Scripture: Luke 2:22-35
Sermon Series: Mary, He called her Mother – Sermon 05
On his website, Hughs News, Hugh Morgan (picture) shares this story:
Several days ago, as I left a meeting at our church, I desperately gave myself a personal TSA pat down. I was looking for my keys. They were not in my pockets. A quick search in the meeting room revealed nothing. Suddenly I realized that I must have left them in the car. Frantically I headed for the parking lot. My wife, Diane, has scolded me many times for leaving the keys in the ignition. My theory is that the ignition is the best place not to lose them. Her theory is that the car will be stolen. As I burst through the doors of the church, I came to a terrifying conclusion: her theory was right.
The parking lot was empty. I immediately called the police. I gave them my location, confessing that I had left my keys in the car and that it had been stolen. Then I made the most difficult call of all. “Honey,” I stammered. I always call her “honey” in times like these. “I left my keys in the car, and it has been stolen.” There was a period of silence. I thought the call had been dropped, but then I heard Diane’s voice. “Ken,” she barked, “I dropped you off!” Now it was my time to be silent. Embarrassed, I said, “Well, come and get me.” To which Diane retorted, “I will, as soon as I convince this policeman I didn’t steal your car!”
Aging can be tough and funny. It also can be wonderful, especially if you know Jesus as your Savior. Luke introduces us to a wonderful elderly saint who makes his first and last appearance in these final acts of the Christmas drama, Simeon. He doesn’t appear in any nativity scenes or on Christmas cards, but he’s a significant player in that first Christmas pageant.
Simeon had 20/20 vision, spiritual vision. He’s waiting for something, really for Someone. He’s a windshield person, a windshield senior saint.
Too many of us, particularly as we age, become rearview mirror people. Retirees are especially guilty of this. They continually talk about what they used to do, their past successes, even how they came to Christ many years ago or what the world or church used to be like. Those tracking with God, like Simeon, are windshield saints. They’re looking forward to God’s future.
It makes all the difference in our spiritual lives if we’re looking forward or backward. Your rearview mirror is important, but if you spend all your time looking in the rearview mirror, you’ll never move forward. Of course, there are good reasons to look in the rearview mirror. You need to know where you’ve been. But God is not just the God of yesterday or today. He’s the God of tomorrow and God’s best is coming. Windshield Saints are spiritually healthier. While you need to know where you’ve been, it’s more important to know where you’re going and what God has ahead.
Bob Biehl (picture) suggests that Substituting the word ‘transition’ for the traditional word ‘retirement’ offers a whole new perspective on our latter years. Maybe we should call it transition. You transition from working for the world at your job to serving the Lord full time. Those years you spent working in the world can be God preparing you for the real work of the ministry He wants you to do once you’re retired. It’s tragic that my generation, the Baby Boomers, far too often rather than investing their lives for the Lord, have become self-absorbed.
Howard Hendricks (picture), that famous and well-loved professor from Dallas Seminary says that for believers, the latter years can be the richest in all of life if they become a part of other lives. The gentle touch of a seasoned life alive in Jesus Christ brings mutual enrichment. The elderly should not be great social outcasts, but a living “overpass” between generations; not a dead end but a well-lighted avenue to lead younger people into the riches of a superlative time of life.
Simeon is that. He shows us that our most productive years in spiritual service for God can come after our most productive years of earthly toil. He’s nearing the end of life, still serving God, full steam ahead. He had vision. His interaction with Mary shows that.
Simeon was blessed by God because he was a Windshield Saint looking for God’s Messiah! Because he was, he saw Mary and the infant Messiah. He’s a model for us. If you’re taking notes…
1. Simeon saw treasures in plain wrappings.
Are you good at wrapping gifts? I’m terrible. I even have a hard time with gift bags. I can never seem to get the tissue paper right. This is what my wrapping looks like (picture).
Mary and Joseph were poor. We know that because of their offering. It wasn’t a lamb, just a “pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons,”the offering of the poor. But Simeon noticed them. Do we notice poor people? Do we evaluate people by the clothes they wear, car they drive, house they live in? Mary and Joseph were dressed in plain “Salvation Army” specials.
Since Luke is writing primarily for a Gentile audience, you’ll notice he includes some clarifying details to explain what’s happening. Luke brings in Leviticus 12 which is the Mosaic Law that Mary and Joseph are obeying. In our churches today we may associate this presentation with the dedication of children. That may be the closest thing we can relate to concerning this event, but what’s happening here is more involved than our baby dedication.
The Law stated that parents were to present their child to the Lord. This presentation was to be after the mother’s purification, which would be seven days after birth. On the 8th day the child would be circumcised and named.
According to the Law, following the 8th day she was to continue for 33 more days before she could enter the Temple or anything holy. Jesus’ parents bring two birds because they can’t afford a lamb. One sacrifice was a burnt offering, the other a sin offering that the priest would make in atonement for the mother.
