Come, See & Be Free

Introduction

Luke 2:22–38 ESV

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.” 36 And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, 37 and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. 38 And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.

For about 11 years, in addition to pastoring the local church we planted, I also served as an associate chaplain for a jail ministry at our local detention center. As a part of that, our church would lead a worship service at the detention center each month. We would alternate each month between the women’s service and the men’s service. Whenever we did the men’s service, one thing was certain. The men would want to sing the hymn Amazing Grace. It didn’t matter whether we had someone there to play the piano, or if we have to sing it a-cappella. We were going to sing that song. It’s almost like the brothers there were looking forward all week to singing Amazing Grace. We would sing it with gusto.

The sense of joy was palpable when we sang, “I once was lost, but now am found; was blind but now I see.” Singing that line and knowing it to be true is like the experience of the blind man in John 9. He was blind from birth, has an encounter with Jesus and is healed of his blindness. Jesus’ opponents didn’t like the fact that he had healed the man, nor did they like the fact that he healed the man on the Sabbath. So they, trying to discredit Jesus, said to the man in v. 24, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.” I love the man’s answer to them. He said, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.”

To sing Amazing Grace is to wonder and marvel at the fact that God has done the impossible. He has given sight to the blind. And he does it by the power of his Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit who opens blind eyes. And when he opens our eyes it is for this purpose, so that we can see Jesus clearly. When Jesus was preparing his disciples for his departure in John 15, he told them that he was going to send them the Spirit of truth. Jesus says, ‘he will bear witness about me.’ The Holy Spirit has always been about the business of bearing witness, of testifying about Jesus. He wants us to come and see Jesus. But what those incarcerated brothers and our church members were rejoicing in as we sang is that he also wants us to be free!

One of the things I love about this text is how Luke demonstrates just how much the Holy Spirit was all over Jesus’ ministry from the very beginning. Jesus is still a very young child in this text.

When the angel Gabriel speaks to Zechariah about his wife Elizabeth giving birth to a son, he tells him that this child will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb (Lk 1:14). Gabriel comes to Mary and tells her she’s going to have a child. When she asks how is this going to happen since I’m a virgin, he says, “the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you” (Lk 1:35). When Mary goes to see Elizabeth, Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit. When John the Baptist is born, his father Zechariah is filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesies. Then we get to our text this morning. And what we find out is that not only did the Holy Spirit prepare the way for Jesus; not only did the Holy Spirit cause Jesus to be born; but He also calls us to come and enables us to gaze upon Jesus the Savior.

He permeates this text, revealing the truth to Simeon, leading him into the temple, opening his eyes to the truth. Simeon is filled with joy. He is filled with praise. He is filled with peace because the Spirit has brought him to encounter Jesus. And yes, the Spirit is doing the same thing for the elderly widow, Anna. She is a prophetess, and you don’t get that ability without the Holy Spirit. This whole narrative, this whole gospel of Luke, the whole Bible in fact is about Jesus. But it is so important for us to see what God does, with, for, and through other people as he points us towards Jesus Christ. So, we’re going to see what Simeon & Anna saw, and by some measure pray that by his grace, the Holy Spirit would be at work in us removing all doubts, any cloudiness, any fog so that we see Jesus with clarity. As we look at the Holy Spirit’s call to come and see Jesus, we would find joy in the liberation he brings. Liberation, not just for ourselves, but for the world. I want to talk to you about four things, A Particular Care, A Particular Confirmation, A Particular Consequence, & A Particular Comfort.

A Particular Care

Joseph and Mary are a devout Jewish couple. Jesus has been born and they are careful to do with their son what is written in the law. Three times in vv. 22-24 we are told that what they are now doing is in accordance with the law. In Leviticus 12:1-4, the law says that after a woman gives birth to a male child she shall be unclean for seven days. Then on the eighth day the boy shall be circumcised. Verse 4 says,

Leviticus 12:4 ESV

4 Then she shall continue for thirty-three days in the blood of her purifying. She shall not touch anything holy, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purifying are completed.

The days of her purifying were completed so, they are bringing the child Jesus to temple to present him to the LORD; to redeem him with an offering of a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons because the Lord says in Exodus 13:2

Exodus 13:2 ESV

2 “Consecrate to me all the firstborn. Whatever is the first to open the womb among the people of Israel, both of man and of beast, is mine.”

Then LORD says in Exodus13:12 and 13, “you shall set apart to the LORD all that first opens the womb…Every firstborn man among your sons you shall redeem.”

That’s all that they’re expecting to do. They don’t have a clue as to what’s about to happen. In fact, Luke tells us down in v. 33, after this unexpected encounter with Simeon, that Joseph and Mary marveled at what Simeon said about Jesus. Little did they know, as they made their way up to Jerusalem, going to the temple, that there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon, who was righteous and devout. This man was waiting for the consolation of Israel. That is, he was someone who lived in the hope that God’s promise to bring the Messiah would come to pass.

