Luke 2:1-35 (Making Peace)

Introduction

I don’t know about you, but I love the Christmas season. One of my neighbors is a big yard-decorator. He’s got a bunch of yard-art in front of his house all year round. Usually, it’s the kind of odd stuff that grandkids would enjoy when they come to visit, but during Halloween and Christmas, he decorates accordingly.

For Halloween, his yard looks terrible. It’s everything you might imagine for a pagan Halloween theme park. Every October, we drive the long way around the block to get to and from our house, so we don’t have to see all the stuff he’s got on display.

But during November and December, his yard is decorated with all sorts of secular Christmas characters – Frosty, Santa, the Grinch, and a bunch of others. At Christmastime, many neighborhoods are lit up with with the kind of decorations that convey happiness, sentiment, and fun.

I know that Charlie Brown thinks of this as commercializing Christmas, but I enjoy it. We make a point to drive through Carmela’s at least once each December… ideally, when the line of cars is less than a half mile long.

Christmas decorations and Christmas traditions seem to send most people into a state of mind that is more joyful, more gracious, and more generous.

And whether people know it or not, this is a vestige of the Christian culture that was once dominant in America. These are Christian themes and notions; these are not natural to us, and they aren’t present in many other cultures in the world.

This morning, we are going to read a portion of the Bible that is familiar at this time of year. It’s that passage Linus recites (in the King James) when everyone seems to forget what Christmas is all about in Charlie-Brown-land.

But this is more than a seasonal text of Scripture. In Luke’s Gospel, we have an account of the arrival of “the Christ,” and this is a big deal for all human history. There are ancient biblical promises in the background… there are scenes of heaven coming to earth… and there are announcements that have huge ramifications for everyone everywhere.

Today, we are going to read this passage, and we are going to focus on one particular character who exemplifies the way we ought to be as we think about the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ – both His first coming and His second.

Let’s consider together what we read here, and may God help us to be like Simeon as we look both backward and forward to the arrival of what God has promised throughout the Bible.

Scripture Reading

Luke 2:1–35 (ESV)

1 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town.

4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth.

7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear.

10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child.

18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

21 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. 22 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 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.”

25 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. 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.

27 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, 28 he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, 29 “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; 30 for my eyes have seen your salvation 31 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”

33 And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 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 35 (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

Main Idea:

God promised long ago that He would send the Christ, who would make peace for sinners and bring peace on earth, and this One has come and is coming.

Sermon

1. Waiting for Consolation

Luke tells us here that Joseph and Mary brought the infant Jesus to Jerusalem “to present him to the Lord” (v22). This was (as Luke says) according to the “Law of the Lord,” which was given through Moses (v23; cf. Lev. 12:1-5). The Mosaic law stated that a mother was ceremonially “unclean” for “seven days” after birth of a son (Lev. 12:2), and she must stay away from “holy things” for another “thirty-three days” after that – called “the days of her purifying” (Lev. 12:6).

So, at about six weeks old, the infant Jesus was brought to Jerusalem, and Joseph and Mary were there to offer a “sacrifice” (v24). But we’re told that the sacrifice they gave was “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons” (v24). This might escape our notice, but such an offering was for those who “cannot afford a lamb” (Lev. 12:8). Friends, the whole story we’re reading this morning paints the picture of incredibly humble beginnings for the one who was announced by angels and called “Christ the Lord” (Lk. 2:11).

Indeed, the Scripture says that Jesus “was God,” that “all things were made through him,” and that He was and is “the light” of God’s wisdom and truth (Jn. 1:1-9). But the Scripture also says that God the Son “humbled himself” when He was “born in the likeness of men” …as the child, Jesus of Nazareth (Phil. 2:6-8). And it is hard to imagine a lowlier beginning than what Jesus was born into.

The fourth-century preacher and pastor of Constantinople, John Chrysostom, wrote, “The Ancient of days has become an infant. He who sits upon the sublime and heavenly Throne, now lies in a manger. And He who cannot be touched, now lies subject to the hands of men. He who has broken the bonds of sinners, is now bound by an infant’s bands. But He has decreed that disgrace shall become honor, shame [will] be clothed with glory, and total humiliation the measure of His Goodness.”

Almost no one saw Jesus for who He was when He came into the world, but when Joseph and Mary brought the infant Jesus into the temple at Jerusalem, they met a man named “Simeon” (Lk. 2:25)… and Simeon was one of the few who were waiting specifically for the arrival of the Christ-child.

