Destination Bethlehem - a Grave

Luke 2:25-35

Destination Bethlehem–a Grave

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 marvelled 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.”[1]

Chrismons are symbols of the Christian Faith. Chrismons have recently become a popular form of decoration for Christmas Trees. Chrismons, however, have come down to us through history. The word is a combination of the words “Christ” and “Monogram” and that is exactly what they are—symbols of Christ. The source of inspiration comes from the Scriptures which are full of “Names of Christ” which are illustrations of His character and work and easily demonstrated in objects. Like parables, they are earthly symbols with heavenly meanings.

They were designed, carved, and drawn by some of the earliest Christians and were found in many places—on jewellery and utensils, in the catacombs, and on doors and buildings. They were symbols used by early Christians to show their faith to the world. They were always made in gold and white to symbolise majesty and purity.

Among the items which could qualify as a Chrismon, none is more symbolically accurate than that of a tomb. The Son of God was born to die … and to rise again. Perhaps the first person in all the world to clearly see that the Son of God was born to die was old Simeon. We know little of the old man, except that he was righteous and conscientious concerning the Word of God. He read the Scriptures and under the tutelage of the Holy Spirit, he realised that the time for the birth of the Anointed One was present. He lived in anticipation of the birth of God’s Messiah.

Moved by the Holy Spirit, this godly man went into the Temple. The Word of God is careful to say that the Holy Spirit was upon him and specifically notes that he was moved by the Spirit to go into the Temple courts. We are left with the clear assumption that he anticipated the revelation of the Messiah that day. He went in expectation of seeing what God was about to do.

As Simeon waited in the Temple court, Mary and Joseph brought their firstborn son into the Temple. There, they would name the child and present Him before the Lord. They would offer the sacrifice required for a firstborn son, acknowledging that He belonged to the Lord. Before they were able to perform even one aspect of the required ritual, Simeon approached them, lifted the child from His parent’s arms, and praised God.

nu`n ajpoluvei" to;n dou`lon sou, devspota,

kata; to; rJh`ma sou ejn eijrhvnh/:

o{ti ei\don oiJ ojfqalmoiv mou to; swthvrion sou,

o} hJtoivmasa" kata; provswpon pavntwn tw`n law`n,

fw`" eij" ajpokavluyin ejqnw`n

kai; dovxan laou` sou jIsrahvl.

[Luke 2:29-32, Nestle-Aland 26th Edition]

The song of praise which broke from Simeon’s heart to rise to the heavens is known as the Nunc Dimitis, from the first words in the Latin version of this canticle. It is this song which I ask you to focus on at this time. I want us together to learn something of God’s grace and to learn something of God’s wisdom. Join me in exploration of the final message in this series studying the convergence of God and man at Bethlehem more than two millennia past. Review the account of Simeon as he witnessed God’s grace in the Temple when the child Jesus was brought in to be presented before the Lord.

God Prepares People to Receive His Purpose — God’s purposes are open—available for scrutiny. God never works in darkness to accomplish His will. This is not to say that God is never at work during those times we think He is silent, but it is to say that for the great, divine plan for all mankind, God has worked openly and without fear of exposure.

There is a reason for God to work openly in order to accomplish His will. That reason is stated in the opening words of John’s Gospel.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.

Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men [John 1:1-4].

Later, John will state of darkness: this is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed [John 3:19-21].

Near the end of his life, the aged servant of God iterated this divine truth as he drafted his first missive. The Apostle of Love stated the message he had faithfully delivered. This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all [1 John 1:5].

When Paul appeared before Agrippa and Festus, he articulated a wonderful truth. He gave his testimony, explaining how God saved him and appointed him to divine service. As he explained this divine work in his own life, he affirmed a marvellous truth. I have had God’s help to this very day, and so I stand here and testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen—that the Christ would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would proclaim light to his own people and to the Gentiles [Acts 26:22, 23].

Porcius Festus, governor of Judea, had invited Herod Agrippa the Second, king of Palestine, to hear Paul’s defence of charges proffered by Jewish leaders hostile to the Christian Faith. As Paul explained his call to service, the governor broke in, exclaiming, You are out of your mind, Paul! Your great learning is driving you insane [Acts 26:24].

What I would have you take special note of is Paul’s response to this interjection. “I am not insane, most excellent Festus,” Paul replied. “What I am saying is true and reasonable. The king is familiar with these things, and I can speak freely to him. I am convinced that none of this has escaped his notice, because it was not done in a corner” [Acts 26:25, 26]. Notice especially the final words: it was not done in a corner.

This is the message of Christmas, that God ever works for the benefit of man—even before the creation of the world. Peter writes of God’s glorious purpose as he begins his first letter. Since you call on a Father who judges each man’s work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear. For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God [1 Peter 1:17-21].

