What's Missing? Luke 2:39-40 - May 15, 2022

 Luke 2:39-40 What’s Missing?

Good morning! Turn with me in your Bibles to Luke 2:39-40, page 858 in the pew Bibles. Over the last few weeks we have been working our way through the very early days of Jesus’ life on earth. We’ve talked about angels and shepherds and mangers and virgin births. All the elements that we associate with Christmas… Right? We’ve hit all the pieces that fit on our Christmas cards, right?

Let’s look at our text for this morning and talk about what’s missing.

39 And when they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. 40 And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.

Let’s pray.

So as I read this account of the infancy of Jesus that Luke brings to a close in these two verses, there are two things to me that are glaringly absent: the wise men and the flight to Egypt.

If you’ve been with us for many Christmases here at CrossRoads the absence of the wise men in our talk of Christmas should not surprise you at all because, as the Bible makes clear, the wise men were not at the manger, they did not meet the newborn Jesus as our Christmas cards and carols so often incorrectly depict.

Luke doesn’t mention them at all, which I find surprising, but just because he doesn’t mention the wise men nor the flight to Egypt doesn’t mean they didn’t happen, it simply means that Luke didn’t feel it necessary to include them in his orderly account of the ministry of Jesus.

The coming of the wise men to Bethlehem and the subsequent flight to Egypt by Joseph and Mary happen during the first comma of verse 39 of Luke 2.

And when they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord [comma] they returned into Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.

Well I’d like to focus on the comma this morning to make up for the last ten Christmases of ignoring the wise men.

To find the information hidden behind Luke’s comma we have to look at Matthew chapter 2 which is on page 807 in the pew Bibles, the very first page of the New Testament.

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: 

6 “ ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’ ” 

7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” 9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. 12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way. 

13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” 14 And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt 15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.” 

16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. 17 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: 

18 “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.” 

19 But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.” 21 And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. 23 And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.

The church I grew up in had a live nativity every year, they would have all kinds of animals and a manger set up outside in the snow. Mary and Joseph would arrive with Mary on a donkey, all the little boys would be dressed up as shepherds and all the little girls as angels. On top of all that cuteness there were always three men dressed up as kings that would ride horses to the manger and offer their gold, and frankincense, and myrrh to the baby in the manger just like the old song says.

“We three kings of Orient are, bearing gifts we traverse afar, field and fountain, moor and mountain, following yonder star. Ooooh, star of wonder start of night, star with royal beauty bright, westward leading still proceeding, guide us to thy perfect light.”

So what’s wrong with that? As far as the wise men are concerned, most of it, most of it is wrong.

They weren’t kings for one, the Greek word for them was “magos,” or, “magi.” The term is used of men who had an unusual capacity for understanding based on astrology. Such persons were regarded as combining both secular and religious aspects of knowledge and understanding. These men were most likely scientists in an age where theology and science were not at odds. (They still aren’t by the way.)

These scientists, the scholars believe, were from Persia or Babylon, in modern day Iraq. We also don’t really know how many of them there were.  I think the song says three because of the three gifts they brought, gold, frankincense and myrrh. But we have no way of really knowing and the truth is it’s really not important.

The star that they mentioned is also worth considering. 

2“Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.

It’s not my purpose this morning to delve into the realm of astronomy and talk about how stars move or how earth is moving in relation to the rest of the galaxy, but I can tell you that stars don’t appear at one moment and then disappear, nor do they move in such a way as to come to rest over any particular house. While the north star will always lead you north this particular star lead the wise men west, disappeared, then reappeared, and stayed over a particular house in Bethlehem. 

And they went to a house where the child was, not a manger where the baby lay. Later on in the story Herod would have all the boys in Bethlehem two years old and under killed based on when the wise men first saw the star appear.

The point here is that this star was not a natural occurrence, this was the hand of God moving, and shaping this story. Whether this was an angel or some other kind of thing, only God knows, what’s important is that we recognize that it was Him working to accomplish His will.

