Nunc Dimittis
Notes
Transcript
Nunc Dimittis
Nunc Dimittis
This morning we are going to wrap up the birth narratives in Luke’s Gospel.
And we are going to look at the last song that is sung by those impacted by Jesus’ birth.
This is number 4 of 4.
The first song was Mary’s Magnificat-where she magnifies the Lord.
The second is Zech. Benedictus- or his Song of Salvation.
Last week we briefly talked about the heavenly host’s song Gloria in Excelsis Deo speaking of God’s Glory.
And this week’s song is sung by a man named Simeon.
His song is traditionally titled Nunc Dimittis which translates roughly to “Now Let me Depart” or “Dismiss Me”
There is a thread that tie all these songs together.
And its the fact that God has fulfilled and accomplished all that he has promised.
These people in the opening chapters of Luke really have their pulse on what God is doing.
They know that God has promised to save and deliver his people
and b/c he is a promise keeper he is worthy of all praise, honor, and glory.
Remember a few weeks ago, I told you that the first 2 chapters of Luke’s gospel is tied together with the thread of promises fulfilled.
And we have seen that throughout these last few weeks.
And this morning is no different.
We are going to witness the praise of God b/c of his faithfulness on the lips of his servants.
Now before we get to the song, we need to look at what is happening in the life of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus.
What’s gone on since the night when Jesus was born.
The ESV Study Bible Chapter 2
This account of the presentation of the infant Jesus in the temple underscores the piety of Jesus’ family, their faithfulness to God, and their keeping of his law. (Cf. parallels with the presentation of the infant John the Baptist; 1:59–80.)
21 When the eight days were completed for his circumcision, he was named Jesus—the name given by the angel before he was conceived.
22 And when the days of their purification according to the law of Moses were finished, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord
23 (just as it is written in the law of the Lord, Every firstborn male will be dedicated to the Lord)
24 and to offer a sacrifice (according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons).
Obedience and Purification
Obedience and Purification
The first thing that we see in this passage is that Jesus’ family make sure that they obey the Lord’s instruction.
Jesus is from Jewish descent which means that he must be circumcised on the 8th day after his birth.
And b/c Mary and Joseph are devoted to the Lord, they make sure to follow through with this command.
It’s important for Jesus to be circumcised so that he would identify with his people.
If he wouldn’t have been circumcised it would have been a stumbling block to those who he would preach to.
And as we said before, circumcision isn’t a small thing for the Jewish it is an established covenant that the Lord made with Abraham.
So in essence, Jesus had to identify with his people so that they would listen to them.
And one of the ways he did that was by the obedience of his parents to get him circumcised.
Like John, the circumcision was also when Mary and Joseph verify the name that was given to them by Gabriel.
In Hebrew, Jesus name is Yeshua or Yehoshua.
His name means “Yahweh Saves” or the “the Lord Saves.
So even down to his name, Jesus is proclaiming the mission that he is on.
Not only is God with us, but he has come to save us too.
What a sweet and powerful name that Jesus carries.
The Lord saves…this means that it is the lord that offers deliverance.
It is the Lord that offers salvation.
The Name of Jesus once again reminds us that there is nothing that we can do to earn Salvation, b/c it is the Lord who Saves.
Though that is an important doctrine for us to get our minds around, that’s not all that is happening in this passage.
In these verses, we also read that Mary and Joseph are not just having Jesus circumcised, but they are also offering up the purification ritual that is commanded in the OT for women who go through child birth.
40 days after the birth of any Jewish child the mother must go to the temple to make a sacrifice as purification.
It’s a cleansing ritual that the Lord instructs in
Leviticus 12:6–8.
I don’t have the time to go over why this ritual exists, but suffice it to say when there is blood or bleeding especially in the giving of life, then there needs to be a sacrifice for purification.
But that’s not all that Mary, Joseph and Jesus do at temple.
They also brought Jesus up to be presented and dedicated to the Lord.
This was another commandment given by the Lord in Exodus 13:1–2, that every firstborn male must be set apart and consecrated to the Lord.
Ex. 13, is the scripture that Luke recounts here in v.23.
There is an often overlooked revelation here in v.24.
We are told that they offer the sacrifice of a pair of turtledoves or 2 young pigeons.
This is the offering alloted to those who could not afford the designated offering of a lamb.
This goes to show us that Jesus is not born to wealthy or affluent parents.
In fact, at best Jesus’ parents are working class and but most likely they live in poverty.
This would again allow Jesus to reach those he came to save.
He doesn’t ride a white horse or flaunt around in ornate robes.
Not Jesus identifies with the poor and outcasts, b/c he was the poor and outcast.
And one of the things I love about God’s law is that he makes provisions for the poor and outcast when it comes to his law.
If you can’t afford a lamb, offer birds.
If you can’t afford birds, offer grain.
