The Mary Mysteries

All right, the title of my sermon as we carry on with what Bill had talked about from a Bible study, because I had worked on this weeks ago, and it's called The Mary Mysteries. The Mary Mysteries. Did you know that the name Mary was the most popular girl's name in the United States from 1870 to 1946? Did you know that? Hmm. And again, from 1953 to 1961. So those seven years between 1946 and 1953, do you know what the most popular girl's name in the United States was?

No one? Susan. That's a good guess. Wrong.

Linda. Linda.

Matter of fact, Linda's missing today, isn't she? She knew I was going to talk about her.

So, Mary, Mary, Mary. I won't say quite contrary, because I live with her. But everybody knows that. But did you know there were 2.1... there is 2.16 million Marys in the United States right now? That's quite a few Marys. Easy to get your mail mixed up, I guess. And that the Hebrew word is meriam. Very good. Meriam is where that translation came from. And the Greek is? She just walked in the door. Maria. Maria is the Greek. It's also in other languages. Yes. Yes. So today, because the times have changed, as a matter of fact, do you know the number one girl's name for babies in the United States now? Do you know? Take a guess. It has changed quite a bit. Jessica, that was a few years ago. No? That's a good guess. Olivia. Olivia. I don't know... I only know one Olivia that I can think of.

Olivia is the number one today. So the Mary is but the seventh most common name in the United States. And did you know this incredible fact that 99.4% of all Marys are female? Yeah.

Ah! 6 tenths of 1% are not female. See? Told you some you didn't know. I'm glad you came. Now, goodbye. So how many Marys... I'll throw this and that at you. How many Marys at the time of Jesus? 6. Anybody else? And I guess?

5 possibly 6. 5 possibly 6? 7. Well, to be correct, because of the way I phrased it, they thought over 50,000 because I didn't say Scripture. But in Scripture at the time of Jesus that we know is 5. 5. I want to look at that because this is the Mary mysteries. And there are quite a few mysteries about Mary in the Scriptures. We're going to talk about it. Am I going to solve any of your mysteries? No, hopefully I'm going to get you to go home and think about it. I'm going to get you to even talk about it after services. And hopefully you will think about things because with any good mystery or story you need good characters. And we have some great characters in the New Testament that I want to go into. And we will be discussing those. But I will look at the characters in the New Testament named Mary and give you just a small background. And then we go in even deeper so that you may say, well, why? How does this help me? Well, you will be able to teach other people, as our sermonette said. But it also helps you to understand the Scriptures and understand those characters. And that they were characters. They were real people. And we can also see why God put them in his Word. There are some incredible examples. So I guess you could say I'm being sexist today, being I am not talking that much about men, but of women. And I'm not going to talk about the 0.6% men who are named Mary today. So we're going to look at the very first one. Mary, mother of Jesus. What can you tell me about her? This is not an interactive Bible stay, but it's an interactive service. What can you tell me about Mary? Just some short. Stay here? Oh, I turned. Oh, very good. Thank you. I forgot about that. She has to remind me. She was a virgin? She was of the line of David? She was of the line of David, correct.

Believed in God? How old was she when she gave birth?

We don't know. At the time, it was between 13 and 16. She could have been as young as 13, because historically, you were allowed to be engaged at age 12. And then you had the engagement period before you actually got married. Yes. Teenage is a man-made thing. Right, right, right. So, Mary, the mother of Jesus, as Bill said, she was special. She had a relationship with God. And of all women on earth, they said, what? You are most blessed. So, God had a choice picking any woman in the world to raise his son, and he chose this Mary. You can read her story, which is not my purpose today, because she's not a mystery other than she was surrounded by mystery after she had the child.

Wasn't she? That people wondered, it. Joseph makes it very interesting how she lived her life. And why do I say that? Because we find out later when her son is 30 years or 30-something years past there, the religious leaders of that day are saying, but we were not born of fornication. Which obviously tells us she had to carry that. She had to carry that burden with her, which wouldn't exactly be tough. I mean, it would be tough to handle as a young girl, plus any other age. Next, Mary of Bethany. What can you tell me about Mary of Bethany?

