|
|
|
A Call to Hope
Today’s lesson is set in the period immediately following the birth of Jesus. At the time Jesus was born, the world was in spiritual darkness, and the nation of Israel, which should have been the light of the world, had sunken into hopelessness and despair, itself needing a spiritual savior as well as a political savior.
The world was then ruled by Augustus Caesar the first Roman emperor. He had come to power through war and intrigue, after Rome changed from being a Republic. He needed money and his officials ordered each family in the subject nations to return to their ancestral home, so that a census could be carried out, thus making taxation easier. Everyone had a place of origin, and therefore once they were registered, they could not escape paying the taxes.
Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the ancestral home of Joseph, the ‘son of David’. It is likely that Joseph would have seized on this excellent opportunity to leave Nazareth to avoid the pressures of scandal, and Mary would probably have been glad to make the trip with him, even though she was so close to delivery. (See last week’s lesson).
It is hardly likely that when Mary learned of God's intention for her to have a child, the Messiah Savior and she agreed that it should be done to her as the angel had said, that she would have expected life to be so difficult, and even threatening. We are told that Mary even had the lonely experience of wrapping the new-born child herself, indicating she was completely separated from family support. She had no family around her when Jesus was born, and at the birth of Jesus had to settle for the company of strangers, shepherds who had rushed from the fields to see this child, then wise men from the East, and now two elderly people in the Temple, Simeon and Anna. This is a sharp contrast to the experience of her cousin Elizabeth, who at the birth of her son John, was surrounded by family who rejoiced with her, for the wondrous birth of John brought honor to his mother and joy to the family
Mary had very good reason for her continual habit of meditating on all these things that happened and pondering them in her heart.
This lesson is part of our continuing character studies, and there are several lessons to be learned from all these saints of God. Specifically we see that we can know the truth about the intentions of God through the possession of the Holy Spirit and the practice of earnest prayer.
We also learned that even though those around us, whether in the Temple or in the general population, choose to focus on their own affairs rather than on the things of God, we do not need to follow them but can begin to direct our attention to the things of God.
Our hope must be directed to Jesus Christ, even as that of Simeon and Anna; to welcome him, and to realistically consider what his ‘Coming’ means. The Coming of Jesus is much too important a matter for fanciful, untrue and erroneous thoughts.
Next we see that our knowledge of Jesus must be used to prepare others, to support them, and to guide them, so that they will understand the realities of life and service to God.
It is also important that we learn to focus on the specific promises about Jesus and his work, for these are great and precious promises. We certainly need to know God's promises, and understand that he is the faithful God; one on whom we can always depend, who never changes and his words can never return to him void.
In today’s lesson we have this young couple, finding themselves with the Messiah Savior which the entire nation had longed for, but now that he had come the parents were isolated and alone.
The presence of the shepherds had buoyed them, but they soon left glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had seen and heard.
Now they came face-to-face with the realities of life and their faith would be tested. They had to face and deal with the consequences that came with having this special Child.
The Law of Moses had given instructions in Leviticus 12:2-8 that the birth mother had to undergo certain purification periods and rites, which would remind the people that they were all born in sin. The newborn child would also have to undergo several ceremonies.
Both Mary and Joseph would be required to show that they were truly devout and obedient parents, faithfully following the commandments of God and determined to train their children in the ways of the Lord. This preferred kind of behavior would show that they too were observing the ways of the Lord.
They were both young, living in a society steeped in spiritual darkness, facing all the peer pressures, but they were clearly intent on strictly following the ways of God without deviation.
Let us remember that Joseph and Mary were Jews, and lived according to the Law of God. The Apostle Paul in Galatians 4:4 highlighted the significance of this by telling us: “ But when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth his son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, Gods hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your heart, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.”
After the required eight days, the child Jesus, weaned under the law, was circumcised. Physical circumcision of the male child was an outward sign of the covenant God made with Abraham. Abraham was to circumcise himself and his descendants, for by this act, the blood of the person was shed to symbolize removal of the ‘flesh’, the symbol of a life lived without God.
Moses explained this in Deuteronomy 30:6 “ The Lord your God will circumcise thine heart and heart of your offspring, to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.” . See also 10:16.
In Colossians 2:11“For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him (Christ), which is the head of all principality and powers: In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ.”
Every circumcised Jew therefore, was joining in an agreement with God by faith.
Jesus was God, and sinless, but even when he was a baby, he began to identify himself with God.
