What Was the Purpose of the Baby in the Manger?

What Was the Purpose of the Baby?

Last week we looked at the nativity narrative and explored why it is significant or why it should be important to us who are believers and we came up with four reasons. 1. We can be assured that what our God says He will do, He will do. 2. We can know that our Savior’s perfection is accounted to us for justification. 3. We can know that He came for all men and women. Jew, Gentile, rich, poor, educated, ignorant, young or old it makes no difference. When God reveals the savior to you, you will seek Him out and worship Him just like the low ranked Jewish shepherds and the high ranked Pagan wise men. 4. In the narrative of the birth of our Lord we can know that we will have tribulations, like the wise men, but our God is greater than the trials. These are great for our application of the narrative to our everyday lives because when you know God is going to do what He says He will do it is much easier to walk in faith day to day. When you know that Jesus’ righteousness is accounted to you as righteousness then you are no longer bound to trying to please God because He is just as pleased with you as He is with His Son, Jesus. When you know Jesus came for all peoples then you know there is nothing restricting you from declaring the gospel to anyone. And when you know that there will be trial and that He has overcome them then you can rest in the assurance that He is working on your behalf, conforming you into the image of Jesus. So we heard the story of His coming and the everyday significance to us but just what is His purpose in coming? That is what we will be exploring this morning. We will be looking at . This is a passage often associated with the nativity narrative but not often talked about. So let’s pray then we will look into God’s Word.

In the verses just prior to our reading this morning Luke has made it clear that Mary and Joseph had brought the Son to the Temple in Jerusalem to fulfill the law of making a substitution for the first born. Now we read in 25 And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just 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 So he came by 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;30For my eyes have seen Your salvation 31Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,32A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.” 33 And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against 35 (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

Anna’s Testimony

36 Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity; 37 and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. 38 And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem.[1]

Luke was a meticulous historian. His book of the Acts of the Apostles has been proven over and over again by archeologists and historians to be a very accurate document concerning first century Palestine. So when he makes mention of two people that are not recorded anywhere else in Scripture or history we need to make sure we know that they are, or at least the event, is important. It is easy to overlook these two people or these two events as unimportant but I think we miss some things if we are not careful. Simeon was not a priest or a public official of any kind. He was simply a man waiting for the Messiah that had been promised to God’s people. We will come back to that in a moment but first let’s look at Anna. We know much more about her than we do about Simeon. Luke gives us details about her marital condition that seem unimportant but I think he included these so that we would know two things. First, that her testimony is true. Most likely, I can’t prove this, but most likely this event was told to Luke by Anna herself. How else would he get such detailed information concerning her life if she hadn’t shared it with him? 2. Luke tells us in that he is relating all these events from the testimony of eyewitnesses of Jesus. My point in this is that the events and the truths drawn from this passage are true and accurate. Even if we believe them spiritually we can be sure that they are accurate historically as well.

Now let’s get back to Simeon’s testimony. The people of Israel had been looking for the Messiah ever since God told Moses in 18 I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him.[2]This hoping for the Messiah had increased with the captivity in Babylon and the return to Israel but now here they were captives to a pagan government in their own country, in the land God had given them as their inheritance, so the desire for a deliverer had intensified. But most of the people wanted a savior to release them from Roman dominance. It appears that Simeon wanted the Consolation of Israel. One who would come alongside them and comfort them and lift them up. God had given him a specific promise that he would see the Consolation of the people of God before he died. Let me break away from Simeon for just a moment and comment that I don’t think it is only Simeon that was looking for the Consolation of God’s people. In Paul says: 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.[3] All of God’s creation fell when man sinned therefore the Consolation is for all of creation that is waiting for recreation just like all those who have received Christ has been recreated as new creations in Christ.

The Consolation of God’s people had arrived but how did it happen that Simeon was there when He arrived? Simeon was led by the Holy Spirit to be at the Temple when the Consolation of Israel arrived. It was by the power of God that Simeon met the One he called in verse 30 the salvation of God (For my eyes have seen Your Salvation). God had instilled in the heart of Simeon that there was more to this life than just being a servant to the pagan world that had bound him to its demands. Again let me step away from Simeon to tell you that if you have not received Christ there is more to this life than being bound by the sin that separates you from God. The Salvation of God has come into the world and there is so much more than being a slave to your own desires that never fully satisfies. Simeon knew there was more and the Holy Spirit drew him to Jesus the Consolation of His people, the One who gives comfort in time of struggles and pain, the One who delivers you from bondage to sin. Believers, there is more. I don’t mean more salvation, you have all of that, you have been saved to the uttermost. But it is the work of the Holy Spirit to draw you closer to the One who is the Deliverer, the Consolation of His people. Just as this devout man was drawn to the Savior so are you drawn closer and closer to Him in fellowship and communion.