She had a sister named Martha, and what was Martha like? Martha, Martha, Martha. She was a worker, wasn't she, according to Scripture? She had a brother Lazarus. So we do know that she was a close friend of Jesus. She had an intimate relationship, an intimate friendship with him. And she had incredible insight, didn't she, from what we read in Scripture. Next would be Mary Magdalene. What can you tell me about Mary Magdalene? She had some spiritual problems, I would say. She was a follower of Jesus Christ, correct? She was also an intimate friend and had a special bond with Christ, didn't she? Your other days wasn't see a harlot. Well, we're about to go into that mystery and see what we can find out, what the Bible says, and what it doesn't say. Let's move on to the next Mary. Mary, wife of Clopas. Everybody know Clopas? One line. And what's the one line say? She was the wife of Clopas. She was also a follower of Christ. One scripture, but she's put in there, which I think you'll find interesting. The next woman of mystery was Mary, mother of John Mark. What can you tell me about her? One scripture. I mean, nobody? One scripture. She was a follower of Christ, and we know one other thing, and we'll delve into that a little bit, mother. She had a large house. You'd say, well, what's the deal? Well, I don't have a large house. Maybe you have a large house, but this large house was put to use, as we'll dive in to this. So mystery about Mary, let's start with it. The first one that has many, many questions. We got into this in the Bible study in Matthew 26, because I wanted to. Because I think these things that we can dig into make us our Bible study better. They also help us to explain to other people why it's written in. Because if you believe 2 Timothy 3.16 that all scripture is God-breathed, it kind of takes on a new responsibility for us if we believe that. Can we maybe not necessarily have to defend, but maybe give some explanation? Maybe it's not all there for a reason.

So I'm going to be talking about speculation. There's that word. Or may I say, uncovering these mysteries or bringing them to a head? Because everybody likes a good mystery if you watch it, if it's done really well. And a lot of times you try to figure it out before I do. And Mary's always telling me, just be quiet. It's over there. Maybe that, I think that's it, you know, because I'm trying to figure it out. But it is intriguing. And sometimes in the scriptures, if I ever have speculation, I tell you, I don't just put something as a fact because that wouldn't be correct. But sometimes we have to read between the lines because there's a lot the scriptures tell us. Why else would there be Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John covering the same three and a half years? Boy, so much is the same, isn't it? Well, you want to read, but what is the difference? And every difference? Why? Why is there a difference? What was added for our own learning in there? But if you just read over the Bible without studying it, you'll pass over a lot of stuff. Tongue in cheek, pass over. Okay, let's go. Mary Magdalene. Let's see the very first appearance of Mary Magdalene is in John chapter 8. So let's go to John. No, excuse me. Haha, almost fooled you there. Luke chapter 8. We'll get to John. We'll get to John. Luke chapter 8, if you're following in your Bible or if you're following up here, that's pretty simple. It's at the very first verses. Luke chapter 8 verse 1, it says, it came to pass... when? After what? It came to pass after what? That's what's important. There were no chapters. There were no verses. This is a story flow. So what happened before? Because this is afterward, which ties it to the story told before, or does it? Things that make you go. Okay, it came to pass afterwards that he went through every city and village preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, as our lady in the front row told us. Yes, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom came seven demons. Wow! That's a mixed-up life. It's not only mixed, it's messed up. Seven demons brought out of her. What must her life have been?

What happened? But we're not finished there, because it said, out of whom had seven demons, and Joanna the wife of Chezza, Harris Stewart, and Susanna, and many others who provided for him Jesus Christ from their substance, or wealth. So now, what do we have? We have one woman, named Mary, seven demons, and she had what? My Mary. She had money. Was she perhaps a widow? When she left all this money. I don't know. Let's think about it.

Let's think about it. So let's go, since chapter eight is not really there, and it's a story flow that Luke is telling. He's writing this down 25 to 30 years after the fact, and he's interviewed all these people, and he has a story, and he has a story to tell.

And it's believed by most historians that he actually had Mark and Matthew's copies with him, and he was able to then go interview and fill in the blanks here. So let's go see in Luke chapter seven and verse 37. The story before he says afterward. So this is maybe what happened, do you think? Verse 17. Oh, sorry. Chapter seven verse 37. And behold, a woman in a city who was a... How did they know what a sinner was? I don't think most of us walk out there and go, I killed somebody yesterday. I didn't keep the Sabbath.

She was known to be a sinner. How would you have known to be a sinner back at that time? She had a lot of dishes. Could have had. And who was he eating with but a Pharisee? A Pharisee knew she was a sinner. And obviously other people did too. Yeah, how did he know? Things that make you go, hmm.

Okay, who was a sinner? When she knew that Jesus sat at the table at the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil and stood at his feet behind him weeping, and she began to wash his feet with her tears and wipe them with the hair on her head.

Which does one thing because if she had to wipe the hair, women typically kept their hair up. Except for a certain occupation that had their hair down. Yes, that is what is was commonly taught or thought at the same time. She kissed his feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil. Now when the Pharisees who had invited him saw this, he spoke to himself.

