Luke 2:22-38. The Importance of Jesus
Over the years there has been much debate as to which of Christmas, Easter or Whitsun was the most important Christian festival. There is no doubt that today Christmas wins the popular vote.
Certainly it is still a popular even if odd season for many today. People love the idea of families and they love a new born baby. He is so unthreatening. It seems to be a lovely story that God entered his world as a cuddly baby. Most celebrate Christmas without any thought of Jesus or his importance, theirs is a cultural Christmas.
Some whit asked, ‘What is left if you take Christ out of Christmas?” He answered his own question. “M and S”, shops and materialism.
It has been pointed out that neither Mark nor John mention the nativity of Jesus. However this passage in Luke shows that all of the life of Christ, from his birth, his death, his resurrection and his ascension are all integrated in their meaning.
Luke is a fastidious historian. He includes this remarkable story of two elderly people, significantly a man and a woman, who both recognised that baby Jesus was very special indeed. They were both full of expectation, they were both looking for the fulfilment of the Old Testament prophecies about God’s Messiah entering his world.
1. Luke stresses that the Holy Spirit is powerful
They knew that the baby Jesus, who must have looked the same as any other baby, was highly significant. Had they heard of his genealogy and his birthplace that are prophesied in their Scriptures? Luke does tell us that God was working in an extraordinary way at this time.
“He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him.. It had been revealed to him, by the Holy Spirit, that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Moved by the Spirit he went into the temple courts . . .” Luke 2:26-27
We are told that those featuring in this early story were filled with the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God:
John the Baptist – Luke 1:17
Mary, Jesus’ mother - Luke 1:35
Elizabeth, John the Baptist’s mother – Luke 1:41
Zechariah, John the Baptist’s father – Luke 1:67
Simeon, the elderly priest – Luke 2:25
Are we as clear about the Holy Spirit’s role today?
Let’s see what else Luke wants us all to know from these short accounts.
2. Luke stresses that the Old Testament is fulfilled in Jesus
These stories about Simeon and Anna should alert those people, who doubt the inspiration of Scripture, to think again. It is the Old Testament Scripture that prophesies in great detail the future birth of God’s Messiah, the man who would be God’s Chosen King. They were both waiting for these prophecies to be fulfilled.
Simeon – “He was waiting for the consolation of Israel.” Luke 2:25
Anna – “She gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.” Luke 2:38
Joseph and Mary were also deeply committed to living according to God’s law and Luke clearly wants his readers to know this by mentioning it five times:
“When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”), and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.” Luke 2:22-24
“When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth.” Luke 2:39
“When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom.” Luke 2:42
Luke is telling us that the Christian story is rooted in the Old Testament. He is telling us that God always fulfils his promises. There is no conflict between the Law of the Old Testament and the message of the New Testament.
All God’s people must live in obedience to what God has told us in his Word.
In 2018 the Bible Society reported a very disturbing survey of Christian Millennials, those born between 1981 and 1996. They found that 51 per cent of people claiming to be Christians only engage with the Bible a few times a year or less!
Are we all reading our Bible’s every day and meditating on what it says?
3. Luke stresses that Jesus stands in our place to fulfil the Law
“(as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”).” Luke 2:23
This raises a natural question, ‘Why should this apply to Jesus if he was already God’s Son?’ The New Testament teaches that Jesus was the second Adam. The Law of Moses and the prophets all point us to the Messiah. Paul later stresses this:
“But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law,” Galatians 4:4
4. Luke stresses that Jesus would bring salvation
Both Joseph and Mary, a virgin, were specifically told of the coming supernatural birth and that he was to be called Jesus, which has a special meaning, ‘The Lord saves’. This Saviour would become the world’s eternal king. Mary was told:
“You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” Luke 1:31-33
This is extraordinary. This child will be God’s king for eternity, for ever. The priest Zechariah, John the Baptist’s father, filled by the Holy Spirit, also recognised that his son would prepare the way for the Messiah who would come to save people:
“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago), salvation from our enemies . . . to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.’ Luke 1:68-75
This is not talking about a military victory over the Romans or other nations, this is about personal victory over fear, temptation and sin. John the Baptist will be the Lord’s prophet who will prepare people for the coming of the Messiah. The role of both John and the Messiah, who will follow him, will be to teach people about the salvation that the Messiah alone can give to people. The baby John was told,
“And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God.” Luke 1:75-78
This is the gospel in a nutshell. It is because of God’s grace for sinners that the Messiah came. People need to be taught about Jesus. We need to talk about Jesus. He is the only means of salvation as he alone is able to forgive our sin against God. This so much more than a political leader. The Christmas message is about salvation, about being put right with God and nothing less.
