Mary’s Encounter with Jesus

Since August, we have been going through Luke’s Gospel exploring the various encounters people had with Jesus. I have found it most illuminating at the cross section of society who had profound encounters with Jesus. Sometimes it was their initiative to meet Jesus and sometimes it was at the initiative of Jesus. Prostitutes, tax collectors, the poor, blind and lame encountered Jesus. So too did the rich, power, and religious.

And today we see yet another encounter to a good person who was a nobody in the eyes of the world.

Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ is a most wonderful woman. To be chosen to be the one to give birth to the Saviour of the world – to be the vehicle in which God will come into this world – surely, she was, as her cousin Elizabeth declared: “Blessed are you among women” (Luke 1:42 NIV). And the mystery around her still fires the imaginations of Christians. For example, if you were raised in a stanch Protestant family then you would know Mary as the mother of Jesus. If you were raised ion a Catholic home you were quite comfortable in calling her Mary – the Mother of God. Now Christians have varying views of Mary the mother of our Lord. We all believe that she was the chosen one but there are some distinctive beliefs held by some and not by others. I would like to define those. For example, some believe in the Immaculate Conception. This is a teaching that says that Mary was free from actual sin. Augustine is the first notable theologian to declare that Mary was without any sin. This was put into the main teaching of the Catholic Church by Pope Pius IX in 1854. Pius IX pronounced and defined that Mary "in the first instance of her conception, by a singular privilege and grace granted by God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the human race, was preserved exempt from all stain of original sin." Another view is that Mary was miraculously transported, body and soul, to heaven by Jesus. It is called the bodily assumption. The earliest versions of this legend come from the later 4th century. The legend has no historical evidence, isn’t found in the Bible, and contrary to all writings of the first three centuries. But the “feast of Assumption” has long been observed by a number of Catholic churches and “the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin” was proclaimed a part of Roman Catholic dogma or teaching by Pope Pius XII in 1950. Why are there differing views about this? If you were raised a Catholic you accepted these teachings. If you were raised a Protestant you didn’t except those things. Why do we have these differing theories? One of the reasons why is that we accept as final authority different things. Let me explain. I need to take you back in history to the 16th century. There were the Catholics and the Protestants, although the Protestants were Catholic to. What they were were “protesting” Catholics. And sometimes from a distance we say that Catholics and Protestants have nothing in common. But this isn’t always so. We have so much in common! Here at Reedy Creek Baptist we have that wonderful mixture of people whose backgrounds are Catholic, Protestants, Anglicans, Charismatic, no religion, even Churches of Christ! But we are united by the fact that we are Christians. Sometimes though it helps to understand from where it all comes from. What happens is this: The Catholic Bible and Church law are accepted as the infallible guides in Catholicism. In Protestantism, it is the Bible alone. And so, to the Catholic, whatever is put into Church Law is accepted as continuing revelation from God. And so, when the Popes make some laws Catholics believe they are inspired by God like the Bible. Those teachings that I’ve just referred to about Mary – that she is the Mother of God, the immaculate conception and the bodily assumption those ideas all came from a definition of Church Law. Therefore, you have the Bible and Church Law. When the ‘protesting’ started in the 16th century they were Catholic people to. They were Catholic Priests who said that we’ve strayed away from what Christianity was originally and that the Bible is the final authority. Therefore, today we find the Christian church teaches a variety of things about Mary and it really has to be what you accept as final authority. Now most of you would know that this church, made up of Christians from all backgrounds and some who are still checking out this Christianity thing, that we accept the Bible as the final authority. The only authoritative teaching we have is what is found in the Bible. Because we are from differing backgrounds we are not always going to agree on everything. When I grew up in Churches of Christ I used to hear this little saying: In essentials unity In non-essentials liberty In all things love When we are in a Bible Study group and an issue comes up, because we come from differing backgrounds we may disagree. That is ok. But the things we ask people to believe is that which is found in the Bible and so we at Reedy Creek Baptist have our statement of beliefs that we consider as essential. And so today I want to go over what the Bible says about this person Mary – the mother of Jesus. It maybe said that Catholicism has made too much of Mary but it can also be said that Protestantism has not made enough of Mary. Can you imagine how special it was to be chosen to give birth to Jesus Christ the Saviour of the world? If you have your Bibles please turn with me to our reading. The Angel Gabriel had another announcement to make. Some months after he had spoken with Zechariah, Gabriel was sent to Nazareth, and there appeared to a young engaged woman named Mary. Like Zechariah, Mary was startled and deeply troubled at the angel’s appearance and his greeting. But, reassuring Mary of God’s love, the angel told her she would have a Son. This Child would be the “Son of the Most High God”, fulfilling the Old Testament promises. In this one Person, God and humanity would be perfectly blended. In this one Person, all the promises of God and all the purposes of God for humankind would be fulfilled. The angel predicted five things about Mary’s Son (Jesus) in verses 32-33. 1. “He will be great” v32. 2. He “will be called the Son of the Most High” v32. 3. “The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David” v32. 4. “He will reign over Jacob's descendants forever” v33. 5. “his kingdom will never end” v33. These five reasons alone were enough for the angel to say to those shepherds “I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people” (Luke 2:10 NIV). Like Zechariah, Mary too asked a question. Mary said to the angel, “How will this be since I am a virgin?” (Luke 1:34 NIV). There was to be no human father. The power of the Holy Spirit was to supernaturally conceive and the Child to be born would be God the Son (Luke 1:35). To this explanation Mary had only one response: “I am the Lord's servant. May your word to me be fulfilled” (Luke 1:38 NIV). What a beautiful faith! This young girl, certainly still in her teens, probably may have been confused or scarred but she obeyed. Mary’s faith-response is even more striking when we realize that, according to Old Testament Law, her pregnancy while still single might well be dealt with by stoning! And certainly, her fiancé, who would know the child was not his, would hardly go through with the marriage. Yet all these things Mary was willing to trust God to work out! In time, hope filled Mary’s heart. And her praise song, known as the Magnificat (vv. 46-55), was filled with praise for God. What was Mary’s vision of God? “mindful of the humble state of his servant” (v48) [He] “has done great things” (v. 49). “holy is his name” (v. 49). “His mercy extends to those who fear him” (v50). “He has performed mighty deeds” (v. 51). [He] “has lifted up the humble” (v. 52). “He has filled the hungry” (v. 53). “He has helped his servant Israel” (v54). Mary knew God as a God of power and a God of mercy, the One who cares enough for the humble and the hungry to reach down and to meet human need. Perhaps this helps to explain Mary’s response to the Lord. She had a clear vision of who God is. She knew Him as a God who cares . . . who cares enough to act. May we each know God like this! When God decided to select a mother for His Son, He went past the fashion clothes shops and beauty parlours. He went past the jewelry section of the markets displaying their diamonds and gold but instead went to an insignificant village called Nazareth. He found a peasant girl. She did not dress in designer clothes. She did not have a sophisticated education. But she was pure and God selected her to be the mother of His only Son.