Nobody heard this except Jesus. This man, if he were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner. And Jesus answered and said to him, oh, he didn't know, he's young, oh, oops, I have something to say to you. So he said, teacher, say it being a Pharisee, he was pretty much large and in charge.

There was a certain creditor who had two debtors, one owed him 500 dinara, and the other 50. And when they had nothing which to pay, he freely forgave them both. Tell me, therefore, which of them will love him more? Simon answered and said, I suppose, the one whom he forgave more. He said, you have judged rightly. Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, do you see this woman?

I entered your house and you gave me no water for my feet. But she has washed my feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. You gave me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss my feet since the time came. You did not anoint my head with oil, but this woman has anointed my feet with fragrant, expensive oil. Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much, but to whom little is forgiven the same loves little. Then he said to her, your sins are forgiven.

And those who sat at the table with him began to say to themselves, who is this that can even forgive sins? Then he said to the woman, as only Christ could do, your faith has saved you. And then what happens next? Now it came to pass afterward.

Does that give you maybe possible insight? It didn't take much reading between the lines. Since we do know that Luke is the only one all through of the Gospels who chronologically kept his story straight. Some of the others John fairly well, but different things were put in at different times. So what was this expensive? It's called nard. It's called nard. Yes. What was so special about this nard?

Yes. Very precious, hard to come by it from a root in India. And it had to be imported. And it was mixed with a little oil, and it was supposed to be the special oil, olive oil, that was mixed with this. And you could you they said you could actually it came in a container like this only 16 ounces. And they would break it. It's the only way because it was made. You break it. And when it was broken, it was such great smelling thing that it went all over the entire house. So you can imagine when it was when it was spread, when it was used, how great it was. How expensive was this nard? Buddy? A day's wages? One year's wages for the average worker. They say the lower tier, which today they would consider it $50 a day. How many is that times? 365. Hmm? Quite a bit. 20,000. Could have been. Do we have any ladies who have $20,000 perfume here today or at your house? If it is, I'd like you to bring it in next week so everybody can smell it. Okay. No. No.

I can smell it in Cincinnati, yes. And I don't know perfume. I used to buy some for Mary, but when I first got married, then I got used to her smell. And, um, no, just kidding. Just kidding. She knows I love her. She did. But I used to buy some, and it was what expensive was a little thing for a hundred bucks 20-30 years ago. I don't know what Chanel number five. Maybe somebody has. Anybody know what? No. Nobody here knows.

Matthew, you know you got a girlfriend or anything? No. Okay. So, but you can imagine going for the average person $20,000 to buy 16 ounces of perfume. Who could do that?

Wealthy. Royalty. Because the wealthy and the royalty were, according to a story, they were the ones who wore it. Royalty, when they walked down a woman that was of royal descent or had some high office, when they walked in public, you could smell it.

I mean, it was very expensive. And according to historians, only two type of people could afford it. Royalty and prostitutes. Because prostitutes made a lot of money. Because think about it, there were not jobs at that time. Very few women had any jobs. You weren't really, in a Roman society, you definitely didn't work. Think about that. Why would the prostitutes want to wear that? It costs a lot of money. Why would they have it?

And they even wore purple, which was the color of royalty. So can you see how the mystery kind of might evolve here to why this was used and who would use it? And men would be able to say, I had relations with what royalty would be like. Crazy, crazy kind of mystery. So what can you tell me about Magdala? Mary Magdalene was Mary. She was from, as they say, Magdala. Anybody know anything about Magdala? I mean, here she is. Talks about her in the Bible. Any thoughts? It was in the north of Galilee. Yes, it was in Galilee, but not part of the Decapolis, which were the ten cities. But it was actually the largest shipping, and it was used by the Romans quite often. A large shipping area there. It was the largest city in at the time of Christ. They had about 40,000 people. Did she come from this area? Was she born in this area? Hmm. We don't know, do we? We just know that name is tagged with her. Mary Magdalene, as they thought. Well, I think you'll find it interesting, because if you're a study of history, you'll find that now the actual city is called Migdahl. And it's just a way of skipping up and a jump from where Magdalene used to be. But it was the home of a very famous writer. Josephus was from Magdalene. And you can read in his Antiquity of the Jews, you can read about how he defended the city before it fell to the Romans, and then became part of them. Okay, so we have a mystery. We don't know. Was she a prostitute? Was she not? Oh, well, boy, you judgmental people. Well, let's go to where people use this verse. Let's go with me to John 8. Everybody know the story? In John 8? About the woman caught in what?

John 8, if you'll join me there.

