See your salvation

See your salvation.

Luke 2:21-32

December 31, 2023

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The build-up for Christmas is insane. We, parents, have lists about lists, pressures about pressures, issues that have issues, and drama about drama. The anticipation that everything has to be right, clean, and prepared is exhausting.

Heidi and I were driving home from church last week. It has been a particularly difficult year for us and we both were feeling it. I looked at her and said, does it feel like we have been on a 45-mile marathon, and we still have another 45 miles left with zero energy or desire to finish the race? She looked at me and said, “And we are trapped in the race and can’t quit.”

I know we are not alone. There are people in this congregation that if given a chance, would like 2023 to end right now and would love to get 2024 off as soon as possible. There has been loss of relationships, loss of life and illness to end this year and some of us may be a little beat up. It is my hopes that today we address these feelings and point us in the right direction for the day after Christmas.

REVIEW:

Over the last several weeks of study we have been building to Christmas. There was anticipation, excitement, announcements from angels, and an interaction between two Spirit-filled pregnant women who knew that their salvation was coming. Now, Christ has been born and the excitement has turned into the day after the big event, or so we think.

For the Christ child, His life was going to be exacted and precise. Every day would be intentional, and every prophecy met. Does this sound like our Monday morning going about our work week? Does this sound like the Monday morning when we start school over again? Sure it does! It is the lists and the mandatory tasks we have. But, for Jesus, the expectations would have come with eternal pressure and even more precision.

The location for today’s passage would have been the temple in Jerusalem. Luke was a master historian and incredibly accurate (something to expect from a doctor). He records the trek from Nazareth to Bethlehem (the traditionally approved location of Christ’s birth) to be as much as a 90-mile walk. (SEE MAP)

Vs 22 “And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought Him UP to Jerusalem…”

Bethlehem was and is about the same elevation as Jerusalem so the word “up”. Mary, Joseph, and Jesus crossed the Jordan River Valley. That would make it a 3,500-foot descent, then another climb to Jerusalem. There are a lot of steps to get to the temple.

1. Every step must be followed. (Luke 2: 21-24)

I opened this message with a reference to lists and “requirements” for Christmas. Now that it is over, for us, the lists look a bit different. It is back to our usual pace. But, for our LORD, the lists and requirements were just getting started. In our passage, we see that every step had to be followed as directed by the WORD of God as outlined in the OT. To not follow each would make Jesus null and void as the prophesied Messiah. Everything ever prophesied about Him must be 100% accurate and fulfilled.

Vs 21 “And at the end of eight days, when He was circumcised, He was called Jesus”

Without going too deep, the culture was that the first male child be named after the father on the day of circumcision. In the case of both Jesus and John the Baptist, this tradition was not followed. The names were preordained and foreknown by the God the Father. Both babies were pre-determined and pre-named.

The days of circumcision were not an accident. It was an institute initiated by God in Gen 17:12.

Gen 17:12-14:

12 He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised. Every male throughout your generations, whether born in your house or bought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring, 13 both he who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money, shall surely be circumcised. So shall my covenant be in your flesh an everlasting covenant. 14 Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”[1]

The circumcision was a symbol of an agreement between the chosen decedents of Abraham. It was a distinguishing act of being set aside for God from the Pegan societies of the time. It also symbolized a cutting away of the sinful nature in man since the sin of man is transferred from man to his children. Cutting away this part, was an act symbolizing purity to God.

Doing this procedure on the 8th day was no accident by God. On the 8th day a baby’s vitamin K is at the highest and vitamin K is a key part of helping the baby to stop bleeding. Our God is a God of order and precision.

It is important to look at how verse 21 connects to vs 22. There is a break in time. Mary and Joseph had to wait until Mary’s time of purification was complete (40 days) after Jesus was born to dedicate Him in the temple as another key step that Jesus had to follow.

Leviticus 12:1-5 speaks of a mother's purification. According to the Law, after giving birth to a male child, she must wait 33 days to be considered “clean” to return to the temple. For a female child, the wait was 66 days.

God’s law clearly distinguishes between genders AND between clean and unclean actions and expectations. God outlined His expectation that His children be and act differently. This is an important process for Mary and Joseph to follow perfectly. Understanding that it is NOT Jesus at this point following these Laws, but His obedient parents. His parents, being humble in heart, and obedient in mind were following the letter of the Law perfectly. To me, this would be enough stress but wait, there was more. Every step had to be perfect.