And that’s really the point of this account: that God is always, always, always at work to accomplish His will and purposes on the earth according to His Word. It’s not coincidental in the least that the wise men started with a star but ended up with the Scriptures that finally led them to the Son. That’s the way that it works!

God used the wise men to show Herod where the Christ was to be born according to the Scripture. Quoting Micah 5:2, 6 “ ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’ ” 

God warned the wise men not to return to Herod in a dream so they went home another way, God warned Joseph in a dream of Herod’s murderous wrath and told him to take Jesus and Mary to Egypt in order to fulfill the words of the prophet Hosea from Hosea 11:1, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

In Herod’s jealous rage he had all the boys of Bethlehem two years old and under killed when he learned that the wise men tricked him so that the Scripture would be fulfilled from Jeremiah 31:15, 18 “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.” 

And after Herod died an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream again and told him to take his family back to Israel but in fear he didn’t dare go back to Bethlehem so instead went back to his hometown of Nazareth so that the Scripture from Judges 13:5 would be fulfilled, “He shall be called a Nazarene.”

The wise men, the shepherds, Simeon, Anna, Mary, Joseph, John the Baptist, all the different people that we have looked at throughout this study of Luke’s Gospel so far, just like us, all had different journeys to Jesus. But none of them came to a Messiah of their own making or imagination. Jesus was and is the Messiah that God the Father sent according to His Word.

Persia and Babylon had their own gods, they had their own religion, they had their own explanation of how and why the world worked, yet the wise men followed the star to worship the new King. Why would God prompt them to do that? Because there is no other Name in heaven or on earth by which we may be saved!

John Calvin wrote, “God has more than one way of preserving His people. Sometimes He makes astonishing displays of His power; while at other times He employs dark coverings or shadows, from which feeble rays of His power escape. This wonderful method of preserving the Son of God under the cross teaches us, that they act improperly who prescribe to God a fixed plan of action. Let us permit Him to advance our salvation by a diversity of methods; and let us not refuse to be humbled, that He may more abundantly display His glory.”

God is always, always, always, at work to accomplish His will according to His Word, and though we all have different journeys to Jesus, we all come to faith in Him according to His Word, by His grace.

Amen.

By Grace She Saw the Face of God and Lived - Luke 2:36-38 - May 8, 2022

 Luke 2:36-38 By Grace She Saw the Face of God and Lived

Good morning! Turn with me in your Bibles to Luke chapter 2, verses 36-40, page 858 in the pew Bibles.

It was wonderful having the crew from BICS here last week, next Saturday we will be traveling down for Daniel’s graduation from the program. But today we are going to go back to the Gospel of Luke and the day that Mary and Joseph presented baby Jesus in the Temple at Jerusalem.

You may remember from our last time in Luke that a man named Simeon sang a song of worship to God for allowing him to see the Lord’s Christ, and today we are going to look at one who came alongside and sang the harmony to his song.

36 And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, 37 and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. 38 And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. 

Let’s pray.

Well, what do we know about Anna? This is pretty much it, this is the only time she is mentioned in Scripture, there are no other references to her at all. She’s pretty obscure but there is still much we can learn from her.

In our world today there is so much vying for our attention, TV and movies are shaping how we live, our phones are listening to us to target us with the right kind of marketing so we’ll see the types of products that fit our conversations and interests. 

We are constantly bombarded with influences outside of the Word of God. And think what you will about that, whether it is good or bad, but we do have to be careful to measure who and what kind of people we allow to influence us.

The people that have the most influence on our lives are the ones of whom we think the most. And if it’s people that we think the most of that have most influence on our lives we have to ask ourselves, what is it about them that garners our respect?

In the world’s system, those that garner the most respect are those with money, and power, and talent. 

Maybe respect isn’t the right word but “attention” certainly is. There is a constant battle for our attention in this day and age, and who we give our attention to affects the way we see the world and how we act while in the world.

I’d like to contend today that the world’s system of who and what should have our attention is the exact opposite of that of the Kingdom of God in Christ. Today’s text is an example of that.