If I can get over there. This Bible. What's interesting here, and I think you'll find it intriguing, is that John 7 took place at the Feast of Tabernacles. It took place during the first seven days of the Feast of Tabernacles. And then you can find at the end of chapter 7 where people all go home. What do they go home for? Because the next day is a holy day, right? Next day is the last great day. Why would they go home? Why would the Bible say they just went home? It's because they were at that time to take down what? Temporary dwellings. Yes! Take down the temporary dwellings that they had built because the feast was over with, and this was a new feast. So that's why they were told, as we said, and each goes to their... and everyone went to his own house to take down that. So the next day it's very interesting because Jesus came back and taught. He would on a holy day, wouldn't he? Except here something is wrong here because chapter 8 verse 1 says, But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. That's where he was staying, right? Typically did. Didn't go back. Now early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came to him and sat down and were taught. Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought to him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said, teacher, this woman was caught in adultery in the very act which makes the mystery of where's the guy? Catch somebody in the act, sorry. Where is he? Now Moses in the law commanded that such should be stoned, but you say, but what do you say? This they said, testing him that he might have something to which to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down and rode on the ground with his finger as though he did not hear. And so they continued asking him and he raised up himself and did this. And he said, he who is thou sinned, among you let him throw away stone in her first. And again, he stooped down, rode on the ground. Then those who heard it being convicted by their conscience, were there men there? Were there men there who had visited prostitutes, ready to pick up a stone? Because they intended for the men to throw the rock first. That's typically what was done before they all joined in. They went by one by one, beginning with the oldest, even to the last. And Jesus was left alone and the woman standing in the midst, and when Jesus had raised himself up and saw no one but the woman, he said, woman, where are your accusers of yours? Where are their accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you? She said, no one. Jesus said to him, neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more. And Jesus spoke to them again, saying, I am a light of the world. Okay. But then you go to 13 and says, the Pharisees therefore said to him, you bear witness of yourself. Your witness is not true. And then Jesus goes on to preach this message. So this woman caught in adultery. So many historians say that's Mary Magdalene. Why would they say that? Could have been. It doesn't. Yes. Was it somebody to blame? And wait a minute, but it didn't make sense. If you study the history, they didn't stone anyone on a holy day.

Uh-huh. You got it. They would be committing sin themselves. And why would they? But what's here, then? Ah. Go and look at your Bibles or go and look at commentaries. You'll find that in chapter 8 of John chapter 8, the first 10 or 11 verses weren't in the original translation. They were nowhere. They no one could find where they at. It was a later translation, about a hundred years later, that it showed up. So did somebody just add this? Did somebody make this story up? Well, historic teaching says that it was a story that was added by John's last disciple, Polycarp, because it fit the date of 155 before he died of when they found it. So he just stuck it in there, they say, because it was a story of another time, because nothing made sense. Then that's why you'll find that margin in certain Bibles, where it says, not in the original translations, not in the original canon. As yours say that, some of will. You'll have a center note. That helps to explain that. But does it mean that it was Mary Magdalene? No, but it's amazing how stories take on their life of their own. Because if they thought she was, if they found a dirty dog, they're going to stick with the dirty dog. Just put that name and next thing you know, she became attached to that. All right, true? Don't know. It's a mystery, isn't it? How she had her life and how she's mentioned and is that her? But we also have a story here. Because we saw how the woman in Luke 7, she came into Simon's house, Simon the Pharisee, and she she did his, you know, she was crying and she wiped her ears with her hair and everything. And then she put oil, nard, on. But then we find an interesting story in John 12. You will join me in John 12. It's a very short story, but it's a good one. In John 12, verse 1, said, Then six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus, who had been dead, whom he had raised from the dead.

Now, let's look at something. We know that a woman in Mark 14, you can go and check this. We talked about this the other night, a Bible study. In Mark 14, two days before Christ entered the city, a woman anointed him. Matthew 26 also says two days before the Passover, he was anointed. Now, this one says six days, six days. And what does it say then? Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was in verse 2. There they made him a supper, and Martha served. But Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with him. Then Mary, Mary who? Mary of Bethany. Sister to Martha, sister to Lazarus. Then sat at the table with him. Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of Spignard, that nard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil, just like the woman in Luke 7. Was that Mary of Bethany? But wait a minute. Isn't that Mary Magdalene followed up in Luke 8?