Now, Simeon is going to be the focus of much of our time this morning – especially what Simeon said about Jesus – but let’s first consider who Simeon was.

Luke tells us that Simeon was a “righteous and devout” man (v25). This means that Simeon was one who learned the law of God (that came to Moses at Mt. Sinai), and he aimed to keep God’s law in his daily life.

Luke also tells us that “the Holy Spirit was upon” Simeon (v25). Before Jesus came, and before the day of Pentecost (when Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to indwell all Christians), the Holy Spirit only came upon OT prophets and those who were specially set apart by God for holy service (like Bezalel, who was the main architect of the OT tabernacle).

So, when Luke says that Simeon had the Holy Spirit “upon him” it is an indicator that Simeon was set apart for holy service, and we might also expect that he was a prophet. Sure enough, what Simeon said to Joseph and Mary about Jesus was a prophetic word – declaring both who Jesus was and what Jesus would do.

A third thing Luke tells us about Simeon is that he was “waiting for the consolation of Israel” (v25). This is a phrase that refers back to numerous prophecies throughout the OT, where God promised to one day “comfort” or “save” or “redeem” His people.

For example, the prophet Isaiah said, “thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: ‘I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite. 16 For I will not contend forever, nor will I always be angry… Peace, peace, to the far and to the near,’ says the LORD, ‘and I will heal [My people]’” (Is. 57:14-19).

And the prophet Malachi said, “behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven… The day that is coming shall set [sinners] ablaze, says the LORD of hosts… But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings…” (Mal. 4:1-2).

Friends, this is what Simeon was waiting for… the “consolation of Israel,” …or the day when God Himself would proclaim, “Peace, peace,” …or the “day” of the Lord – which would mean destruction for sinners but “healing” for those who fear Him.

And Simeon saw what he was waiting for when he saw the infant Jesus.

Let’s consider for a bit this morning what Simeon said about what he saw when he looked upon Jesus for the first time.

2. Peace for Sinners

The word translated “consolation” in our passage is the joining together of two words – πάρα and καλεω. Πάρα (in this case) means “beside,” “by,” or “along with;” and καλεω is the verb “I call” (lit. – “to call beside” or “to call together”).

But the question we need to ask (and answer) is, “Why did Israel need consolation?” or “With whom did Israel need to be called together?”

Well, Israel was a people that God had made from one man – Abraham. God promised to bless Abraham with a whole bunch of descendants and a kingdom on earth (Gen. 12:1-4). And God made good on both of those promises (see the books of Exodus and Joshua).

But God also demanded that the people upon whom He lavished His grace and blessings… God demanded that they obey His basic rules for family, for society, and for religion – “Live by God’s laws, and enjoy God’s blessings; but rebel against God’s laws, and suffer God’s judgment.”

Of course, many of us know the story. Just as Adam and Eve had done in the garden, so too the people of Israel disobeyed God in the land of Canaan. And because God did not immediately remove Israel from the land (as He had done with Adam and Eve), Israel was able to continue in egregious sin… even as the people presumed that God was just fine with their rebelliousness.

Eventually (after smaller cycles of sin, judgment, repentance, and renewal), God finally destroyed the kingdom of Israel and scattered the people as exiles in other lands. Just as God had done with Adam and Eve long ago, the people of Israel were removed from the garden-kingdom… and they were banished to spend their days as those who were under God’s curse.

Friends, in this way, both Adam (in the garden) and Israel (in the land of Canaan)… they both provide a picture for us of the state or situation of every person born into this world.

Because of Adam’s sin, we are all counted guilty before God… and right from the start, we are under God’s condemnation. And throughout our lives, we have only given God more good reasons to declare us guilty… we have lied, we’ve taken what does not belong to us, we’ve disobeyed our parents and others in authority over us… we’ve been ungrateful toward God, we have not honored or feared Him, and we’ve even blamed Him (at times) for our own mistakes and sins.

Like Adam, we have not kept God’s word, and we have not acted as stewards of what God has given us… Instead, we have ignored God’s word, and we have pretended to be kings of our own castles, masters of our own ships, autonomous individuals with no higher obligation than to be “true to ourselves.”

And like the people of Israel, we have not loved and respected and worshiped God as He deserves… Instead, we have overstepped(in thought, word, and deed)… we have violated nearly every moral boundary God has given to us. Even now, we are prone to feel a sense of injustice when we learn that God has set this thing off-limits or when God brings into our lives that thing we do not want.