The reality is the system of sacrifice in the OT was built upon trusting and relying upon God as the source of life.
That doesn’t mean that if you can’t afford it you don’t have to sacrifice.
It means that what you sacrifice changes.
B/c whether rich or poor we must rely on God as the source of life.
He is our ultimate provider.
And we see this her with Mary and Joseph, though they didn’t have much they were still faithful and obeyed God’s law.
They still offered up what they were required by the law to offer up.
This would help set the stage for Jesus being raised by this family.
As a young boy, he would see that his earthly parents took God’s law seriously.
They would pass down and instill in Jesus the importance of God’s Law.
He would have role models to look up to as a child as he is growing in wisdom and in God’s grace.
This would encourage him and strengthen him as he grew up and prepared for the mission set before him.
From here we are going to look at two characters that interact with this lovely family before they leave Jerusalem and head back home.
The two we are going to look at are an older man Named Simeon and an older woman name Anna.
Simeon is going to be the one that sings the song in this text.
But before we look at his song, let’s look at who this man was.
25 There was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, looking forward to Israel’s consolation, and the Holy Spirit was on him.
26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he saw the Lord’s Messiah.
27 Guided by the Spirit, he entered the temple. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to perform for him what was customary under the law,
Simeon
Simeon
Apart from this mention of Simeon in Luke, we have no idea who he was.
He was just a guy who was longing for and looking toward Israel’s consolation.
What does that mean? What is Israel’s consolation?
It most likely alludes to OT prophecies that anticipate the redemption, restoration, and salvation of Israel.
This time of redemption, restoration, and salvation was expected to come through Israel’s messiah.
The consolation of Israel that Luke mentions here is most likely an allusion to later chapters of Isaiah where the Lord promises to send his servant to accomplish this redemption, restoration, and salvation of his people.
So Essentially, Simeon was looking forward to the time when the Lord would accomplished what he had promised.
When the promised divine Messiah would arrive and save God’s people.
Again we witness that Luke is building these first two chapters upon the fulfilment of God’s promises to his people
And this is evidenced by this man Simeon and his longing for the promises of God to be fulfilled.
But that’s not all that we learn about Simeon here, what else do we learn about him in these few short verses.
We know that he was devout and righteous.
This means that he was in right standing with God.
This language is very similar to the language used to describe both Z and E.
So Simeon isn’t just a practicing Jew, his life is devoted to serving the Lord
He conformed to the life that God had laid out in the OT and worshipped the Lord appropriately and devotedly.
We know that the HS was upon him.
And we know that the HS had revealed to him that he wouldn’t die until he saw the Lord’s Messiah.
Now for us as good and astute bible readers.
Knowing that we hear about the HS spirit being upon Simeon here our senses should be firing.
Up to this point we see that when the HS is mentioned, something special has happened and we should expect something here too.
Simeon has already recieved one revelation from God, that he won’t die until he sees the Lord’s Messiah.
And now he’s come to the temple.
But who lead him to the temple?
He was guided there by the HS.
So it just so happens, that at the same time that Jesus and his family are at the temple The HS guides Simeon there too.
Of course we know that this isn’t a coincidence.
This is God’s Providence.
There was a divine appointment that was about to take place.
Simeon was going to have an interaction with his Lord.
And he was going to have this interaction before he died.
There is a spiritual truth here.
We all need to salvation before we are dismissed from this life.
We need to recognize our need for a savior, a deliverer, and a redeemer.
We need to see the salvation of the Lord in the person and work of Jesus.
We have the good news of God’s plan of redemption.
We have the full story.
We know about the life, death, burial, resurrection and ascension of the Lord.
But there are those in our neighborhoods, family, and friend groups that don’t know it.
And we need to be the ones to bring this good news to them.
We have seen the light and we need to shine the light on their lives.
We need to tell them about the good news of forgiveness and salvation found Christ.
This is the best news Ever!
That God has sent his Savior to Overcome Sin and Death and to redeem or bring us back to a right relationship with Him.
For those who trust and believe in the work of Christ we get eternal life with the Lord.
For those who don’t, they spend eternity in hell.
We should love one another enough to speak the truth about the message of the gospel.
Jesus was who Simeon longed to see to know that the Lord was keeping his promise.
And there are those who are out there in the world who, whether they know it or not, are also longing to see Jesus.
and we has his followers have been commissioned to go out and tell them.
B/c they need to see the salvation of the Lord before they die.
Or they will feel the wrath of God.
And what Happens when Simeon sees the salvation of the Lord?
He begins to sing a song.
28 Simeon took him up in his arms, praised God, and said,
29 Now, Master, you can dismiss your servant in peace, as you promised.
30 For my eyes have seen your salvation.
31 You have prepared it in the presence of all peoples—
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles and glory to your people Israel.
