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Mary Jones and Her Bible

2007-04-15

PRODUCTION #: 1037

SPEAKER: Shawn Boonstra

You know, the Bible really is a remarkable book. It has outlived all of its critics, survived centuries of prohibition and has changed countless lives for the better. It has a power that no other book has. This book has made thieves honest. It has made cheaters faithful and drunkards sober. It has transformed warring savages into upright and peace-loving people.

No wonder the Bible continues to be the best seller of all time. Chances are you have a copy in your home, and you might just have a little girl who lived more than 200 years ago to thank for it.

Just imagine. Before 1907, nobody had ever vacuumed a carpet, because the vacuum cleaner hadn't been invented. Before 1914, nobody had ever run a red light, because there was no such thing. Before 1914, nobody had ever snagged a zipper. Before 1920, nobody had come up with a "Band-Aid solution" to a problem, because there was no such thing as a Band-Aid.

Before 1921, nobody had ever been subjected to a lie detector test. In 1928, the black and white picture tube was invented, and the first color tube appeared on a lab bench as far back as 1940.

Before 1941, nobody had ever used an aerosol can. Before 1953, nobody had ever received a kidney transplant. Non-stick cooking first appeared in kitchens in 1954. And nobody ever dreamed of laser eye surgery before 1962.

The 1970s brought us floppy disks, laser printers, test-tube babies and VHS players.

The 1980s brought us cell phones, computer animation, space shuttles, soymilk and GPS systems.

The 1990s introduced us to the World Wide Web, gene mapping, anti-matter and cloning.

You know, the twentieth century was a whirlwind of scientific discovery. Technologically speaking, it may go down as the most significant period of earth's history. The face of human existence was radically altered at a breakneck pace. It was so revolutionary, in fact, that some Bible scholars see it as a fulfillment of Bible prophecy.

Let me show you what I mean. Daniel the prophet lived more than 2,400 years ago. He was a young aristocratic Jew who had been taken captive by the Babylonians. He lived in the court of the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar, as one of his special trainee captives. During his lifetime as a royal prisoner, God repeatedly gave him visions of the future of our planet.

Now, these visions gave the world's history from Daniel's day right down to the close of time. They were literally a detailed time line between Daniel's day and the day Jesus comes back.

To date, not one detail in any of Daniel's prophecies has been wrong, and since most of what he predicted has already happened, millions of people have come to trust what Daniel says about the future, too.

But what does the book of Daniel have to do with the inventions of the twentieth century? Some people think an awful lot. There is an interesting verse near the end of the book of Daniel that has arrested a lot of attention from Bible scholars in recent years. Here is what it says in Daniel, chapter 12 and verse four: (Daniel 12:4)

"But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book even to the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased."

The Book of Daniel plainly predicts that just before the end of time, there will be a dramatic increase in knowledge. Now, some Bible students believe that this is a reference to the sensational explosion of technology over the last 100 years or so. Now, I won't dispute it entirely. It may indirectly refer to that. But I don't believe that is really what God has in mind.

Let me explain. If you read the book of Daniel closely, you will find that all through it, and in the ninth chapter in particular, there is an intense desire on Daniel's part to understand the things he is seeing and hearing. Then at the end of the book, the angel tells Daniel to shut up the words and seal the book.

In other words, it wasn't time to understand everything yet. There would come a time at the end of the world, near the very close of history, when knowledge would be increased. But in Daniel's day, the prophecies were sealed.

Is it possible that the angel was referring to technology and science? I suppose it is. But I believe that the angel was primarily referring to a time, in the future, when there would be a dramatic increase in Bible knowledge.

He was referring to a time in the future when the prophecies of Daniel would be understood, because most of what had been prophesied would have already happened. You see, Bible prophecy is not so much about understanding every detail about the future as it is about understanding that God has always been at work in history.

Bible prophecy is meant to build our faith as we look back and see its fulfillment through history. Jesus taught this principle when He said in John 14:29:

"And now I have told you before it come to pass, that when it is come to pass, you might believe."

In other words, hindsight is 20/20. Now, Bible prophecy does tell us about what is going to happen in the future, but our clearest understanding comes after it has been fulfilled. The angel told Daniel there was a time coming, down at the end of history, when Bible knowledge would increase at an explosive rate. Then the prophecies would finally be understood in all their fullness.

I believe that the prophecy of Daniel 12, verse four is being fulfilled in our day and age. Bible knowledge and the study of Bible prophecy has grown exponentially. And while few people realize it, we might just have a little girl to thank for it, at least in part.

Throughout the period of history known as the Dark Ages, which lasted for more than 1,200 years, few people had access to a Bible. Even if they could get their hands on one, it would have done them little good, because very few people could actually read. That's why I think "The Dark Ages" is such a good name for this time period. People were literally in the dark when it came to what this important Book said.

But then something happened. The Dark Ages did not last forever, because the hands of God's great prophetic clock were steadily ticking their way toward the "time of the end," when knowledge would be dramatically increased.

