Luke 2:21-38 - Confirmation of the Coming
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
Introduction:
We have just come through the climax of these first couple of chapters. And that climax was Christmas. We saw the birth of the Messiah - Jesus Christ. We saw the ordinary circumstances of a humble King born to two peasants and placed in a feeding trough. But then we saw the angelic worship and proclamation to the shepherds shortly after His birth.
Today we are moving forward in the life of Jesus. We will cover His circumcision and official naming at 8 days old and His mother’s purification and His consecration and dedication as seen when He is forty days old. These events will serve as a confirmation of the coming of the Messiah. We have had much confirmation already, but today we will have even more confirmation as we hear a man named Simeon and a woman named Anna confirm Christ’s coming.
Join me as we start reading our Scripture for today:
Read Full Scripture:
And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. 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.”
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.”
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.” And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin,
and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.
Prayer
Today we will see three distinct facts that confirm that the Messiah has indeed come to earth. The first is...
I. We Can Confirm That the Messiah Has Come Because of… His Physical Presence (21-24)
I. We Can Confirm That the Messiah Has Come Because of… His Physical Presence (21-24)
And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
Here we see the naming of a child at the circumcision again. Just like John was named on the day of his circumcision (see Luke 1:59-64), Jesus is officially named on the day of His circumcision as well. Obviously, both had their names revealed beforehand by the angel Gabriel, but their official name was given on the eighth day. Again, this may have been because of Abraham being given his new name (Abram to Abraham) on the day he was circumcised (Genesis 17:5).
It is important to note that we are going to see repeatedly through our Scripture today that Joseph and Mary are dedicated followers of God. They follow the Jewish law in regards to circumcision here, and we will see them follow the laws of purification in a moment. These two young peasants were righteous before God. They have followed God’s command to name the child Jesus. Joseph has followed God’s command in taking Mary as his wife despite the shame and reproach such a marriage might bring.
And they are righteous before governmental authorities as they have followed the direction of Caesar Augustus in regards to the census by traveling around 85 miles to Bethlehem. God has chosen a solid couple to raise His only Son.
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.”
Readers today miss a lot that is inferred in these three verses.
We find in Leviticus 12 the laws for purification after childbirth. A woman would be considered unclean for 7 days and then on the eight day she would be considered clean - which for male children would be the day of the circumcision.
Then, she would continue on for 33 days counting the 8th day and would go to the temple to offer a sacrifice to the Lord on day 40 since birth for male children. As a side note, this time of purification was longer after having female children and this sacrifice was done on day 80.
The sacrifice that was offered for purification was supposed to be a lamb. Yet for those who could not afford a lamb, they were to bring two turtledoves or two pigeons (Lev 12:8). One of these was for a burnt offering and the other for sin offering.
There are two important inferences we have here. Number one is that this young couple was poor. They did not bring a lamb but brought two birds. Note that a lamb isn’t even mentioned here. The other important inference is that it is obvious that the wise men had not come to visit Jesus yet. If they had, this couple would have been able to afford a lamb for this sacrifice as the wise men left rich gifts for them (gold, frankincense, and myrrh - see Matthew 2:11). Sorry to bust up your nativity but we are at Day 40 and the wise men haven’t arrived yet. Might want to put those fellas quite a distance out from that nativity!
An interesting and oftentimes missed statement in verse 22 is that Jesus was presented to the Lord as well. We see this in Exodus 22:29
“You shall not delay to offer from the fullness of your harvest and from the outflow of your presses. The firstborn of your sons you shall give to me.
God required the firstborn sons of Israel to be dedicated to him. How beautiful was this dedication to the Lord? God’s one and only Son being dedicated at the temple of the Lord. We are about to see how special this dedication was as we move forward and get to our next point which is...
Scripture References: Luke 1:59-64, Genesis 17:5, Leviticus 12, Matthew 2:11
II. We Can Confirm That the Messiah Has Come Because of… His Sacrificial Saving (25-35)
II. We Can Confirm That the Messiah Has Come Because of… His Sacrificial Saving (25-35)
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,
The Holy Spirit appears on the pages of Luke’s Gospel yet again. This time He is working in the life of a man named Simeon. The Holy Spirit had revealed to him that the birth of the Messiah would be in his lifetime. What an amazing promise given to Him by God!
Can you imaging living your life with that kind of promise? You were going to see the Messiah before you died.
We don’t know how many years Simeon waited for the fulfillment of this prophesy, but one could assume it was for quite a bit with the emphasis that Luke places upon his waiting.
