verses 31-35. 46:34 Jesus had been working non-stop, and His mother, and brothers, 46:38 and sisters thought that He was at the point of a nervous 46:41 breakdown so they're coming and they're going to seize Him, 46:43 and they're going to take Him home. Notice verse 21. 47:00 They arrived a little bit later. 47:12 He knew why they had come. 47:13 They'd come to seize Him. 47:14 Were Mary and His brothers and sisters in tune with the purpose 47:19 of His ministry, with the purpose of what He was doing? 47:22 Absolutely not! Those who were present there were more in tune. 47:26 And so notice what we find beginning in verse 33. 47:50 In other words He's saying these people who want to listen 47:52 to My words, who are following My ministry, are more in tune, 47:56 they're more like My mother, and My brothers, and My sisters 47:59 than My own flesh and blood. 48:02 You know, Jesus once encountered a lady who really felt that it 48:07 was a great privilege for Mary to give birth to Jesus. 48:11 Notice Luke 11:27, 28, Luke 11:27, 28. It says: 48:37 In other words, this woman is exalting whom? Mary. 48:41 Notice the response of Jesus. 48:51 In other words Jesus shifted the center of attention 48:55 from His mother to those who do the will of God, who understand 48:59 His ministry and what He came to this earth to do. 49:02 Now we must move on to Jesus hanging on the cross of Calvary. 49:08 At the foot of the cross are some women, 49:11 as well as John the apostle. 49:13 Lets read the story in John 19: 25-27, John 19:25-27. It says: 49:51 You see, Jesus was at the point of death. 49:53 He was going to leave to heaven, and He was concerned 49:56 about the welfare of His mother. 49:58 And so He commends His mother, the care of His mother to John. 50:03 Notice that it wasn't Mary who took John to her household, 50:07 it was John who took Mary to his household, 50:10 because Jesus had commended Mary into His disciple's care. 50:16 Now we need to examine the one reference to Mary 50:20 after the resurrection of Jesus. 50:22 It's found in the book of Acts. 50:25 It's the final reference to Mary in the New Testament. 50:28 After Acts 1:13, 14 there are no more references to Mary. 50:33 It says there in Acts 1:13, 14, And when they had entered 50:39 they went up into the upper room where they were staying. 50:44 Peter, James, John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, 50:50 and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon 50:55 the zealot, and Judas the son of James. 50:58 The twelve apostles, the eleven apostles at this 51:01 point, are mentioned. 51:14 You know, it's really exciting to notice that His 51:16 brothers came around. 51:17 His brothers actually were in the upper room, 51:21 and they accepted Jesus as the Messiah, and we're told that 51:25 His mother was there. 51:26 There's no special emphasis here placed upon Mary. 51:30 They're not praying to Mary. 51:31 They're not exalting Mary. 51:33 In fact the central figure on the Day of Pentecost is whom? 51:37 It's Peter, who stands up and speaks. 51:40 There is no special reference here to Mary at all. 51:44 It simply states that she, and the brothers of Jesus, 51:48 were there in the upper room when the Holy Spirit 51:52 was poured out on the Day of Pentecost. 51:55 As I mentioned, after Pentecost there are no further 52:00 references to Mary. 52:01 We find no reference, or no mention to her death. 52:05 And so some people might assume, well, because her death is not 52:09 mentioned, maybe she was assumed to heaven after she died, 52:14 She was bodily assumed to heaven. 52:15 Well, the fact is that it's not so significant that the death 52:19 of Mary was not mentioned, because most of the deaths 52:22 of the disciples were not mentioned either. 52:24 We simply don't know about the deaths of most of the apostles, 52:30 and we don't know about the death of Mary. 52:33 In fact according to the gospels the last group that resurrected 52:37 were those who came forth from the grave when Jesus resurrected 52:42 in Matthew 27:51-53. 52:46 The next group which will resurrect, according to the 52:49 New Testament, are those who will come forth from the tomb 52:52 when Jesus descends from heaven with the shout, with the voice 52:56 of the archangel, and with the trump of God, 52:58 and the dead in Christ will rise first. 53:01 We find this very interesting reference in Manuscript Releases 53:05 volume 5, pages 101, 102. 53:09 Notice this comment: 53:32 And they will be pierced when Jesus comes 53:35 on the clouds of heaven. 53:37 So this leads us to ask a very important question, 53:41 and that is who then is this Mary who is appearing 53:45 in different parts of Planet Earth at present? 53:49 If Mary died and was buried, and she's awaiting the 53:54 resurrection, who are these entities that appear all over 54:00 the world claiming to be the virgin Mary? 54:03 We will be dealing with this in future lectures, 54:07 particularly the last lecture which is titled, 54:10 The Ecumenical Mary. 54:12 Now I would like to deal with one final reference, and that is 54:16 the reference to the woman who is clothed with the sun, 54:19 and who is standing on the moon. 54:22 I visited, for example, many Roman Catholic Cathedrals, 54:25 and I've discovered that many times Mary is depicted as 54:29 standing on the moon, clothed with the sun, having a crown 54:33 of twelve stars on her head, with the baby Jesus in her arms, 54:37 and also trampling upon the serpent. 54:41 In fact Saint Alphonsus Liguori, who wrote a book 54:46 which we will refer to more extensively later on in this 54:48 series called, The Glories of Mary, says this about the woman 54:53 who is clothed with sun: He says, It was she who was seen 54:57 by Saint John in the apocalypse, clothed with the sun. 55:01 And then he quotes the verse: And a great sign appeared 55:04 in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun. 55:07 Now is this woman of Revelation 12 actually Mary? 55:12 If you look carefully at the text you will find 55:16 that it's not Mary. 55:17 First of all you're dealing with symbols. 55:20 And in Bible prophecy a woman represents what? 55:24 A woman represents the church. 55:26 This is not a literal woman at all. 55:28 Furthermore we're told that the woman fled to the wilderness 55:31 for 1,260 days, which are really 1,260 years. 55:36 How is it then that if this is Mary she fled into the 55:41 wilderness when supposedly she was assumed 55:43 to heaven after her death? 55:45 She was bodily assumed, body and soul, to heaven according 55:48 to Roman Catholic theology. 55:49 What is she doing being persecuted by the serpent 55:52 on Planet Earth during the 1260 years? 55:54 We're dealing with symbols. 55:57 Furthermore the 1260 years do not fit the idea of Mary being 56:02 the person that is spoken of here. 56:04 Furthermore, this passage makes it very clear that the woman 56:08 represents the saints of God. 56:10 It represents the church of God. 56:13 You say, How is that? 56:14 Well, if you notice Daniel 7:25 it says that God's people would 56:22 be persecuted for a time, times, and the dividing of time. 56:26 It says the saints would be persecuted for time, times, 56:30 and the dividing of time. 56:31 When you go to Revelation 12 it says that the woman was going 56:35 to be persecuted for time, times, and the dividing of time. 56:40 So one passage in Daniel says it is the saints. 56:43 In the other passage it says that the woman was going to be 56:47 persecuted during that period: time, times, 56:50 and the dividing of time. 56:51 So, very clearly, the woman is a representation of whom? 56:57 Of the Saints. Jesus was born from the Old Testament church, 57:02 is what Revelation 12 is trying to teach us. 57:05 We have many more exciting things to study 57:08 during this series. 57:09 We've studied the Biblical portrait, which should 57:12 be the foundation. 57:13 In future lectures we will deal with other issues. 57:17 And I hope that all of us will plan to tune in, or to attend, 57:21 to study these very important matters. |
Revised 2015-02-12