Resumen
Mary responded to her personal calling by keeping the rhema, the specific word God gave her for each situation, and pondering it in her heart until the understanding came. In this Grace 2023 Conference session, Patti Cullen traces Mary from the first prophecy of the promised seed in Genesis 3:15, through Gabriel’s greeting in Luke 1 where the words highly favoured are the same Greek grace word used of us in Ephesians 1:6, on to the shepherds, Simeon in the temple, the Passover journey at twelve, Cana, Mark 3, the cross and the upper room in Acts 1. The sword of the Spirit is that same rhema, and what God did for Mary he does for us today.
Transcripción
Who Mary Really Was: Beyond Mariology and the Hail Mary Pass
God bless you. Grace, Mary responding to her personal calling. Rhema word triumphs over sorrow.
Let’s begin in Genesis 3, Genesis chapter 3. Over the centuries, Mary, the mother of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, has been maligned by the world. On one extreme, she’s been exalted and worshipped as a type of mythical goddess. A doctrine has been formed to this end entitled Mariology.
On the other extreme, she’s been belittled as insignificant, as evidenced by the American football term, the Hail Mary Pass. A phrase that denotes desperation and futility. But God’s viewpoint is the viewpoint we care about.
Genesis 3:15, the Promised Seed, and Who the Woman Was
What does God think of Mary, the mother of his son? And we have to begin in Genesis 3 to set the framework. Verse 14, And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle and above every beast of the field. Upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life.
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, that woman you think you tricked, you did trick, between thee and the woman and between thy seed and her seed. It shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. This is the first great prophecy of the coming of the promised seed, the Messiah.
The promise was recorded in the stars, spoken and passed down from generation to generation until finally it was written by Moses here in the book of Genesis. From there, the promised seed became the subject of the entire written word of God. The seed of the woman.
Who is that woman? It wasn’t Eve, but Mary of Nazareth, to be born approximately 4,000 years later.
God Called Mary of Nazareth from a Humble Village
So now we go to the gospel of Luke. Luke chapter 1. Nazareth. God called Mary of Nazareth, a remote country village in Galilee. Mary was not born in a city, nor did she live in a palace. She was raised in a humble, we’d say middle-class believing family, and was taught to look for the coming of the promised seed, the Messiah.
Gabriel’s Greeting in Luke 1: Hail, Highly Favoured
Luke 1 verse 26. And in the sixth month, that’s the sixth month of Mary’s cousin Elizabeth’s pregnancy with John the Baptist, the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her and said, Hail, highly favoured. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women.
The two words highly favoured are actually one Greek word in the text. And it’s only used two times in the whole Bible. Here and the next time, keep your finger here. And then the second time is in Ephesians chapter 1.
Highly Favoured and Accepted in the Beloved: The Grace Word We Share with Mary
Turn there real quick. Ephesians chapter 1, the opening verses tell us how God has known us from before the foundation of the world and has called us. Verse 6, Ephesians 1:6. To the praise of the glory of his grace, that’s not our word, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
Made accepted is the same Greek word related to the word grace as we have in highly favoured in Luke chapter 1. Immediately, we know we have a connection with Mary. God called Mary not only to give birth to his son, but to raise Jesus to know and love his father. God also has called us today to know him and to love him.
Mary’s One Question and the Angel’s Answer
Back to Luke 1. Verse 29, And Mary, when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Fear not, Mary, put the fears aside, for thou hast found favour with God. He’s pouring on that grace. You’re highly favoured and you found favour.
And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great and shall be called the son of the highest. And the Lord shall give unto him the throne of his father David. And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever. And of his kingdom, there shall be no end.
Then Mary said unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? That is a good question. Mary had one question and it’s a good one. She was committed to marry Joseph, but they had not had their wedding ceremony and they were not living together. They had not come together as husband and wife.
This is a good question. Here she’s thinking, How am I supposed to conceive? Doesn’t it take a man and a woman? One question. I would have had many more, but she had one.
So the angel puts this fear to what? It’s not even a fear. It’s a question. He puts an answer to her right away. Verse 35. And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the highest shall overshadow thee. Therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the son of God. And behold, thy cousin Elizabeth, she also hath conceived a son in her old age. And this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For with God, nothing shall be impossible.
What Rhema Means: God’s Specific Word for a Specific Situation
Or literally, no word of God is void of power. Not anything spoken by God is void of power. That word nothing is the Greek word rhema. R-H long E-M-A.
And Mary’s response is in verse 38. Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her. Look at her immediate response to that one question. Okay, God, I’m good to go. No hesitation. God’s grace will cover whatever else comes up. We are ready to go.
