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The past two weeks we have been studying Mary the mother of Jesus. What an amazing example of faithfulness when life could not have been at all what she expected. First of all can you even imagine what it was like the night the angel announced to her that she had been chosen to bear the son of God?
A young teenager with this amazing encounter, telling her she would be the mother of the Messiah that she and her people had been looking for for many years. She knew when she said "I serve the Lord, may it happen to me just as you said it would", that this would mean she would in danger of being stoned for she was betrothed to Joseph and it would not be his child. But I don't think she had any idea that being the mother of Jesus meant that she would be in danger and on the run the first years of his life. That he would be despised and eventually crucified. Imagine her heart's pain when Simeon announce to her "This child is going to cause many people in Israel to fall and to rise. God has sent him. But many will speak against him. The thoughts of many hearts will be known. A sword will wound your own soul too."
We aren't given a lot of information about Mary, she only appears three times in Jesus ministry.
John 2:1-11: the wedding at Cana
Mark 3:20-34: they came to "take charge" of Him as they perceived He was not taking care of himself.
John 19:20-25: she was at the foot of the cross as Jesus was crucified.
She is mentioned one more time in Acts 1:12-14 where his followers were gathered together after his ascension and she was with them.
We looked extensively as Mary's Magnificat (meaning Mary's outpouring of praise) and challenged ourselves to see if we could write our own outpouring of praise. Hers was based on what she knew about the Lord in scripture, ours could be the same.
Luke 1:46-55
Vs. 46-“My soul magnifies the Lord”
- “My heart rejoices in the Lord” (1 Samuel 2:1)
- “My soul shall make it’s boast in the Lord” (Psalm 34:2)
- “My soul shall be joyful in the Lord” (Psalm 35:9)
- “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in the Lord” (Isaiah 61:10)
Vs. 47-“And my Spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior”
- “God is my salvation” (Isaiah 12:2)
- “There is no other God besides Me, a just God and a Savior” (Isaiah 45:21)
Vs. 48-“For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant”
- “If you will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant” (1 Samuel 1:11)
- “He shall regard the prayer of the destitute, and shall not despise their prayer” (Psalm 102:17
- “Who remembered us in our lowly state, for His mercy endures forever. (Psalm 136:23)
Vs. 48-“For behold, henceforth all generations will call be blessed”
- “Then Leah said, ‘I am happy for the daughters will call me blessed.’” (Genesis 30:13)
- “And all the nations will call you blessed” (Malachi 3:12)
Vs. 49-“For He who is mighty has done great things for me”
- “Your righteousness, O God, is very high, You who have done great things (Psalm 71:19)
- “The Lord has done great things for us, and we are glad” (Psalm 126:3)
Vs. 49-“And holy is His name”
- “No one is holy like the Lord” (I Samuel 2:2)
- “Holy and awesome is His name” (Psalm 111:9)
- “The High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy” (Isaiah 57:15)
Vs.50-“And His mercy is on them who fear Him from generation to generation”
- “So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him” (Psalm 103:11)
- “The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, and His righteousness to children’s children” (Psalm 103:17)
- “My righteousness will be forever, and my salvation from generation to generation” (Isaiah 51:8)
Vs. 51-“He has shown strength with His arm”
- “You have a mighty arm, strong is your hand, and high is Your right hand” (Psalm 89:13)
- “He has done marvelous things, His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory” (Psalm 98:1)
- “The Lord has made bare His holy arm in the eyes of all the nations” (Isaiah 52:10)
Vs. 51-“He has scattered the proud in the imagination of his hearts”
- “You have scattered Your enemies with your mighty arm” (Psalm 89:10)
- “The imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth” (Genesis 8:21)
Vs. 52-“He has put down the mighty from their thrones and exalted the lowly”
- “The Lord kills and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and brings up. The Lord makes poor and makes rich; He brings low and lifts up. He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the beggar from the ashes heap, to set them down among princes and make them inherit the throne of glory” (1 Samuel 2:6-8)
- “He breaks in pieces mighty men without inquiry, and sets other in their place (Job 34:24)
Vs. 53-“He has filled the hungry with good things; and the rich He sent away empty”
- “He satisfies the longing of the soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness” (Psalm 107:9)
Vs 54-55-“He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to His seed forever”
- “He has remembered His mercy and His fullness to Israel” (Psalm 98:3)
- “O Israel, you will not be forgotten by Me” (Isaiah 44:21)
- “You will give truth to Jacob and mercy to Abraham, which You have sworn to our fathers from days of old” (Micah 7:20)
- “O seed of Abraham…He remembers His covenant forever, the world which He commanded, for a thousand generations, the covenant which He made with Abraham” (Psalm 105:6-9)
We then looked at some of the misconceptions the Catholic church has about Mary and discussed what scriptures counteract some of their beliefs.
