Study inLuke’s Gospel

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The Messiah Has Come

Chap 2v25-40Presentation 09

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IntroductionIn high profile trials witnesses play an important role in enabling a jury to come to the knowledge of the truth. Whenever their testimony is conflicting, it may be viewed as unreliable and therefore unconvincing. However, the witness of scripture concerning God and his purposes belongs to a quite different plane.

John Stott writes;‘Our understanding of the Bible is essentially a Trinitarian understanding. The Bible comes from God, centres on Christ and is inspired by the Holy Spirit. So the best definition of the Bible is also Trinitarian 'the Bible is the witness of the Father to the Son through the Holy Spirit'. Something to bear in mind as we listen to the testimony of human witnesses such as Simeon in our passage.

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Simeon’s WitnessHow would you complete the sentence, ‘I would like to live long enough until I see…’ ? … ‘a grandchild born, graduate, get married… have my dream come true’

Simeon belonged to a small remnant of faith in Israel. He wanted to stay alive long enough until he saw the Messiah. God had promised him that he would. Simeon was not a religious crank whose testimony one could easily dismiss. Luke establishes his credentials - He had a reputation for being righteous and devout.

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Simeon’s WitnessThere was a great deal of religion in Jerusalem but not a great deal of spirituality. Simeon was not simply religious, he lived in close fellowship with God. He was, to use an old Scottish phrase, ‘far ben with God’.

Simeon belonged to a small remnant of faith who did not share the popular Jewish views concerning the Messiah. He had a deeper insight into the significance of his arrival. He was to gaze on the One who was the answer to ‘the hopes and fears’ of all God’s people of down through the centuries.

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The Form Of Simeon’s WitnessWhat form does Simeon’s witness take? First, the Messiah is seen as the source of his spiritual fulfilment and satisfaction. Simeon was not unaware of the spiritual need of his own heart. To see Jesus is to see God’s salvation. To lay hold of Jesus is to lay hold of all that is important. How does the hymn put it? ‘Jesus Christ is all I need’. The most important issue to be settled in life is that of our relationship with God. And when we have been persuaded of that and when we have trusted in the Jesus for salvation then everything else takes on a secondary role. There can be joy even in the face of death when we have entered into a living relationship with the Lord of Life. Simeon says, ‘Lord let now your servant depart in peace’.

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The Form Of Simeon’s WitnessThe second thing that distinguished Simeon’s understanding of the Messiah from that of many of his contemporaries was the realisation that the Messiah was not simply the deliverer of the Jews but of the whole Gentile world. He was ‘light for revelation to the Gentiles’ v32.

God’s intention was to offer salvation to all men. Jesus came to be a blessing to the world and not just the Jews. This has implications for the church’s mission for this is a message to be shared.

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The Form Of Simeon’s WitnessDuring the C19th when inland China began to hear the message of the gospel for the first time. An elderly Chinese man approached a Western missionary [Hudson Taylor] clearly excited by the fact that God should break into our world and die for our salvation. And he asked when did Jesus come? When he was told almost 1900 years ago the Chinese man asked, ‘then why has it taken you so long to share this message with our people’?

We need to challenge our hearts and to ask how committed are we to the mission of the church. If Christ is for the whole world what are we doing to ensure that the whole world hears?

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The Form Of Simeon’s WitnessThirdly, Simeon describes Jesus as ‘the glory to his people Israel’. In scripture the Glory of God is equated with the presence of God. The glory of God had never been so immanent as in the incarnation, for in Jesus all the fullness of the Godhead dwelled. Simeon’s contemporaries connected the glory of Israel with the temple, the place on which the Shekinah glory of God had descended [cf Jn.1v14].

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Simeon’s Prophetic UtteranceIsrael believed her glory was connected to a building, that is why they could not conceive of its destruction, but for Simeon the glory of Israel was not confined in stone and mortar but displayed in the babe he held in his arms.

It is possible, as the Jews demonstrated, to be more caught up in a building, to talk of one’s love of a building, than to be caught up with Christ and to talk of one’s love for Christ.

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Simeon’s Prophetic UtteranceMary and Joseph marvelled at Simeon’s words and Luke’s readers are invited to marvel at them also.

But Simeon witness not only pointed to Jesus’ identity, he made a number of prophetic claims concerning his life v34-35.

The atmosphere immediately changes to one of foreboding. It became clear that this child’s life and ministry would not be marked by peace and tranquillity.

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Simeon’s Prophetic UtteranceFirst, He would be the cause of the condemnation of some and the salvation of others. ‘This child is destined for the falling and rising of many in Israel’. The implication is clear - Jesus would divide the nation into two.

That is a sobering thought but the person of Christ and the ministry of Christ acted like a fork in a road. People would either listen to him and respond to his message and so enter into God’s salvation, or they would reject him and by so doing disqualify themselves from God’s salvation.

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Simeon’s Prophetic UtteranceThis twofold role is mentioned in the OT. and quoted by the apostles cf. Rom.9v33 ‘As it is written: "See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame." ‘

Jesus continues to act as a fork in the road. He causes men to chose what direction they will take in life. There is no middle road, no fence to sit on. Jesus made this clear, ‘those who are not for me are against me’. Luke 11.23

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Simeon’s Prophetic UtteranceSecondly, Jesus would experience great opposition in the course of his ministry. He would be ‘a sign that was spoken against’. When the light shines into men’s hearts it can have a disturbing and uncomfortable effect. When people are told that their belief system is wrong and all their best religious efforts are of no value in God’s sight, they are enraged. When they are told of God’s right to rule over their lives they lash out and want to harm the one who makes such claims.