Christ the Lord was chosen before the creation of the world to be the Lamb of God. When John the Baptist saw Him coming at the initiation of His brief ministry, he cried out, Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world [John 1:29]! Christ was born that He might die. I have cited the Apostles—Paul, Peter and John—demonstrating that God works openly to accomplish His purposes in salvation. How did these men know of the divine purpose? Simeon, moved by the Spirit to enter the courts at the precise moment that the baby Jesus was being brought into the Temple, praised God:

Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,

you now dismiss your servant in peace.

For my eyes have seen your salvation,

which you have prepared in the sight of all people,

a light for revelation to the Gentiles

and for glory to your people Israel.

I take note that Simeon was told that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. God had a witness to what He was doing in bringing His Son into the world. His witness was not confined to an angel choir, nor to Gabriel, nor yet to astronomical phenomena, but God kept a witness who could identify with the remainder of fallen mankind.

When our first parents sinned, God Himself gave them hope.

I will put enmity

between you and the woman,

and between your offspring and hers;

He will crush your head,

and you will strike His heel.

[Genesis 3:15]

In the midst of looming misery, God spoke of deliverance from the effects of the curse, though it would be at the expense of death for the One promised who would be known as the Seed [literal meaning of H[;r]z¾]. Later, as mankind was divided into those who walked according to their own wisdom and those who would thereafter call on the Name of the Lord [see Genesis 4:26], God began to raise up those who would seek to honour Him.

Adam himself proclaimed the coming deliverer, as did Abel and his brother Seth. The list of faithful prophets continued through Noah, and later through Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. As we witness the continuing movement of time toward the revelation of God’s Messiah, we see a succession of faithful prophets who spoke of His coming. Samuel, David and Solomon each spoke and wrote prophetically of the coming Lord. Many prophets wrote of His rule, including each of the Major Prophets: Isaiah; Jeremiah; Ezekiel; and Daniel. Many of the Minor Prophets wrote of Him. Among them are such luminaries as Joel, Amos, Obadiah and Micah. Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi each pointed to the coming Lord of Glory.

Throughout the long history of the race, God always had a witness to His purpose. After the grace of God was revealed in the birth of His Son and the fulfilment of His purpose, God raised up Apostles and prophets and evangelists and pastors and teachers [see Ephesians 4:11-13] so that all mankind could be confronted by the truth.

I know this to be true. I recognise this truth because I see it revealed throughout the Word of God. I further recognise this truth because I have heard it proclaimed repeatedly throughout the brief days of my own pilgrimage. I myself am a means by which this truth is exemplified to you who now hear me. God called me, just as He has called many others, to declare His message of life and to call all to life in the Son of God.

God has not left Himself without witness to His divine purpose, for He has raised up those to herald the truth that God is at work, calling men to repentance and providing a means by which their sin can be put away.

The purpose of God is salvation for all who are willing to receive it, and this is faithfully proclaimed, just as the Word of God declares.

If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?” Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ [Romans 10:9-17].

God’s Purpose is Displayed Openly — The first advent of the Messiah was not a secret event. Angels filled the heavens with their joyous exclamation, heard by shepherds tending the sheep destined for sacrifice in the Temple.

Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth peace to men on whom his favour rests.

[Luke 2:14]

God was glorified and man received the message of life which is yet delivered. If you receive Gods salvation, you also will discover the peace of God today. Salvation will break out on you like the measles. You cannot keep secret the work of God in your life. Your life will be transformed and you will find it impossible to remain in darkness.

A brilliant star appeared drawing Magi from ancient Persia to worship the child. Their journey brought them to Jerusalem where a king was enraged and added to his bloody heritage by slaughtering innocent babies. Just so, receipt of God’s peace and life may mean that you will pay dearly in this world, as the Christ Himself has said.

If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates me hates my Father as well. If I had not done among them what no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen these miracles, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. But this is to fulfil what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason’” [John 15:18-25]. To embrace the child is to invite unreasoning hatred from those identified with the world. His presence and the peace which He brings will compel you to choose between Him and the world about you.

Similarly, when the child was presented in the Temple, men and women recognised as righteous spoke of the child’s purpose. Simeon was recognised by those who worshipped as a righteous and devout man—as a man who waiting for the consolation of Israel [see Luke 2:25]. Anna was a prophetess known for her worship, for her fasting and praying.

Let me step aside for a moment to make a statement which may be of some help to you. We often speak of our singing as worship. Precision demands that we acknowledge that worship does not consist of songs. Our singing is praise. Worship is that seeking hard after God—seeking which is marked especially by prayer and meditation. Worship is primarily that thoughtful contemplation of the Word of God and the energetic response to the demands of that Word when it is read or preached. Worship prepared Simeon and Anna to recognise the Messiah when He was presented, but their response when He was presented was to praise Him. Just so, as we worship we seek the Lord, but when He is revealed among us we will praise Him. Praise was loud in Jerusalem during the days of His first advent.