THE TEXTVerse 22. After the circumcision, there were thirty three ‘Days of Purification’; for according to Leviticus 12, after the birth of a male child the mother was unclean for seven days, then the baby was circumcised, and then for thirty three days she should not touch any consecrated thing nor go into the sanctuary.
Since Jesus was born under the law, his birth was treated no differently from that of any other male Jewish child. He was born in the normal way like any other child, but let us remember that his conception was totally different.
David in Psalm 51: 5 indicates that everyone born of woman is born in sin, and shapen in iniquity. Jesus however knew no sin. (1 Corinthians 5:21 and 1 Peter 2:22.) The Angel told Mary: “That holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God”. The prophets also called Jesus:“ Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”. Matthew 1: 23.
Note that Jesus humbled himself, and since he was fashioned as a man, put himself completely under the laws of man and God. We are told in Scriptures that we should learn from His example, for no matter what age we are, all of us are considered sinners and are in need of God's redemption.
After the time of purification, Mary and Joseph were no longer excluded from sanctuary attendance. Mary and Joseph carried baby Jesus three miles to the Temple, to complete the purification rites for Mary and the dedication rites for Jesus as outlined in Leviticus 12.
Verse 23. In Exodus 13:2 we are told that the firstborn of men or of animals belonged to God. Any male that opened the womb would be called holy to the Lord. Jesus was therefore the ‘first fruits’ in all aspects.
This is a significance matter for in Exodus we note that the Destroying Angel attacked the firstborn. God claimed full authority over the life of the firstborn to prove that he was God, and able thus to affect men at the most important point.
God claimed all the firstborn of Israel and that child was supposed to serve in the Temple as a priest. He could be redeemed or excused from this service by paying the five shekel tax at the Temple. (Numbers 18:16).
Verse 24. Joseph and Mary did as the Law of Moses required of them, and they brought Jesus to the Temple to be blessed. In so doing Jesus would be obeying the Law as given by God. They were simply demonstrating obedience to God and in doing so, set an example for the good and holy upbringing of the children of God.
Mary was required to bring a one-year-old lamb for a burnt offering, so that she could be restored to fellowship with God, and a young pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering, so that she could be cleansed from the pollution of Adamic and personal sins. The priest at the sanctuary would offer these sacrifices, and so make atonement for her and she would be considered cleansed.
Joseph and Mary chose an alternative offered by the Law for the poor, those who could not afford to purchase a sacrificial lamb. Joseph could at this time only afford the pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons, the lesser of the offerings that the law allowed.
Despite the fact that they were poor, they like many others would want to make the attempt to give offerings and even tithes to God, though they did not possess much. Later God would have to provide significantly more resources so that these poor parents of Jesus would survive. But we know that whatever the situation God can always provide. Jesus was therefore identified with the poor.
His parents demonstrated obedience to the word of God by making this pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
Following the sacrifice, the child would be presented to the Lord, in acknowledgment to the Lord's ownership. This presentation of Jesus to God His Father, was in reality participating in a rite of redemption.
Jesus was thus redeemed from Temple service in order to serve his Father in every other way. This clearly was his Father’s will, and the focus of Jesus’ life and all his desire was to do the will of his Father.
Verse 25. In Matthew 1:19 Joseph is called a just man. Noah and John the Baptist were called just, and so was this man Simeon. This man was very pious, and devout. As an upright man living under the influence of the Holy Ghost, he gave honor to Jesus, setting him apart from all other human children.
As one who honored the things of God and allowed himself to be led by the will of God, something every child of God should do, Simeon eagerly awaited the time when all the promises of God would be accomplished; primarily the promise of the birth of His Son, the Redeemer of the nation of Israel, otherwise known as the Christ.
It is the greatest of compliments if it can be truly said, that we are led by the Holy Spirit. When a man is led by the Holy Spirit he will be righteous and devout. He will be a firm believer in the prophets and in their prophecies, and he will be especially filled with love for Jesus. His life will be wrapped up in Jesus, and his greatest desire will be to see Jesus and to see God working out his plan for the salvation of men.
He will not be preoccupied with accumulating money, wealth, influence, power, self- aggrandizement, and seek to fulfill the lusts of the flesh.
God was with this man, and therefore be looked for the Consolation of Israel, or the Comfort of Israel, the Messiah himself. Simeon knew well what Isaiah 40 said: “ Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins. The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it…. O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God! Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.” (40:1-5, 9-11)
No wonder then that Simeon and waited patiently for this Comforter of Israel, and the Comforter of the entire world. This was a blessed wait.
Verse 26. The Holy Spirit was on Simeon, leading him daily. Not only that, but the Holy Spirit showed him that he should not see death until he had seen the Christ.