We could stop here and call on those who have never received Christ to do so if they are being drawn to Him by the same Holy Spirit that brought Simeon to meet Christ. We could also wait as those who are His take the time to commit to following Him more closely. But there is more I want us to see in this passage that I believe is very important. Verses 29-32 is sometimes called the Song of Simeon and I want to slow down and take a look at what God has to tell us through this devout man who was waiting for the Christ of God. 29“Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word;30For my eyes have seen Your salvation 31Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,32A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.” The first thing I want to look at here is the certainty that Simeon has. “I’ve experienced all I need in life, I can die now a happy man, I have seen and know God’s salvation.” How many of us can say that? Paul said something like that in 19 For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, 20 according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.[4] What Simeon is saying in having met the Savior and what Paul is saying is: Christ is enough. In Jesus we find: the fullness of grace (), grace that is sufficient for all our needs (), redemption from our sin (), forgiveness of ALL sin (), all the fullness of God (), the righteousness to stand before God (), peace with God (), eternal life (), and adoption into the family of God (). Christ is our supreme treasure, our truest joy and only hope. If all else is lost and all we have left is Christ we have everything. Christ is enough.

But wait I’m not through. He has revealed Himself to all people. Verses 31-32 31Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,32A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.” You may deny Jesus but that does not discount the fact that He was presented before all people, as we said last week young, old, rich, poor, Jew, Gentile, man or woman. One day every knee is going to bow and every tongue is going to confess that Jesus, that baby born in Bethlehem, is Lord, He is King of kings and Lord of lords. Christ is enough.

This brings from the Song of Simeon to the Prophecy of Simeon. Now if you have been dozing through the sermon so far now is the time to wake up. Let’s read again verses 34-35 34 Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against 35 (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”[5] Let me start in the middle of verse 35. He told Mary that her heart would be pierced because she would watch from the foot of the cross as her Son, Christ Jesus was hung there to die as our propitiation, our substitute to satisfy His own Father’s demand for justice against sinners as Isaiah said in “the LORD laid on Him the iniquity of us all” and “it pleased the LORD to bruise Him”. In verse 34 Simeon said that this Child, the Christ, is destined for the rise and the fall of many in Israel, and a sign which will be spoken against. There is more than one way to understand that but I’m only going to tell you one because it is the obvious one considering what is said in the following verse. The fall and the rising is said drawing a distinction between two groups of people. For those who fall it is because they have spoken against the Christ and do not believe. They are the proud and spiritually “rich” believing they are good enough and that Christ is not necessary. Those who are rising are those who see the crucified Jesus and believe; they are the spiritually poor knowing they are insufficient in and of themselves to be saved. This is how Peter quoting said it: 6 Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture,“Behold, I lay in Zion A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.” 7 Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, “The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone,” 8 and“A stone of stumblingAnd a rock of offense.” They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.[6] What one believes about the Christ reveals their heart more than all the words in the world. Here is the bottom line on these two verses: Jesus Christ is the dividing line. We cannot ultimately be neutral concerning Christ. You will receive Christ and serve Him in righteousness or you will not receive Him and you will be an enemy of God. It really is that simple.

Finally I’m not going to spend a lot of time on Anna but I do want you to notice how she responded after having Christ revealed to her. First she gave thanks to the Lord which is a very appropriate response, to say the least, but she did not stop with simply thanksgiving she went out to tell others how thankful she was. She told anyone who would listen that she had met the Consolation of Israel, the Redeemer who had come to save His people. I remember as a 16 year old boy when the Redeemer was revealed to me I told everyone who would listen. I told them so much that my friends finally told me to stop telling them, they already knew I had received Christ. Some of them even received Christ through what I told them. But what have I done lately? Who have you told lately? I am not attempting to humiliate you (unless it will work) but if that little old 84 year old widow could proclaim aloud that the Redeemer had come then surely we can proclaim the gospel of Christ because it is the power of God for salvation.

What was the purpose of this baby coming into the world? First, to redeem His people. He is the Consolation of His people. He came to free His people from bondage to sin and death that we would know that there is so much more to this life, not to mention the life to come, than just seeking to fulfill our own desires that never satisfy. Second, He came to be our supreme treasure. Christ is enough. Christ is our truest joy and only hope. If all else is lost and we have Christ we have everything. Third, He came to reveal the salvation of God to all peoples. Every tribe, every nation and every tongue, men, women, young, old, Jew and Gentile. Fourth, He came to reveal your heart. You cannot be neutral concerning Christ, He is your Lord or you are an enemy of God. It is that simply. Knowing all of this should lead us like Anna to proclaim, to all who will hear, that the Redeemer has come. Let’s pray.

[1] The New King James Version. (1982). (). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

[2] The New King James Version. (1982). (). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

[3] The New King James Version. (1982). (). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

[4] The New King James Version. (1982). (). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

[5] The New King James Version. (1982). (). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

[6] The New King James Version. (1982). (). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.