Simeon Sees (Luke 2:22-35)
Christmas is a time of surprises. There was a lady who was preparing her Christmas cookies. There was a knock at the door. She went to find a man, his clothes poor, obviously looking for some Christmas odd jobs. He asked her if there was anything he could do. She said, "Can you paint?"
"Yes," he said. "I’m a rather good painter."
"Well," she said, "there are two gallons of green paint there and a brush, and there’s a porch out back that needs to be painted. Please do a good job. I’ll pay you what the job is worth."
He said, "Fine. I’ll be done quickly."
She went back to her cookie making and didn’t think much more about it until there was a knock at the door. She went, and it was obvious that he had been painting: he had paint all over his clothes.
She said, "Did you finish the job?"
He said, "Yes."
She said, "Did you do a good job?"
He said, "Yes. But lady, there’s one thing I’d like to point out to you. That’s not a Porsche back there. That’s a Mercedes." (Bruce Thielemann, "Glory to God in the Lowest," Preaching Today, Tape No. 75)
He misunderstood what it was he was supposed to paint.
I think the same thing happens to people when they think about Jesus, especially at Christmas. They see Him as a cute little baby in a cute little manger, but they don’t see Him for who he really is.
I’m sure it was the same when Jesus was born. People didn’t see Him for who He really was, but one old man did! Six weeks after Jesus was born, his parents took Him to the temple to dedicate Him to the Lord, as was required by the Mosaic Law. Now, most of the people there just saw a dirt poor couple with a six-week-old baby, but Simeon saw something far more.
If you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to Luke 2, Luke 2, where we see what Simeon saw in Jesus. Luke 2, starting at vs.22 (read to vs.24)
40 days after a first-born son was born, the Mosaic Law required the parents to bring him to the temple. And there, they were to dedicate him to the Lord and offer a sacrifice.
vs.25 (read to vs.32)
When you look at Jesus this Christmas, see more than just a cute little baby in a cute little manger; see what Simeon saw soon after that first Christmas.
1st of all SEE A SACRIFICE. SEE SOMEONE WHO GAVE UP EVERYTHING TO COME INTO THIS WORLD.
Mary and Joseph sacrificed a pair of doves or two young pigeons, because they could not afford a lamb. The Mosaic Law allowed such a sacrifice for those who could not afford the normal one.
Jesus was born into abject poverty. He left the splendor and wealth of heaven for a cow pen on His way to a cross. Jesus made a great sacrifice to come to this earth.
But not only that, Jesus became a great sacrifice Himself.
Mary and Joseph brought a sacrifice to the Temple. Actually the Law required that they bring two sacrifices, according to Leviticus 12. They brought a burnt offering and a sin offering. In this case, they brought two birds. They placed their hands on those birds, signifying the placing of their sins on those birds. Then those birds were killed in Mary and Joseph’s place, dying as punishment for their sins.
Mary and Joseph BROUGHT a sacrifice, but Jesus Himself WAS the sacrifice for our sins. Our sins were placed on Him, and He died in our place, as punishment for our sins. That’s why He came. He came as a sacrifice for our sins. And He died in our place so we could live in His place forever!
So this Christmas, Don’t just see a cute little baby in a cute little manger. See the sacrifice for your sins (and mine).
During the 2008 presidential race, John McCain was asked by Time magazine to share his “personal journey of faith.” In his article, McCain shared a powerful story of something that occurred while he was a prisoner of war in Vietnam:
When I was a prisoner of war in Vietnam…my captors would tie my arms behind my back and then loop the rope around my neck and ankles so that my head was pulled down between my knees. I was often left like that throughout the night. One night a guard came into my cell. He put his finger to his lips signaling for me to be quiet and then loosened my ropes to relieve my pain. The next morning, when his shift ended, the guard returned and retightened the ropes, never saying a word to me.
A month or so later, on Christmas Day, I was standing in the dirt courtyard when I saw that same guard approach me. He walked up and stood silently next to me, not looking or smiling at me. Then he used his sandaled foot to draw a cross in the dirt. We stood wordlessly looking at the cross, remembering the true light of Christmas, even in the darkness of a Vietnamese prison camp. (John McCain, "A Light amid the Darkness," Time magazine, 8-18-08, p. 40)
In your darkness, whatever that may be at this time, look at the cross and see the true light of Christmas. Look at Jesus who died there for you and me. Look at Jesus and see a sacrifice for our sins.
More than that, this Christmas, look at Jesus and SEE A SAVIOR. SEE SOMEONE WHO CAN DELIVER US FROM OUR SINS. SEE SOMEONE WHO CAN RESCUE US FROM DESPAIR.
