St. Luke 2:22-40
Dearly beloved,
We have one of the most wonderful accounts placed before us by St. Luke. It
is just days after the Festival of Christmas, and we look now to more divine
declarations of the baby in the manger. This time, it is in Jerusalem in
the Temple. There is so much to this gospel, and, yet, we are only able to
devote a small amount of time to it today. Let us, then, think on Simeon
and Anna and the message that is conveyed in the Temple.
Simeon was a man who was devout. He spent his time in the
Temple in prayer. Anna, we are told, did the same thing. She was a
prophetess who did not leave the Temple but fasted and prayed night and day.
She was in Vigil mode. So was Simeon. But on this particular day, their
eyes gaze upon Centuries of prophecy fulfilled. They look upon the face of
a child: they behold the face of God. What we find with Simeon and Anna is
very telling: they were Jews who knew the Old Testament. They worshipped in
the Temple, and they knew that this child before them was the very
fulfillment of the Old Testament.
Simeon speaks like the Old Testament when He looks upon the face of God:
“Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:
for mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the
face of all people;” These are the words of salvation. Two things are
reminiscent in the words of Simeon. First, God tells Abraham as part of the
covenant promise that the Messiah shall come from him, “And you shall go to
your fathers in peace…”(Genesis 15:15).
Part of God’s blessing in the Bible is that men depart the
world in peace. The other part that springs up upon hearing Simeon’s words
are the words of Jacob to his son Joseph: “Now I am willing to die, for I
have seen your face”(Genesis 46:30). Jacob had been told for years that his
son, Joseph was dead. Jacob and his entire family were saved from the
famine by Joseph who dwelt in Egypt. These things are prophecies of Jesus
and all that Jesus brings.
The words of Simeon remind us of the words in Genesis, but
there is so much more to the words of Simeon. He says that Jesus is “a
light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.” Jesus
came for both groups: He came for all. The chosen people of Israel are to
be glorified by the coming of Jesus, and a light illumines the lives of the
Gentiles.
Within the realm of Christianity there has arisen many
factions and groups. All claim to be about Jesus. Historically, heresies
and splits have arisen over how one understands and interprets the Bible. The
key to true biblical understanding is the Christ-centered interpretation of
the Scriptures. They are all about Jesus, His life and work. Simeon’s
words and his response to Jesus bear this out. Simeon’s words in verse 34
are especially telling in this regard. Simeon wisely and prophetically
acknowledges that “Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again
of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against.”
Simeon is saying right off that Jesus will cause many to
stumble. Many who think they have the correct understanding of the Holy
Scriptures will not allow themselves to hear a different interpretation than
what they are used to. They will not be able to “stomach” a Christ-centered
interpretation of the Old Testament. This will cause many to fall deeper
into hell. Simeon foresees the rising up of the Pharisees and Scribes. In
other words, Simeon, while beholding God face to face, knows that great
difficulty lies ahead for all.
Learning is this way. We learn in “baby steps.” We will
learn the basics of a body of writings. We may learn what they say, the
basic understanding of the content. Then, we may receive a basic
interpretation of what those words mean. As we continue in learning the
content, we may realize that we took wrong turns in our understand of a
given text or body of writings. Then, we must turn around or adjust our
thinking. This is a process that all go through. Some may only get through
the first stage of learning. Most in the church get to the second stage
where they learn a basic understanding of what the Bible says.
Few, though, are able to backtrack and adjust themselves from an incorrect
position. This is the problem with the majority of the Jewish hierarchy at
the time of Jesus. Simeon and Anna had been taught well. Whoever their
Rabbi was, they were blessed. The majority of the Pharisees and Scribes
were of a tradition and school of thought that incorrectly addressed the
meaning of the Old Testament. Anna and, perhaps Simeon, were of a different
Jewish school and tradition and it shows.
Their eyes of faith were fixed on the Christological
interpretation of the Old Testament. Simeon and Anna beheld God face to
face. We are people who live on the other end of the Christian experience.
They were waiting for the incarnation and birth of Jesus. We are waiting
for His second coming. What this means is that we behold Jesus in a
different way. Jesus comes to you in a different way. But the question
that you must ponder for your own lives is whether or not you are like
Simeon and Anna. Are you living your life as if you are in vigil, waiting
and looking for the Lord?
Most people don’t. Most people in the church are not living
as if Jesus could come at any moment. The church is not a social club. The
church is a place that seeks to behold the face of Jesus and His divine
favor. The most important thing in the church is the altar. This is
related to what Anna and Simeon were doing. They were looking for God’s
love to come upon them and they were praying for it. We have two aspects to
our altar. The first element to the altar is prayer. We go on our knees
before the altar praying for God to come to us; to show His love and favor
to us. We need to be at this altar praying.
The other element to the altar is the Lord’s Supper. This
is God’s answer to our many moments in prayer at the altar. The liturgy
reflects all of this. Our prayers in chant and song in the liturgy with our
“Lord have mercy’s” all lead us up to the Lord’s Supper and the words of
institution. We behold Christ in the bread and in the wine. His answer to
your prayers is the Lord’s Supper. Then, the liturgy does what Simeon does,
even in Simeon’s own words. At the conclusion of the Lord’s Supper we sing
the Nunc Dimittis, which are the words of Simeon.
We confess that in the bread and in the cup we behold Jesus.
Simeon sees Jesus face to face; we see Jesus veiled in bread and wine. But
the gift is the same. Your failure to watch and pray and live as you ought
is paid for by Jesus. Jesus brings the light of life to your world and to
your lives. He takes your iniquities and gives you His love and holiness.
This happens in the Lord’s Supper. It is then that you respond by
confessing that having just been fed with the body and blood of Jesus you
are ready to depart this world in peace like so many who have gone before
you. You have seen your salvation in the bread and in the cup as you
recognize the love of Jesus as He continues to come to you and give you all
that you need for the journey.
For you rest in the arms of your Lord and shall someday be
gathered to your fathers and enter the glory of the Lord, at which time you
too shall behold Jesus face to face and bask in the glory of His radiance in
heaven. Amen.
--
Rev. Chad Kendall
www.frchadius.blogspot.com
Trinity Lutheran Church
Lowell, Indiana
www.trinitylowell.org
