"… For my eyes have seen your salvation…" - Luke 2:30
Main Readings: Luke 2:1-21 & Luke 2:22-40
Related Reading: Exodus 13:1-16, Leviticus 12, Galatians 3:15 – 47
I recently visited Leeds City Museum. And saw an exhibition called ‘Living With Death.’ It explored how different cultures and various human belief systems deal with this subject. An often-depressing subject. I shed tears. But then those tears became tears of joy. Cos they had a poster from a Christian organisation. It didn’t say much. Just six words. But they’re six words which mean everything. A picture of a stone rolled away from an empty tomb. And this – ‘Life wins – Death has been defeated.’
‘But hold on!’, I hear you cry, ‘That’s Easter! This is Christmas!’ Those words do relate to Easter. And the death of Jesus. But their real focus is life – life wins! But the truth is, there’s only one life that wins. Since the first sin of the first humans, all human life has been born lost. Then Jesus came - to seek and to save the lost. And his life won. Lost people won back for God. Luke 2 records the first moments of that life. And verses 22 – 39 record one short moment in one day of that one life. It’s only one life. But it’s the one life. That will win life. For all… who believe. Every other life will get it wrong. This one life can make it right.
Verse 22 starts with four words, ‘when the time came.’ It then tells us about rituals that Mary must complete. It calls them ‘purification rites’. It was time for those rites. It was the rite time! But it was also the right time – the correct time – the set time. Yes, Mary was about to do something that countless Jewish women had done before. But God had just done something like never before. This was God’s right time of Galatians 4 4 – ‘… when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law…’
So, why was Jesus ‘born under the law’? What even is ‘the law’? Cos, it seems important. Luke seems so keen… to let us know that the life of Jesus began in keeping with a distinct – and sometimes peculiar – set of rules. Those rules are called ‘the Law of the Lord’ in verses 23 & 24, and ‘the Law of Moses’ in verse 22. Moses. He’s that Jewish guy from way back when. God chose him to lead Israel. And gave him rules for Israelite life – called ‘the Law.’
God’s life rules given to Israel. Given so they could avoid sin? No. Given cos they couldn’t avoid it. Sin – a tiny word. What describes our massive problem – the failure… of our life. The law had loads of rituals. Many of them were cleansing rituals – people and stuff got cleaned! They highlighted the reality of Israelite life - the reality of all life. In God’s eyes it’s dirty. Their life was. My life is. Your life too. It’s downright dirty. And just not good enough for God.
But this one life, in Luke 2, is gunna be different. This life of Jesus will be lived clean. This one life will be the good life. Jesus born to Israelite parents - born under that law – his life lived under the law’s demanding demands. But every strict question posed, the winning life of Christ would always answer right!
In verse 22 it’s ‘time’. For the ‘required’ ‘purification rite’ following the birth of an Israelite boy. ‘Joseph and Mary took (Jesus) to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord.’
Verse 23 says, ‘every firstborn male is to be consecrated (so, presented as a holy thing) to the Lord.’ That’s a quote from what Moses said to Israel. When did he say it? In Exodus 13. It’s so significant. Because the chapter before is Exodus 12. Which describes Israel’s escape from slavery in Egypt. That’s the context in which Moses gave this instruction.
So, imagine. The Children of Israel gathered there. Free at last after hundreds of years. Moses tells them this is what you’ve now got to do when new life happens! And then it happens. An Israelite lady goes into labour and it’s a boy – her first. Eventually… someone holds it up. And says, ‘We’ve gotta do this. This boy is yours Lord – make it a special thing.’ And it would’ve been. Imagine the masses of Israel witnessing that. Cos for the first time. For a hugely long time… that Israelite baby would’ve been different. To every other person who witnessed that event. That baby would’ve been born free – not a slave.
But look here at Luke 2! When Jesus is taken to the temple and presented to the Lord. He’s already special. He’s already holy. And he’s living the life freeing life – the only life – that can forever win us our freedom. From our slavery. To our sin!
In verse 24, the parents ‘offer a sacrifice in keeping with… the Law.’ It’s two small birds. It doesn’t seem much. It wasn’t. It highlights Mary’s poor circumstances. ‘The Law’, in Leviticus 12 stated that this sacrifice must include a young lamb. But what if you didn’t own one? Or couldn’t afford one? It made this allowance. Two small, captured wild birds would do. It was God’s kindly provision for those whose pockets and purses were empty. And it’s used here. For this life. The newborn Christ. Who came to win life for those whose own lives had been emptied out by sin.