Luke didn’t write an account of some billionaire, socialite, politician, movie star, athlete. He wrote about a little old lady who got to meet Jesus.

Anna is not an example of wealth, and power, and privilege, she is an example of faithfulness, godliness, and chastity. John Calvin said, “These are the qualities that justly give to men [and women] weight and estimation.”

There is much we can learn from the character of Anna, and much we can adopt of her example.

St. Ambrose wrote, “Christ received a witness at his birth, not only from prophets and shepherds, but also from aged and holy men and women. Every age, and both sexes, and the marvels of events, confirm our faith. A virgin brings forth, the barren becomes a mother, the dumb speaks, Elizabeth prophesies, the wise men adore, the babe leaps in the womb, the widow praises God … Simeon prophesied; she who was wedded prophesied; she who was a virgin prophesied; and now a widow prophesies, that all states of life and sexes might be there.” 

Luke wrote that Anna was a prophetess, she was an inspired teacher. The strict definition of a prophetess is a woman who proclaims inspired utterances on behalf of God. Also, her name means, “grace.” It is not at all coincidental that the Lord chose to speak the Gospel of grace through a woman whose name means, “grace.”

It’s interesting to note that though we know Anna was a widow, her husband’s name wasn’t mentioned but her father’s name was, his name was Phanuel of the tribe of Asher. While this is the only time this particular Phanuel is mentioned in Scripture, his name is not without meaning either. He was named after Jacob’s Phanuel, in Hebrew pronounced Peniel where Jacob wrestled with the angel in Genesis 32:30 which says, So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.” Peniel, Phanuel, means, “the face of God.”

Phanuel’s daughter Anna, by God’s grace, also saw the face of God in the child Jesus that day in the Temple in Jerusalem.

While those are interesting facts, it is Anna’s example and her character that we can all learn the most from. She had the qualities that justly give her weight and estimation.

Anna was long a true widow. She wasn’t a widow for eighty-four years as some translations have it, she was eighty-four years old and became a widow after being married only seven years, she was somewhere between 19-23 years old when her husband died.

The Apostle Paul gave us the definition of a true widow and how to care for them in 1 Timothy 5:3-16.

3 Honor widows who are truly widows. 4 But if a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show godliness to their own household and to make some return to their parents, for this is pleasing in the sight of God. 5 She who is truly a widow, left all alone, has set her hope on God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day, 6 but she who is self-indulgent is dead even while she lives. 7 Command these things as well, so that they may be without reproach. 8 But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. 

9 Let a widow be enrolled if she is not less than sixty years of age, having been the wife of one husband, 10 and having a reputation for good works: if she has brought up children, has shown hospitality, has washed the feet of the saints, has cared for the afflicted, and has devoted herself to every good work. 11 But refuse to enroll younger widows, for when their passions draw them away from Christ, they desire to marry 12 and so incur condemnation for having abandoned their former faith. 13 Besides that, they learn to be idlers, going about from house to house, and not only idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying what they should not. 14 So I would have younger widows marry, bear children, manage their households, and give the adversary no occasion for slander. 15 For some have already strayed after Satan. 16 If any believing woman has relatives who are widows, let her care for them. Let the church not be burdened, so that it may care for those who are truly widows.

Getting married again after being widowed was not forbidden clearly, nor was it a sign of weakness of character, but for Anna to remain a widow for so long does speak to the strength of her character.

She put a priority on worship of the Lord over her own desires and affections. She decided to worship the Lord continually in the Temple night and day. Her pattern of self denial is also evidenced in that she added fasting to her prayer.

A quick note on fasting. Fasting is denying yourself food for periods of time for no other purpose than to help oneself focus solely on prayer. Fasting is often mentioned in conjunction with prayer in the New Testament. It is not designed to be a public display but a private and personal act only to aid prayer. It is also not a requirement but rather it is a personal act of devotion and worship. 

Verse 37 says that she didn’t depart from the Temple, worshipping with fasting and prayer night and day. This is a bit of hyperbole, we would say, “she’s there all the time,” or, “she never leaves the Temple,” even if we just meant that she’s just there a lot. 

