Luke 2 - Christmas Day Talk

Luke 2:21-35 -- "my eyes have seen the Lord's salvation"

Big idea: Gods promised salvation (Jesus) has appeared as a light to the whole world.
Introduction to the talk;
Have you ever wondered how some people come up with the names of their children?
I mean some kids names are just plain odd aren't they?
And you just can't help but think, the Internet has a lot to answer for in this department!

And even more strange than the names that people come with for the children, is the spelling they come up with that their children. As if the burden of some names wasn't going to be enough, they make life nigh on impossible for the little people by making the names incredibly hard to spell. It's like they used predictive text on their mobile phone to come up with the spelling of the child's name.

On that rationale, why not just call the first kid ‘a’, it’s easy to dial and spell.

“‘A’ stop talking back to your mother, I don't care what your brother ‘D.’ did.”
I realise this approach has limitations for a proper blue Mountains family, as it means you would probably have to limit yourself to 26 children per family.

But I can't help thinking, that really it’s because people have become so overwhelmed with the responsibility is to name children, that they have just reacted by become a bit flippant about it.

Names are really important for people, because they make a statement about the person, almost whether they like it or not.

For example; I'm quite certain that no one here has named one of their daughters Jezebel. So you can see Names count don't they?

I used to work with a lovely bloke, whose name was jihad Hussein!
Now that's a name that immediately get your attention.
What you reckoned chances are of jihad getting home to Australia from holidays overseas, and not being picked out in immigration and customs line?

Pretty slim I think!

Names can be pretty important in a person's life, and in today's passage from Luke, we are focusing on the scene where Jesus formerly receives his name.

Introduction to the passage
The section of the passage we are focusing on to day goes from versus 25-35, and it sits with in a wider scene in the Gospel, which is set on the eighth day of Jesus life. The eighth day is an important day in the life of a Jewish son, because it is the day when they are ceremonially presented to God and given their name.

So this entire scene that goes from versus 21-40 is set on the eighth day of Jesus life, and what’s obvious to the reader is that the whole scene is quite miraculous, and yet at the same time as plain and is humble as any of the ceremonies could be.

In this section we meet the character Simeon who tells us the miraculous prophecies in regard to Jesus, but in totally contrast, at the same time everything in this scene could not be more plain and humble if it tried.

Jesus parents offering was as small as can be offered, and yet it seems it was as big as they were able to offer.
Simeon who oversees the process is no High-priest, or Pharisee or the like. There are no great crowds to greet Jesus, merely a few faithful and devout oldies, like the 8 AM communion service at the Anglican retirement villages.

In many ways everything about this whole scene is so plain, and humble, you could easily miss it! And it seems that is what most of Jerusalem did. The city of God's people, who should have been awake and alert, waiting for the coming of their Messiah, their king, they missed it!

Jerusalem, missed the coming of Jesus and his dedication to God, which I'm sure you like me think -- that can't be good right?

Throughout this scene, Luke invites us to see Jesus -- the eight-day-old baby boy -- through the eyes of Simeon, the faithful servant of God.

1.Christ the fault less (verse 21-24)
NIV Luke 2:21
On the eighth day,
when it was time to circumcise him,
he was named Jesus,
the name the angel had given him before he had been conceived.
22 When the time of
their purification according to the Law of Moses had been completed,
Joseph and Mary
took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord
23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord,
"Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord"),
24 and to offer a sacrifice in keeping
with what is said in the Law of the Lord:
"a pair of doves or two young pigeons."


Now as we read through that section of text, everything going on there is about Jesus and his family fulfilling the requirements and obligation as of a member of the family of Israel towards God in regard to their firstborn son. This presentation of Jesus to God at the temple in Jerusalem, a place where God's name resided, was an act of worship by members of God's family in a way that conformed to the requirements of the written code of the Law of Moses.

Whether it was the presentation of doves as a sacrifice, or acknowledging the time of purification after childbirth, or even Circumcision itself, (as a sign of being part of the covenant family of God found in the promises to Abraham), everything was done to demonstrate that Jesus is faithful Israel, Jesus is God's true son.

Now at one level the whole thing is a little odd isn't it?
Mary and Joseph take Jesus to the temple to present him to God.
I'm pretty confident God knew who he was, given Jesus is the eternal son of God, who God told Mary and Joseph to name Jesus.

