Mary

 Temple Baptist Church - 11-6-2024

John 19:25-27

 

Introduction:

 

A. There is so much to be preached concerning the crucifixion of Christ that I could preach months on the subject. I will save that series for the Spring leading into Resurrection Sunday.

 

B. Tonight, I was to look at an important thing that our Lord had to take care of before His vicarious death on the cross. What He said and did answers a myriad of question in our day.

 

C. Christ, as the patriarch (eldest living) of His family, after the death of Joseph, took His earthly mother, Mary, into His tender, loving care for as long as He lived. On the cross, He placed Mary into the care of John the Beloved.

 

D. Christ, in what He said, also settled forever who and what Mary was when He called her woman instead of mother.

 

E. The last recorded mention of Joseph, as he was supposedly the father of Christ, is found Luke 2:41-52, when Jesus was twelve years old, and they brought Him to the Temple at the Feast of the Passover (one of the three Feasts where all the males were required to attend.

 

Luke 2:51-52 And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart. (52) And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.

 

The name Joseph was not mentioned but he was included in the plural word “parents—both husband and wife” and also the plural pronouns “they” and “them.”

 

F. From the cross, the Lord Jesus passed the safe keeping of Mary to John the Beloved.

 

G. Mary followed Jesus after the death of Joseph, which is not recorded but found in to be true in the words, “Woman, behold thy son” and “Behold thy mother.” After the death of Christ, Mary lived in the home of John the Beloved until her death!

 

H. This is an important lesson for us as we are to provide for our parents and families, and especially for our own households. The church’s responsibility is for “widows indeed” who have lived faithfully for the Lord and family.

 

1 Timothy 5:3-4 Honour widows that are widows indeed. (4) But if any widow have children or nephews, let them learn first to shew piety at home, and to requite their parents: for that is good and acceptable before God.

 

1 Timothy 5:8 But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.

 

J. When dying for the sins of the whole world, Jesus Christ—almighty Jehovah God in the flesh, did not refer to Mary as His mother! He said, “Woman, behold thy son!” Then he told John to “Behold THY mother!”

 

K. This differentiation between “mother” and “woman” is found in the opening miracle of the Lord’s introduction to the world as God in the flesh. John 2:1-5: Please turn there. **

 

John 2:1-5 And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: (2) And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage. (3) And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. (4) Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come. (5) His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.

 

1. Verse 1 says that “the mother of Jesus” was already at the marriage and Jesus was called, and His disciples, to the marriage.

 

2. Before the Lord Jesus was asked to provide wine, which had to be and was a miracle, Mary was referred to as His mother.

 

3. When Mary informed Jesus that they were out of wine, He—as the Son of God, God in flesh, response to Mary was “ Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.”

 

4. The word “woman” is a generic word expressing grown females while putting them all into the same group because of gender. By generic, it puts every woman in a class without individual distinction: a woman is a woman. “Woman” is used 367 times in the Bible and always remains constant. “Women” is used 179 times and remans constant in each usage.

 

5. It is the same as the usage of “man” or “men” in the Bible. Generic terms putting every male into the same category of gender.

 

6. When Christ called Mary “woman,” it was not being disrespectful as Mary knew that her Saviour, Emmanuel, was now speaking. When she went back to the servants, the Bible referred to Mary as “His mother.” Jesus Christ did not elevate Mary to a different level than He did any other woman!

 

7. The reason for the differentiation is important because people now refer to Mary as “the Mother of God.” We hear the prayer, “Hail Mary, the Mother of God, full of grace,” which has absolutely no Biblical merit! God has no mother! Jehovah God, the Lord Jesus Christ, made the womb that gave Him birth!

 

8. Now the mother of Jesus had a new role in life, the mother of John!

 

L. I normally do not look at denominations, but the Roman Catholic Church has deified the Virgin Mary, which is defined as “Mariology,” and is idolatry. Mary was venerated (elevated to a state of honor and worship) by the Roman Catholic Church in A.D. 431, six years after the Council of Nicaea in A.D. 425, the official beginning of the Roman Church.

 

The following is out of the U.S.Catholic.org:

 

“The veneration and adoration of Mary is as old as the church itself. The earliest record of Mary’s veneration probably comes from the Third Ecumenical Council at Ephesus in A.D. 431. There church fathers affirmed Mary as the Theotokos, or God-bearer. The title stuck, and today we refer to her as the “Mother of God.”