Mary and Joseph carry in their arms the Lamb of God but are too poor to purchase one. Others didn’t see them or ignored them. Godly Simeon saw them. He saw the treasure others missed.
Have you ever been having a conversation with someone and see them look over your shoulder to see if there’s someone more important than you to talk to? In the social pecking order, Mary and Joseph weren’t important.
Personally, I’m thankful we don’t dress up for church anymore. I’ve been in churches where it was like a fashion show. We must see the less fortunate. Study Church History and until recent decades the Church has always had more of the lower income than other groups. Today though the Church is middle to upper class. Lower income individuals are often overlooked.
Too many of us don’t have friends who aren’t in our social circles. We see the poor as a group to give money to some organization to help, yet aren’t willing to relate to them personally…they’re not our people, but they’re God’s people. Simeon saw them and broke out of his social circle. Do we? Who do you interact with, other than family, in a different age bracket, economic, marital or family situation? They’re not “your people” but you’ve made them your people. If you do that, you’re seeing as Simeon saw.
Most parents do everything they can for their children. Long before birth, they prepare the baby’s room, obtain a crib and newborn clothes…a car seat. Good parents give their children everything they need.
The most important things parents can do for their children are spiritual. Good parents pray for their children, asking God to bless them, to come to salvation and spiritual growth. They talk to them about God’s Word and bring them to worship with God’s people. Many dedicate their children to the Lord. Jesus’ parents did that for Him.
We want to give our children everything and every opportunity BUT you can’t. Today there’s pressure like never before on parents to have their child in every sport, dance class or activity. Parents, you must prioritize.
If your child is the next Tony Romo or Michael Jordan, if they’re smarter than Elon Musk (pictures) and don’t know Jesus – what have you accomplished? It’s doubtful that any of them will be talented enough to get even an athletic college scholarship. Yet, parents skip church or bypass church children’s/teen programs for activities that will do nothing for their children’s souls. You must prioritize the essential over the temporal. Jesus’ parents brought Him to the Temple in obedience to the Law. Five times in this passage Luke mentions the Law. The spiritual must be a priority.
Simeon is described as both righteous and devout (Luke 5:25). Righteous means that his behavior in the sight of God and towards others was in accordance with God’s standards. He wasn’t a phony. He quietly and consistently obeyed God, even when no one was looking.
Devout has the connotation of reverent. It can mean careful. Simeon wasn’t careless about his spiritual life. No one accidentally becomes righteous and devout. Simeon diligently cultivated his walk with God.
A mushroom matures in a few days, but an oak tree takes years. Which would you rather be? A mushroom or an oak tree? Spiritual growth takes time. As you’re faithful, like Simeon, you’ll become like a tree planted by streams of water, that brings forth its fruit in season (Psalm 1:3). God doesn’t want mushrooms. He wants oak tree Christians.
2. Simeon was looking forward to what God was doing.
Many Christ-followers are focused on the wrong world. Simeon could have been. He lived under the brutality of Rome, but he’s looking for what God is doing.
Sometimes things happen that we aren’t expecting. There’s a funny story about a pastor and a little kitten. His kitten had climbed up a tree in his backyard and was afraid to come down. The pastor coaxed, offered warm milk, called, and yelled – all to no avail; the kitty wouldn’t come down. The tree was not sturdy enough to climb, so the pastor decided that if he looped a rope around the top of the sapling and tied the other end to his car and drove forward, so that the tree bent down, he could reach up and get the kitten. He did all this, checking his progress in the car frequently, then figured if he went just a little bit further, the tree would be bent enough for him to reach the kitten. But as he moved a little further forward, the rope broke. The tree went BOING! And the kitten instantly sailed through the air, out of sight.
The pastor felt terrible. He walked all over the neighborhood asking people if they’d seen a kitten, but nobody had seen the kitten. So, he prayed, “Lord, I just commit this kitten to Your keeping,” and went on about his business.
A few days later while at the grocery store, he met one of his church members. He happened to look into her shopping cart and was amazed to see cat food. But this woman was a cat hater, and everyone knew it, so he asked her, “Why are you buying cat food when you hate cats so much?” She replied, “You won’t believe this,” and she told him how her little girl had been begging her for a cat, but she kept refusing. Then a few days before, the child begged again, so the mom finally told her little girl, “Well, if God gives you a cat, I’ll let you keep it.” She told the pastor, “I watched my child go out in the yard, get on her knees, and ask God for a cat. And really, Pastor, you won’t believe this, but I saw it with my own eyes. A kitten suddenly came flying out of the blue sky, with its paws spread out, and landed right in front of her.” That was a big surprise!
