Born of a Woman

Introduction

Galatians 4:4–7 ESV

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

How do you solve a problem like Maria???

Today, August 15, is a day that the Church has remembered Mary, the Mother of Jesus. The Orthodox Church remembers the Dormition of Mary on this day, that is the day that she fell asleep in death. The Roman Catholic Church observes the Assumption of Mary, as they believe she is sinless and therefore could not die. And this day is on our calendar as well. Rarely does it fall on a Sunday, but this year it has. So it gives us a wonderful opportunity to review what we believe about Mary, the Theotokus.

As Lutheran Christians, when we talk about any Saint, we do so in two ways. First, we give thanks to God for their witness and attempt to reflect their life of faith in the Lord in our own lives. They are all a part of that “Great cloud of witnesses” that Surround us in heaven, cheering us on as the writer to the Hebrews describes. This, of course reminds us that the Church is not just the gathered believers on earth, here and now, but it is also the Church in heaven that we hear about in the preface to Communion “with angels and archangels and all the company of heaven” who we join our voices in singing the Trisagion each week. By the way, this has a lot to say to those communities of believers who have jettisoned the liturgy in favor of a more entertaining service. The liturgy is a common thread that binds us to Christians of all ages and places. The words we sing today have been sung since the second century.

Secondly, when we as Lutheran Christians speak about the Saints, we do so recognizing that through their lives and works they delivered the faith to us in an unbroken, unchanged way.

The issue is, for some, that this unbroken way has been broken, and this unchanged way has been changed. This, unfortunately, has brought about splits in the Church over time, beginning with the great Schism of the eleventh Century where the East and West divided, and then, once again, at the time of the Lutheran Reformation, where the Church split, regrettably, because the unchanged doctrine of the Apostles had been changed by the Church.

What do we know and believe about Mary?

First, lets start with the obvious. This is all about Jesus. He is the only one who can save you. He is the only one who can bring your prayers to the Father. He is the only one who died and shed His blood for the forgiveness of your sins. He is the only One who lives and reigns at the Right hand of God the Father and is coming to judge the living and the dead. It is all about Jesus, and it is only about Jesus. Anything that adds to this truth or takes away from it is from the devil.

So remembering this, lets talk about Mary.

I’m sure you’ve heard the term “Immaculate Conception.” Most Lutheran people I know get this wrong. They think it applies to Mary conceiving Jesus in her womb. It is not. That’s the doctrine of the Virgin Birth- which we will speak about momentarily.

What the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception teaches about Mary is that she was born without sin. One of the writings of this time that was not accepted into the canon (the Bible) was called the Protevangelium of James. In it, Mary’s parents are identified as Joachim and Ann- a form of the name Hannah. The Roman Catholic Church holds that they conceived a sinless baby girl— Mary, who would ultimately become the mother of Jesus.

But the reason that the Roman Catholic Church holds to this is rationalism. Here is there syllagism: Jesus is the Holy Son of God. In order to be holy, He could not come from sin. The Holy Spirit, from whom He is begotten is Holy God. Therefore, His mother also had to be Holy, or Jesus would not be Holy. That’s how rationalism works. It makes sense. By the way, because the Roman Catholics believe that Mary is holy, the doctrine of the Assumption fits, because a holy person cannot die. Therefore she was assumed into heaven instead of dying. Of course, there is nothing in the Scripture about this. Actually, there is the opposite.

The Confessions of our Church answer it this way: Original sin is not a part of our original nature. God did not create us with sin. Once sin occurred, we were all sinners, losing the image of God. That’s called original sin. But our confessions speak of it as being an accident, in the sense that it is not a part of our creation. So God, in His infinite wisdom, chooses Mary to be the Mother of Jesus without transferring original sin to her. It’s ultimately a mystery of faith. Anytime one attempts to explain a mystery, error is close at hand.

We maintain that Mary was a sinner. This comes directly from Scripture. For Instance:

Mark 3:19–21 ESV

and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. Then he went home, and the crowd gathered again, so that they could not even eat. And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.”

Mary was a part of that family.

There are other passages as well. Not to belabor this in the sermon.

Second- the Doctrine of Semper Virgo

Another teaching that takes place is that Mary was a perpetual virgin. Two issues come up here that have to be touched upon. First, there are several times that the Scriptures make reference to Jesus’ brothers and sisters. Some explain this by saying that they’re cousins, or that Joseph had other children before he married Mary and his first wife died. But we take this at face value. If these were cousins, a different Greek word most likely would have been used here. Adelphos means brother, not cousin. So, if this is the case, Mary could not have been perpetually a virgin.

Second, this employs the heresy of the gnostics that saw sexual relations as something evil. So there are those that hold that somehow not being a virgin after Jesus was born, would be sinful. But this despises God’s good gift of sexuality.

Third, one must understand Hebrew culture. A marriage did not take place until the consummation. Without the consummation of a marriage, Mary and Joseph would not be married in the eyes of the Lord, according to Jewish theology.

We could go on about the errors that people believe, but that is not the intent of this.

Simply stated, Lutherans— with good, Biblical reason— believe that Mary had original sin and was a sinner, that Mary was not perpetually a virgin, that Mary and Joseph had other children, and yet, God picked her. And God blessed her. There is the Gospel.

It’s all about Jesus

Getting back to the main point. Paul, in Galatians puts this in the right pespective:

Galatians 4:4–7 ESV

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

Every time a Hebrew woman gave birth to a male, she would exclaim, “I have born Messiah.” It’s an echo of what Eve said as she bore Cain. Throughout history- from Adam and Eve, through the Prophets, during the times of the Judges, and then the Kings, Israel was waiting for Messiah. Some gave up waiting and went their own way, joining with the Baalamites or others. But God’s promise never died. And at the very right time, God sends forth His Son.

There is the point of today’s sermon. It’s John 3:16 language. God does this out of His love, not just for Mary, but for you and me. He sends His only begotten Son to save us from sin, death and hell.

The rest of the verse simply enhances this. Jesus was born of a woman

Mary. The one highly favored of God. And she says “yes.” She does so without a thought. Like, “what will Joseph think?” Or, I’m only 16 years old, how will I raise a child?” Or???? “Let it be to me as you have said.” Beloved, there is the faith that we pray we have.

When the Lord tells us to trust Him, even thought the world is falling down around us, we do, because in faith we say to Him, “Let it be to me as you have said.”

When our senses tell us that our loved ones, who have died, are forever gone, and yet God promises to raise them from the dead, “Let it be to me as you have said.”

Faith is unquestioned trust, action, and obedience, just like Mary said.

We can do this because Jesus was fully man. Under the law. That meant the law stood for Him. He could not break it by thought, word or deed, by doing something bad or leaving good undone. He keeps it perfectly.

To redeem us, under the law, He Himself submitted to it, kept it perfectly in our stead, and called us righteous.

As His beloved ones made Holy we now become God’s own child- I gladly say it— I am baptized into Christ. Adopted as His sons and daughters.

Mary said yes.

And Jesus says an even bigger YES. He is God’s Yes and Amen.

So, Mary is really no problem afterall. Because its all about Jesus.

Amen