The next period of history after the Dark Ages has come to be known by some historians as the Great Awakening. There was a large collection of independent movements around the world that began to promote Bible study and missionary work. The gospel was carried to the whole world in much the way that it was back in the days of the early disciples.

It was the beginning of the time of the end. Jesus said in Matthew 24, verse 14 that "this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come."

Beginning in the early 1800s, the light of God's Word literally swept across the face of the globe like a wildfire, and one topic that was of particular interest to a lot of Bible students was Bible prophecy. The time had come to understand what Daniel wrote.

But in order for people to understand Daniel and the rest of the Bible, they had to have a Bible in their hands. Now, very few people actually did. In fact, at the close of the Dark Ages, the Bible was only available in a total of 67 out of an estimated 7,000 world languages.

In other words, it was only available to less than one percent of the language groups on earth. And to make matters even worse, even if the Bible was available in your language, chances were that it was simply too expensive to buy one for yourself.

That was all about to change, and God used a faithful little girl born in the Welsh countryside in 1784 to make the scriptures available to the whole world. Her name was Mary, and more than anything in the world, she wanted to learn how to read. Why? Well, she wanted to read so that she could read the Bible for herself. Like most other people, she only had access to the Bible when she heard it read at church.

But she wanted more. She wanted to read it for herself, and there was no school nearby to teach her how to read.

Finally, when Mary was about 10 years old, her father came home one night with a big smile on his face. "Mary," he said, "a school has opened about an hour from here, and you can start attending next week, if you'd like to." Well, it was an answer to prayer. Mary wanted to read so badly that she didn't mind walking an hour to school, and she quickly rose to the top of her class.

But, learning to read was only half of Mary's dream. She still didn't have a Bible of her own. A kind neighbor with a Bible in the Welsh language allowed her to come over every weekend and spend some time reading their copy. She lived two miles from Mary's house.

So every weekend Mary went, and as she read the Bible, she was amazed by the stories of Jesus. Now, she had heard some of them in church or at prayer meetings, but how much better to be able to read it for yourself! The Bible came alive for her, and soon the weekend visits just weren't enough.

In fact, every hour she spent in her neighbor's house studying the Bible only fueled the fire in little Mary's heart to own a Bible of her own, a Bible in the Welsh language. So even though Bibles were prohibitively expensive, she started to save her pennies.

She did odd jobs around the village for meager amounts of money, a penny here and a penny there. She took in sewing, she raised chickens, she sold eggs, and she gathered firewood. She helped local mothers with their chores and watched over their children. There was almost no job so small that Mary wouldn't do it in order to save a little money for her Bible.

You know, for six long years, Mary saved her pennies, and it wasn't easy. At one point, her father became so ill that he couldn't work anymore. So some of Mary's Bible money had to go to feed the family. Owning a Bible seemed like the impossible dream. But after six years, she finally had enough money for a Bible of her own.

But that only introduced a new problem. Where could she get a Bible in the Welsh language? Nobody in her village had one for sale. In fact, hardly anybody had one at all. Welsh Bibles were exceptionally scarce.

Then Mary noticed that her new schoolteacher had one. She asked him where he got it, and he told her that there was a minister by the name of Thomas Charles in the village of Bala, 25 miles away, who had Welsh Bibles for sale.

Well, you can only begin to imagine Mary's excitement. Even though she wasn't quite 16 years old, she set out on foot and walked all day, over very rough terrain, to get her Bible. It was a trip that would be immortalized in history, and at least in part, I believe it was also a fulfillment of Bible prophecy.

When Mary got to Bala late in the evening, she knocked on the door of a local minister, who took her in for the night. In the morning, he took her to see Pastor Charles, who lived nearby.

Thomas Charles welcomed Mary and listened patiently as she told her story. She said, "I love the Bible; I've loved it ever since I was a little girl and I heard it being read at a meeting when I went with my father and mother. Then the school opened, when I was 10, and I learned to read. And now I want a Bible of my very own."

Pastor Charles could hardly believe his ears. "Are you saying you came 25 miles on foot to buy a Bible?" he asked.

"Yes, and I have the money here to pay for it."

"Young lady, how in the world did you get the money for a Bible" I thought you said your parents were weavers, and I don't suppose they're very rich."

"Oh, I have worked and saved for six years, sir. I did mending for neighbors. I raised chickens and gathered firewood. And now I finally have enough."

The money jingled softly in the little purse clutched tightly in her hands. Thomas Charles looked over at the other pastor and said, "Mr. Edwards, isn't this sad? To see a young girl, so brave, so intelligent and so consistent a Christian, coming all this long 25 miles for a Bible, and I have none to spare, not even one. And there is no hope of getting one, either, because the Religious Tract Society has refused to print any more for Wales!"

"Do you mean to say that you don't even have one for this poor girl," the pastor asked.

"No, not even one," he said. "There are two or three Bibles here that have already been promised to other people, and I have nothing left."