Vs. 23 “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.”

This was Mary’s sacrifice. Not Josephs. She was required to offer this sacrifice.

Leviticus 12:6-8

6 “And when the days of her purifying are completed, whether for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting a lamb a year old for a burnt offering, and a pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering, 7 and he shall offer it before the Lord and make atonement for her. Then she shall be clean from the flow of her blood. This is the law for her who bears a child, either male or female. 8 And if she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take two turtledoves or two pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering. And the priest shall make atonement for her, and she shall be clean.” [2]

According to the Law of the Lord, she had to offer this offering for HER sin. It was not a suggestion by our Lord, but a command. She had to fulfill this requirement without any miss-step.

Finally, the dedication to the LORD was a requirement that in our culture seems understandable. Why not dedicate your kids to the LORD? After all, we still celebrate this today. But not to this level.

Vs. 22 “…they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the LORD”

This is in direct fulfillment of Leviticus 13:1

13 The Lordsaid to Moses, 2 “Consecrate to me all the firstborn. Whatever is the first to open the womb among the people of Israel, both of man and of beast, is mine.” [3]

As another fulfillment to the Law, the word “consecrated” means to be holy, removed from common use; subject to special treatment, forfeited to the sanctuary” i.e. temple

Jesus fits this definition like no other baby known to mankind. His earthly parents humbly check every block, every list every step for their prophesied child. They fulfilled the Law of the Lord without so much as a sidestep. In perfect obedience, they took on the expectation and the fulfillment of the requirements. Now, how is our list for Christmas compare?

In all this, there are some questions I had though. If Christ was not Joseph’s biological son, then the sin did not pass to Jesus. If that is the case and Mary was a virgin, why did she have to offer her blood sacrifice because no sin passed from Joseph to her? If He, Jesus, is the sacrifice of the world, why is His mom having to offer sacrifices for Him? Finally, if He is the owner of the temple, why be dedicated to it?

Church, these are good questions! The reason for the fulfillment of every law (presented at the temple, circumcision, sacrifice, and purification was that HE had to fulfill each of these laws to be deemed perfect according to the Law. Everything had to be according to the Law of the Lord for Him to be considered “righteous” in all areas. Nothing could be skipped even if He didn’t need it, He got it.

Perfect obedience and fulfillment meant that Christ’s life was as important as His death. His righteousness is a gift to us in that because He met every standard, every law, that righteousness is offered to us as believers.

It’s funny, as a baby, unable to walk, talk, or communicate, He was already fulfilling every aspect of who He was intended to be. You could say He hit the ground running, and he wasn’t even walking yet.

2. Anticipation exhausts and energizes (Luke 2:25-28)

When you were getting ready for Christmas, what was the most stressful thing you had to do to prepare? Moms I want to hear from you. Name one thing.

I find that the anticipation of a big event is as exhausting as it is energizing. It seems like our anticipation helps us find a new gear that we didn’t know we had. We find the energy to stay up a little later and work a little faster. But, in the end, it can lead to a big crash after the event and an emotional let down.

Today we meet a shadowed figure that had had a long-anticipated meeting with our LORD. He had anticipated this meeting and when he got there, we see the release of this anticipation. Simeon is an obscure but important part and valuable confirmation for us. There is no other reference to Simeon in God’s Word. He has a small landscape but an important message about Jesus.

I will not give the Latin vulgate very many compliments, but Latin is a beautiful language. This passage has a title much like Mary’s Magnificat. The Nunc Dimittis (NuncaMittis) is the title of this song and means “Now you let depart”

Vs 25 25 Nowthere was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteousand devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 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.[4]

Simeon was:

a. NOW: means “you have not seen this before” Pay attention; Righteous and devout (just) means the man was right before God and Man. Few people meet this standard.

b. OLD: He had been waiting for this time for many years. The reason why I brought up the Latin word “nunc dimitts” is because it is a request to go home. Simeon asks for the end. It is an ask from Simeon to let Him come to the LORD. He had been waiting, enduring the pains of life and now, the anticipation was complete. He was the end of a very honorable line of saints and righteous men and women since the fall to see the redemption of the Lord. Think about that statement. He was seeing what others had only dreamed of. He could now go to the LORD in peace and was praying for it.

