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| What Child is This (Luke 2:25-40) |
| Written by Pastor Fausel | |
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Grace, mercy and peace be to you … Well Christmas Day itself has come and gone. For most of us, though, like here in our sanctuary, our trees are still up … and the season is still “in session.” But for many, Christmas Day itself was just a break in the action … like half-time at a football game. However the score looked before the half, like Shoppers 21, Stores 14 … both teams are now back on the field and out to win the game for sure in the second half – in the after-Christmas-buying/selling melee. Best advice for those of us on the side-lines is to avoid Shelbyville road in front of the malls until the final whistle … sometime around Epiphany, January 6. This year those big after-Christmas sales events are not only being advertised by the stores … but the news media has joined with them in a rather unholy alliance … as in today’s economy, shopping, by its very nature, is News! Well, back in the first century, there were no News Media to proclaim the birth of Jesus. The Shepherds of Christmas were a good 8 miles away from Jerusalem, which was probably good … since King Herod, who lived in Jerusalem, had a notable reputation of killing off any and every possible pretender to His throne. Mary and Joseph were learning from experience that God would make Jesus known to those whom He intended to make Him known. Going around and telling others that they were in the possession of God’s Messiah would not have been a very prudent thing at that time … especially as we see what Herod does when Jesus’ Birth is made known to him through the Wise men. As you may recall, Herod ordered all the baby boys in Bethlehem under the age of two put to the sword. And so, with that, we look at today’s reading from the Gospel of Luke, where Luke relates the particulars of Jesus’ days just after His birth. We hear the account of the Holy Couple following the commands of Moses regarding the purification rite for Mary, and for the presentation of Jesus as a first-born son. Both rites are performed in accordance with the Law with the proper sacrifice. Their choice of two pigeons over a lamb indicated the poverty of their circumstances. So far, then, nothing special or out-of-the-ordinary to draw attention … But then … Jesus’ path crosses that of Simeon. Simeon was not the priest … He had no official capacity in the temple. He was, as Luke records, a man of Jerusalem. Devote and righteous and uniquely blessed by God with the Holy Spirit … Blessed, as we see, to the degree that Simeon was able to recognize who the infant Jesus was. But we get ahead of ourselves. We said that Jesus’ path crossed that of Simeon. How many times has such an experience, such an apparent chance coincidence, happened to you? You crossing paths with someone you hadn’t expected to see? And it was such that if you’d had been two seconds earlier or two seconds later there would have been no meeting. But, instead, the timing was perfect …and the two of you met? God does bring about those kinds of things even today. But ,for Simeon to recognize Jesus as the Christ in the flesh at the age of 40 days … (the time necessary for Mary to wait before her purification) that was truly the work of the Holy Spirit. Now, In Jewish tradition, no testimony of one individual was to be accepted without the confirmation of a second witness. You may remember how difficult Jesus’ trial was before the Sanhedrin for just that reason. They were bringing witnesses with half-truths and lies against Jesus, but they couldn’t get any two witnesses to agree. Well, here the Holy Spirit works through Anna, the prophetess, to confirm the message of salvation and deliverance Simeon proclaimed as He held the living Christ. There has been much said about Simeon’s words directed to Mary, about the sword piercing her soul. Most agree that Simeon’s message was a foreshadowing of what would happen on the cross, and how that event would touch Mary personally. But Simeon’s words went counter to many popular beliefs at the time. That the Messiah would be a light only to the Jews. Simeon’ words instead implied that Jesus was not about establishing an earthly Jewish kingdom, but bringing a salvation prepared for all peoples. But even more than that… was Simeon’s reference to the falling and rising of many in Israel, and by inference, that there’s sword beyond the one that pierces Mary’s soul …one that will expose the hearts and thoughts of many. What’s news in this … is that the feeling of the day was that the coming of the Messiah was going to be a good thing … as long as you were of the line of Abraham. The announcement of the angels to the shephers was of that vein … “Good news to all on whom God’s favor rests.” Well, who else does God’s favor rest upon than those of His covenant with Abraham? His people. The Jews. But Simeon’s words now speak of a salvation which is a light to the Gentiles … and prepared in the presence of all peoples. And so, God’s favor will extend beyond the original covenant to Israel. But then, there’s those disturbing words of Sign to be spoken against, A foreshadowing of Jesus’ rejection by all but a remnant of His own people. Powerful words … but words spoken some almost 30 years before Jesus’ ministry would begin … Words probably more significant to us, who know the rest of the story … than to those who first heard them, not knowing what was to come. Indeed we see in these words God’s confirmation of the Divinity of Jesus, and that what was necessary to be done for Jesus was done… so that St. Paul could make the assertion in our Epistle … that Jesus “was born under the Law to redeem those under the Law … so that we could receive the adoption as sons” and daughters. We are all under the Law as God’s creation; the Law that He has even written into our hearts. Even so … what are we to do with these words today? Today in this world, in our economy, in our homes and lives? Well, you remember the story of Adam and Eve? That after their fall into sin, they were banished from the Garden of Eden … and prevented from returning there by an Angel with a flaming sword. Why? To keep them from going back into the garden and eating from the second forbidden tree, the tree of Life. For to eat of it, then, in their sinful state, would condemn them and all of us to living for eternity as sinful human beings. Not hell, exactly, but an existence far from that which God had designed us to enjoy. But God did more than put that angel in place … He had also promised the coming of the one who would crush Satan … who would deliver us from our sin. Simeon was recognizing that that promise was now being fulfilled, that Jesus Christ, God himself, had come into the flesh. But there was more that just the conception and birth in that promise of God. Much had to be done to crush Satan’s head … and HE, the savior himself would have to be bruised. And so …the angel with the flaming sword no longer bars our way to the tree of life. … no … the sword is now a person … as we learn from the book of Hebrews … “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division between soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Heb. 4:12 Ah, where have we heard those words before about thoughts of the heart? From Simeon. And he was speaking of Jesus, The reason, the cause, for the falling and rising of many in Israel … You see, God was sending “THE WORD” made flesh, as John’s Gospel proclaims. And as Simeon held that flesh, the infant Jesus … the Holy Spirit allowed him to speak of what the word was about to do … Open the gate to paradise. Unbar the door. For all people on whom God’s favor rests. You and me. The Word either confirms our salvation by God’s grace through faith, or the Word for us is a sign to be spoken against. The Word reveals the thoughts and intentions of our hearts … that home God’s Holy Spirit. And so, like Simeon, as we have been blessed by God with His Holy Spirit to Know Jesus by faith … at just the right time, at the moment of our salvation, as we depart in peace … we, too shall see Him in the flesh! May that be our Joy today. In Him. Amen. |