IMMACULATE CONCEPTION -- Mary was preserved from all stain of original sin from the first instant of her conception. (Catechism 490-492).
In Luke 1:46-47, Mary said: “My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour." Mary knew that she needed a savior.
The doctrine of the Immaculate Conception was first introduced by a heretic (a man whose teachings were officially declared to be contrary to Church doctrine). For centuries this doctrine was unanimously rejected by popes, Fathers and theologians of the Catholic Church.
ALL HOLY - Mary, “the All-Holy,” lived a perfectly sinless life. (Catechism 411, 493)
Romans 3:23 says “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." Revelation 15:4 says, “Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? For thou only art holy." Romans 3:10 says, “There is none righteous, no, not one."
Jesus is the only person who is referred to in Scripture as sinless. Hebrews 4:15 says, “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” 1 Peter 2:22 says, "Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth."
In contrast, Mary said that God is her Savior. (Luke 1:47) If God was her Savior, then Mary was not sinless. Sinless people do not need a Savior.
In the Book of Revelation, when they were searching for someone who was worthy to break the seals and open the scroll, the only person who was found to be worthy was Jesus. Nobody else in Heaven or on earth (including Mary) was worthy to open the scroll or even look inside it. (Revelation 5:1-5)
PERPETUAL VIRGINITY - Mary was a virgin before, during and after the birth of Christ. (Catechism 496-511)
Matthew 1:24-25 says, “Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.” “Till” (until) means that after that point, Joseph did “know” (have sexual relations with) Mary. (See Genesis 4:1 where Adam “knew” Eve and she conceived and had a son.)
Jesus had brothers and sisters. The Bible even tells us their names. Matthew 13:54-56 says,
“And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hatch this man this wisdom, and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? And his sisters, are they not all with us?”
Other Scripture verses which specifically refer to Jesus’ brothers are: Matthew 12:46; John 2:12; John 7:3; Acts 1:14; and Galatians 1:19.
I was always taught that “brothers” and “sisters” were general terms that really could refer to any kind of kinsman, including cousins. This is true in the Hebrew language. However, the New Testament is written in Greek, which is an extremely precise language. It makes a clear distinction between the words used to describe family relationships. There is a Greek word which refers to people who are relatives but not of the immediate family, such as aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces and cousins. There are other Greek words which refer specifically to a person’s brother or sister within a family. [14]
MOTHER OF GOD - Because she is the mother of Jesus, and Jesus is God, therefore Mary is the Mother of God. (Catechism 963, 971, 2677).
The Incarnation means that Jesus was both fully God and fully man. Mary was only the mother of Jesus as man, and not the mother of Jesus as God. According to the Bible, the world was created through Jesus. This was long before Mary was born. Hebrews 1:1-2 says,
“God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds."
Colossians 1:16-17 says,
“For by him [Jesus] were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things [including Mary] were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things [including Mary] , and by him all things consist."
John 8:58 says, “Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, before Abraham was, I am.” Jesus existed before Abraham was born. That means that He also existed before Mary was born. In John 17:5, Jesus says, “And now O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.” So Jesus existed even before the world began. Jesus came first - not Mary.