It's a weird situation isn't it?
‘God this is your son’ – ‘I know who we is joseph!’

But most poignantly, is the Jesus name, the name God gave him. Names are incredibly important part as ancient cultures, particularly within the Jewish culture. In the book of the old Testament prophet Hosea, God instructs the prophet to name his child Lo-ami, a name which literally means ‘not my people’. The child's name was integral to the prophetic message the prophet was to bring to the people of Israel, from God.

In the same way Jesus name is a profound declaration from God about his message through his son. Jesus name means ‘Salvation’, or even the ‘Lord's salvation’.
When God's names his son Salvation, it's pretty clear he doesn't want him to grow up to be a plumber!

Everything that happened on that eighth day, especially Jesus naming, was not for God's benefit, but our benefit, that we may know for sure, that before God, Christ is faultless. Christ was faultless in order to be our Saviour.

And as the scene moves on, we meet;

2.Simeon the faithful
25 Now there was a man
in Jerusalem called Simeon,
who was righteous and devout.
He was waiting for the consolation of Israel,
and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit
that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ.
27 Moved by the Spirit,
he went into the temple courts.
When the parents brought in the child Jesus
to do for him what the custom of the Law required,


Almost from left field we're introduced to this man called Simeon. He is simply and plainly introduced as ‘a man’, not a priest from the temple, much less high priest, not a Pharisees nor a Sadducee. It seems in regards to other men, he has no office, no regal designation.

But in the starkest contrast, this plain man, is given a great designation by the Lord himself. Simeon is the Lord's faithful servant.

The Lord designates Simeon, as ‘righteous and devout’. Simeon has a good standing before the Lord, and is in faithful and obedient fellowship with God.

And Simeon's obedience is expressed in him watch-fully waiting for the fulfilment of God's promise to his people Israel, that God would redeem his people.

And most importantly God had given Simeon the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has had three main impacts in Simeon's life; firstly, Simeon had been given a gift of a prophetic vision.
God had show on Simeon that he had a specific role within God's plan of salvation. Simeon was to see the one who would redeem and save Israel before he died.

Secondly, Simeon received the Holy Spirit, and he was obedient to its leading, he obeyed its call, and headed to the temple to meet Jesus and his parents.

And thirdly, God gave Simeon the Holy Spirit, and it enabled him to have the eyes of faith. Which we will look at the moment. The Holy Spirit enabled Simeon to be a true worshipper of the holy God, by recognizing the fulfilment of God's promise, when it came to him, and allowing him to trust in the provision of God through his promised Messiah - Jesus – God’s Salvation.

Simeon is a contrast in the story, to the bulk of the Jewish nation at his time, because Simeon is a faithful servant that was at work for his master the Lord, like the parables that Jesus was to tell later in his life, Simeon was at work when his master arrived, in contrast the city of Jerusalem was asleep.

Simeon the faithful, is not just our eyes into the story about Jesus and his eighth day, but he is also an example to us. He is an example as to how we should respond to Jesus, and the promises of God. Simeon, waited patiently and expectantly for the Christ, and then he witnessed faithfully to the Christ.

Simeon had the eyes of faith, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to see an eight-day old and realise, this was God's salvation.
In case you can't remember eight-day-old babies do not do much!
In fact blinking is a major achievement from an 8 day old baby, and yet Simeon the faithful servant of God, saw this boy and recognized him as a the fulfillment of God's promise to the nation of Israel of salvation, but particularly a fulfilment of the promised to Simeon, that he would see it with his own eyes.

[Admittedly, when he asked to name the boy's name, and the parents replied Yeshua, or ‘salvation’ which we translate Jesus, it would have been a pretty clear indicator.] But Simeon understood it for what it really was by the eyes of faith.

Simeon the faithful is an example to us, we to witness faithfully to the Christ, and wait expectantly for the Christ. If Simeon could witness to the Christ having only seen the promise of an eight day old baby, how much more confidently should we witness to the Christ, knowing of the one who grew up to die on the cross to pay the penalty of sin, and then was resurrected from the dead, in order to proclaim his lordship over the whole world. If Simeon could be faithful, with the promise he had received, how much more so should we.