Where did this hope that Simeon have come from? Not only where did this hope spring from, but how could he live in this hope? We don’t have to guess at the answer because it’s right there in the text. Luke tells us that the Holy Spirit was upon him. God the Holy Spirit was upon this man. In fact, the word order that Luke uses in the Greek text at the end of v. 25 is kind of strange. The way he says, “the Holy Spirit was upon him,” is structured in such a way as to make the Spirit’s work more emphatic. The Holy Spirit was not only upon him, but the Holy Spirit had revealed to him that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. Then for the third time in three verses Luke talks about the Holy Spirit. He says that Simeon came ‘in the Spirit’ into the temple. It is by the Spirit that Simeon comes into the temple. It seems like Luke can’t talk about the Holy Spirit enough.

It is the Holy Spirit who is telling Simeon to come and see the Christ. Come and see the consolation of Israel. Come and see the one who is bringing comfort and encouragement and redemption to the people of God. Come and see Jesus, Simeon! It’s like the Holy Spirit is saying to him, “I’ve been sustaining you all this time as you’ve waited for the fulfillment of God’s promise. Well, wait no more Simeon! Come and see him! Fix your eyes upon Jesus!”

Listen. What we cannot let pass by us as we read through these verses is the Holy Spirit’s particular care of and care for this man Simeon. Simeon’s words became Scripture. But not only did Simeon’s words become Scripture. His story became Scripture. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth. And he was particularly concerned to show this man Jesus. Not just so that he could write a beautiful hymn of praise, but so that we could know that’s what the Holy Spirit does! His coming into the temple by the Spirit lets us know that God is responsible for this meeting. God is the one who brought this meeting about. God is always responsible for our meeting Jesus.

Nobody in here is going to write or say anything that ends up becoming Scripture. But the Holy Spirit is still calling people to come and see Jesus. It’s the Holy Spirit who identified Jesus for Simeon. And it’s the Holy Spirit who identifies Jesus for us. And he loves to do it. He is particularly concerned and he particularly cares about opening blind eyes to the truth of who Jesus is.

I can say unequivocally to everyone of you in here that God the Holy Spirit has a particular care that you see Jesus Christ for who he is. There is a particular nuance in this particular care to see Jesus as the consolation of Israel. It is the description of comfort being given to those in darkness. Seeing Jesus clearly for who he is means the embodied experience of comfort in the middle of distress and darkness.

A Particular Confirmation

Simeon enters the temple, and when he sees Jesus he takes him up in his arms and says a blessing, a psalm of praise to God…

Luke 2:29–32 ESV

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.”

We don’t know how old Simeon was nor how long he had been waiting for the consolation of Israel. Luke doesn’t consider that information significant enough to tell us. We mostly think of him as an old man because in the first line of his hymn he says now you are releasing your servant to depart, meaning to die, in peace. That’s the way someone who is older, who may be near death because of his age would talk.

What Luke finds more important to let us know than Simeon’s age is what Simeon sees when he sees Jesus; to let us know what the Holy Spirit confirms for Simeon. Simeon says, I can die in peace Lord because my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all the peoples.

There is no doubt in Simeon’s mind who Jesus is. He is the Lord’s salvation. The Holy Spirit brings Simeon into the temple so that he can see the Lord’s salvation. That’s the point of his inviting us to come and see Jesus. It is first and foremost that so that we can see the Lord’s salvation. If the Holy Spirit opens your eyes to see Jesus for who he is, what will be confirmed for you is that he is the Savior, he is the Lord’s salvation. This is a big deal. It might seem ho-hum for us if we’ve become so familiar with this passage, or if we’ve never really taken the time to consider or reflect on who Jesus is. But this passage is a song of joy. It’s not ho-hum for Simeon to say, “I can die in peace.” He is rejoicing and overflowing with praise to God.

Why is he so full of joy? Later on in this same gospel, we hear Jesus’ own prayer of joy to God the Father. Listen to what Jesus’ own praise in Luke 10:21-22

Luke 10:21–22 ESV

21 In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. 22 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”

Then immediately after that, in vv. 23-4, Luke says,

Luke 10:23–24 ESV

23 Then turning to the disciples he said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! 24 For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”

“Blessed are the eyes that see what you see!” Why? Because nobody can see Jesus for who he is unless it is revealed to you. No-one can know who Jesus really is, the Lord’s salvation, the Savior, unless the Holy Spirit removes the doubt, the ignorance, the misinformation, and brings clarity of vision. We’re all blind unless he makes us see. We might think that Jesus was a good man. We might think that he had some useful things to say about right living. We might even think that we’re honoring God by considering Jesus to be a prophet. But if that’s all we think, we’re still blind to who he is. Unless we are confirmed that he is the one and only Savior, we don’t know who he is. Do you understand why this was no ho-hum, run of the mill, boring encounter for Simeon? Do you get why he responded with such joy, excitement and praise?…

A Particular Consequence

And would you notice with me that even though Simeon says, “Now I can die in peace,” his own comfort and delight are not at the center of his concerns. He rejoices in the fact that this particular care of the Holy Spirit to bring people to a particular confirmation that Jesus is the Savior, he is the Christ, the Son of the living God, has a particular consequence. And what I mean by that is it has a particular impact. In the last part of Simeon’s hymn of praise he rejoices that Jesus’ coming was not just to be the Savior for the people of Israel. He is the Lord’s salvation prepared in the presence of all the peoples. He is the light of revelation for the Nations and the light of glory for Israel.