That’s what Simeon saw. When he saw Jesus, he saw more than just a little baby. He saw "the Consloation of Israel" (verse 25). Literally, He saw the one called along side to help. He saw the helper, the comforter of Israel. He also saw "the Lord’s Christ" – the Messiah!
(vs.26). He saw God’s "Salvation" (verse 30). In a word, He saw a light (verse 32).
Robert Russell, an author and a pastor in Louisville, Kentucky, talks about a time when a family in his neighborhood kept their Christmas lights burning long after the season was past. They burned through January. Even through the first of February those outside lights burned every night. Finally, at about the middle of February, Russell became a bit critical and said, “If I were too lazy to take my Christmas lights down, I think I’d at least turn them off at night.”
Then at about the middle of March, there was a sign outside of their house that explained why they’d left the lights on. It said simply, “Welcome home, Jimmy.” This was many years ago, and that family had had a son in Vietnam. They had unashamedly left their Christmas lights on in anticipation of his return.
Lights are a symbol of hope. (Robert Russell, author and pastor of Southeast Christian Church, Louisville, Kentucky, in sermon "Jesus Came to Be the Light," Preaching Today, audio #195)
And in a dark world, Jesus is the light that makes all the difference. He is the light that comforts. He is the light that gives direction. And He is the light that saves.
Look to Him and trust Him to save you today. Trust Him to deliver you from your guilt and despair. Trust Him to rescue you from a life of darkness.
This Christmas, look at Jesus and see a sacrifice. Look at Jesus and see a savior. And finally, look at Jesus and SEE A STONE. SEE A ROCK TO STAND ON OR STUMBLE OVER. SEE AN UNSHAKABLE BOULDER to build your life on. That’s what Simeon saw!
vs.33 (read to vs.35)
His mother’s heart will be broken. Jesus will be spoken against and criticized, and He will cause many to fall and some to rise. Those who trust Christ will find Him to be a stepping stone. They will find Him to be a cornerstone, a foundation upon which they can rise. But those who reject Christ will find Him to be a stumbling stone. They will find Him to be an obstacle over which they fall.
The Apostle Paul, in 1 Corinthians 1 says, “We preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1:23-24).
Philip Yancey, in his book, The Jesus I Never Knew, talks about the 16th century Jesuit missionary, Matteo Ricci. When he went to China, he brought along samples of religious art to illustrate the Christian story for people who had never heard it.
The Chinese loved the portraits of the Virgin Mary holding her child, but when he produced paintings of the crucifixion and tried to explain that the God-child had grown up only to be executed, the audience reacted with revulsion and horror. They much preferred the Virgin and insisted on worshiping her rather than the crucified God.
Then Yancey makes this observation. “As I thumb…through my stack of Christmas cards, I realize that we in Christian countries do much the same thing. We observe a mellow, domesticated holiday purged of any hint of scandal. Above all, we purge from it any reminder of how the story that began in Bethlehem turned out at Calvary. (Philip Yancey, The Jesus I Never Knew, Zondervan, 2002, p. 25)
Such a story just isn’t popular. It’s a scandal to many. But to those of us who love the Lord, it’s the most wonderful story ever told.
You see, Jesus is either a stepping stone or a stumbling block. It all depends on what you do with Him.
Once, a long time ago, there were two mountain goats that met each other on a narrow pathway winding its way up a huge mountain. One goat was going up the mountain and the other goat was coming down the mountain. To make matters worse, there was a thousand foot drop on one side of the path. And on the other side, there was a steep cliff that went straight up. The trail was so narrow, neither goat could turn around, and they could not back up without falling.
What were they to do? They could fight for the right to pass, but that would kill both of them. So they stood there a while. Then, one of the goats knelt down and made himself as flat as possible. The other goat walked over him, and they both proceeded safely.
That’s a beautiful picture of what Jesus did for us! He knelt down and bowed low for us. He humbled himself to the point of death, even death on a cross!
Now, we can either trip over Him and perish. Or we can trust Him and pass on to eternal life. What will it be for you? I urge you, trust Christ today and let Him become your rock to build your life upon.
This Christmas, don’t just see a cute little baby in a cute little manger. Look to Jesus and see a sacrifice, see a savior, and see a stone to stand on. Look to Jesus this Christmas and see more than you’ve ever seen before.
More light than we can learn,
More wealth than we can treasure,
More love than we can earn,
More peace than we can measure,
Because one Child is born. (author unknown)