Faithful servants of God, witness while they wait.

Well if the witness of Simeon the faithful, is a challenge, what are we to make of his two prophetic announcements about the baby Jesus.

3.Christ the fault line

Simeon goes on to announce to blessing, or prophetic announcements about Jesus, Jesus will be the dividing line of all humanity, the fault line upon which people will stand or fall.

A. Christ the fault line is the light of salvation
28 Simeon took him in his arms
and praised God,
saying:

29 "Sovereign Lord,
as you have promised,
you now dismiss your servant in peace.
30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,
31 which
you have prepared in the sight of all people,
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles
and for glory to your people Israel."

33 The child's father and mother marveled at what was said about him

This section here, is the heart of the whole scene. It's the heart of everything going on here, that God has fulfilled his promises, his promises to Israel of salvation, and his promise to Simeon that he would see it first-hand.
Christ is the light of God we read in verse 32, the light that reveals the true God, the light that reveals the true God's salvation, Christ reveals himself as both God and Saviour. He is the light of revelation to the Gentiles, the whole world, that was predicted back in the old Testament book of Isaiah some 600 years before, and it would be to the glory of the people of Israel, because Jesus is the true Israel, God's faithful son. Jesus fulfilled what the nation of Israel promised in outline.

Now if you like me, you would have read the first part of these verses, where Simeon blesses God praises God, and then says the Lord can dismiss his servant, and think to yourself, is that it for him, does he die now?

Well in truth the Bible doesn't tell us, Simeon disappears from the story as quickly as he appeared in the first place! But one can safely assume, that Simeon was okay with whatever the Lord did with him after that. The Lord had provided his salvation in Christ, and the Lord had used him to help proclaim it to the world. And for Simeon he was please to be a faithful servant who had done all the Lord had called him to do.
Like the heroes of Hebrews chapter 11 we looked at a couple of weeks ago, Simeon received by faith all that God had promised, and he was pleased with that.

But Simeon had a second placing, prophetic announcement to make and he did it in versus 34 and 35.

B. Christ the fault line brings judgment on sinful humanity
34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother:

"This child is destined to cause
the falling and rising of many in Israel,
and to be a sign that will be spoken against,
35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed.
And a sword will pierce your own soul too."

Everybody who is over the age of two, knows that they have done things wrong, things wrong against others, things wrong against themselves, and most importantly things wrong against God. Two-year-olds on the other hand have no shame, but that is a story for another day I suspect.
All of us know that our lives have not been perfect, and a significant proportion of the problem has been our choice -- the Bible calls this sin. The Bible also tells us that this is a symptom of us choosing to ignore God as the Lord of our lives.

The solution that throws light on to the brokenness of our lives, especially the brokenness of our relationship with God, that sin causes, is Jesus. God’s promised salvation. God sent Jesus, his salvation to deal with the problem of our Sin. Christ the light of revelation to the Gentiles, was born into the world and lived the perfect life, and then died upon across, a cruel thief’s death, an undeserved death, an innocent man's death, and he did it to take pay the penalty of yours and my sin. This is the incident that was to pierce the heart of Mary's own soul that Simeon predicted in V35. Christ's gift of our salvation, and Salvation for the whole world, was extremely costly to him.

Simeon's witness to us today from the pages of Luke’s gospel is,
"have your eyes seen the salvation of the Lord?".
Do you know with confidence where you stand in regard to God?
Do you know personally his salvation called Jesus and what he did for you?

The Bible tells is plainly that Jesus is one of two things for all humanity;
-- our salvation, or
-- our condemnation.

The Bible tells us, that when we stand before the Lord at the end of our life, his question of us will not so much be, ‘what good did you do?’, but ‘did you receive my son?’.
Did you accept the Christmas gift that I sent of my son, Jesus the salvation of the world?
Did you receive my son?

Did you accept the gift of Christmas, Jesus? Or like a little kid, did you spend your time playing with the box gift came in - of the life God gave you?
A life he gave you in the first place to serve and honour him?

Simeon is the faithful servant of the Lord, who knew what God had given him in Jesus, and for him there was no more important thing in life.
Can you confidently say the same?

Can you this Christmas, say with Simeon?

‘My eyes have seen the Lord’s salvation, and his name is Jesus.’