And here’s where we meet Simeon in verse 25. And here’s where we’re invited to stand in his shoes. ‘But hold on!’, I hear you cry, ‘He’s described as ‘righteous and devout’. Those shoes don’t fit my feet. Those words don’t fit my life.’
But do they? Can they? What does the Bible mean when it calls a person righteous. Romans 4 shows us. That ‘people are counted as righteous, not because of (what they do), but because of their faith in (the) God who forgives sinners (see Romans 4 4 NLT).
To be Bible righteous is to believe that God forgives sinners. To believe that God can forgive you. Have you done that? Then you’re righteous. Simeon was ‘righteous’… ‘and devout.’ What’s devout? Well, he was loyal and committed to his God. He was ‘devout’ - devoted. Hardly surprising given the real nature of true God friendship! If we had a friendship with someone and kept messing up. And their response was to forgive. And forgive. And forgive. Would we want to continue that relationship? You bet we would. And Simeon did. God had won that man over!
‘He was waiting.’ I know what it is to be waiting. I regularly travel by bus. Unfortunately, my life is lived in the wrong place – West Yorkshire. Because the main bus company in this region is regularly voted the worst in the whole country. The timetables promise. A bus is coming. It doesn’t come. I wait for the next one. It doesn’t turn up. Just so unreliable.
But contrast this with Simeon’s waiting. His life was like mine – lived in the wrong place. Not West Yorkshire. But lived in a broken world. Desperately waiting. Waiting for God to show up with his forgiveness plan. But believing that he would. Because God’s reliable. He had a timetable for the arrival of Christ. He had a timetable for Simeon’s life. And he’s always gunna show.
Simeon was waiting ‘for the consolation of Israel.’ What’s that? Well consolation is like comfort. When do we most need comfort? I need it when I’m most broken. When life has broken down. And broken me down. When life has made me cry. Maybe Simeon’d been reading God’s promise in Isaiah 40 1-2, ‘Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for…’ Simeon was ‘waiting’ for this sin-paid-for comfort to happen. He wants to see this happen. And that day he sees it.
God had told Israel collectively that it would happen. But he’d spoken to Simeon directly in verse 26. He’d been told about ‘the Messiah’. God’s Messiah. God’s Christ. Messiah comes from the Old Testament Hebrew language. Christ from the New Testament Greek. Messiah – Christ – they’re one and the same. They’re the one! The Lord’s ‘anointed one’! Anointed to come. Appointed to win. Jesus made in our likeness. Jesus dressed in our life-ness. But where our life lost. His life wins.
‘It was revealed to him (Simeon – by God’s Spirit) that he would not die before he had seen’ Christ. God told him! It’s so good! It’s maybe like us when we buy presents. It can be so hard buying the right thing. Is this really any good? Will they want it? But occasionally we’ll find something that seems so right. So good. What happens? It’s hard to keep it a secret isn’t it? You wanna to tell people. I got this gift to give. It’s so good. It’s gunna make such a difference.
It seems like God’s like that here. This gift of Christ. His gift to the world. The one winning life. It’s so good. So what this broken world needs. It’s like God can’t contain himself. He’s gotta tell his friends. So he’s told Simeon what’s coming. And when. And where. It’s a moving moment. And Simeon is moved in verse 27.
‘Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts.’ And I love the positioning of the next few words. ‘When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him…’ We have ‘the Law’. We have Christ Jesus. And we have Simeon taking Jesus. The Law – that was God’s prescription written out for sinful life. But Jesus is the medicine that heals. And ‘Simeon took’ that medicine.
Look at the effect! Simeon has grasped Jesus. He’s holding the life that wins. Look at his outlook now. He says, ‘Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation…’ Simeon believed God’s promise. He believed ‘that he would not die before he had seen’ this day. And this life. And now he’s seen. And now he’s ready. ‘You may dismiss (me) in peace.’ It’s like, ‘I’m ready to die Lord.’ ‘I can die in peace.’ I couldn’t die in peace before. But now I’ve seen your Christ. Now I can.
This is relevant to us. If we haven’t seen - and haven’t grasped - what is in this one life of Jesus, then there is no peace between us and God. We aren’t ready to die. And face him. Because then it’ll be about our life. A lost life. Cos God’s at war with that life. The only way we can die ‘in peace’ with God. Is believing in the life that wins. The life of God’s Christ.