Jesus’ name leaves us in no doubt about what he had come to achieve; his name means ‘The Lord saves.”
Listen again to what this elderly priest, Simeon has to say about Jesus. This is widely called the Nunc Dimittis, which is Latin for ‘Now dismiss’.
Bishop J.C Ryle says this of Simeon and what he had to say:
“He speaks as one for whom death has lost its terrors and the world its charms.”
Can you feel the joy and confidence his statement exudes?
““Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.” Luke 2:29-32
Simeon knew from his knowledge of Scripture that the Messiah would bring eternal salvation to people. What confidence this knowledge should give all of us. Like Simeon, we should love to joyfully share this understanding with people around us.
The very old Anna also understood the reason this child had been sent into the world. She:
“ . . .spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem” Luke 2:38
Jerusalem here is shorthand for the Holy City of God’s chosen people and represents all of God’s people who would be redeemed or rescued from their sin because of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus.
5. Luke stresses that this salvation is for all people
Simeon’s understanding is remarkable:
“ . . . my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles.” Luke 2:30-32
This echoes what the angel said to the simple shepherds looking after the sheep near Bethlehem,
“I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” Luke 1:21
This is precisely what Isaiah said in his first ‘Servant Song’ about the coming Messiah,
“I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand, I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.” Isaiah 42:5-7
This is also what God said to Abraham:
“ . . . and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
This is exactly what Jesus said about God’s people, about you and me:
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations . . .” Matthew 28:19
The gospel has never changed,
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
This salvation is therefore for individuals from every national background, Arab, Jew, Hindu, atheist, nominal Christian – we all need to know Jesus personally, if we are to be put right with God and empowered to live for him.
Also reminds us that Christians have been chosen by our Lord to share this good news with others. Is this a priority for our lives? God knows.
6. Luke stresses that Jesus would cause the ‘falling and rising of many’
When the Christian message is explained, people react in different ways. Some love the story of forgiveness and purpose and are ‘lifted up’, but others reject the story and ‘fall away’ After blessing the baby Jesus, Simeon says to Mary,
“This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed.” Luke 2:34-35
It is how we think or react to Jesus that will affect our eternal destiny. If we are protected by the righteousness of Christ we will be lifted up to be with him but if we go on living without him, eventually, according to Jesus, we will fall away from all that the presence of God brings.
John reminds us of this fact at the beginning of his gospel; some Jews would reject Jesus but others would believe in him:
“He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” John 1:11-12
The prophet Isaiah was given the same warning about the effect the Messiah would have:
“He will be a stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and a snare. Many of them will stumble; they will fall and be broken,” Isaiah 8:14-15
Both Paul (Romans 8:33) and Peter (1 Peter 2:6-8 were later to apply this verse from Isaiah to reactions people have to the message of Jesus. Peter adds:
“They stumble because they disobey the message . . .” 1 Peter 2:8
Some Gentiles would be saved but some Jews would be lost.
No-one need wait for the final judgment to know how we stand in God’s eyes. Reflect on how you respond to Jesus. Do you trust him, love him, live for him and obey him? If so God has promised that you have salvation. If you reject him or are sitting on the fence you will be condemned.
Some of you may know the word Mugwump from the Harry Potter films about Dumbledore’s early days. It was noted that he was the Supreme Mugwump. Mugwumps were decided upon by an ancient creature called the Qilin. The Qilin could see into the purity of a person’s soul and see the future, so they would wander around potential candidates and bow at the person they felt was most worthy.
Originally the name Mugwump came from a native American tribal chief who was renounced for sitting on the fence about most things. He would agree with his tribal council whenever they met and he would agree with the US Cavalry officers whenever he met them. However some wit described a Mugwump as a person who sits on the fence with his ‘mug on one side and his ‘wump’ on the other.’ Such people are most uncomfortable when they fall off! The point however is not to be a ‘mugwump’ when it comes to Jesus.