But (praise be to God!), He promised Adam and Israel (and even sinners like us) that He “will not contend forever, nor will I always be angry” (Is. 57:16), but one day He would come, proclaiming, “Peace, peace” (Is. 57:19).

Back in Luke 2, Simeon saw that day! And this is why Simeon was able to say, “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace” (Lk. 2:29). Simeon was holding the Peacemaker in his arms, and Simeon praised God, saying, “my eyes have seen your salvation” (Lk. 2:30).

Friends, as we remember the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ (as we are especially focused on it during Christmas), let us be careful to remember that the infant Jesus was born to die. It is only through the death of Christ that sinners like us – Jew or Gentile – are reconciled or brought back together with God… Jesus was and is the “consolation” of Israel… and He is also the “consolation” of all those who will turn from their sin and trust in Him.

Scripture says, “it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham” (Gal. 3:7), since “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us… so that in Christ the blessing of Abraham might come” to all who believe Him for it (v13-14).

This is what Simeon was waiting for! And this is what Simeon saw, as he held the infant Jesus in his arms on that day in real human history.

I pray that the Lord will open our eyes to see Christ for who He is in our own day.

3. Peace on Earth

While it is vital that we understand the personal peace that Christ has made for sinners (Jesus has died under God’s wrath in order to make peace between God and sinners)… while it is critical that we understand that, believe that, and stake our lives upon it… it is also very important that we understand the bigger picture of God’s plan of salvation.

When Jesus was born, the sky burst forth with an angelic song that proclaimed, “peace on earth” (Lk. 2:14). And when Simeon saw the infant Jesus in the temple (about a month and a half later), he said “my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples” (Lk. 2:30-31).

The peace and salvation that God has established in Jesus Christ is not just for individual sinners, but it is a peace and salvation for the whole world!

This does not mean that every person will benefit from God’s peace and salvation, but it does mean that what God has done and is doing in Christ is far bigger than any individual – when Jesus came, it was the inauguration of the King of Peace who reigns over all creation and who is making His peace known… even now.

During the OT days of God’s judgment upon the people of Israel (because of their relentless sin and rebellion), the prophet Jeremiah cried out to God, “Have you utterly rejected [Your people]? Does your soul loathe [them]? …We looked for peace, but no good came; for a time of healing, but behold, terror” (Jer. 14:19).

You can hear of Jeremiah’s desperate cry for peace for the people of Israel. And some years later, the prophet Zechariah spoke of a priest-king who would bring peace and re-establish Israel’s kingdom. But there is also an indication that he would do something far more expansive. This coming one would “sit and rule” as king, and he would (as a priest) create a “counsel of peace” between God and the people (Zech. 6:12-14)… In other words, the priest-king will rule the people and reconcile them to God.

As the OT prophecies poured forth, it became clear that the promised priest-king would not merely rule an earthly kingdom that was just one among many. No, God’s anointed one or Messiah or Christ would come to establish His rule and His peace over the whole world (spiritually and physically) and for all time.

Many of us are familiar with the prophecy from Isaiah (about 700 years before Jesus was born): “to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore” (Is. 9:6-7).

This passage speaks of an ever-increasing government and peace that will extend forever, without end or boundary, under the sovereign rule of one who is both “Mighty God” and son of “David.” And twice in our main passage, Jesus is designated as that anointed one or Messiah or “Christ,” …the one God promised would come.

Luke tells us that an angel appeared to some shepherds out in the field. And the angel said, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Lk. 2:10-11).

And Luke also tells us that the Holy Spirit had “revealed” (somehow) to Simeon that he would not die “before he had seen the Lord’s Christ” with his own eyes (Lk. 2:26).

This is why Simeon’s prayer-song is so profound! Simeon was waiting to see the “Christ” who would embody God’s promised peace and salvation, and when he saw the infant Jesus, Simeon sang out, “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation” (Lk. 2:29-30).

In short, Luke made it emphatic in his telling of the Christmas story – Jesus was and is the “Christ” or the Messiah or the anointed one God promised! Jesus is the bringer of peace that Jeremiah ached to see… Jesus is the priest-king Zechariah spoke about when all seemed lost… And Jesus is the Prince of Peace who has already begun to reign over His kingdom which is ever-expanding and never-ending.