In Luke 2 we are given a glimpse of the birth of Christ. Mary gave birth in a stable fit for animals. Shortly afterwards she was visited by the shepherds who came to worship Jesus. For Mary we are told in Luke 2:19, “But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart” (Luke 2:19 NIV). What an incredible young woman. It was about 30-years later that we next hear about Mary. Jesus was beginning his ministry and was invited to attend a wedding in Canna. Mary must have had organised aspects for this wedding for when they ran out of wine she wanted Jesus to perform a miracle. At this time Jesus had found his disciples but wasn’t ready to let the world know who He is. This must have caused confusion for Mary. Not long afterwards, as Jesus popularity grew because of his healings and miracles, crowds were flocking to see him. His family wanted to see him but the crowd was too big. And Jesus said some words about family that would have confused Mary even more. About two years later, when Mary was in her 40s, she was with her son Jesus, this time at the cross watching Him die. John’s gospel tells the story of Jesus, while he was dying asking John to look after his mother Mary. I can’t imagine what would have gone through Mary’s mind as she stood at the cross watch her son die? Can you? She knew that Christ was special. She knew that He was given to the world for a special reason. But the confusion that would have gripped her as she watched her son die. She would not have thoroughly understood that in a few days He would be raised back to life for the disciples didn’t really understand. And so she stood there trying to understand everything. Today we stand on this side of the cross. We now know the whole story – from when Jesus was born in Bethlehem to the virgin Mary, to the great teacher and healer, to the Saviour who died on the cross. And I cannot but help to think that Christmas only make sense when we see it in the light of Easter – the cross.