7. Luke stresses that Jesus would be spoken against
Simeon adds,
“. . . and to be a sign that will be spoken against.” Luke 2:34
Not only will some people privately reject Jesus, there will be others who will vociferously speak against him and what he stands for. If you talk about Jesus someone will be upset. This shouldn’t surprise us as whenever Jesus spoke about his Father he was maligned and threatened. Whenever the apostles spoke about Jesus they were accused of causing social disorder and were persecuted, abused, imprisoned and even martyred.
8. Luke infers that Jesus’ death would be significant
Simeon does not say this specifically but adds:
“And a sword will pierce your own soul too.” Luke 2:35
These must have been worrying words to Mary. Thirty years later Mary was to stand before her crucified son, watching him die and have a spear pierce his side whilst the mob ridiculing him. Yet even this deep sorrow was to turn Mary and his followers to joy when on the third day they saw him resurrected.
The Christmas story is never complete without the story of Good Friday and Easter Sunday.
9. Luke stresses that our decision about Jesus will eventually be obvious to all
Simeon added,
““. . . so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed.” Luke 2:34
Some people think that their decision about Jesus is private. That must not be the case for Christians. We are Christians because we both believe in our hearts and confess with our lips. Paul stressed this:
“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” Romans 10:9-10
My wife arranged for a salesman of Cable Television to visit our home one Saturday morning. I was hard at work preparing for a mission and had my Bible and commentaries spread out on our small lounge table. He came and joined me and started to explain the benefits of cable television. But then, noticing the books, he said,
“I see that you are religious. Do you know that if you subscribe to cable television, you can have the God Channel for free.’
I managed to avoid telling what I thought of much of the God channel content but instead asked him,
“Are you interested in Christian things yourself?”
He answered,
“I would call myself a Christian but I think these things are private and personal!”
It appeared that he wasn’t happy to talk about the Christian faith so I tried a different tack,
“I can understand that, but I would guess that there is one problem with your approach.”
‘What’s that?” he naturally asked.
“Well it probably means that you don’t talk about it much with others to make sure you’ve understood it correctly.”
“That’s probably true,” he answered.
What an opportunity this offered.
“Would you mind if I briefly share a summary of what Jesus taught to make sure you have got it right?”
‘That would be interesting,’ came the reply.
For the next hour we had a great conversation about Jesus and the gospel and he took a copy of ‘Cure for Life’ away with him, promising to read it. There is a natural reticence to talk about Jesus.
The Christian message is very personal and therefore somewhat embarrassing. God knows what we really think about his rule. Most people are good at putting up fronts and often a pretence but behind this facade all people desperately need God’s salvation. No-one can be indifferent to the Jesus who entered this world in order to help them.
If this story about Jesus, that Simeon and Anna summarise, is untrue it is the most breathtaking fraud in history. The prophecies about Jesus have to be somehow explained away; his life, death and resurrection must be somehow refuted, Furthermore what caused those disciples to give up their lives to tell people about Jesus must be explained, as must the dramatic expansion of his church in the first century AD. The instincts in all people shouts that life does have a purpose, that values such as honesty, integrity and love are real and essential.
If the story about Jesus is true it is foolish not to glory in Jesus and the forgiveness he has won for us. We should all bow before him because he is worthy of our worship and praise.
This story is either life changing or will result in our rejecting it. God knows where each of us stands, where the members of our families and our friends stand. We need to ask ourselves and help others to ask,
“Where do I stand? Do I believe who he is?”
Luke keep pressing these questions,
“Do I love him, do I openly exalt him?”
The effect of allowing ourselves to come under Jesus’ control is completely life changing and this remains the churches message. Paul wrote later,
“For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 4:5-6
Simeon and Anna saw that face in the temple. They recognised that he really was God’s Messiah. Have we all here, have our families and friends grasped this? It is because of Jesus that we can all have total confidence in God’s promises, wonderful contentment in our Saviour and a total commitment to his calling. What a blessing it is to be chosen by God to be saved for his service.
BVP