Nunc Dimittis
Nunc Dimittis
Simeon picked up Jesus and began to sing this song about the savior.
I don’t want us to miss this.
From his conception, to his birth, and even to this first month and a half of his life.
Those who sought God.
Those who were righteous and believed in the promises of God.
And more importantly, those who were filled with the HS were able to see Jesus for who he is.
This is prior to any miracle working.
Prior to any teaching.
Prior to the resurrection.
Prior to any following or any disciples.
This child 40 days old was seen as being the promised deliverer of people.
He was seen and known as a savior while still in diapers.
Now we can’t overlook this point either.
The only people who knew this were those who got divine revelation like the shepherds or those who were filled with the HS.
Only those with spiritual eyes opened were able to see.
Only those who had been spoken to by God himself could comprehend the beauty of this baby.
The weight and glory that surrounded this child.
And for Simeon it’s not til he sees Jesus that this is apparent.
Obviously we read earlier that the HS was upon Simeon, but it wasn’t until he saw Jesus that he saw salvation.
“For my eyes have seen your salvation”.
This would remind the Jewish readers of this gospel of Exodus 14:13 when the Israelites were being saved from Egypt Moses states,“...“Don’t be afraid. Stand firm and see the Lord’s salvation that he will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians you see today, you will never see again.”
And notice here that Simeon doesn’t say that he see’s part of the Lord’s salvation.
No he sees the totality of God’s salvation.
In the eyes of this child, Simeon sees the salvation of the Lord.
Jesus is the totally sufficient, totally perfect, and totally encompassing salvation of the Lord.
Simeon is so confident of that fact, that he knows that he can now die in peace, b/c the Lord’s promise to him has been fulfilled.
He has no fear of death.
He is ready to go now that he has seen Jesus.
B/c he knew through the revelation of the HS that to see Jesus is to see God’s Salvation.
He can have joy, even knowing that his death is imminent b/c he has seen the source of life and salvation.
Even more than that, the way that Simeon expresses his view of Jesus tells us that he welcomes death now.
He is ready to go b/c the Lord has kept his promise once again and Simeon can now rest in peace knowing that salvation has come.
This is similar for us.
We can have peace in the face of death b/c we know salvation has arrived.
If you have placed your faith and trust in Jesus, salvation is here.
You have seen the goodness and grace of Jesus.
You have recognized the power of the gospel.
You are living your life with the hope of glory.
So our weary hearts can rest assured that b/c we have seen the Lord of Glory, b/c the HS has made God’s Salvation known to us that we are safe and secure in the master’s hand.
Simeon then goes on to say
Luke 2:31–32 “31 You have prepared it in the presence of all peoples— 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles and glory to your people Israel.”
Here we have to understand that though Jesus is bringing salvation to the world.
He is doing so in two distinct ways.
For the Jews he is he demonstrating the promise fulfilled.
That is the glory of God.
For the Gentiles he is providing the revelation of God’s love toward humanity.
The Jewish people had the law.
They knew about God’s actions and activity in history.
Most Gentiles didn’t.
So Jesus is bringing Light, that is revelation to the gentiles.
While he is bringing fulfilment to the Jews.
This goes to demonstrate to us the width and breadth of Jesus ministry and is one of the key themes in Luke.
Jesus didn’t come to save only the Jewish people, Jesus came to save all who would believe.
Jew and Gentile.
He is the purest revelation of God to all
Jesus is going to have an impact on the whole world.
He is salvation for all who believe.
And that’s the good news of the Song of Simeon.
Salvation has come.
Yet Simeon also has some hard words for Mary and Joseph.
And these words he will speak are being fed to him the same way as the song through the inspiration of the HS.
So we can trust that what he has to say is right and his words should be heeded by Mary.
33 His father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him.
34 Then Simeon blessed them and told his mother Mary, “Indeed, this child is destined to cause the fall and rise of many in Israel and to be a sign that will be opposed—
35 and a sword will pierce your own soul—that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
Salvation & Sacrifice
Salvation & Sacrifice
The news of Salvation is amazing.
And we see here that Mary and Joseph are amazed and overwhelmed at what Simeon is communicating.
Their child will be the savior of the Jews and the Gentiles.
He will bring about the promise of the Lord’s Salvation.
I can only imagine that after the last year that they have had, this moment just adds to the realization that this isn’t any normal child.
He is the messiah.
And after Simeon sings his song, he looks at Mary and has a few words for her.
Essentially he says, “Though salvation is coming, the road will be hard”
Jesus’ arrival is going to cause joy and anger.
It’s going to cause love and hatred.
It’s going to cause unity and division.
Jesus is going to cause the rise and fall of many in Israel.
This will be unavoidable when Jesus brings forth the truth.
When people see the light they are either drawn to it like a moth or scatter from it like a cockroach.