‘My eyes have seen your salvation.’ What is salvation? It’s God’s method of saving. It’s his rescue plan. Wrapped up in this one life. Have we seen what Simeon saw? God’s rescue plan for broken people like us. Wrapped up in the life of Christ. If we have then we’ve nothing to fear from what lies beyond death.
But hold on!... this life of Jesus on earth has only just begun. How can Simeon be so confident of the winning result?
It reminds me of when I was a young boy. I used to love listening to the football results on a Saturday afternoon. They were read by James Alexander Gordon. The matches began at 3pm. And now they’d finished at 4.45! The results were in. Mr Gordon announced them in a very special way. The way that he read out the name and score of the home team told you the result. If he pitched it higher, you knew they’d won. If he kept his voice level, you knew it was a draw. If he dropped his voice, you knew they’d lost. You knew the result before it was fully announced. But you never knew the result while the game was still in play.
Cos what he never did was announce the results at 3 minutes past three! When the games had only just started. Cos even at six years old, I’d’ve found that rather suspect!
But that’s what Simeon does here. This life of Christ – born under the law – lived according to God’s rules of the game – this life has only just begun. Only just in play. But Simeon sees it for what it will be. He announces the result. This life has won – won life for me. Heaven’s trophy – and heaven’s peace - is as certain now, as when the final whistle blows on my life. I’ll be ready to die then. Cos I’ve seen your Christ. And that makes me ready now.
Christians – are you ready? Often we’re not. There’s a real temptation as believers to over focus on our own lives. We get troubled by what we see in our own ongoing broken living. And it breaks our peace. But Simeon’s example reminds us of where we must always look. Why try and find peace in your losing life? When you’ve already got it in this life that won!
Simeon held Jesus in his arms. And he grasped him with his heart and mind and spirit. He was sure. This life wins. For me death is defeated. Life won. Death nil. For him. For us. And for everyone who believes. Everyone!
That’s what Simeon goes on to say in verses 31-32. This whole scene is so Jewish. It’s in the temple in Jerusalem. It’s in the main building. In the capital city. Of what was then God’s own country. No. Not Yorkshire – Israel! The spotlight is on the stage - on this one tiny spot - on God’s earth. But then Simeon sees the entrance on stage of God’s main man. He sees what his life means. And what his life wins. And the spotlight suddenly becomes a floodlight that will be seen by ‘all nations.’ Cos Jesus is the (Flood)Light of the World. And his life winning life is now for all people. Anyone and everyone who will believe.
In verse 33 we read that ‘the child’s father and mother marvelled at what was said about him.’ As well they might. This life that’s just started has transformed the life of Simeon. He’s truly won over! He’s found peace with God for himself. He knows that others will too. He speaks of the light of the life that wins. A light that will shine in the dark place of our broken world. But first, that darkness must be dealt with.
And the final words of Simeon, in verses 34-35, point us to the how. How this winning life will play out to the end. He says, ‘this child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many…’ Jesus divides people. Into two groups. Those that don’t believe – and so fall and fail. And those who do believe – and so rise to new life in him. He’ll be ‘spoken against’ by many. But many others will find ‘the thoughts of (their) hearts… revealed. God will show them who they really are. Lost without Christ. But winners in him. And they’ll choose the life that wins.
The life that wins at great cost. Simeon tells Mary about it – ‘a sword will pierce your own soul.’ When? At the cross of Jesus. Mary will witness that event. She is now forever linked to the life of Jesus. But being linked to him comes at a cost. It would be deeply, painfully true for Mary. But it is also true – there’s a cost - for all who believe.
People will speak ‘against’ your faith in the winning life of Christ. They’ll tell you that you’re losing out on life. But you’ll know that you’ve won. And why.
Because of that cross. At the cross he paid our deserved penalty. We got his deserved peace. He paid the price for our lost lives. To give us his life that wins. Sinners made winners!
He looked poor in the circumstances of his birth. He looked so desperately poor in the circumstances of his death. (But he looked anything but when he rose again from the dead!) Philippians 2 tells us that ‘he made himself nothing.’ ‘He made himself nothing’ so that we who’d lost everything might have more – forevermore. And he became nothing. So that he might become everything to us.
May we be like Simeon this Christmas – ‘righteous and devout’. Righteous by faith - believing in God’s Christ. Believing his life wins. And now devout. Devoted to the God who forgave us. And who forgives. And forgives. And forgives again.