Who exactly was Simeon? We will explore what we know about him in a moment, but I think it is important for us to remember as we read this wonderful Gospel that Luke clearly understands Who is most important in all of these accounts. Simeon is not the subject of this interaction. Jesus Christ is.
And our lives should look the same way. As we turn the pages of our lives - lives that are only a vapor or a mist that is here one moment and passed away the next (James 4:14) - may we see that the only thing that matters in our life is how we glory Christ. How we fit into His story is all that matters. Church…
The pages of our lives can be filled with things that last or can be erased when that trumpet blasts.
When Christ returns, His people will be rewarded for what they did for Him. And this reward is based on how we glorified our Savior.
As we consider what we have just discussed - it is helpful to to listen to one stanza of C.T. Studd’s beautiful poem that states:
Only one life, a few brief years,
Each with its burdens, hopes, and fears;
Each with its clays I must fulfill,
living for self or in His will;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
C.T. Studd “Only What’s Done for Christ Will Last”
Studd bases this on the following verse.
each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done.
Brothers and sisters. I pray that our lives are highlighted like Simeon’s here. Who was Simeon? What does that matter. What matters is, “Who is Christ.” And this man most certainly recognizes who Christ is and is known for praising God at the sight of this wonderful Savior.
After that discourse, I will answer the question about who was Simeon from what we have given to us here.
Simeon is revealed to us as a devout and righteous man.
These two descriptive words are important.
He is righteous (Greek being dikaios - dee-kay-ose) meaning that he is upright, just, and fair. He is right before God because he right toward his fellow man.
And he is devout (Greek being eulabēs (ev-lah-base) meaning that he is God-fearing and reverent. This word refers to his right relationship with God.
We can learn from Simeon's life here. He is right before God and he is right before man. May we be as such as well friends.
This Holy Spirit-filled, righteous, and devout man is waiting for something as we alluded to already. He is waiting for the consolation of Israel which would occur through the Messiah. But what exactly is consolation anyway? This consolation here refers to the salvation and deliverance that the Messiah would bring.
And upon seeing the Christ-child, Simeon rings out in praise. This hymn of praise is referred to as the...
Nunc Dimittis (Now, Lord in the Latin Vulgate)
...which is derived from the first two words in the Latin Vulgate version of the Bible meaning ‘Now Lord.’ Let’s re-read this again:
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.”
First off - I can only imagine how Mary felt about her 40 day old baby being scooped up by this man! She had no idea who this guy was that just took her newborn baby from her! But within a few moments, I’m sure she realizes that God is at work in Simeon.
Simeon starts off his hymn of praise with praising God for keeping His promise.
We should also note Simeon’s humility here. He refers to himself as a servant - which in the Greek is the word doulos (due-lose) which means bondservant or slave. This is the same term that the Apostle Paul starts most of his letters off with. It is a term of humility and subjection to God.
It is during this prophecy from Simeon that we get the most direct revelation that salvation is not only for Israel but for all people. A light for revelation to the Gentiles!
This root word for revelation is the word reveal. Salvation is going to be revealed to the Gentiles through Jesus Christ. Praise our gracious God for this fact!
Christ is also called a glory to His people Israel in that Christ’s coming is the climax of God’s protective watch over Israel. The Messiah came from the line of Israel and for that they can glory in the Lord for His great work in their people. But that glory is only for those who choose to follow Christ. Let’s move forward as we see that more clearly...
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
Those who oppose Christ’s coming will find themselves opposed by Christ as Paul found in Acts 9 on his road to Damascus.
Other religious leaders opposing Christ might have seemed victorious on this side of eternity but will find themselves wanting as Christ stands in judgment upon them in eternity.
And this opposition continues today. There are many in our world who continue to oppose Christ. And this will lead to their fall.
Although Simeon does not mention that Christ is the capstone, his prophesy seems to echo these texts. Join me as we read three of these ‘stone Scriptures’:
And he will become a sanctuary and a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And many shall stumble on it. They shall fall and be broken; they shall be snared and taken.”
therefore thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation: ‘Whoever believes will not be in haste.’
The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.
These three Scriptures give the imagery of Christ leading to division. These speak of Christ being rejected and yet being the cornerstone - the stone that determines the rest of the entire building. These speak of Christ being a rock of stumbling - meaning that He causes those who oppose Him to fall. These speak of Christ being the foundational stone - meaning that He is immoveable and sure.
All of this adds up to the understanding that those who are in Christ have a sure foundation on the Rock of Ages. This Rock never shifts or moves. He is the unmoved mover as many refer to Him. He is dependable and constant.