Either way, she put a priority on communing with God in the Temple, pouring out her heart to Him, praying for the redemption of Jerusalem that the coming of Messiah would bring.

Anna also communed with the saints, verse 38 says, “And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of Him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.”

Her praises joined Simeon’s and she spoke to all those around her that were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. 

These were the Old Testament saints, just as we are New Testament saints, we are looking back in faith to the first coming of Messiah, but they were looking forward in faith. 

They weren’t hoping for a political or temporal Messiah as the Pharisees were and many Jews today still are, they were hoping for a spiritual Messiah, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world by faith.

And Anna’s faith was rewarded, her faith became sight that day when she got to see Jesus Messiah with her own eyes.

Anna is a saint worth imitating, her consistency, her holiness, her prayerfulness, and her self-denial. 

She was rewarded because she was faithful with so little, we now have the whole canon of Scripture, the testimonies of the saints, the witness of His church, and the indwelling Holy Spirit, may we be as faithful as Anna was as we hope for Messiah’s Second Coming!

Anna’s name meant, “grace.”

The Good news of grace is that Messiah has come, His Name is Jesus, and He has taken away the sins of the world, if we turn from our wicked ways and trust in Him. For it is by grace through faith in Jesus Messiah that we are saved.

May we all, like Anna, by grace through faith, see the face of God in Jesus and live.

Amen.

Simeon's Song of Salvation - Luke 2:22-35 - April 24, 2022

 Luke 2:22-35 Simeon’s Song of Salvation

Good morning! Turn with me in your Bibles to Luke chapter 2 and verse 22, that’s page 857 in the pew Bibles.

There have been a number of songs sung in these first two chapters of Luke’s Gospel. Songs sung by angels, and Mary, and Zechariah, and now we have the last song sung around the time of Jesus’ birth and infancy, the song of Simeon. 

There’s some things to talk about before we get to the song, lots of Old Testament today, so let’s look at the text and jump in.

22 And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.” 25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, 28 he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, 29 “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; 30 for my eyes have seen your salvation 31 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.” 

33 And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed 35 (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

Let’s pray.

You may remember from our last time together in Luke’s Gospel that we considered Jesus’ circumcision and naming on the eighth day and how significant that was. Circumcision was a Jewish ritual that identified baby boys as members of the nation of Israel as well as symbolized the putting off of sin. And as a member of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Judah, it was natural that Joseph and Mary would subject Jesus to this ritual.

Fast forward another 33 days or so to what is now Jesus’ fortieth day in the flesh and that’s where Mary and Joseph take Him to the Temple in Jerusalem for the first time.

They were doing this to be obedient to the Law of God from Exodus 13:1-2, and Leviticus 12:1-8.

Exodus 13:1-2 says, The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Consecrate to me all the firstborn. Whatever is the first to open the womb among the people of Israel, both of man and of beast, is mine.”

There is a significant reason for this command, it isn’t arbitrary at all. God commanded all the firstborn of Israel, people and animals, to be set aside for Him in remembrance of the tenth plague in Egypt, the final plague when the all the first born of Egypt were killed by the angel of death at the first Passover. You can read about that on your own from Exodus chapter 12.

And as far as obedience to the Law for purification, that comes from Leviticus 12:6-8.

6 “And when the days of her purifying are completed, whether for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting a lamb a year old for a burnt offering, and a pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering, 7 and he shall offer it before the Lord and make atonement for her. Then she shall be clean from the flow of her blood. This is the law for her who bears a child, either male or female. 8 And if she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take two turtledoves or two pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering. And the priest shall make atonement for her, and she shall be clean.”

We can see from this proof of Joseph and Mary’s poverty. They couldn’t afford a lamb so they had to bring two turtledoves to the Temple for their sacrifice. 2 Corinthians 8:9 says, For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.

Paul also wrote in Galatians 4:4-5, when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

Why are these things important? Why does it matter that Joseph and Mary would make sure that Jesus got circumcised according to the Law, that they would present Him at the Temple on His fortieth day according to the Law, that Mary would go through the rites of purification according to the Law? Why does that matter?