And that be unto me according to thy word. That is our word rhema again. You see, the word of God, the whole word of God is the logos. A portion of that word of God, a small part of it is known as the rhema in the word. They’re both the word of God. For example, if logos is a paragraph, rhema is a sentence within the paragraph. If logos is a sentence, rhema is a word within that paragraph. They’re both the word of God. And rhema here is the specific word of God given for a specific situation. And guess what? Rhema is used nine times in these first two chapters of Luke. So this is exciting. Wow.
Joseph Responded to Rhema Words Without a Single Question
More of God’s grace was showered on Mary and the person of her husband, Joseph. Joseph was of the same heart as Mary. When he learned after the wedding that his bride was already pregnant, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in Matthew one and spoke rhema words to him. What he needed to make his decision and meet the need. Joseph responded immediately to join Mary in the calling to raise and nurture God’s only begotten son. He asked no questions. He didn’t even have one.
Then remember, over a year after the birth of Jesus, after the magi had come to see them, after the visit, God sent another angel to Joseph, woke him up and said, get your wife and your stepson out of here. Go to Egypt. No questions up. He did it. That’s our Joseph.
And in fact, there are two more times that God directly guided Joseph to take their little family and end up finally settling in Nazareth. Joseph was the perfect husband for Mary to be the stepfather of our Lord and Savior.
The Shepherds’ Rhema and Mary Pondering It in Her Heart
Now we’re back to Luke, but this time we’re in chapter two. Finally, the day arrives for the birth of the promised seed, his first coming. It would appear that Joseph, Mary and Jesus were all alone in Bethlehem for this world changing event. Not so. God sent some shepherds to join them and bring them another message.
Luke two, verse 16. And they, the shepherds, came with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying, the rhema, which was told them concerning this child. The word saying is the rhema, the specific word of God concerning this child. They told everybody and that included Joseph and Mary.
And here in verse 18, all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. They were wondering about this rhema word. But what do we see about Mary? Verse 19. And here lies a major key to Mary’s consistent response to the word of God. Verse 19. But while other people are wondering, here’s what Mary did. But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.
The word kept means to keep closely together mentally. It means to preserve. Like women, you know how you’d make preserves out of the fruit. It means to preserve and it means to remember. She kept these things. What things? The word things, rhema. She kept the specific word that she had been told by Gabriel, that she had been told by the shepherds. She kept them and pondered them in her heart. She rolled them over and over in her mind and hung on to them. She protected that word of God.
Simeon’s Rhema Words to Prepare Mary
About a month later, the parents take Jesus to the temple. Jump down to verse 25. And they meet a wonderful believer, an elderly man, Simeon. Verse 25. And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. The same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel. He’s waiting for the promised seed. He’s a believer. And the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death until he had seen the Lord’s Christ. Wow, what a great thing to be told by God.
And he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him after the law, then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace according to thy rhema. That was the specific word spoken to Simeon. And here it was coming to pass. For mine eyes have seen thy salvation.
Verse 33. And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him, of Jesus. And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel, and for a sign which shall be spoken against. Yea, a sword shall pierce through thine own soul also, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.
Simeon spoke rhema words to Joseph and Mary, but particularly and specifically to Mary, to prepare her and encourage her in the years ahead to continue in the grace of God.
Lost in Jerusalem: Caravans, Three Days, and My Father’s House
Now, we jump ahead 12 years and probably several children later for Joseph and Mary. Jesus is not an only child. Joseph and Mary had some children too. And in verse 41, we’re going to Jerusalem for Passover. Now, his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. And when he was 12 years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast. And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem, and Joseph and his mother knew not of it. But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day’s journey, and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance. And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him.
So you ask yourself, how did his parents not know he was missing for a whole day? Well, actually, when you know the way they traveled in their caravans in Bible times, it’s very understandable and it gets them off the hook. When they would come in on their caravans, several families would travel together, especially at a time like this, the Passover, and all these families coming from Galilee down to Jerusalem for the event. So they travel together in families, big caravan, but they didn’t walk along the road in family units.
They walked, they traveled and walked on the road by gender and age. In other words, all the men, all the adult men were in the front, and the oldest men were in the very front. Behind them were the adult women, with the adult women in the very front. Behind them, the boys, same way in age, and behind them, the girls, according to age. And they only stopped and to get together in family units to camp at night and to have supper. So they assumed he was back there with everybody. He’s 12 years old. He’s, you know, that’s a grown up in those in biblical times. A lot of responsibility and they didn’t realize it.
