“THROUGH A BABY’S EYES.”
Luke 2: 21-35
Int. In one of the issues of the Farmers Almanac has in it a list of poems written by school children. These were written about the child’s view of a perfect world. Although the kids who were selected as winners ranged over seven states and one foreign country, there were certain common themes in the poems. Each of the young writers desired a world that instead of prejudice and violence occurring between people over cultural or racial differences, there would be a spirit of helpfulness and sharing between people. These young people, like so many others in our day, have learned something of the coldness and hardness, the cruelty and abuse, the tears and the fears that plague life. Each of the nine which were selected as the best are quite good, but one of them really spoke to my heart. The writer is a fourteen year old, named Lindsay O’Donnell, from Irvine, California.
A perfect world is a Rainbow, its colors hand in hand,
In perfect harmony, they reach across the land.
A perfect world is a River, existing in peacefulness,
Never ceasing to remain that way, in a state of heavenly bliss.
A perfect world is a Person, with the power to forgive,
Looking only at one’s insides, no judgments they give.
A perfect world is a Vision, that someday can be,The power to make this world perfect,belongs to you and me.
It would be wonderful if somehow the qualities seen in the eyes of a baby or a young child could be preserved and directed to their greatest expression. But we all know that sooner or later, the innocent minds of our children will be contaminated with the evil influences around them. The beauty in the eyes of the child is lost much too quickly.
Simeon is described as a righteous and devout man who was living in eager expectation of the fulfillment of God’s great promises. One of the ancient books, commenting on Simeon, stated “He saw the Babe shining like a pillar of light in his mother’s arms. Then Joseph and His mother marveled at what was said about Him. They were surprised that a stranger, one of position and learning, should possess so deep an insight into the lofty destinies of an unknown infant. Have you ever wondered what people saw in the eyes of Jesus when He was only a tiny baby?
I. IN THE EYES OF CHRIST, REALITY IS VISUALIZED.
Simeon took Him in his arms...With this Infant in his arms, it was as if he stood on the mountain-height of prophetic vision, and watched the golden beams of sunrise far away throughout the uttermost parts of the earth and then gathering their full glow over his own beloved land and people.
A. By the use of the phrase “my eyes have seen your salvation”, Simeon stresses the reality of his vision of God’s Salvation, as he saw it in the Baby’s Eyes.
He realized instinctively that he could not limit God to this tiny body, and yet, he knew that within this Infant, the Infinite God had condensed Himself for man’s benefit. By his knowledge of Scripture, he had learned that within God were heights which could not be scaled, and depths which could not be fathomed, yet, within this Child, God was much more concrete, more personal, and even more genuinely human. When the eyes of Simeon looked into the eyes of the Baby, he knew that he was touching the ultimate reality, that shining forth from this tiny face was the glory of the Most High God.
B. When Simeon said, “Now dismiss your servant in peace,” he had death revealed to him not as an ending but as a release. This old man was already conscious of the fact that by dying, this Child would abolish death by destroying him that had the power of death, that is the devil, and deliver them who had been held in bondage by death.
II. IN THE EYES OF CHRIST, VARIETY IS EMPHASIZED.
Simeon saw in the eyes of this Baby, a plan that was much more far-reaching than the narrow walls of the Jewish race.
A. A Light for Consolation to the People of Israel.
Isa. 52: 8-9 “Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices; together they shout for joy.
When the LORD returns to Zion, they will see it with their own eyes. Burst into songs of joy together, you ruins of Jerusalem, for the LORD has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem.”
When we consider the description given Simeon, we can safely conclude that he was a man who deeply loved Israel and longed to see his people restored to the position of glory anticipated in the Old Testament. The Israelite people knew that they were a people of destiny. The problem was that far too many of them had developed an attitude toward anyone who was not of their race. This had given rise to numerous conflicts in history. Yet the ancient prophets of Israel had recognized that as a nation, they were to bear witness to the rest of the world on God’s behalf.
B. A Light for Revelation to the Peoples of the World.
Isa. 52:10 “The LORD will lay bare his holy arm in the sight of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God”
The love that was beaming from the eyes of the Baby is necessarily a missionary love. In the beginning, God’s first word was “Let there be Light.” John adds, “In him was life, and that life was the light of men.” Simeon’s word is an echo of the message which was declared by angels to the Shepherds, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”
God has an indescribable love for each one whom He has made. for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.
The presence and practice of prejudice is not of God. It has been the source of more misery and suffering than most other evils to be found in the world.
III. IN THE EYES OF CHRIST, ETERNITY IS PERSONALIZED.
Simeon saw that “light and immortality had been brought to light” by this Child.
A. The Touchstone of Truth. “This child is destined to cause the falling and the rising of many in Israel.” Isaiah had heard God say “this people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.”
Simeon perceived that what had been true in Isaiah’s day was still true for far too many of his kinsmen, yet, he knew that with the presence of God’s Son in their midst, this would have to change. He saw that the fate of multitudes hangs on the destiny of the Baby that he held in his arms.
B. The Sword of Sorrow. “A sword will pierce your own soul, too.”
Even though the Gospel which Jesus would bring would rise above all barriers, Simeon warns that it will not be received warmly and openly. There would be those who would bitterly oppose Christ, consequently, Mary’s own soul would be affected by it.
Jesus would bring to men a universal offer, but it would also be a personal challenge, especially when it became clear that it would come by way of a cross!
“Then Simeon blessed them... It is noticeable that Simeon refrains from blessing the Child. He recognized that this was the Son of the Most High, as a mere man, he was in no position to bless Him, rather it was his place to seek a blessing from God. He knew that he stood in the presence of the Eternal when he gazed into the eyes of this Child.
Conc: Luke 10:23-24 Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, "Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it."
At this season of celebration of the Birth of our Lord, let us remember that the eyes
that beamed tender truths as a Baby are later seen as coals of flaming fire when He stood before John in His glory! Rev. 1:14