Those words fell like hammer blows on Mary's ears. She was devastated. She literally started to weep uncontrollably, because she would be going home without a Bible after so many years of waiting. The chair shook under her sobs.

Thomas Charles was suddenly moved with compassion. He got up out of his chair and laid his hand on Mary's head. "Mary," he said, "You will have a Bible. One of these Bibles is going to a man who can also read English, so I'll give you his."

He went to the bookcase and got a Welsh Bible, and an excited teenage girl walked 25 miles home that day, reading her very own Bible.

After she left, Pastor Charles started to dream a little. Mary's story so deeply touched him that he went to a meeting of the Religious Tract Society in 1802, and he told them what had happened. When he was finished, he asked the members to consider forming a new society dedicated to printing and distributing Bibles in the Welsh language.

Well, they liked the idea. A Baptist minister by the name of Joseph Hughes was so touched by Mary's story that he stood up and he said, "Mr. Charles, your appeal was very moving. The story of that young girl is heart-rending and her story is the story of the whole world. Surely a Society could be formed for the purpose. But if we start one for Wales, then why not start one for Great Britain? And if for Great Britain, why not for the whole world?"

That December day, the British and Foreign Bible Society was born. It held its first meeting on March 7, 1804, and 700 British pounds were raised to begin the printing and distribution of Bibles all over the world.

In God's version of history, it was a profound moment. The Great Awakening had its catalyst, and the way was opened for millions of Christians to understand the wonderful prophecies of the Bible. The moment had come for knowledge to increase. A little girl with unshakable faith paved the way for the whole world to read what Daniel wrote.

Now remember, when Mary made her famous walk to Bala in 1800, the Bible was only available in 67 languages. By the year 1900, it was available in 524 languages, and the British and Foreign Bible Society had distributed almost 204 million copies. Today, thanks to the diligent work of affiliated Bible societies around the world, you can find the Bible in more than 2,200 languages.

Now, Mary would have never dreamed that she would play such an important role in God's plans for planet earth. She was just a simple country girl that God used to put the Bible into the hands of literally millions of people. Thanks to her, countless thousands of people will be in heaven, maybe even including you.

The very first foreign language Bible that the new Society printed was from my home country of Canada. It was in the Mohawk language, translated by Mohawk scholars on the Six Nations reserve in Southern Ontario.

During the American revolutionary war, Chief Joseph Brant (as he was known to the British Empire), took the side of the loyalists who ended up living in Canada. When the war was over, the Mohawks had lost everything, including their homes.

Governor General Frederick Haldimand of Canada granted Joseph Brant and the Mohawks a 675,000-acre tract of land near modern day Brantford, Ontario. Joseph Brant, at the request of King George III, built a church in 1785, which to this day is still the oldest Protestant church in Canada and the only royal chapel outside of Britain. When it was built, Chief Brant decided that the most important thing he could do for his people was to provide the Bible in their own language. He translated the gospel of Mark into Mohawk.

In later years, the Bible Society in Britain recognized the need for more of the Bible to be distributed among the Mohawks, and so chief John Norton, which was his English name, was asked to translate the gospel of John. That translation, completed in 1804, became the first foreign language Bible the Society ever published.

Enthusiasm for distributing Bibles quickly spread from the Six Nations Reserve all across North America, and by 1807, local Bible societies began to appear everywhere. Many years later, in 1904, a loose collection of Bible societies united to form the Canadian and American Bible Societies, which are still with us to this day. Additional Bible societies were formed all over the world.

Chances are that you have a Bible in your home that was printed by a Bible society. I have several, and if you have some, you have a little girl in Wales to thank. She had such a love for God's Word that she dedicated her every waking moment to securing a Bible for herself.

Now, if God could use a humble country girl to start the fulfillment of a 2,500-year-old prophecy, I wonder what He might be waiting to do with you. The work of spreading the message of God's book is not finished yet. We're almost there, but not quite.

God is waiting for more people like Mary to step out in simple faith and devote themselves to Him. He is waiting for you. Just imagine what could happen.

Maybe today, you have never read or studied the Bible. Maybe you haven't been studying it like you should. Maybe you have never had a chance to see what a little Welsh girl found in this book more than 200 years ago. Don't you think it's time to find out what God has planned for your life?

Mary discovered that she just couldn't say "no" to someone like Jesus. I wonder, what would happen if you were to open that same book and open your heart to Jesus today?

Why don't we pray together?

PRAYER:
Father in heaven, today we've been touched by the story of a little girl. A little girl You used to bring good news to a dying world. Today we want to meet the same Jesus she met in the Bible, and we want you to work in our lives like You worked in hers. We sense that Jesus is coming soon, and we want to be a part of Your plans. Take our lives, just as they are. Forgive our sins and use us, we pray, to reach a lost world for Jesus. We pray these things in Jesus' name, amen.

Scriptures Used in “Mary Jones and Her Bible”

"But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase."
—Daniel 12:4 NKJV

"And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe."
—John 14:29 NKJV