But what is of a concern is what happens next. So they go back to Jerusalem, seeking him. Verse 46, and it came to pass that after three days, they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them and asking them questions. And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers. And when they, when his parents saw him, they were amazed. And his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? Behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing.
That word sorrowing is literally painfully tormented. They were distraught. And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? Wist ye not that I must be about my father’s business? Or more accurately, didn’t you know that I would must be in my father’s house? And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them.
He’s right. They should have gone to the temple first. They’re going three days around Jerusalem, looking everywhere when they should have gone straight to that temple and they would have found him. And he lovingly told them, didn’t you know? Of course, you knew, you knew you raised me to know who I am. I know who my father is. I’m in his house.
The Second Time Mary Kept All These Sayings in Her Heart
And they understood not the saying, the rhema that he spoke unto them. And verse 52, for the second time, well, not quite yet. And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them. Now we have for the second time. But is the word. And his mother kept all these sayings, rhema, in her heart.
This is the second time this is spoken of Mary in one chapter of the Bible. It testifies and establishes Mary’s character. Even though she did not initially understand, she kept those words of her son in her heart, pondering them, going over until the understanding came.
That reminds me of a verse in Timothy. Consider what I say. And the Lord give thee understanding in all things. Just keep that word specifically in our hearts and minds as Mary did.
The Wedding at Cana: Mary Instrumental to Her Son’s Ministry
This doesn’t mean Mary never fell short again. But it does mean that God’s grace upon her brought her through each and every obstacle. Let’s consider a few examples.
In John chapter two is the record of the first miracle by Jesus. The turning of water into wine at the wedding in Cana. This occurred at the very beginning of Jesus’s ministry. He called out a handful of disciples. And Jesus, his mother and his disciples were all invited to the wedding. Mary learned they had run out of wine. So she went right to her son and told the servants to do whatever Jesus said. Mary believed in her son to meet that need. And guess what? He did.
But it wasn’t just the need of the wine. Yeah, they had the best wine. All the attendants at the wedding had the best wine at the end of the party. But that’s not all that happened. The last verse in that record ends with, and his disciples believed on him. So he was calling out disciples. But they didn’t all necessarily think he was the Christ. This miracle made them know this is the guy. This is the man. Mary was instrumental to her son’s ministry.
Mark 3: When His Family Went Out to Lay Hold on Him
Here’s another one we’ll look at a little different. We turn to Mark 3. And in Mark 3, this is about three months later. And Jesus’s ministry is really moving. It’s heating up. And then verse 20 will start. And the multitude cometh together again so that they, Jesus and his disciples, could not so much as eat bread. So many people, so many people to serve, so many needs to meet. They were busy with these multitudes.
In verse 21, And when his friends, bad translation, should be kinsmen or family, when his family heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him. For they said, he is beside himself. They went out to seize Jesus. They said, he’s nuts. He’s lost his mind. They were going to run an intervention or perhaps a deprogramming. But they were going to take him by force.
Jump down to verse 31. It tells us specifically who these family members were. There came then his brethren, his brothers, and his mother, and standing without, sent unto him, calling him. They wanted to get to get him. They wanted to get in there and get him, but they couldn’t get at him for all the people. So they called.
Verse 32, The multitude that sat about him and said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren without seek for thee. And he answered them, saying, Who is my mother or my brethren? And looked round about on them which sat about him and said, Behold, my mother and my brethren. For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.
John chapter 7 states that not even his brothers believed on him, his stepbrothers, that Joseph was their father. The word never states that of his mother, Mary. It never says she didn’t believe on him. She didn’t believe he was the Messiah. Perhaps Mary was deceived by her other sons. Perhaps, like with Joseph, her sons were moved by envy, but Mary was moved by concern for her son’s well-being. You know, things are heating up. John the Baptist had just been imprisoned. Jesus could be next. Perhaps she thought they were going out there and she was going to help him. But they, her brothers, had other things in mind.
I don’t know, but I do know this. This incident is recorded in three of the four gospels, but it’s one event. It’s not three different times. They didn’t keep coming to the meetings and trying to get him. They tried it once. Jesus shut it down. And you know who else shut it down? Mary. She recognized her mistake. She learned from it. And she put away her fears and stood by her son.
Mary at the Cross and With the Believers in Acts 1
You know how I know that? Next place we see Mary is at the cross. She kept her heart with all diligence and was with her son at his death. Her other sons were not there. His half-brothers were not there. So Jesus entrusted the care of his mother to a most trusted disciple who was beloved to him, who was there. The sorrow she must have felt at the cross was kept in check by the rhema she had preserved in her heart over the years.
