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 2:22-24 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 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons” (ESV).
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.
Luke 2:25-32 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. 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. 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, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel” (ESV).
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 the priest killed 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 BECAME the sacrifice for your sins.
Your sins were placed on Him, and He died in your place, as punishment for your sins. That’s why He came. He came as a sacrifice for your sins, and He died in your place so you could live in His place forever!
So this Christmas, don’t just see a cute little baby in a cute little manger. See Someone who sacrificed His life for yours.
On September 30, 2013, Dwayne and Dawna Johnson of Buena Vista, Colorado had the perfect day planned. The electrician and high school football coach and his wife took their two teenage daughters on a day hike up a popular mountain trail. But then the unthinkable happened: a rockslide barreled down at them at a vantage point looking up on Agnes Vaille Falls.
Just before the cascading dirt and boulders swept Dwayne, his wife, and their oldest daughter to their deaths, Dwayne made a decision that saved the life of his 13-year-old daughter, Gracie. A few weeks after the tragedy, Gracie said, “I did cover myself, but I was just standing in the open. [My dad] pushed me to a rock that was bigger than I was, and he just saved me.” Sheriff's Deputy Nick Tolsma added, “[Gracie] said her dad jumped on top of her to protect her right at the last moment when the rocks were coming down.”
Immediately after the rockslide, as rescue workers began to search the area, they heard Gracie's voice coming from beneath the pile of rocks that covered her. Deputy Tolsma eventually spotted Gracie's hand sticking out from the rocks. No one in the town was surprised by Dwayne's act of sacrificial love. As a family friend said, “He would have done the same for any of our children, absolutely” (Catherine E. Shoichet, Kyung Lah and Jack Hannah, “Colorado rock slide kills 5 members of one family; teen survives,” CNN, 10-2-13; www.PreachingToday.com).
That’s what Jesus did for you and me. When the boulders of our poor choices and sin barreled down at us, He wrapped Himself around us and died in our place on the cross. Is your world crashing down around you? Then look to the cross and see the One who died for you. Look at Jesus and see a sacrifice for your sins. More than that, this Christmas, look at Jesus and…
SEE A SAVIOR.
See someone who can deliver you from your sins. See someone who can rescue you from despair.
That’s what Simeon saw. When he saw Jesus, he saw more than just a little baby, he saw “the consolation 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), and he saw God’s “salvation” (verse 30).
J. I. Packer once said, “The Christmas message is that there is hope for a ruined humanity—hope of pardon, hope of peace with God, hope of glory—because at the Father's will Jesus Christ became poor and was born in a stable so that thirty years later, he might hang on a cross.”
That’s what Simeon saw! He saw the consolation of Israel, the Lord’s Christ, and God’s salvation. 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!
Luke 2:33-35 And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. 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 (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed” (ESV).
His mother’s heart will be broken. People will criticize and attack her son, Jesus, and He will cause many to fall and some to rise. Those who trust Christ will find Him to be a steppingstone. 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; www.PreachingToday.com).
Such a story just isn’t popular. It’s a scandal to many. But to those of us who love the Lord, it is the most wonderful story ever told. You see, Jesus is either a steppingstone 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).