Today we stand on this side of the cross. We now know the whole story – from when Jesus was born in Bethlehem to the Virgin Mary, to the great teacher and healer, to the Saviour who died on the cross. And I cannot but help to think that Christmas only make sense when we see it in the light of Easter – the cross. We are all from differing backgrounds. To Jesus, that doesn’t matter for He came for all people. He came for you. The question is, like Mary, do you say yes to God? God sometimes seems to have a sense of humour when he calls us all to do things that seem a little strange and yet God has a plan in it all. And this is exactly what happened to Mary with the announcement that she will give birth to the Saviour of the world. What a concept she thought, particularly because she is a virgin. But God called her and she said yes. There was something about Mary! God sometimes wants to take us down paths that we have never dreamt of. Are we willing to say yes? God sometimes calls us to do something for Him. Are we willing to say yes? God calls us to forgive those who hurt us. Are we willing to say yes to that command? God calls us to be baptised. Are we willing to say yes? God calls us to fully devote our lives to him. Are we willing to say yes? Mary was faced with disgrace or worse, punishment. But God wanted her and she said yes. God sometimes wants us to minister to others. In Acts 9 Saul was putting out murderous threats against the early Christians. The early church was afraid of people like Paul. They went to great lengths to find Christians and when found persecuted them. As Paul was going was nearing Damascus on his way to get the Christians in Jerusalem, Jesus suddenly appeared to him in a dramatic way. For three days Paul was blind by the bright light and he didn’t eat or drink. While this was happening, Jesus appears to a man named Ananias. Jesus spoke to him and called him to do something that would require a lot of courage. Jesus called Ananias to go to a certain house in Damascus to find this Paul and pray for him. Ananias was stunned to hear such a request. He reminded the Lord about Paul and the many reports about him and the harm he has done to Christians. God spoke back to Ananias and told him to go for this man is God chosen person to reach people for Him. Ananias said yes and went. Imagine the courage and faith needed to face such a man like Paul. But Ananias went. Imagine the thumping of his heart, but God had called him and Ananias said yes. Here he was in this room with Paul. As instructed by God, he went over and placed his hands on Paul and prayed and then said that God had sent him so he may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit. Then we are told that Paul was able to see again and then was baptised. Paul was converted. He was born again. Jesus had entered his life, thanks to the courageous Ananias who said yes to God. God sometimes calls us to do things that seem unusual or even unfair in our eyes. He calls us to go, to forgive, to show grace, to minister, to do things for Him. Are we willing to say yes? There was something about Mary. Despite the ridicule or at worse persecution, Mary in faith said yes to God.

May be this Christmas God is calling you to do things that doesn’t to make a lot of sense or even fair, but are you willing to yes to Him?

Two Guys Encounter Jesus | Luke 24:9-32

Years ago the producers of Sesame Street faced a dilemma. Will Lee, the actor who played Mr. Hooper, passed away, and the producers were faced with how to communicate the concept of death to the 10 million children (most of whom are under 6 years of age) who watched the show.

• Child psychologists suggested they NOT say, “Mr. Hooper got sick and died,” because children get sick and they are not going to die.

• And the psychologists suggested they NOT say, “Mr. Hooper got old and died,” because little children think of their parents as being old.

• And the staff of Sesame Street decided to avoid religious issues and NOT say, “Mr. Hooper died and went to Heaven.”

So the show’s producers decided to say just a few basics: He’s gone, he won’t be back, and he’ll be missed. And they decided to use Big Bird to gently set the matter before the children. The show was aired on Thanksgiving Day so parents could watch it with their children.

Big Bird came out and said he had a picture for Mr. Hooper and he couldn’t wait to see him. One of the cast said, “Big Bird, remember, we told you that Mr. Hooper died.” And Big Bird said, “Oh yeah, I forgot.” Then he said, “Well, I’ll give it to him when he comes back.” And one of the staff members put an arm around Big Bird and said, “Big Bird, Mr. Hooper isn’t coming back.” “Why not,” Big Bird asked innocently. “Big Bird, when people die, they don’t come back.”

(Brian Jones – Standard Publishing Illustrations)

When people die... they don’t come back. Normally, that’s how it works, and it really sad for most of us.

Sigmund Freud famously said: “And finally there is the painful riddle of death, for which no remedy at all has yet been found, nor probably will ever be!” Aristotle called death the thing to be feared most because "it appears to be the end of everything."

That brings us to our reading this morning. People have always struggled with the concept of death. Everybody dies. And they generally STAY that way. That’s kinda how it works.

Now here we have two guys walking from Jerusalem to their home town of Emmaus.

They’ve seen the tragedy that took place in Jerusalem as it unfolded before their eyes. Jesus was arrested, tried, beaten, spat on, insulted, and ultimately they saw Him die a cruel death on a cross.

But they’d also heard the women tell of finding the tomb empty and hearing angels say He’d risen from the dead.