c. Simeon had waited: I do not want to take too many liberties. But, how many days did he walk that walk to the temple asking, “is is now Lord?” How many days of climbing those steps asking, “Lord, is today your day”? Is this it? How many times, with tired knees and aged aches and pains would it take before he would say, “How much longer Lord?” The “waiting for the consolation” is a direct reference to Isaiah 25:9.

d. Simeon had the Holy Spirit ON him. This is very special. Before the day of Pentecost, the Spirit would come on but only on rare occasions would rest on people. People would have interacted with the Spirit but not like this. David interacted with the Spirit, authors of the OT would have direction from the Spirit, but to have the Spirit rest on is a different level. The word “upon” means on. Like completely on. Not with, around or over. But on. He had been told through the Spirit that Jesus was coming and because of the Spirit being ON, he knew our Lord when He saw Him.

e. Simeon’s excitement for an old man was amazing. Imagine for a minute moms, new moms, would you let an old man who as overly emotional come and take your kid? I doubt it. But look at what he did. He took Jesus in His arms and utters one of the most amazing songs written in the Word. Imagine tears and emotions flowing as he took the Christ child and held Him! Imagine this excitement coming to a climax as His wait had come to an end. The end of asking, “Lord, when will you show me your face?”

Application: There may be someone here who is wondering where the Face of God is in your life. God May have hidden His face from you but like a good mother or father, the loving Father will come to the call of HIS crying child, God will not leave you to cry long. Christian, we have confidence in Him “The Lord will never leave you, nor forsake you. In sickness, Alzheimer's, cognitive decline, physical decline, age, and loneliness HE will never leave you or forsake you.

CH Spurgeon said: “We should not be like the fool who says that the mountains have consumed the sun never to return. God may be hiding His face right now, but, for the believer, it is only a short time.” God will NEVER leave or forsake you. Like Simeon with sour muscles and tired knees, we are to keep climbing the stairs of life, and behold your salvation has NOT left you!

3. BEHOLD, SEE YOUR SALVATION (HP). (Luke 2:29-32)

I have said this in the past and I need to say it again. It is my job NOT to bring God to you. It is my job to bring you to HIM. We should never bring Him to our level. I want you all to see Him for yourselves and the very best way to do that is the method He has provided. That is His Word on display. It is so important for all of us individually to see our salvation. See for yourselves who He is!

Vs 29: “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word.”

LORD; He recognizes that HE is in fact the LORD over His life along with everyone else, whether you or I believe in Him is immaterial. He is LORD over all of life, death, and eternity. His LORDSHIP is further highlighted in that he uses the same verbiage that Mary did and refers to himself as a bondservant, relinquishing every claim to his life. He is a slave to God.

Simeon says the anticipation has come to this one point. Through the knowledge given him by the Spirit, this aged man is looking to go home. He has run his race and is hoping to see HIM. Have you ever had a relative say, “Lord, please, let me just come home.” Or maybe you yourself have prayed, “Lord, just take them, they need to see you now.” I do not want to be morbid, but people at this phase of life pray for it.

Do we look forward to that day or are we dreading that day? If we truly understood who He is, we would be excitedly looking/longing to go home. Just to see His face should draw this kind of emotion. Church, do you long to see His face? Do you get a bit emotional at seeing the Lord with scares in His hands, pierced side, and outstretched arms waiting to wrap you in an embrace?

To hear Him and Him only say, “Well done good and faithful servant.” These words should make you emotional. Church, if that garners no emotion, no tug, no draw on your heart, then I would challenge you, you may not know to be His. When He calls, you should be humbly waiting and hopeful! Again, if no desire, look closely at the relationship you claim to have.

Vs 30: “My eyes have seen your salvation”: Exclusivity to one salvation plan, not multiple. He is the savior of the world. He is the only savior of the world. Meaning, there was 1 sent, to save, not every one of the world, but the exclusivity of the child of God. Simeon is saying that this is the only one coming, no one else will be coming to save. It’s Him and no one else.

Isaiah 52:10

10 The Lord has bared his holy arm

before the eyes of all the nations,

and all the ends of the earth shall see

the salvation of our God. [5]

Simeon is quoting the prophecy of old. He is saying, that the world has seen Him. The Christ, here in the old man’s arms, and as his old eyes took in the sight of the salvation of the world, we too have seen Him. Jesus is on full display for the world and the world is without excuse.