Now, friends… just one look around us… just one moment of reflection about what is within us… just one disagreement in our home… just one bad day on the job… just one surprise doctor visit… we see signs everywhere that sin and wickedness and evil and sorrow are still a present reality. We still experience broken marriages, egregious betrayals, unexpected illnesses, deep financial losses, and devastating mishaps. Wicked people still run about, even the best Christians still love sin, and death is still a surety for all of us in this room.

So, has the Prince of Peace already come? Was Simeon right when he sang for joy about the arrival of the Christ? Is it true that God’s salvation has come and Jesus is ruling over His kingdom even now?

Well, I’m glad you asked. The short answer is emphatically, “Yes!” But there is also a sense in which we are still waiting for Jesus to come again.

4. Waiting for Peace

When we read through the NT of the Bible, we will see a concept pop up again and again… a concept many theologians call the “already and the not yet” of the gospel. God has promised gracious blessing and true justice… God has promised the forgiveness of sins and the punishment of the guilty… God has promised to make all things new and to completely eradicate all the effects of the fall – sorrow, pain, sin, and death.

And there’s a sense in which God has already made good on all His promises in Christ. The Bible says that “all the promises of God find their ‘Yes’ in [Christ]” (2 Cor. 1:20). The Bible says that all who believe or trust in Christ (right now) are “blessed”by God in Christ, they “have redemption through his blood,” and they “have [already] obtained [the] inheritance” that God has promised (Eph. 1:3-14).

In other words, individual sinners who believe or trust in Christ as Savior and Lord do now possess all the blessings God has promised – we have peace with God, and the Prince of Peace has come for us.

So too, there’s a sense in which God has already made good on all His promises about Christ ruling as King over the cosmos. Jesus said (just before He ascended to the throne of heaven), “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matt. 28:18). And we read (not long ago) in the book of Revelation where Jesus appeared to John (the last prophet), saying, “I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys [i.e., the authority] of Death and [the grave]” (Rev. 1:17-18).

In other words, Jesus reigns right now over all creation, and He is even sovereign over both the good and the bad, including death itself – that chief and most terrifying result of the fall of Genesis 3.

But there’s another sense in which those who love and trust and follow Christ are still waiting for the final and ultimate fulfillment of all that God has promised in Christ.

Jesus came the first time to inaugurate His kingly rule… He came the first time to deal with sin and death as the suffering servant… He came the first time to live and die on behalf of sinners, so that they may have peace with God.

But we now live in the time of the “already, not yet” …the time between Christ’s first coming and His second. We are still waiting for that day when the quintessential priestly blessing from Numbers 6 will be ours in full – “The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace” (Num. 6:24-26).

Therefore, Christians are able to live now with both eyes open. We can have one eye on this world as it truly is:

· Sin is still all around us, and we still love it (to one degree or another)… to our shame and to our pain.

· Wicked people still profit, and we are still tempted to join them in their wickedness… tempted to do what they do in order to profit and gain like they do.

· The whole world is still marked by the same features of rebellion and idolatry and cruelty and brutality and sorrow that we read about in all the OT.

Friends, we can see all of this, we can experience it, and we can mourn over it when it touches our own lives and the lives of those we love.

But we do not have to despair, because we have another eye… we have another way of looking at the world… and Christmas is a time to emphasize our remembrance of it.

· Jesus Christ has already endured the shame and pain of sin on behalf of all those who look to Him as Savior.

· Jesus has already given us a better way to profit (to truly benefit) in this life… not by embracing the wicked ways of this world, but by giving ourselves to live in light of His teaching and His commands.

· Jesus has already begun to roll back the effects of the fall, and He does this through the everyday lives of those who turn from their sin and trust in Him…

o He has given us peace with God.

o He has made peace between people from every tribe and tongue, when they join together as those who love and follow Christ.

· And Jesus will one day bring the complete end of God’s curse upon the whole world…

o As that wonderful Christmas song puts it,

o “Joy to the world, the Lord has come. Let earth receive her King. Let every heart prepare Him room, and heaven and nature sing…

o No more let sin and sorrow grow, nor thorns infest the ground. He comes to make His blessings flow, far as the curse is found, far as the curse is found, far as the curse is found.”

Friends, God promised long ago that He would send the Christ, who would make peace for sinners and bring peace on earth, and this One has come and is coming.

May God help us to rejoice in the fact that Christ has come… may He help us to place our personal hope and trust in Christ, so that we may enjoy His peace now… and may God help us to eagerly look forward to that day when Christ shall come again – the Prince of Peace who will finally bring the fullness of His salvation to all who are waiting for Him.