You’d think they’d have been encouraged. You’d think they’d believe Jesus had risen from the dead. But that’s not what’s happened. They can’t seem to wrap their minds around this idea. And, when you think about it, their reluctance kind of makes sense. After all, the dead don’t come back.

Peter heard the same story they did and we’re told he “got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened” (Luke 24:12 NIV). And when Mary Magdalene stood by the empty tomb (not knowing she was talking to angels) the Bible says that the angels asked her, "Woman, why are you crying?" And she replies “They have taken my Lord away, and I don’t know where they have put him” (John 20:13 NIV). It was a logical conclusion. The dead don’t come back. Jesus had to have been moved by somebody! And right now… that’s the only thing these men on the road to Emmaus can imagine. Somebody has taken the body. And right now it’s not just the tomb that empty… so are their hearts. That’s why their faces were downcast as described in verse 17.

As these two guys were discussing what had happened back in Jerusalem, we are told by Luke in verse 15 that the now resurrected Jesus had come up to them but they didn’t recognise Him. In fact verse 17 says, “but they were kept from recognizing him” (Luke 24:16 NIV). I’m not sure if the NIV translators have really helped us to understand what was happening here. I like the way The Message puts verse 16, “But they were not able to recognize who he was” and it is from Mark’s version of this story that gives us an understanding of why these two were not able to recognise Jesus. Mark tells us in verse 12 of chapter 16 that “Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country” (Mark 16:12 NIV). Jesus was in His resurrected body which is why various disciples didn’t recognise Him at first, and is it why these two guys also didn’t recognise Him.

So here they were, the three of them walking on this road to Emmaus – a distance of around 10 kilometres from Jerusalem.

Jesus asks them what they’ve been talking about… and they tell Him the whole story. They tell Him all about Jesus – a powerful prophet who did many miracles. How He’d been arrested and crucified. About the women saying that the tomb was empty, and all about the story about the angels. But then they say a very sad statement in verse 21: “but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel…” (Luke 24:21 NIV).

That’s a very sad saying, “but we had hoped”. It is a saying that suggests that we had these good and even exciting expectations but now we don’t. We had hoped but that’s now changed.

And I think many have or are experiencing such feelings. We had these expectations but now we don’t. We had hoped but that’s now changed.

You know that feeling?

You had hope in your career but now you don’t.

You had hope in your marriage but now you don’t.

You had hope in your child but now you don’t.

You had hope in our church but now you don’t.

Things happen that change our circumstances. Injuries, adultery, change of person, change of direction, sin, bad stuff. Things happen and our expectations changes and suddenly our hope becomes past tense. I had hoped. And it is hard to be in that place…

For these two guys, Jesus had been their hope to redeem Israel (v21). But He’s dead now. He’s been executed. He’s dead and the dead don’t come back! As Aristotle noted death is feared most because "it appears to be the end of everything." And for many, death is the end. No hope. No life. And that’s what the children on Sesame Street heard all those years ago – “the dead don’t come back”.

And for these two guys, in their minds, they to believed that the dead don’t come back. They had hoped, but now their hope was gone.

God, however, had a different plan.

Jeff Strite tells the story of back when he was a child and how he loved his grandfather and how they almost built their lives around each other. However, when he was 5 years old, grand dad died. It was hard for Jeff to understand being so young. Back then they didn’t do funerals like they do now. There was no “funeral home.” They took the casket and they placed it in the living room right where the TV would be now. And family and friends came to the house and ate in the kitchen and dining room and shared memories of their loved one. And that casket stayed in the house for the next 24 to 48 hours.

Then they had the funeral service and took the casket out to the cemetery. And they didn’t do burials then, like they do now.

Nowadays, we have AstroTurf that they place on ground all the way around the casket and it even covers the grave itself. They didn’t do that back then. There was no AstroTurf.

And here was Jeff, a 5-year-old boy, looking down into the deep empty hole. And Jeff looked up at his momma and he asked her “How’s grandpa ever going to get out of that grave?”

And Jeff’s momma proceeded to tell Jeff about Jesus! She told him: “You don’t have to worry about Grandpa coming out of that grave, because Jesus already has come out of the grave.” And she told Jeff all about the hope we have in Christ.

As we stand on this side of Calvary, we know that God’s other plan was to raise His Son from the grave. Jesus was risen back to life!

This concept of a resurrection is built into our faith. It’s the very foundation of why we are Christians. You take the Resurrection of Christ out of Christianity – and you got nothing! Dr. John Stott has written, “Christianity is in its very essence a resurrection religion. The concept of resurrection lies at its heart. If you remove it, Christianity is destroyed.”

