“Thoughts become perception; perception becomes reality. Alter your thoughts, alter your reality.” William James
A man from Colorado went to northern Minnesota one fall to go deer hunting with some friends. The Midwestern hunters who hosted him planned to “drive the woods” the afternoon of opening day of the season. They instructed their friend to walk down the road until he reached the ridge, and then stand on it in order to get a shot at any deer running out of the woods. After giving him a head start, they fanned out in a straight line and began walking slowly through the woods in his direction.
When they finally emerged from the woods, however, they were surprised to find that no one was standing on the ridge. In fact, the Colorado hunter was nowhere to be seen. Finally, they drove down the road looking for him. Eventually they found him several miles away, still walking, still looking for the ridge. Because for a man who lived in the Rockies, the hump of earth pushed up on the far edge of the open field just beyond the woods simply didn’t qualify in his mind as a “ridge.” But in northern Minnesota, which tends to be flat, a ridge is nearly anything that’s not flat. The Minnesota hunters called it a “ridge.” For them, it was the only ridge around. But for the hunter from the Rockies, it was barely a hill. In fact, if he’d walked a mile or so further, he’d have crossed the border into Canada.
Perception isn’t reality. No matter how complete and grounded your opinion or experience feels, there frequently is more to the story. Only God’s perception is the full reality.
Perception is an intriguing topic. It’s almost an art form — the imbalance of who a person is and who we believe they are. There’s an element of judgement placed on existence. We can’t see things for what they actually are, because the debate will always be: Who are they? What are they really like? What’s the truth and reality? Each person will believe their opinion is correct because it’s what they see, or at least they choose to see.
If anyone has been misperceived, it’s Mary the mother of Jesus. She’s rarely mentioned in the Bible. For one who had such a significant role in Jesus’ life, she’s mentioned less than 20 times. Another Mary, Mary Magdalene who had a very small role in the gospel accounts, is mentioned 13 times. And unlike Peter, there’s no heavenly lightning around Mary’s life. As Jesus’ mother, she walks quietly and courageously in God’s plan.
We’re beginning a new sermon series. Mary, He Called Her Mother. Yet, if anyone has been misunderstood in the Bible, it’s Mary. Many have made her greater than who she actually was and what Scripture tells us about her. Others have virtually neglected her.
Mary was a human being, just like us. She didn’t have a halo. She was just an ordinary person who was chosen by God for the greatest mission – to the be the mother of God’s Son, Jesus.
Sadly, what most know about her, even faithful church attendees, ends with the Christmas narrative. Yet, the Bible follows her life all the way potentially into her sixties. She was still alive and active after Jesus’ death and resurrection. She joined early Christ-followers after His ascension.
Mary stands out among the New Testament figures as the one person who knew the most about Jesus. She knew Him as she carried Jesus in her womb through His boyhood. She understood Jesus’ humanity more thoroughly than anyone else. Yet the mosaic of Mary that emerges from the New Testament is a portrait made up of small fragments. If we want to learn about Mary, we must dig deeper in the biblical record, looking closer.
For the next several weeks, follow along with us as we journey through the life of Mary into those early chapters in the Book of Acts. Here though are some common misconceptions about her.
We don’t know that Mary was physically attractive. All the nativity scenes have a beautiful young mother with a gentle face and a slight smile. There is nothing in the Bible about her physical appearance. We do know she was Jewish and probably had dark skin, darker than found in the nativity scenes. The only ones with dark skin in most of those nativity scenes are the Magi.
While she probably had long hair as was the custom of her day, her clothes were very simple. Scripture tells us that Mary and Joseph were poor. When they dedicated Jesus according to the Mosaic Law, they had to offer the sacrifice of the poor of two doves or pigeons (Luke 2:24).
The night of the Savior’s birth, she no doubt looked travel worn and exhausted. She and Joseph had just traveled three days on foot or possibly with a donkey to arrive in Bethlehem, camping out under the stars along the way. And nearly as soon as they arrive, she goes into labor and has her child in a stable. How do most of us look after several days of travel? Then, how does a new mother look after having gone through intense labor?
The Bible, unlike us, never puts a high value on being physically attractive. When Proverbs 31 culminates its description of the woman that God highly values, it says: “Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”
While Mary trusted God and His Word, she was often out of tune with Jesus’ purpose. The Bible narrative is clear that she sometimes didn’t know what God was doing. Sometimes she was at the point of exasperation or potentially irritation with Jesus’ mission. Like most mothers, she wanted her Son to step in and handle things a certain way. But Jesus had a greater purpose, His Father’s. He wasn’t following His mother’s plan or on her timetable. Sometimes He confused her. It appears in His adult life that at least once she opposed Him, trying to divert Him from His mission.
We do know that Mary was a sinner in need of a Savior just like us. While Mary was a godly woman, she was still a sinner. Jesus is the only human without sin. Jesus “had no sin” (2 Corinthians 5:21) and “in Him is no sin” (1 John 3:5). That was never said of Mary. That’s because Jesus Christ is fully human and fully God (John 1:1). He’s the God-Man.
As an ordinary person in the human race, born into the world the ordinary way, Mary was a sinner like us. Romans 3:23 teaches that all have sinned. Nothing in the Bible suggests Mary was an exception. Instead, the Bible shows that she was a normal person with the normal need of salvation. In her praise-filled prayer she says, “My spirit rejoices in God my Savior” (Luke 1:47). If Mary were sinless, she would not have needed a Savior.
Over the next several weeks we’ll be looking at what the Bible tells about Mary, not our perceptions or traditions. I hope you’ll join us as we learn about the one that our Savior called “Mom.”