Some might, if they fear death, find some terror in this certainty that they will die, but since Simeon knew God, he did not fear death. Rather he look forward to that day when he would see the Messiah, for he would know for sure then, that the Lord God was moving to accomplish all that he had spoken of in the prophets.
Note that God places special emphasis on the watchmen among his people. In this case, Simeon was not watching for any sign of attack against God's people, but was awaiting a time when joy would come to them from Jehovah.
Verse 27. The Holy Spirit led Simeon to the Temple on that day, as Mary and Joseph carried the baby Jesus to the Temple area. Simeon's love for Jesus the Messiah now reached its high point. Simeon was a man led by the Holy Spirit, and so he heard God's promise to him, and now heard God's prompting to go into the Temple at just the right time.
He had been keeping a lonely watch through that long night of spiritual darkness in Israel, but now Simeon was ready to be relieved of his watch. His blessing had come, he would fulfill his mission, and he would die in peace, having seen God's promise fulfilled in his life.
God's promises are never broken. His name is Faithful.
Verse 28. Simeon, a man led by the Holy Spirit and dedicated to God, was rewarded by having the unparalleled privilege of taking and holding the baby Jesus in his arms. He was as far as we know, only the third person to have the privilege to hold Jesus. He was also given the great opportunity of blessing God in the flesh. He saw the fulfillment of God’s promise to bring salvation to the nation. (Isaiah 52:10)
Verse 29. Simeon was well aware that the Holy Ghost was with him and he accordingly led the kind of life he did. He knew how blessed he was, for he knew that many of the prophets would have loved to be standing in front of the Messiah, the hope of Israel. This was indeed a great blessing.
Moses was given a similarly great promise, but that promise to see the land of Canaan though great, is not to be compared to the privilege of seeing the Savior. Even today, every believer would give up a great deal to have seen Jesus face to face.
For Simeon death was a peaceful thing for he was a good man, a child of God to whom God had kept a great promise. This is the peace that only God can bring to those who truly know him.
The word of God is to be trusted. The promises of God are to be trusted. We should not just ‘trust’ the word of God only with our lips, but we should live a life that displays complete reliance on God.
Verse 30. Death had lost its sting for Simeon, especially after personally and finally seen his Lord, his Savior, the Messiah.
Jesus is the salvation of God. No man can be saved except he comes to Christ, for this is the only way that God has provided to take men out of spiritual darkness and place them into the light. There are many who came to be saviors, and it will be a dreadful day for those who have ignored the call of the Holy Spirit and followed those who are false, enjoying the false system's that they have created.
The salvation of God moves one out of eternal separation from God, with all the horrible consequences and suffering that that entails.
Verse 31. The coming of Jesus is the coming of God's salvation. His coming is a blessing first to his own people, the Israelites, and then to the rest of the world. God came to his chosen people first, and then sent his Apostle to the Gentiles, so that everyone would have the opportunity of hearing about God and coming to know him, and becoming his child.
God has prepared or made ready his salvation in the presence of all people.
Salvation is here presented as a feast that God has provided for the entire world. He has invited all the nations to come and partake in this feast.
Of course, this is a spiritual feast, since salvation is first a feast for the soul, nourishment for those who possess it, and leading into eternal life.
Clearly then since God has prepared his salvation, no one on the face of the earth can say that the Holy Spirit has not showed the salvation to them, and convicted them of sin. There is really no excuse for those who do not want to believe in and accept Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
Verse 32. Simeon here declared that Jesus, the child in his arms, was a light to remove darkness from the Gentiles.
We must remember that the Gentiles nations, the Greeks, the Romans, and the Barbarians were all sitting in a great darkness, with no true knowledge of the living God. They were without exception, all without hope, without God, destined for destruction, living under the wrath of God.
Simeon therefore stressed that Jesus would have a two-fold ministry, the first involved bringing the light of God to the Gentiles. Remember that Gentiles by definition are non-Jews.
In light of this, it is amazing to see how Gentile believers nowadays like to boast against Jews, and discard everything Jewish or associated with Jews, including of course the Sabbath. They seem to prefer pagan festivals and practices to Jewish ones.
The salvation of Jesus began with Israel, but God always intended to have the salvation extended beyond Israel. Salvation was also for those described as the wild olive tree (Rom.11).