The promise of God throughout the long centuries following the Fall of our first parents was the God would provide a sacrifice to set mankind free. When the child was born, it was made apparent that this child was born to fulfil the promise of God. Listen again to Simeon’s words to Joseph and Mary. This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too [Luke 2:34, 35].

Peter recognised that Jesus during His days in the flesh caused many to fall. He wrote: As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him—you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture it says:

“See, I lay a stone in Zion,

a chosen and precious cornerstone,

and the one who trusts in him

will never be put to shame.”

Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,

“The stone the builders rejected

has become the capstone,”

and,

“A stone that causes men to stumble

and a rock that makes them fall.”

They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy [1 Peter 2:4-10]. The very presence of the Christ was a source of scandal which brought about the downfall of many and the salvation of yet others.

With His first advent, God called those long been excluded from the covenants of grace to life. We Gentiles received a position as sons of God within the Family of God. The Jews, long blessed of God because of their heritage, were excluded. Do not think ill of the Jews, for theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen [Romans 9:4, 5].

Here is the glorious truth concerning the Son of God. His first advent was that He might present Himself as a sacrifice for sinful man. He was born that man might live. He would be compelled to taste death for every man err His days on this earth were complete [see Hebrews 2:9]. Thus, it is said that we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all [Hebrews 10:10].

This same Jesus is coming again, and just as His first advent was open for all to witness it will not be a secret when He comes again. He shall come the second time to judge those who rejected His provision during that first advent. Listen to the Word of God concerning this issue. It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence. Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgement, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him [Hebrews 9:23-28].

Just as the Son of God Himself has said, the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done [Matthew 16:27]. Later, standing on the verge of His passion, that same Jesus spoke words of encouragement to those who would follow Him. As lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man [Matthew 24:27]. Jesus is not coming to judge in some secret return, though it is impossible to state when that day will be fulfilled. We are assured of this precious truth: Christ is coming again, and Christmas—the celebration of His first advent—is the promise that He shall come again.

Just as His first advent was open, so His Second Coming will be open. As the aged Apostle John, exiled on the barren Isle of Patmos, wrote of the Second Coming of the Son of God, he penned a dedication of the message. Listen to that dedication. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power forever and ever! Amen.

Look, he is coming with the clouds,

and every eye will see him,

even those who pierced him;

and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him.

So shall it be! Amen.

[Revelation 1:5b-7]

Thus, according to God’s own Word, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God [2 Corinthians 5:17-21].

All this is evident from the birth of the Son of God. We know that when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir [Galatians 4:4-7].

God’s Purpose is Our Salvation and His Glory — If ever a principle were enshrined in and obvious through the Word of God, it is this principle which states that salvation for all who will receive it is the purpose for Christ’s first advent. One truth predominates over all other truth in the Word of God: the Son of God came to give His life for sinful man. It has been truthfully said that a scarlet ribbon runs throughout the Word of God. On every page is found a reference to the death of the Son of God. Every sacrifice offered on Jewish altars pointed forward to the Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world. Since His sacrifice, every prayer is a confession that He is God, given in the place of sinful man.

When the court prophet, Isaiah, looked forward to the coming of the Son of God, writing more than seven hundred fifty years in advance of the event, he spoke of the purpose for that coming.

For to us a child is born,

to us a son is given,

and the government will be on his shoulders.

And he will be called

Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of his government and peace

there will be no end.

He will reign on David’s throne

and over his kingdom,

establishing and upholding it

with justice and righteousness

from that time on and forever.

The zeal of the LORD Almighty

will accomplish this.

[Isaiah 9:6, 7]

A child is born, and a Son is given. The boy child who would come was coming that He might be given.

Simeon spoke of God’s salvation, an open secret prepared for and presented before the sight of all the people. The salvation of which Simeon spoke was to be a light opening the way to life for the Gentiles and serve to honour Israel. This is precisely what God has accomplished in presenting His Son. Salvation is from the Jews [John 4:22]. The romance of salvation is the account of God’s gracious preservation of a godly line through the Jewish people until the time was fully prepared for the advent of His Son.

How very powerful is that statement which Paul makes in the Ephesian encyclical. In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory [Ephesians 1:11-14].

Christ died to provide salvation for all who are willing to receive Him. This is the message of Christmas. Thus, we invite all who will receive the message of life, if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved [Romans 10:9, 10].

In making provision for our salvation, God is glorified, and we who receive this life are invited to share in His glory. Listen to this closing statement concerning God’s purpose in saving us. It is found in one of the earliest books written by the Apostle to the Gentiles. We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing. Therefore, among God’s churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.

All this is evidence that God’s judgement is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marvelled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you [2 Thessalonians 1:3-10].

To all who will celebrate the Spirit of Christmas, this final prayer of our Lord speaks to His purpose in calling us. We are called to seek His glory, that we may share in that glory. Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.

I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name—the name you gave me—so that they may be one as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.

I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.

My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.

Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them [John 17:1-26]. Amen.

----