But wait a minute, this is six days. Didn't it say it's six days? And she was anointed? She anointed his feet? Didn't that say six days? Does that just say six days? No, it doesn't. It says six days, he came to Bethany. It didn't say anything. He just went on the story. So if you arrive, because go look at all the cross stories and you'll see everything else is two days. So how do you make this true? What is John? John was written 40 years after all the other writings. So why would he add this if it didn't add something to the story? He wouldn't. But he was saying six days they came to Bethany, six days before. That's what he said. And then he gets into two days before it matches with all the other stories. So we know that that is true. So that said, the same woman. Could Mary of Bethany be the woman in Luke 7? Could Mary Magdalene have another name? Because we ask a question that has to be asked, and that is, we know Mary of Bethany was so close to Christ. You know when Lazarus died, she was the one that came out, you know, and she said, if you've been here and you know, and we know she's the one that anointed him and they were getting on her case and Christ said, no, she's anointed me for my burial. They obviously had money. For Mary to do that, she had to have money. How do we know that that family was rich? Besides that, how? How do we know Martha, Mary, and Lazarus had money?

Spine hard. What'd you say? Oh yeah, they could afford criers. Did you say? Big house, because people came there, but there was one thing bigger than that. Where did they put Lazarus when he died?

In an expensive tomb that built inside of the rock, and you had to be rich to have one of those. So let's go to as I begin to wrap this up. Let's compile some data. If you're gonna find, if you have a mystery, you gotta have some analysis, and you gotta have some clues. Okay? So, nard, that expensive one-year salary, was used by the same or both women. Why would I say the same? Okay. Second, nard was applied the same way by both women.

Mary of Bethany's family had money. We've already established that. Mary Magdalene had money. And the way you've already convicted her in this court here today, you said she was a prostitute. Well, obviously she was very good at it, because she had a lot of money. Right? That's what these things are about. So, are these clues? Are they a red herring? Okay. Let's move on. Mary, mother of John Mark, she was a member, we believe, right? At the time of Christ, I think she was very involved. Why do I say that? Let's go back to Mark and go to Mark 14. Mark 14, verse 12. Maybe you've never put this together before, but it's a clue. It's a mystery that only you can come to the conclusion. And verse 12. Verse 12. Now, on the first of Unleavened Bread, the day is not in the original translation. On the first of Unleavened Bread, when they killed the Passover lamb, his disciples said to him, where do you want us to go and prepare that we may eat the Passover? And he sent out two of his disciples and said to them, go into the city. What city? Yes. Jerusalem. And a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water. Follow him wherever he goes in. Say to the master of the house, the teacher says, where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with my disciples? Then he will show you a large upper room, furnished and prepared. There, make ready for us. Join me in Acts 1, if you will, in Acts 1.

And verse 12. And when they had entered, they went up into a upper room. Where was this? After seeing Christ leave the Mount of Olives, and he told him he'd come back the same way. Then they returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day journey, less than a half a mile, half to three quarters of a mile. And when they had entered, they went into an upper room where they were staying. Could it be the same upper room? How big was the church? 120 that first day, for when it started. So he didn't have more than 120 followers. Could they all fit in an upper room, large upper room? Go with me. Acts 12. Acts 12 and verse 12. This is when Peter was taken and they were going to put him to death, and he was in prison, and then an angel came and released him out of prison. And he was in Jerusalem. Was it happened? And verse 12. So he escaped, he left there, and he ran to where? Ran to where he knew. People were. He knew where the brethren were. Someplace he knew pretty well because he didn't want to get caught because they were going to cut his head off or even crucify him if they could. So when he had considered this, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John, whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together praying. Is this Mary's house where the first Pentecost took place? Or was it somewhere else? What about this Mary? Same upper room? So one last thing.

In John 2, the very first of John 2, I'm just throwing this out because other theologians have thrown it out. John, you have to remember, the disciple who Christ loved, writes the letter and he says to the lady elect, or to the elect lady.

Who is he talking to? Is he talking to maybe the church or is he talking to the woman Jesus put him in charge of? Hmm. Make you think. But wait a minute. John didn't get released until he was 90 years old. How old would that have made Mary, the mother of Christ? Pretty old.

The Mary mysteries will be solved one day at the wedding supper. I look forward to the day. There will no longer be any Mary mysteries because then I will know. And before I leave you today with this, I want you to have one more mystery and go solve it for me and tell me because this one can be solved with enough time and energy. Only two of the disciples or the apostles wrote the genealogy of Jesus Christ. One through Mary and one through Joseph. Well, Joseph wasn't his father, was he? But he was a legal heir. But the human heir came through Mary. Read the two accounts and you find that Joseph and the word should not be unbroken. Because one says Joseph the son of Heli and the other said Joseph son of Jacob in Matthew. How could that be?

I speculate on all the Marys, but I speculate about one thing. My study of all five is I am convinced that they will all be in the first resurrection when Jesus Christ returns for his first fruits. As for the mystery, in Luke 8 and verse 17, Jesus says this, For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light. In time we will know. Till then, God gives us the gift of study so that we should live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.