Jesus would also be the glory of Israel. One writer gives us some background to this: “ In the early days of Israel, Jehovah God would appear in the tabernacle as a bright light so that the people would know of his presence. Jehovah was the glory of the Israelites, but in time they went after other gods, were taken into captivity, dispersed among the nations, and lost the glory of the Lord so that the other nations no longer looked to them for truth. Now Simeon said that the baby Jesus would become all that Israel had lost. He would become a hit humanity the “shekinah”. Israel had been chosen to be the Light of Nations (Isaiah 49:6) and had failed, so now Christ would become what Israel should have been, “ The Light of the world”. (John 8:15). He would be light for the Gentiles and glory for the Jews, with the bottom-line of salvation for both. As John wrote, “ The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us and we beheld His glory, glory as the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth”.
Verse 33. Joseph and Mary must certainly have been joyful and surprised that someone would understand who their son was, that there was something special about him, and that knowing him would become all important to the entire world.
We feel something like that when we come across people who talk to us about Jesus, who show us that they know that there is something special about him, and who are clearly dedicated to him, and love him like we do.
This would have encouraged them, for they would know that there were others out there who were also led by the Holy Spirit, who had completely trusted in God and to whom God made great and precious promises that he had fulfilled. They would certainly be strengthened at the variety of the testimonies they had heard, for those testimonies had explained in great detail what God was doing in bringing about the birth of his Son.
So we love to hear the ‘Old Old story of Jesus’. No matter how often it is repeated, and no matter whether the details are new or not, it strengthens us.
For Joseph and Mary, Simeon's message would tell them that their personal experience was not unique to them, but was part of God's great plan to redeem his people.
Verse 34. Simeon, clearly led by the Spirit, now brought a new perspective to Joseph and Mary. First, Simeon blessed them. In the blessing, as with all blessings that were given to the family, were included blessings for prosperity and peace, and also blessings on the parents in view of the honor given to them to raise this child.
Now Simeon made a direct prophecy for Mary. Israel's destiny was tied to this child.
His existence would mark the beginning of a time of doom and turmoil for others, as well as for himself. There would be unpleasant aspects of Messiah's ministry. Jesus would be the source of resurrection to new life for many in Israel, but for many who thought themselves great they would be humbled.
Jesus is also pictured as a stone of stumbling and as a rock of offense to Israel and to the Gentiles. Isaiah 52 and 53 deals with some of the things that would afflict ‘the Suffering Servant of Jehovah’.
We note that Herod the Great sought to kill Jesus. Pilate declared him King of the Jews publicly but denied him privately. Judas denied him and then hanged himself. The Jewish leadership rejected their King and in A.D. 70 lost their Kingdom and became Romans slaves. All of these rejected the Stone, and stumbled because they were disobedient to his word, going to the doom to which they were appointed.
Jesus would be a target for much evil, and people will shoot at him constantly. He will be attractive to some, but repulsive to others.
1 Peter 2:7-8 quotes Psalm 118:2 and Isaiah 8:14 to show that this was no surprise that the baby would cause many to stumble and fall in Israel.
But the same Jesus would bring life and light to many. Nicodemus, Jesus took him out of the darkness into light. Zacchaeus, the great tax collector and sinner found the light and salvation. Levi the publican and that tax collector became Matthew the Apostle. The thief on the Cross was saved. Many with demons were freed. Many of the blind now saw.
Many in Israel were elevated, and many in Israel were made little.
Many today still oppose Jesus and reject him. He is offensive to them for they are rebellious. They hear about him and do not want him.
Men do not have to make any decision to be lost, for they simply stay where they are in darkness despite the pleading of the Holy Spirit. When men prefer darkness to light, they do not listen or pay attention to the call of Jesus. It is not that God commits them to be lost, or decides in opposition to their desires that they are going to be lost, but they simply stay where they are because they prefer to remain as children of wrath, and follow the desires of their flesh, knowing full well that this is not their best option. God had shown everything to them but they do not really care.
Verse 35. Simeon now prophesies about Mary personally, advising her that she will not escape the attacks on her Son. She would suffer when she watched the life of Jesus unfold, and saw the revealing of the thought of the hearts of the people, with whom he came into contact.
She would feel intense, deep pain when she saw what was happening to the Messiah. She would wonder at the cruelty of the people, and their hard hearted rejection of God and his plan.
Some of the words against Jesus would hurt, for she would see that these words were born out of what they had in their hearts. She would see those whom he came to save reject him and reject God, and she would feel for her Son, as any mother would feel.
The coming of the Messiah would reveal the true thoughts of many hearts. Many pretending to follow God and reverence him would be shown to be simply pretenders.
Many others who worship God in secret would have to declare their allegiance to God openly. Those who were open followers of God would get the strength to continue when they saw the Messiah Servant of God on the scene.
