Hi, thanks for listening to Him We Proclaim with Pastor John Fawnville. I'm Joshua Montez. John, we're in the final message of our series called the Five Songs of the Nativity, and this one's called The Song of Simeon. Simeon was a special little character that shows up on the scene here around the birth of Jesus. And what is this special promise that was placed on Simeon?
The great promise that he received was he got to see the promise. Promised Messiah. In person. Yeah, in person. In his hands, he picked him up and held him.
And he says, My eyes have seen your salvation. He got to see the promised Messiah that he had been looking for his whole life. God fulfilled that promise, and he was holding that promise. In his hands.
So Simeon was at a stage of his life, probably the sunset of his life, and got to hold Jesus. Yeah, I think I'd break out in song too. Yeah, absolutely. That's neat.
So, this is called The Song of Simeon from the Christmas series, The Five Songs in the Nativity. We're going to be looking at the Song of Simeon. Let's just begin reading here. Look at Luke chapter 2, verse 21. Luke writes, And when eight days had passed before his circumcision, His name was then called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
And when the days for their purification, according to the law of Moses, were completed, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, as it is written in the law of the Lord. This is the Mosaic covenant. Every firstborn male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord, and to offer a sacrifice according to what was said in the law of the Lord, quote, a pair of turtle doves or two young pigeons. And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. And this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel.
And the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus. To carry out for him the custom of the law, then he took him into his arms and blessed God and said, Now, Lord, you are releasing your bondservant to depart in peace according to your word. For my eyes have seen your salvation.
which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples. A light of revelation to the Gentiles. and the glory of your people Israel. And his father and mother were amazed at the things which were being said about him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, Behold, this child is appointed for the fallen rise of many in Israel.
and for a sign to be opposed. And a sword will pierce even your own soul. to the end that the thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.
So what we've looked at so far are the five songs of Luke and the opening chapters of Luke that cluster around the Nativity story of Christ. And all of these songs, except the angels, are composed by. What Luke describes as righteous or devout spirit-led believers. Then these righteous, devout, spirit-led believers were looking and eagerly expecting for the coming of the Messiah. Let me just show you really quickly who we've looked at.
Now these righteous Old Testament sayings include an aged mother, Jewish mother, Elizabeth.
So that was the song of Elizabeth. It was a hymn of blessing to Mary. The second was a young virgin Jewish mother, which was Mary, so we have the Song of Mary the Magnificat, and that was a hymn of faith and praise to God. Then we had an aged Levitical priest. That was Zachariah, the husband of Elizabeth, and the father of John the Baptist, and that was the song of Zachariah, which has been called the Benedictus or a hymn of hope.
Then we looked at a heavenly army of angels. These were not Old Testament saints. This was. Heaven addressing earth. This was the song of the angels, a hymn of praise.
And so finally we come to this fifth song, this fifth and final song called The Song of Simeon. And here we have an aged Jewish layman. He was not a priest. He was not a Levite. He was a layman.
He was an Old Testament believer who was righteous and devout, and he was led and filled by the Holy Spirit. And then Luke in verses 36 through 38 also concludes with an aged prophetess called Anna.
So you have all sorts of folks. You have old and young. You have male and female. You have priests and you have laymen. You have everything covering.
And then you also have the angels. The popular title of the saga Simeon, you may have heard this, is called the Nuk Demittis. This just is simply the first two words in the Latin version that says now release. Simeon says, now Lord, you are releasing your bondservant. And so the song of Simeon has occupied a Significant place in the worship of the church throughout the centuries.
This is a very popular hymn. Let me just give you an example. This hymn can go all the way back to the 4th century and is found in a manual called the Apostolic Constitution. And this was simply a manual that was composed of church discipline, of church worship, and Christian doctrine.
So all the way back to the 4th century, the church was singing this hymn. This song is also one of the appointed hymns at daily evening prayer in the Book of Common Prayer.