Vs 31: “that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples”

Again, on full display for all to see, God is showing His salvation for all generations. Simeon’s comment here is a direct reference to many OT verses but in particular Isaiah 42:6

6 “I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness;

I will take you by the hand and keep you;

I will give you as a covenant for the people,

a light for the nations, [6]

The Light of the nations, perfectly settled in his arms would be the hand of God taking us into the promise of the LORD. I must ask you all, is your hand in His?

Vs 32: “A light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”

This light will show the hearts of men (both for good and bad), will separate the goats from the sheep, will search out the lost sheep to the ends of the world, will be a stumbling block for those who oppose Him and a rock of salvation to those who come to Him. We only need to finish this section to see that Christ came and caused as much division as He did salvation. Just as all tribes and nations can come, unfortunately not all will come.

I love how Mike Fabarez says this about this:

“Not all without exception (not every single person who has ever been or ever will be born) will be saved “but all without distinction” (people from every tribe, nation, kindred and tongue). So, God wants all to be saved, but that is not the case. This is not a free pass for all. This verse is saying that the gift of salvation is open to all who recognize that Christ is Lord.

Simeon’s song is riddled with OT fulfillment. His praise is directly to the LORD and a recitation of OT prophecy. His song is a heartfelt request for his time to come now to an end. A period at the end of a long sentence called life.

As he held the salvation of the world, he was looking into the eyes of his own salvation. He was saying, I don’t have to watch Him grow. I don’t have to watch His ministry, I do not need His signs, I do not need to watch Him walk on water, I do not need to see the thousands eat from His hand and I surely do not need to see Him hang on a cross and walk out of the grave. He believed it all and trusted in His Lord for the plan to come together. And this knowledge was his joy!

You may say I am taking too much liberty and assuming He may know what would happen. I would challenge you to continue to read the next three verses. The Holy Spirit did a good job laying it out. But there is some immediate application for us today that I do not want to miss.

Conclusion and application:

After Christmas or any other major event in your life that causes a letdown, if depression starts to set in due to exhaustion, you must remember your sources of joy! Our source of Joy is far bigger than a day of the year. It is found in Him.

Remember what I said last week? Happiness is great but it is not joy. Happiness is a result of an external stimulation or pleasurable outcome. Joy is a result done for us in God. At times (especially during times of the year like Christmas) happiness can rob us of true joy. Our joy is our salvation. We may take an exhale after a hard season, but, remember who is waiting for you! Remember who loves you! Remember what all that was about and take back your joy!

There is nothing wrong with feeling down from time to time. But that is not where we should stay. Look up and see your salvation! Remember the outstretched arms. He is waiting for you and rest in that joy!

THE UNBELIEVERS ASIDE:

When you are old and getting ready to depart, is it going into nothingness or is there hope in where you are going? This past week, a person I know well had a health scare. A big one. It got me thinking, they were going to possibly see the Lord very soon or they would be getting better. I praised God that this person would be seeing His face if healing was not to happen. I know they are saved, and He (Christ) is 100% their Lord and Savior. But, my heart breaks for those who would be walking into eternity NOT seeing His face.

Maybe you’re here today and you would not be able to answer that question. Would you see His face, or would you see the back of His head as you walked into eternity apart from God destined for eternal destruction? Without Christ, you would be bearing the load of the sin and shame that you have amassed throughout your life. The only payment for this sin and shame is found in a currency that you can’t make on your own. God, being rich in mercy sent His son, held in Simeon’s arms to save lost souls like yours. A perfect payment for an imperfect soul. He knew you could not do it, so He sent His Son to die on a Roman cross for you and me.

Jesus said, “I am the way the truth, and the life, no man comes to the Father except through me.” Now, call out to Jesus for salvation, and then, when you do step into eternity, you will see His face. He will be there to rap his nail-scared hands, (nails He took for you) around you and will say, come my son/daughter, your inheritance is ready. Oh, non-believer, I wish this for you! Please, call out to the LORD today and be saved!

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. 2016. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles. [2] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. 2016. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles. [3] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. 2016. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles. [4] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. 2016. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles. [5] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. 2016. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles. [6] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. 2016. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.