Simeon wasn’t surprised. He was expecting the Messiah to come. When He saw Jesus, even though an infant, He immediately recognized Him. And it had been revealed to Simeon by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ (Luke 2:26).
That’s a strong promise. Who knows how long Simeon waited. This promise affirms the reality of the Messiah’s coming. God promised Simeon that he’d see the Messiah in his lifetime. For Simeon, that promise came true when Mary and Joseph presented Jesus in the temple.
I can’t help but think about the patience of Simeon as he waits for the fulfillment of this promise. This is important—long before the Messiah is born, the Holy Spirit made a promise to Simeon that he will see the Messiah in his lifetime. Imagine if we had the same promise today?
How long had Simeon been looking? Maybe all his life! It’d have been easy for him to think, “Generations have come and gone, and these promises have never been fulfilled. Why expect it will happen in my lifetime? Just settle in for the long haul and give up this idea that Messiah will ever come.”
Do you live expectantly? Do you expect God to answer your prayers? Or are you surprised when one gets answered? Do you expect the Lord to return soon? Maybe you’re thinking, “People have been expecting that for over 2,000 years and it still hasn’t happened.” Looking for Christ’s return changes you. People of hope live expectantly, waiting on God to fulfill His promises.
Today as we live for the Lord, we have a promise that one day we’ll see Jesus face-to-face (1 John 3:2). Until that time, we must continue to walk with Him fulfilling the mission of reaching our world with the gospel.
The providence of God brings Simeon into the temple as Mary and Joseph present Jesus, his Messiah! There is no indication others are present, but with Simeon’s own eyes he finally sees the promised Messiah. So, what does one do at that moment? Simeon takes his Messiah in his arms (imagine this, the Son of God cradled in another’s arms) and he blesses God.
3. Simeon saw the depths of God’s plan.
Can you imagine how thrilled he must have been? He’s holding God’s promise. Overwhelmed with joy and gratitude, he blesses God:‘Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen Your salvation…’.
Simeon’s song of praise is the last of the Christmas songs. It’s known as Nunc Dimittis or “Now Lord,” from the first two words of the hymn in Latin.
It means now you are dismissing. God was releasing Simeon to die in peace. He’s ready to go Home. He’d held God’s salvation in his arms.
Simeon is prepared to die. And anyone who’s seen Jesus through the eyes of faith is ready to die. Sadly, anyone who hasn’t seen Him isn’t ready. Have you seen Jesus? Have you seen Him crucified for your sins? Raised for your salvation? It’s then and only then that you’re prepared to die.
Jesus was born to offer salvation to all. 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 (Luke 2:30-32). For a Jew, this was shocking language. It’d be like burning the American flag. This faithful Jew puts Gentiles first and says salvation is for all people. It was very offensive. It’d be like serving pork chops at a bar mitzvah. But God’s plan of salvation has always been for all people. This is a missionary hymn. Simeon makes the gospel global! God’s light of salvation is for everyone. If you’re in the dark today, it’s for you! Remembering Christ’s compassion for the world is a constant theme in Luke.
Jesus was born to bring judgment on those who reject His offer of salvation. A.T. Robertson (picture) said Jesus is the great magnet. He draws some and repels others. Many would reject Christ’s salvation.
Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed…so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed (Luke 2:34-35).When someone truly encounters Christ, their inner thoughts are seen for what they are. Jesus came to judge as well as to save. The Lord brings us to either a decision or division.
Apart from God’s merciful intervention, we all naturally oppose and reject Christ. Many think they can please God, making it to heaven on their own. They’re offended that salvation only comes through Christ’s cross. Why would anyone die for them? They don’t need a Savior; they’re good people. Jesus is something they can’t get around and keep tripping over.
Christ reveals what even our inner lives are like. Human goodness, our best stuff, are like filthy rags. Unable or unwilling to handle the truth, we oppose Christ’s work. Yet, when we fall before Him in humiliation, we receive grace and new life. Jesus knocks us down so He can pick us up.
What’s your response to Jesus? No one is able to remain neutral when it comes to Christ. Are you for Him or against Him? Jesus is either the source of our salvation or our judgment.
If there’s a historical parallel, it might be Washington and Lincoln (pictures). George Washington, the Father of our country, was very popular and universally respected. Twice, he was unanimously elected president.
Abraham Lincoln, the man who saved the Republic, was very controversial. He was hated by many, both in the North and South. He narrowly won two presidential elections. He was ridiculed by the press and even by members of his own cabinet. Finally, he was assassinated. Jesus the Messiah would be much more like Lincoln than Washington. Many would love Him; many more would hate Him…and eventually His enemies would kill Him.
Jesus was born to bring a painful sword of suffering. And a sword will pierce through your own soul also (Luke 2:35).Mary would face shame in His birth and pain in His life. The Greek word for sword means a large sword like Goliath used. The verb means constantly keeps on piercing. The most honored woman of all time would experience tremendous pain because of her Son, Jesus.