MOTHER OF THE CHURCH - Mary is the Mother of the Church. (Catechism 963, 975).
Acts 1:13-14 gives a picture of a group of people praying together. Mary is mentioned as one of them, but nothing indicates any special prominence.
“And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Phillip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James. These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.”
Mary was probably in the Upper Room when the tongues of fire fell upon the 120 disciples. However, she is never mentioned again in the Book of Acts, which is our only historical record of how the Church was born. She is also not specifically identified in the epistles. Paul did send greetings to “Mary”, but that was a common name. (In the Gospels and in the Book of Acts, she is referred to as “Mary the mother of Jesus” to distinguish her from other women named Mary.)
It is notable that John, who took Mary into his home after Jesus was crucified, does not mention her in his epistles, and he only mentions her on two occasions in his Gospel (the wedding at Cana and the crucifixion of Jesus). John mentions Mary Magdalene more than he mentions Jesus' mother.
ASSUMPTION - At the end of her life, Mary was taken up (“assumed”) body and soul into Heaven. (Catechism 966, 974)
There is no biblical reference to the assumption of Mary. The Gospel of John was written around 90 A.D., which is more than 100 years after Mary was born. (Surely Mary was more than ten years old when Jesus was conceived.) If Mary had been supernaturally assumed into Heaven, wouldn’t John (the disciple that Mary lived with) have mentioned it? When Enoch and Elijah were taken up to Heaven, the Bible recorded it. With Elijah it was recorded in some detail. (See Genesis 6:24 and 2 Kings 2:1‑18.)
The Assumption of Mary was officially declared to be a dogma of the Roman Catholic faith in 1950. This means that every Roman Catholic is required to believe this doctrine without questioning it. However, as we will see, the teaching of the Assumption originated with heretical writings which were officially condemned by the early Church.
In 495 A.D., Pope Gelasius issued a decree which rejected this teaching as heresy and its proponents as heretics. In the sixth century, Pope Hormisdas also condemned as heretics those authors who taught the doctrine of the Assumption of Mary. The early Church clearly considered the doctrine of the Assumption of Mary to be a heresy worthy of condemnation. Here we have “infallible” popes declaring something to be a heresy. Then in 1950, Pope Pius XII, another “infallible” pope, declared it to be official Roman Catholic doctrine. [15]
CO-MEDIATOR - Mary is the Co-Mediator to whom we can entrust all our cares and petitions. (Catechism 968-970, 2677)
There is only one mediator and that is Jesus. 1 Timothy 2:5-6 says, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus: Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.” Hebrews 7:25 says,Wherefore he [Jesus] is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.” Ephesians 3:12 says, “In whom [Jesus} we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.”
If Jesus is constantly interceding for us and He is able to save us “to the uttermost,” (utterly, completely) then He doesn’t need Mary’s help. If we can approach God with “boldness” and “confidence” because of our faith in Jesus, then we don't need Mary’s help either.
QUEEN OF HEAVEN - God has exalted Mary in heavenly glory as Queen of Heaven and earth. (Catechism 966) She is to be praised with special devotion. (Catechism 971, 2675)
Psalm 148:13 says, “Let them praise the name of the Lord: for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven.” This makes it quite clear that only God’s name (not Mary’s) is to be exalted. (In Catholic Bibles the numbering of the chapters and verses of some of the Psalms is slightly different.)
When people tried to give Mary special honor and pre-eminence because she was His mother, Jesus corrected them.
“And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked. But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.” (Luke 11:27-28)
In chapters four and five of the Book of Revelation, we are given a quite detailed picture of Heaven. God is seated on the throne, surrounded by 24 elders and four living creatures. The Lamb (Jesus) is standing in the center of the throne. Thousands upon thousands of angels circle the throne, singing God's praises. And Mary is not in the picture at all. |
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