The presence of the Messiah would bring light, and show up the true from the hypocrite. This presence of truth would reveal error, and in the process it would bring deep sorrow and anguish to Mary.
Neutrality would be impossible. Good and evil, if hidden, would be brought to light.
Her Son would be used by God like a sword to open up the hearts of the men and women of the nation, for God would not judge their outward actions only, but also judge the intents of their heart.
One writer states: “ It was important for Mary to know that mothering the Messiah would not be all sweetness and light; it was both a great privilege and a great burden. Possibly no other human agonized as much over Jesus rejection and suffering as did his mother; not only because of the natural love of a mother, but also because His rejection was her rejection; His vindication was hers also.”
Verse 36-37. As Simeon spoke, there was another in the Temple who was led by the Holy Spirit. She was named Anna, and described as a prophetess from the tribe of Asher.
Clearly this designation showed that the tribes had not been lost, and that people in Jesus’ time knew their ancestry.
Prophets and prophetesses are known for their utterances through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Anna therefore must be ranked among those Holy woman who were the chosen instruments of the Holy Spirit.
Despite the great corruption of the times, here was a woman who held onto her faith in God, and boldly witnessed in the Temple. Luke stresses the importance of virginity in a woman of God. She was a virgin when married, and was given a husband by God for only seven years. She was widowed, and was now a widow of eighty four years, devoting her life to attending in the Temple.
Her old age did not stop her from performing the duties of her personal ministry in the Temple. Her ministry was later told to us. This ministry was fasting and prayers, night and day, not departing from the Temple. She was a pious, courageous, and determined person, in whose heart burned the love of God. Her moral sense stands as an example to us.
We are sure that these activities would have annoyed the Temple hierarchy.
People often experience fear, and make excuses that they cannot stand for God because the Herods and the High Priests of the world are powerful. These people should again read this story of Anna, that old and powerful woman of God, who despite her age, remained faithful and unafraid.
There is no question that there are many personal ministries that are available to every believer. These ministries cry out for workers, but they are often neglected.
The problem is that many believers simply want the spectacular ministries, for they mistakenly think that these outwardly attractive, highly visible, congratulation bringing, ministries which generally involved great eloquence and show, are the most acceptable ministries to God.
Again, like Simeon, we know that God rewarded her faithfulness by making her see the Messiah.
Clearly then in the midst of this terrible spiritual darkness, God had a small remnant who saw the baby Jesus and understood who he was. The Temple was the stronghold of the hypocritical Pharisees and the iniquity laden but politically correct Sadducees. But we see where her heart was.
She was constantly at the Temple, loving the courts of the Lord, just like David did. She was devoted to God and disciplined herself, fasting frequently.
No wonder people do not like her kind of ministry for it involves great discipline.
Verse 38. Note also the core point of her ministry. Her ministry was motivated because she was looking for the redemption in Jerusalem. She was praying for the Messiah to come and clean up the land, freeing people from bondage and enslavement.
She gave thanks to God that the Messiah was finally here, and she went around to all those in Jerusalem that she knew lived in expectation of the coming of the Messiah.
Clearly there were some who looked forward to redemption. Anna likely went from house to house, publishing the news that the Messiah had finally come to the Temple, and had fulfilled all the requirements of the Law. There were pious people in Jerusalem, and it is very likely that they would have spread the news about the Messiah.
It is possible that there were many who knew that the Messiah had come, and that Jesus' birth was not as secret as we would like to think. But clearly many, especially among the leadership of the nation would not be interested as subsequent events would show.
CONCLUSIONClearly the work of God often continues quietly, and the elect of God will fearlessly do the work of God.
Those that know God, who are thereby assured of eternal life, regard death with no fear, for the eyes of faith always behold Christ the savior.
Those that belong to Christ will always recognize him, for his sheep hear and know his voice. Those that constantly follow after falsehood are showing that they do not know God or know his voice, though they might pretend to do so.
The true people of God are not afraid to witness.
It is peculiar that Jesus, who came to save, who brought medicines for the soul, would be rejected by many men, who knowingly allow their malady to continue and they would be destroyed.
Both Simeon and Anna knew the word of God, and they believe them. They kept to the ways of righteousness, did not modify the words of Scripture, and obeyed implicitly every single word of Scripture.
Let us commit ourselves to return to obedience, to commune constantly with God and be guided by the Holy Spirit, and to do the work of God whatever our circumstances.
Let us develop and keep the same mind as we find among that remnant of God.
|