Paul wrote: “…how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him - if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead...” (1 Corinthians 15:12b-20).

For these two disciples, they failed to what the scriptures had to say about the death of the Messiah and His resurrection. And so Jesus said to the them that they are “…so slow to believe all that the prophets said? Didn't you know that the Messiah would have to suffer before he was given his glory?” (Luke 24:25-26 CEV). And then Luke tells us, “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself” (Luke 24:27 NIV).

I believe this has to be one of the best ways to cope when your hope has faded. Be reminded of the promises of God found in the Bible. Too often, our own agenda determined our expectations. Many people back in those days made the mistake of thinking that the Messiah would simply recapture the glory days of King David. In other words, they hoped Jesus would bring Israel the same power and prosperity she once enjoyed, only magnified and multiplied. Given their exclusive worship of God, this would not be an inappropriate wish. But compared to the reality that lay before them—Roman oppression and a dead Messiah—their hopes for glory seemed to have been utterly destroyed. Without knowing the promises of God, our agendas determine our expectation and when they are changed, so too is our hope. But learning and trusting God’s promises enable us to hope against all hope.

In keeping with ancient Near Eastern rules of hospitality, the two followers then invited the “stranger” to stay the night. Jesus accepted their offer. We are told in verse 30 that Jesus took some bread, gave thanks for it, broke it and gave it to the guys. While this is typical phrase of having a meal together, some have suggested that Jesus was having a form of communion with them.

As they were eating, “their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight” (Luke 24:31 NIV).

Here’s the irony - the disciples had been staring into the face of the risen Jesus, yet they didn’t recognize Him. Then, a careful review of the Scriptures gave them a divine perspective on what they once saw as dismal circumstances. Once their eyes were opened to the reality and implications of the resurrection, Jesus became visible to their physical eyes. The Greek phrase ophthalmos dianoigo epiginosko, translated “eyes were opened and they recognized Him,” literally means “their eyes were completely opened” and “they came to fully comprehend Him.” This action was more than a mere recognition of His features. They came to recognize Jesus in all His significance as the Messiah, the Son of God, and their risen Lord! Then Jesus literally became “invisible”—aphantos—meaning that He suddenly vanished from their midst once their eyes were open.

Now, their new, resurrected hope carried them back to Jerusalem to share the good news to others (Luke 24:33–35). Their crushed hope was restored, renewed and “on fire”. They had an encounter with the resurrected Jesus! Their eyes were opened. Their hope soared. What an encounter they had.

As Luke tells the story of the two despondent disciples on the road to Emmaus, we cannot help but identify with their pain. We, too, are pilgrims on a journey through life. We, too, experience life’s disappointments from time to time. We, too, lose hope when our expectations come to a hard end. But remember, every trial is an opportunity to discover what God wants us to see.

As in the case of the two followers on the road to Emmaus, we must allow God to open our eyes. Here are four ways:

1. Invite Jesus in. Have you invited the Lord into your life? Cleopas and his companion listened intently to the Voice of truth and invited Him into their home. If you haven’t begun a relationship with God, you will continue to struggle in vain. Invite Jesus into your life.

2. Surrender your expectations. Your expectations may be good and honourable, but we still need to pray “Your Will be done”.

3. Seek God’s perspective. To help the two disciples see their circumstances from God’s perspective, Jesus explained the Scriptures. And we have the same opportunity to share God’s vantage point by reading our only completely reliable source of truth, the sixty-six books of the Bible. This doesn’t have to be complicated. Simply set aside as little as ten minutes each day, and read.

4. Trust God’s timing. God, in His perfect discernment, did not allow the two disciples to recognize Jesus until the time was right. He didn’t allow them to suffer in grief a moment longer than was absolutely necessary, yet He didn’t end their discomfort too soon. Spiritual maturity rarely occurs instantaneously. Growth usually requires a journey, and journeys take time. Submit to God’s will and trust His timing. He is faithful.

Circumstances, especially those involving loss, are usually perceived as difficult because reality does not mesh with our expectations. The two followers on the road to Emmaus undoubtedly felt utterly alone as they mourned the death of their dreams. During their suffering, God was indeed nearby, and He allowed their pain to continue until their own desires no longer held them captive.

Like the two on the road to Emmaus, you do not travel alone. God is with you. Are you willing to see Him?

(These last few paragraphs were adapted from Charles R. Swindoll, Jesus: The Greatest Life of All (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2008), 245–58. Copyright © 2008 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc.).

Divine Direction - Faith to Start