During Jesus’ life and ministry, Mary experienced great sorrow until one day she stood before His cross, watching Him suffer and die, as He died to be our Savior. Simeon’s prophecy shows that from the beginning, God’s mission for Jesus demanded He suffer and die for sinners. The crucifixion was the fulfillment of Simeon’s prophecy and God’s preordained plan.
Every parent knows the unique pain that’s ours when we see our child hurt. Every parent would gladly take the place of their suffering child.
When Jesus was hanging on the cross, the first thing He said was, Father, forgive them for they don’t know what they’re doing. The second was, Woman, behold your son. I believe at that moment Mary’s pain grew to almost unbearable proportions. Her mind went back to when her son was 40 days old, and an old prophet said something odd: a sword will penetrate your soul. Finally, at the cross, Mary understood what Simeon meant.
Mary had a sword pierce her heart. Jesus was crucified because our sin was so evil that there was no other way. Too many people think they’ll go to heaven because of the “Christian things” they do – going to church, giving money, feeding the poor and the list goes on.
My friend, when you stand before God and hear His question: Why should I let you into heaven? Please don’t say, “Because I was a nice person,” or “I did a lot of good things.” The only thing that will get you into heaven is to say honestly, “Because I have a personal relationship with Jesus. I’ve trusted His sacrifice as the payment for my sins and committed my life to Him.”
Conclusion
You can die in peace when you rest in the trust that Jesus is your only hope of salvation. God promised Simeon that He wouldn’t die until he saw the promised Savior. When Simeon gazed into the infant eyes of Jesus, his first comment was “God, you can now release your servant, finally I can die in peace!” In that moment, his life was fulfilled. He knew God kept His promises. It set his heart on fire. I’d imagine that afterwards, people saw the light in his eyes, the smile on his face and the spring in his step and were amazed. They’d turn to each other and ask, “What’s gotten into him?”
The same thing is true of us. You aren’t ready to die until you recognize and acknowledge who Jesus is. In fact, you aren’t ready to live until that happens. Have you recognized Jesus? Do you know Him as your Savior?
There’s a wonderful true story from World War II. Perhaps you’ve heard it:
The Army lieutenant stood up from his bench, straightened his uniform, and studied the crowd of people going through Grand Central Station. He looked for a girl he loved but he’d never seen her face. Many months before he found her address in a library book, wrote her to conquer his loneliness, and she, surprisingly, replied. The lieutenant went off to serve his country in the war and for thirteen months they corresponded while he was overseas. As they wrote back and forth, they began to fall in love with each other. He wrote and asked her for a photograph, and she wrote back, “No. If you love me, you won’t care what I look like.” So, they continued corresponding, and their love grew.
When the lieutenant was to return stateside, he asked that she meet him at Grand Central Station (pictures) in New York. She agreed, and said he’d recognize her by the rose she wore. So, the Lieutenant looked – and saw the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen in a green suit. As he started toward her, he stopped, for behind her he saw a woman wearing a red, red rose.
The woman with the rose was well past 50 years old, plump, with thick ankles shoved into low-heeled shoes. Her gray hair tucked under a floppy, worn hat. The woman in the green suit walked away and the young soldier nearly followed her. He was confronted with a choice, the young woman, or the old spinster. Yet as he thought about it, the letters they’d written to each other jumped out in his mind. He squared his shoulders, walked up to the older woman, and said, “I’m Lieutenant John Blanchard. You must be Miss Maynell. I’m so glad to meet you, could I take you to dinner?”
The woman’s face lit up, and she said, “I don’t know what this is about, son but the young lady in the green suit who just walked past, asked me to wear this rose. I was supposed to tell you if you came up, that she is waiting for you in the restaurant across the street. She said this was a kind of test!”
Isn’t that a great story? It’s our story but we’re not the beautiful young woman. We’re not even the dowdy older woman. We’re so much worse. We’re a total disaster, yet He still loves us!
That’s what drove me to Jesus. As a teen, I didn’t believe anyone on earth loved me, but I knew Jesus did. In fact, I wrote about it in a tract that you’ll find out on the kiosk. Jesus loves us just as we are and died for our sins, so we don’t have to stay the way that we are. At salvation, He transforms us into something beautiful when He gives us new life.
Simeon saw Jesus with his own eyes. He held Him in his arms.
Have you seen Jesus? We see Jesus through the eyes of faith. 1 Peter 1:8 says, Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy. Have you seen Jesus? He’s beautiful beyond description. His death pierced Mary’s heart. Jesus died for her and died for you and me because He chose to love us.
So, have you passed the test? Have you committed your life to Him as your Lord and Savior? When you do, He’s promised to give you inexpressible and glorious joy.