 

This designation of Mary as the mother of God is really at the root of Roman Catholic veneration. Mary is the link between our broken humanity and the boundless divinity present in the triune God. Mary is redeemed, as she is human, but she is also considered to have a special and unique relationship with God, as she shares DNA with Christ. Mother Teresa once remarked, “She gave Jesus his body, and his body is what saved us.”

 

In the many years since 431, Mary has come to occupy a powerful place in Roman Catholic spirituality. She has many faces and innumerable names, among them Our Lady of Guadalupe, She Who Ripens the Wheat, Queen of Angels, and the Light Cloud of Heavenly Rain. She is said to appear on occasion, mostly to children or others who are weak, disempowered, or on the margins of society. She is said, in some cases, to procure miracles. Some have even said that in the last days, Mary will lead the army of angels in the final battle against evil.

 

But all of the titles and all of the miracles are considered to be a result of Mary’s close relationship with her son, Jesus. As mother of the King of Kings, she is the saint of saints. Furthermore, because the church is the body of Christ, and Mary is Christ’s mother, she is also the mother of the church. This means that in addition to having a special relationship with Jesus, Mary also has a special relationship with the church. She belongs to the church and the church belongs to her.”

 

M. There are four heretical dogmas of Mariolatry: excessive veneration of the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus. In Catholicism, Dogmas are more important than Doctrines because Doctrines can change but Dogmas cannot be changed. First, let me explain what “dogma” is:

 

“In the Catholic Church, doctrine is all Church teaching in matters of faith and morals. Dogma is a subset of doctrine and refers to that part of doctrine which has been divinely revealed and which the Church has formally defined and declared to be believed as revealed. All dogmas are doctrines, but not all doctrines are dogmas. Dogmas are universal and unchanging, while doctrines may change over time.”

 

1. Dogma 1: A Perpetual virgin. That Mary remained a perpetual virgin.

 

Biblically: Mary remained a virgin until the birth of Christ, then bore both sons and daughters—half brothers and sisters to Jesus, begat by Joseph, her husband.

 

Matthew 1:23-25 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. (24) Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: (25) And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.

 

Mark 6:3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him. (Four half-brothers and at least two half-sisters ae mentioned in the Bible.)

 

2. Dogma 2: The Mother of God. That Mary gave birth to God.

 

Biblically: God has no mother. There are NO references in the Bible to Mary being the “mother of God.” In relationship to Mary, Jesus is referred to as “her firstborn son.” There is no verse in the Bible that contains these three words: “Mary, son, God.”

 

Matthew 1:25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.

 

God manifests Himself in three Persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost.

 

In John, chapter one, we find that Jehovah God, the Creator of all things is called the Word. In the same chapter in verse 14, we find that God the Word was manifested in the flesh. Mary was the mother of the earthly body of Christ, not of Christ Himself.

 

3. Dogma 3: Immaculate Conception. The Immaculate Conception is the belief that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception.

 

Biblically: Mary was a chosen vessel to bear the Messiah but was also a sinner in need of salvation. Only sinners need a Saviour.

 

Luke 1:46-47 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, (47) And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.

 

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

 

Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

 

4. Dogma 4: Assumption. 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. — Pope Pius XII

 

Biblically: There are no verses in the Bible that tell us that Mary was “taken up” (the definition of assumption) to heaven in like manner as Christ did.

 

Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

 

Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

 

N. The heresy continues to grow from corrupt seed. Today, Mary is also raised to:

 

1. Co-Redemptrix: According to those who use the term, Co-Redemptrix refers to a subordinate but essential participation by the Blessed Virgin Mary in redemption, notably that she gave free consent to give life to the Redeemer, which meant sharing his life, suffering, and death, which were redemptive for the world. 

 

John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

 

Acts 4:12  Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

 

2. Mediatrix: Mediatrix of all graces is a title that some in the Catholic Church give to the Blessed Virgin Mary; as the Mother of God, it includes the understanding that she mediates the Divine Grace. In addition to Mediatrix, other titles are given to her in the Church: Advocate, Helper, Benefactress.^[1] In a papal encyclical of 8 September 1894, Pope Leo XIII said: "The recourse we have to Mary in prayer follows upon the office she continuously fills by the side of the throne of God as Mediatrix of Divine grace.

 

1 Timothy 2:5  For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

 

1 John 2:1-2 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: (2) And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

 

Conclusion: “Woman, behold thy son … Behold thy mother” says it all.