Character Study: Mary

Reading: Luke chapter 1 verses 26-56.

Ill:

• A teacher gave her class of second graders a lesson on the magnet and what it does.

• The next day in a written test, she included this question:

"My full name has six letters.

The first one is the letter M. I pick up things. What am I?"

• When the test papers were turned in,

• The teacher was astonished to find;

• That almost 50 percent of the students;

• Answered the question with the word “Mother”.

Ill:

• Of course not all mums are perfect, sometimes they can be embarrassing:

• Unknown to her son, one mother wrote this letter:

"Dear Sir: My son has been accepted for admission to your college and soon he will be leaving me. I am writing to ask that you give your personal attention to the selection of his roommate.

I want to be sure that his roommate is not the kind of person who uses foul language, or tells off-colour jokes, smokes, drinks, or chases after girls.

I hope you will understand why I am appealing to you directly.

You see, this is the first time my son will be away from home…… except for his three years with the paratroops regiment."

Ill:

• When the will of Henry J. Heinz,

• Wealthy distributor of the famous "57 Varieties" line, was read,

• It was found to contain the following confession:

"Looking forward to the time when my earthly career will end, I desire to set forth at the very beginning of this will, as the most important item in it, a confession of my faith in Jesus Christ as my Saviour. I also desire to bear witness to the fact that throughout my life, in which there were unusual joys and sorrows, I have been wonderfully sustained by my faith in God through Jesus Christ.

This legacy was left me by my consecrated mother, a woman of strong faith, and to it I attribute any success I have attained."

This morning we are thinking about one of the greatest:

• If not the greatest mother of all-time,

• Mary the mother of Jesus.

I want to look at this topic in 2 ways this morning:

• (1). The background facts.

• (2). The narrative itself.

Let us look at the background facts:

(1). An over emphasises.

• For example in the Roman Catholic Church;

• (Now I’m not on a Catholic bash this morning.

• Might surprise you to know,

• That I have worked with Roman Catholics on a number of occasions (have a go afterwards)

• That doesn’t mean I agree with all they teach;

• Especially what they teach about Mary.

• They have a number of beliefs about Mary, which I believe are an over-emphasis;

• Actually they are wrong because they go beyond this book!

• These beliefs exalt Mary to a place and position that the Bible does not give her.

• And as a result,

• They cause us protestants to react by going to the other extreme.

• It is important to take a few minutes to see what is wrongly believed about Mary.

(1). MARY AS MEDIATRIX:

• This teaching asserts that Mary mediates the salvation that Jesus Christ won on the cross.

• It teaches that none of God’s graces come to us except through Mary.

• People who hold this view teach;

• That without Mary’s submission in the plan of God, there would have been no Jesus;

• No Jesus of course equals no salvation,

• So they would say; Mary is an essential player in the plan of salvation!

• So from this teaching comes the wrong doctrine;

• That asserts that Mary mediates the salvation that Jesus Christ won on the cross.

Note:

• The New Testament makes it quite clear (e.g. First Timothy chapter 2 verse 5).

• There is only ‘ONE mediator, between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus’

(2). MARY AS A PERPETUAL VIRGIN:

• Perpetual virgin simply means; Mary was a virgin when she gave birth to Jesus;

• And remained a virgin always. Never having sexual relations & therefore children.

Note: Once again if you examine the New Testament;

• It is quite clear that although Mary was a virgin when she gave birth to Jesus.

• She did not remain a perpetual virgin afterward the birth of Jesus.

• The Bible clearly shows that Jesus had brothers and sisters.

• (Luke chapter 8 verse 19; Mark chapter 3 verse 31).

Ill:

• In fact one verse Matthew chapter 13 verse 55:

• Gives to us the four names of Jesus’ brothers ‘James, Joseph, Simon and Judas’

• The verse also uses the word sisters, implying more than one!

• Mary may well have had at least six, maybe more children after Jesus was born.