Yet for those who reject this stone, terror and eternal judgment in Hell will befall them.
Listen to Jesus explain this further in Matthew 21:43-44 as He addresses the religious leaders of His day:
Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”
My friends, I pray that you are not going to be crushed by the Cornerstone. But there is only one way to keep from that. And that is humbling yourselves before Christ, repenting of your sins, and believing that He is truly the Son of God - crucified for your sins - risen from the dead three days later - and now at the right hand of the Father in heaven.
We should fear His judgment. As I say time and time again when we come to Scriptures like this - it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Hebrews 10:31).
Jesus has just let us know in more detail the seriousness of opposing Him. There is no way around being broken or crushed by the mighty hand of God if you oppose Him.
But our next verse gives us even more insight into why we should follow this Cornerstone.
(and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”
Speaking to Mary, Simeon gives a chilling prophesy to this new mother. A sword will pierce through your own soul also. Simeon lets her know that because the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed - meaning that Christ will be the litmus test for where a person is (as Darrell Bock infers in his commentary). He will expose the true hearts of the religious leaders in Israel and they will respond by crucifying Him.
And Mary would suffer as well. She would suffer in her soul. This is a foreshadowing of the crucifixion that Mary would have to witness. I can imagine no greater sword thrust to a mother’s heart and soul than watching her son brutally beaten and murdered before her eyes.
This prophecy has had such wonderful promises for us. But for Mary and her Son Jesus - there was a time of great tribulation to come.
Although we should fear God, his grace and mercy and kindness should lead us to repentance. Here we see the first glimpse in this book that Christ is going to die for our sins. His salvation is provided though his death on the cross.
How can we not respond in faith to Someone who laid His life down to save us?
Lastly…
Scripture References: James 4:14, 1 Corinthians 3:13, Acts 9, Isaiah 8:14-15, Isaiah 28:16, Psalm 118:22, Matthew 21:43-44, Hebrews 10:31
III. We Can Confirm That the Messiah Has Come Because of...His Realized Redemption (36-38)
III. We Can Confirm That the Messiah Has Come Because of...His Realized Redemption (36-38)
And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.
We have been discussing how we can confirm that the Messiah has come throughout our Scripture for today. We have seen that His coming has been confirmed through His physical Presence as we saw His earthly circumcision and then dedication to the Lord. Then we saw his future sacrificial saving mentioned as a confirmatory finding of His coming. Now we will see another godly person confirm His coming by discussing His realized redemption.
Anna was a prophetess of the tribe of Asher. This is noteworthy because Asher was one of the ten tribes of the northern kingdom that was overtaken by Assyria and carried off into captivity. We are shown here that these so-called ten lost tribes of Israel were in fact not lost at all as John MacArthur asserts in his commentary.
Anna had lived almost her entire life as a widow. Scholars debate whether the original Greek text states that she was a widow for 84 years or she was 84 years old at the time. Either way, she had been a widow for almost all of her life. Instead of remarrying, she dedicated her life to God and spent her days interceding for the people of Israel.
This woman was a righteous person like Simeon. We see that she did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and praying day and night.
One could imagine how many times she prayed for the coming Messiah that was promised. And now here He is - in the temple of God.
What is her first response to this Christ-child in her presence? She begins to give thanks to God.
Our first response to God should always be thankfulness and praise. As we studied in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 a couple of months back...
give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
And after thanking God for revealing the Messiah to her, she went on to speak of Him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. We see her let everyone there know that this is the Messiah. He is the Savior that they have been waiting for. He is the realized redemption of Israel - and as we saw through Simeon - He is the realized redemption of all the wold.
Scripture References: 1 Thessalonians 5:18
Conclusion:
As we come to a close, we see that Christ is our redeemer. As we have discussed this word before - Christ has bought us back. He has purchased us with His blood. He has ransomed us and set us free from the power of sin and death.
But as we mentioned earlier - this freedom from sin is only to those who have placed their faith in Christ for salvation and repented of their sins.
My friends - we can confirm that the Messiah has come. Today we have seen this confirmation in His physical presence, His sacrificial saving, and His realized redemption. We know the rest of the account. We know that all of this was not only confirmed by Anna and Simeon and others - but it was confirmed on the cross. He paid our penalty for us. He sacrificially saved us and redeemed us by His physical death on the cross.
May we, like Anna and Simeon, respond with thankfulness and praise to God for such a wonderful gift.
Prayer