“Light comes. Revelation and glory result…it is a fundamental characteristic of salvation that it is light for all people, not light just for a particular group.”

For Simeon to make this declaration is huge. Israel’s overriding concern was for Messiah to come and deliver them from oppression and bondage to Rome. The Messiah would be theirs and they would again be top dog. But the Holy Spirit leads Simeon to declare that they missed the point of the Scriptures. In Isaiah 19 the Lord said that a day was coming when even Egypt and Assyria would worship the Lord.

Isaiah 19:23–25 ESV

23 In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and Assyria will come into Egypt, and Egypt into Assyria, and the Egyptians will worship with the Assyrians. 24 In that day Israel will be the third with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth, 25 whom the Lord of hosts has blessed, saying, “Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my inheritance.”

In Isaiah 49 the Lord says that the Messiah will be a light for the nations,

Isaiah 49:5–6 ESV

5 And now the Lord says, he who formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him; and that Israel might be gathered to him— for I am honored in the eyes of the Lord, and my God has become my strength— 6 he says: “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

The Holy Spirit doesn’t only open our eyes to see Jesus as the Lord’s salvation. He opens our eyes to see Jesus for the nations, salvation to the end of the earth. It’s too light a thing, the Bible says, that Jesus’ salvation should be only about the tribes of Jacob or the people of Israel… The Incarnation, Jesus’ life, his death, his burial, his resurrection scream to us that God has overcome all opposition to bring salvation to the nations.

Without the power, presence, and filling of the Holy Spirit, we could care less. We need the Holy Spirit to open our eyes and fill us with his power so that we may live out the message and mission of Christ for the nations. And we need him not just because of our propensity for spiritual lethargy and indifference, but because the sign is still opposed. The gospel is still an offense. When we talk about Christ for the nations, regardless of ethnicity or background, we are doing exactly what Simeon said that Christ would do. We are revealing the hostile thoughts of many hearts. That’s the reference in verse 35 when Simeon says that Jesus is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel and for a sign that is opposed – so that the thoughts from many hearts may be revealed. Those are hostile thoughts. The proclamation of Christ for the Nations helps some people come to faith in Jesus, but it also confirms other people in their unbelief.

A Particular Comfort

That’s why the last point is vital. We need to hear from Anna about a particular comfort. Anna’s life is outside of the norm. First, she was a prophetess. This puts her in the company of women like Miriam, Moses’s sister; like Deborah the judge; and like Huldah who prophesied the word of the Lord to King Josiah. Luke tells us that Anna was married for seven years, then widowed. If we assume the norm, that she was married as a teenager, then she was widowed in her early twenties. We meet her at 84 years old, so she’s likely been a widow for six decades. She’s been fasting and praying for a long time. What we are reading about is a woman who

Luke 1:1–9:50 i. Anna’s Piety (2:36–37)

Anna was a woman who chose a lifetime of service to God over remarriage, an action that was highly regarded in the first-century religious community

Where Simeon testifies about Jesus to his parents in particular, Anna prophetic ministry now is to point others to Jesus,

Luke 2:38 ESV

38 And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.

Just like Simeon had been waiting for the consolation of Israel, Anna knew that many were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. These are parallel phrases that serve to bracket the passage. Redemption adds the nuance of liberation to comfort. I said earlier that seeing Jesus clearly for who he is means the embodied experience of comfort in the middle of distress and darkness. The particular comfort in the middle of darkness is the comfort of knowing the Lord’s freedom. It is a liberty that reorients our priorities. The Holy Spirit comes and reorients our priorities. He shifts our priorities from our own world and kingdom to the kingdom of God. He says come and see. Turn your eyes upon Jesus, and you’ll never be the same… Once you’ve set your eyes on him you’ll know what it means to be free. Not only that, you’ll have an indiscriminate desire for that freedom to be experienced by others.

Come and see and be free. The life of liberty in Jesus is not a life without hardship. The life of liberty is not a life absent of difficulty and pain. The life of liberty is not a life ease. It’s better than that, far better. The reality is that hardship, difficulty, pain, trails, suffering can’t be avoided whether you’re a Christian or not. The life of liberty is the life of joy and peace in the middle of pain. It’s the life of joy and peace in the middle of difficulty and trials and suffering. How are you going to avoid blowing up when someone gets in your face? How are you going to avoid lashing our in anger when you hear that someone is talking about you behind your back? How are you going to do what the Scripture says in 1 Peter 2?... We, as it says in Hebrews 10:36, have need of endurance. Therefore, we have need of the filling of the Spirit for the life of liberty and proclamation of Christ for the nations. Biblically speaking, the spiritual person is spiritual because he is indwelt, renewed, enlightened, directed by the Holy Spirit. (been reoriented?)