Finally, we find Mary with the believers in the book of Acts. Acts chapter one. Let’s turn there. Acts chapter one, verse 12. Then returned they, and this is the 11 apostles minus Judas. Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day’s journey. Verse 14. These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus. And who else is there? And with his brethren. His brothers were there. I bet you Mary had been speaking some rhema word to them. Don’t you think?
After the resurrection and the ascension, they were together with the other believers awaiting the comforter on the day of Pentecost and awaiting the ultimate return of not her son and their half-brother, but of their personal Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus. They were believers.
The Sword of the Spirit Is the Rhema of God
Turn to Ephesians. We’ll see another rhema. Ephesians starts in the first section of Ephesians, telling us we’re seated at the right hand of God with Jesus Christ. The middle section of Ephesians, we’re encouraged to walk worthy of that tremendous calling. And here in Ephesians chapter six, we’re putting on the whole armour of God so we can stand in the evil day and withstand and not be fooled by the adversary.
Verse 13, Ephesians 6:13. Wherefore, take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand, therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness, and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit, which is the rhema of God.
The rhema of God, the sword of the spirit is the rhema for each and every situation we encounter. God’s grace will provide us with the specific word we need. And what do we accomplish with that sword? That’s Hebrews 4. Hebrews 4:12. For the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts. That’s also a bad translation. That should be emotions. It’s a discerner of the emotions and intentions of the heart.
This word of God here, the word for word in Hebrews 4 here is logos. Yeah, we got the entire logos at our fingertips. We can take God’s word. God’s word and God’s words will slice through any emotions or illogic and bring us peace and grace in every endeavor. What God did for Mary, he does for us today. God bless you.
Puntos Clave
- Rhema is the specific word of God given for a specific situation; logos is the whole word of God. If logos is a paragraph, rhema is a sentence within the paragraph, and rhema is used nine times in the first two chapters of Luke.
- The words highly favoured in Luke 1:28 are one Greek word used only twice in the Bible; the other place is Ephesians 1:6, where he hath made us accepted in the beloved, so the grace shown to Mary is the grace shown to us.
- Mary asked one question, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man, and then answered, Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it unto me according to thy word. Joseph asked none at all.
- Twice in Luke 2 Mary kept these things and pondered them in her heart: kept means to keep closely together mentally, to preserve and to remember, and she rolled them over and over in her mind and protected that word of God.
- When his family went out to lay hold on him in Mark 3, the word never says Mary stopped believing. She recognized her mistake, put away her fears and stood by her son at the cross, while his half-brothers were not there.
- The sword of the Spirit in Ephesians 6:17 is the rhema of God, the specific word for each and every situation we encounter, and God’s grace will provide us with the specific word we need.
Preguntas frecuentes
What does rhema mean in the Bible?
Rhema is the Greek word for the specific word of God given for a specific situation, as distinct from logos, the whole word of God. Patti Cullen puts it this way: if logos is a paragraph, rhema is a sentence within the paragraph; if logos is a sentence, rhema is a word within it. They are both the word of God. Rhema is used nine times in the first two chapters of Luke, and Ephesians 6:17 calls it the sword of the Spirit.
What does it mean that Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart?
The word kept means to keep closely together mentally, to preserve, the way you would make preserves out of fruit, and to remember. The things Mary kept are the rhema, the specific words she had been told by Gabriel and by the shepherds. She rolled them over and over in her mind, hung on to them and protected that word of God. Luke says this of her twice in the same chapter, which testifies and establishes Mary’s character.
Did Mary stop believing in Jesus when his family went out to lay hold on him in Mark 3?
The word never states that of Mary. John 7 says his brothers did not believe on him, but it never says his mother stopped believing he was the Messiah. Patti Cullen suggests Mary may have been deceived by her other sons, or moved by concern for her son’s well-being with John the Baptist newly imprisoned. The incident happened once, not three times, and Mary shut it down too: she recognized her mistake, put away her fears and stood by her son.
Referencias bíblicas
Genesis 3:14; Genesis 3:15; Luke 1:26; Luke 1:27; Luke 1:28; Ephesians 1:6; Luke 1:29-38; Matthew 1:20; Matthew 2:13; Luke 2:16-19; Luke 2:25-30; Luke 2:33-35; Luke 2:41-51; 2 Timothy 2:7; John 2:11; Mark 3:20; Mark 3:21; Mark 3:31-35; John 7:5; Acts 1:12; Acts 1:14; Ephesians 6:13-17; Hebrews 4:12
Este texto se elaboró a partir del audio de la enseñanza. Por favor, verifique las referencias bíblicas con su propia Biblia.