Simeon is even alluding to what the prophet Isaiah says in
14 He will be a sanctuary; but for the two houses of Israel, he will be a stone to stumble over and a rock to trip over, and a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
15 Many will stumble over these; they will fall and be broken; they will be snared and captured.
We see this in Jesus’ life and ministry.
Some accept and some oppose.
Some are built up and others stumble over Jesus.
Here in the opening chapters we see the joy that overflows when people accept.
But in the time ahead, Jesus’ enemies are going to grow.
Opposition is going to become more pervasive.
Rejection of his teaching is going to be real and evident.
And it’s interesting that Simeon only addresses Mary here.
“He told Mary”
Simeon knew that Mary would be around and witness Jesus’ ministry.
And even more than that, through the prompting of the HS, Simeon was telling Mary that her own soul would be pierced through his ministry.
The pain a mother feels at the rejection or pain of her son is real.
And Mary one day would feel that terrible pain.
When Jesus is beaten and crucified for presenting the truth about the love and wrath of God.
Mary is going to feel the heartache of witnessing her son be brutally beaten and tortured to death.
As beautiful as this child’s life is going to be.
As much joy as he will bring.
The glory of the Lord revealed in his life and ministry.
There is going to be trouble.
there is going to be heartache.
There is going to be opposition that will cause Mary’s heart to be broken.
Her love for Jesus is going to cause her to feel immeasurable pain.
And for those of us who actually follow Jesus who are committed to obeying him, we must know that it will come with pain and personal consequences as well.
Though salvation has come we must also know that rejection is near.
Nearer than we want to believe.
It was true for Jesus and it is true for those who live a life that honors him.
This is the double edged sword of Christianity.
We get Christ and we fight against our flesh and the world hates us.
We are friends of God but at enmity with the world.
This is what we observe in the life of Jesus.
Those who have spiritual eyes see the glory of God.
Those who have worldly eyes see a blasphemer and crucify the Lord.
And We read this at the end of v. 35
“The thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
You can hide your thoughts and beliefs for a little while, but eventually what you actually think about Jesus will be brought to the light.
Nothing will remain hidden forever.
I can’t help but think about Judas Iscariot when I think of this verse.
His heart was exposed when he traded Jesus for silver.
He didn’t really love Jesus, he loved money.
He desired power.
He wanted more than the life of a servant.
He wanted control, wealth, and a throne.
His heart was exposed.
And I can only imagine the heart of Mary when she heard about Judas’ betrayal.
It must have been like her soul was pierced.
Let’s not play games with God.
Know where you truly stand, because eventually the truth will win out.
Submit to him as Lord or quit playing games.
What we learn from the gospel message is that how people respond to Jesus is the difference between pardon and condemnation, eternity in heaven or hell.
And I pray that if you here this morning and you haven’t given your life to Jesus that you would submit today.
There are only two roads the road to salvation through Jesus and the road to condemnation by denying him.
Luke moves on from the Simeon interaction to one with another prophet, Anna.
36 There was also a prophetess, Anna, a daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was well along in years, having lived with her husband seven years after her marriage,
37 and was a widow for eighty-four years. She did not leave the temple, serving God night and day with fasting and prayers.
38 At that very moment, she came up and began to thank God and to speak about him to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.
Anna Prophesy
Anna Prophesy
Here we see another faithful follower of the Lord.
She is a widow and serves in the temple constantly.
Even up to living there, never leaving.
We also learn that she is older or “well along in years.”
Anna is supposed to be upheld as another devoted follower of the Lord much like Simeon.
Again revealing that those close to the Lord know that he’s at work in this child and the family’s life.
She sees Jesus and immediately begins to thank God for this child.
She sees with Spiritual Eyes that Jesus is the redemption that has been promised by the Lord.
She is looking forward to the completion of what the Lord had started.
And though we don’t know exactly what she said, we do know that what she says is from the Lord.
How do we know this?
B/c she is called a prophetess.
That means that she speaks on behalf of the Lord.
He speaks through her. And we can trust what she said about Jesus being the redeemer.
She see’s Jesus and in seeing him sees the plan of God coming to fruition.
Here’s what I want the big takeaway from this morning to be.
And this to me is a clear theological truth that radiates from both Simeon and Anna.
That is: To see Jesus is to see God’s Salvation.
To see Jesus is to see God’s light and revelation.
If you want to be saved.
If you want to be in right relationship with the Lord.
If you want to be freed from the penalty of sin and death.
If you want to know peace.
If you want to know deep love.
If you want to know the God who spoke the world into existence.
Then you must know Jesus.
There is no other path to the Father.
There is no other hope of salvation.
There is no other avenue of Grace.
Than through Jesus.
If you don’t know him, or if you have been playing games with him.
Today is the day to lay down your life and worship him with all you have.
From here until eternity.
Let’s Pray.