Jesus in the parable of the vineyard describes its owner who, before going on a journey, entrusted his property to others to manage for him…

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Simeon’s Prophetic UtteranceHe then regularly sent servants to these managers asking for a share of the fruit of their labour. This request was regularly refused. Then the owner sent his son, surely his presence would remind them that the land they worked was not theirs but held in trust. How did the tenants reply? ‘We will not have this man to reign over us’, and they killed the son.

Clearly, Jesus knew that he would meet with opposition from those who refused God’s rule. Jesus often meets opposition from folk who are happy enough with the idea of forgiveness and blessing but who refuse to submit to his rule and Lordship - ‘that would mean change!’

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Simeon’s Prophetic UtteranceThirdly, Simeon tells us that men’s reaction to Jesus would provide a litmus test which would disclose their own spiritual condition. A real encounter with Christ has the effect of revealing ‘the thoughts of many hearts’.

How do we measure the genuineness of a person’s spirituality and the worth of their religion? Quite simply by what they think and say about Jesus! Start speaking to some one about Jesus and very soon you will have a good idea about where they stand in relation to God.

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Simeon’s Prophetic UtteranceFourthly, something [Jesus’ death] would be the cause of great pain to Mary. To identify with Jesus, will always bring pain, for we will be on the receiving end of rejection. Simeon is speaking of the pain that Mary as a mother would experience at the death of her son, but he also points to the pain that those who identify with Jesus will experience when they see the world reject Jesus and all he has to offer.

During the revival in Dundee in the mid 19thC Robert M. McCheyne would often preach with tears in his eyes. Asked to explain his behaviour he would say that he knew that some of his hearers had closed their hearts to Christ..

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Anna’s WitnessAccording to the Law of Moses, the testimony of one witness was insufficient and collaborative testimony was required before it was admissible. A second witness does affirm Simeon’s claims, her name was Anna. Like Simeon she has a remarkable spiritual pedigree. She is described as a prophetess, a woman of remarkable spiritual insight and one noted for her piety. Cf 37b… There is every likelihood that since the death of her husband she had lived in the temple for over 50 years! giving herself unreservedly to God and his service. The great burden of her prayer life was for the arrival of God’s Messiah. The one who would redeem God’s people.

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Anna’s WitnessThis idea of redemption was uppermost in Anna’s mind.

The pawn shop provides us with a picture of redemption. People part with their treasures for a sum of money and receive a ticket which promises that it will be returned to them if the pay the required price. They look forward to the day when they might get their possession back – redeem it! Their ticket gives them hope but that is not enough what they need is the payment price to make their dream come true.

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Anna’s WitnessFor centuries Israel, the people of God, had sold herself and made herself a slave to sin. And the sobering reality was that she did not have the resources to alter her situation. She did have the equivalent of a pawn ticket or the purchase price to return her to her rightful owner.

But she had the promise that God would redeem her. He would make sinful men and women his own once again. For he and he alone would pay the price of her redemption. He would do more that paint their chains lulling them into a false sense of freedom. He would break their chains!

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Anna’s WitnessNow when Anna prayed she laid hold of the pawn ticket of God’s promise. And then one day she did not need to pray that agonising prayer anymore. And although her words are not recorded in detail we discover that what she said concurred with the substance of Simeon’s testimony. The child held in May’s arms was the answer to her prayer, ‘Christ the redeemer is here’. And this news she shared with all she met in temple. She too was God’s witness.

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Anna’s WitnessThere is great significance in the fact that this second witness was a woman. Jewish women in the first century were not regarded as terribly important and one of Luke’s concerns in his gospel is to show how Jesus rehabilitated the worth and value of womanhood.

Imagine the comfort and encouragement that the testimony of these two witnesses brought to Mary and Joseph. Society would pour scorn and ridicule upon them. Already they had been the victims of the scandalmongers – “Pssst have you heard about Mary she’s pregnant and not even married and that fool Joseph rather than look around for someone else to marry is going to try to make an honest women out of her.”

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Anna’s WitnessWe too ought to be encouraged by the work of the Redeemer. He came to ensure that God got his people back. What of the purchase price? Peter writes;

‘It was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.’ 1Peter 1v18

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Anna’s WitnessAgain Peter describes believers as follows;

‘But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.’ 1Peter 2v9

Peter is saying ‘God has indeed got his people back!’We are reminded in our passage of the testimony of reliable witnesses. God provided them to help us grasp his unique provision. Their testimony fills out our understanding of the phrase, ‘Christ the redeemer is here’.

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ConclusionWe have heard the testimony of an ancient witnesses but clearly all a witness can do is give evidence. Others then make their mind up about what they have heard. This passage encourages us to make up our mind about Jesus. What will we do with this testimony? Do we absorb it and take it in. Does it excite faith in our hearts? Or are we dismissive of what two OAP ‘s said over 2000 years ago.

If we believe Simeon’s witness to be reliable then have we made Jesus the rightful king and ruler of our lives. If we reply that the jury still out, that we are still thinking about wholehearted commitment then remember that our exposure to God’s word will do one of two things it will either bring us closer to Christ or drive us further from him.