I think the principle is simple: they didn’t worship God according to their imagination but according to His instruction. They knew God’s Word, they trusted God’s Word and they obeyed God’s Word. 

There’s a lesson there for us.

So that’s what got them to the Temple in Jerusalem, obedience. 

But then along comes Simeon. What got Simeon to the Temple that day was hope.

25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.

Simeon is a unique character, actually he wasn’t unique at all but he had a unique experience. Simeon sort of represents the Old Testament faithful. 

Verse 25 says that he was righteous and devout. This is a reference to the two tables of the Law. You remember from last week I mentioned the Ten Commandments. And in the Ten Commandments there are two tables, two sections. 

The first four Commandments are all concerned with man’s relation to God, or devotion: Having no other gods, not making idols, not taking the Lord’s Name in vain, and keeping the Sabbath.

The second table of the Law is Commandments 6-10 which all have to do with man’s relation to other people: honoring your mother and father, not murdering, not committing adultery, not stealing, nor lying, nor coveting our neighbor’s possessions. 

So when Luke says that Simeon was righteous and devout he means that Simeon generally kept the commandments, not perfectly as that is impossible for anybody but Jesus, but he did pretty well as far as other people were concerned.

Luke also says that he was waiting for the consolation of Israel. We understand this to mean that he was waiting for the coming of Messiah. It literally means that he was waiting for Israel’s prayers to be answered. Jesus is the answer to that prayer!

JP Lange wrote, “Simeon is in the noblest sense the eternal Jew of the Old Covenant who cannot die before he has seen the promised Messiah. He was permitted to fall asleep in the peace of his Lord before His crucifixion.”

Simeon spent his days in hope, confidently looking forward to Messiah’s coming, and today was the day.

26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, 28 he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, 

29 “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; 30 for my eyes have seen your salvation 31 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.” 

The salvation that He has prepared in the presence of all people. Messiah was not to be Messiah to the Jews only, but for everybody. A light for revelation to the Gentiles is a beautiful picture of the people living in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone from Isaiah 9:2.

It is that salvation that is the light. The veil of ignorance has been lifted and the light of the grace of God in Christ has illumined our hearts.

That salvation is also for the glory, or for the splendor, of Israel. Messiah was promised to Israel, Messiah was born to Israel, Messiah died for Israel, and was raised again for Israel. 

Would that Israel would listen to the Gospel and come to faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins along with ours and accept the glory that is theirs through faith in Him!

By the Spirit Simeon could see what would come for this baby he held in his arms.

33 And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed 35 (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

Jesus was and still is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel. They fall by rejecting Him and rise by faith in Him.

Matthew 21:42-44 records Jesus saying: “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? 

43 Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. 44 And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”

Peter and Paul both called Jesus “a rock of stumbling and a stone of offence.” He is only that who choose to reject Him, it’s them that fall. 

But as Jesus said, He will give the kingdom of God to those who produce its fruit, those who have faith in Him. It is them that will rise.

The fall and rise of many on account of Christ means that there is no lasting neutrality. 

The day is coming when every person will have to decide what to do about Jesus, to accept Him as He is and all the ramifications that go with that or to reject Him for who He is and accept the ramifications that go with that. Salvation or destruction, there is no middle ground.

Simeon also warned Mary of the heartache that was to come for her, the sympathizing motherly anguish during the rejection, suffering and crucifixion of Jesus her Son, a sword piercing her own soul.

So what can we learn from Simeon? First, hope in God’s Word and trust in His promises. And second, hope in God’s salvation by trusting in His Son.

John Calvin wrote, “If Simeon, when holding a little child in his arms, could stretch his mind to the uttermost boundaries of the world, and acknowledge the power of Christ to be everywhere present, how much more magnificent ought our conceptions regarding Him to be now that He has been set up as a standard to the people and revealed Himself to the whole world?”

As Simeon patiently hoped for Messiah’s first coming, so too must we, His church, patiently hope for His second coming.

Amen.