So if you use the Book of Common Prayer for your daily devotions, which I do often, you will find that this hymn is placed there every single day for you to sing. And so this has been a popular hymn used throughout the history of the church. It's very significant and it's also been used throughout the liturgical church calendar. The song of Simeon focuses on the season known as Epiphany. Epiphany, as you're going to come to see, is very important.
But what we have here is Simeon praising God because God is fulfilling his ancient promise to save his people from their sins. It's very important that we see that Simeon's song, he is singing about all the themes that all the prior four songs have sung about. But because this song has been used in the season of Epiphany, Simeon's song now, for the first time, explicitly, the angel song introduced it, but now Simeon explicitly shows us a new emphasis in these songs. Bible teachers note that each one of these songs in Luke's Gospel builds upon the other and the scope widens each time a song is sung. The scope of God's saving plan begins to gradually widen.
For example, Elizabeth's song, basically, Mary is the focus of her hymn. Mary is the blessed one, and she receives a blessing from her cousin Elizabeth. But then the scope widens, and Mary's Magnificat, and in Zacharias's benedictus, in his song of hope, And the focus there begins to be on Israel's helper and Israel's hope, God. Who's coming to aid and to help his people Israel? But then, when we come to the song of Simeon, and also the Song of the Angels began to introduce it as well, but explicitly here in the Song of Simeon, the focus has gone from Mary to Israel.
to the universal scope of God's saving plan for all nations. And this is the new emphasis that is found here in the Song of Simeon. The baby that Simeon takes up into his arms, as you're going to see, he is the fulfillment of God's universal plan of salvation for both Jew and Gentile. This is why the song of Simeon belongs to the season of Epiphany.
So, what is Epiphany? Let me just give you a little brief lesson on that. Epiphany. comes from a Greek word that means to provide illumination. It means to give light, to be manifest, to appear.
Titus chapter 2, verse 11, the Apostle Paul says, For the grace of God has appeared. bringing salvation to all people. Luke chapter 2, verse 32, here that in our passage, Simeon, as we're going to see, praises God for having prepared for all people. Jew and Gentile alight. God has prepared Jesus to be a light who illuminates the way of salvation for, as we'll see, every tribe, language, people, and tongue.
So there's this universal scope of God's plan of salvation that we learn from this song. And we know from the context of Luke's Gospel that Simeon is singing about God's fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant. Why is that significant? Because in Genesis chapter 12, verse 3... What did the Lord promise Abraham?
He promised Abraham that all nations would be blessed through his offspring. Not just Jews, but all nations, Gentiles as well. This time of epiphany focuses on the manifestation or appearance of Jesus, who is the light of the world, who illuminates to all people groups, everyone, the way of God's plan of redemption and salvation. What we also see from the song of Simeon is that not all is good news. About the appearing, the manifestation of God in human flesh.
Simeon also explains, as we'll see to Joseph and Mary, that their baby is not only God's salvation, but he has also been appointed to be God's judgment. And so we'll see that in just a moment. But what was the occasion? The occasion of this song was the presentation of Jesus at the temple by his parents. Look at chapter 2, verses 22 through 24.
Luke tells you that when the days for the purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him as the firstborn to the Lord. And so, what we have is Joseph and Mary. following the normal required customs of the Mosaic law. This is very important because what Luke is pointing out is the piety of Jesus' parents. Joseph and Mary are set forth as pious, law-abiding Jews.
They are journeying from Bethlehem to Jerusalem to fulfill the ceremonies required by the law. And so Joseph and Mary, Luke is emphasizing to us, were obedient to God's law.
Now that is going to be very significant as we go through this psalm. Luke records right here in the passage that we just read three ceremonies prescribed by the Mosaic covenant. First of all, verse 21, he says that Jesus was circumcised according to the law. Look at verse 21. When eight days had passed before circumcision, so, in other words, Jesus was named Jesus when he was circumcised according to the law, so he submitted to circumcision.
Second, verse 22, they submitted to purification after childbirth. The law required all women to go through these purification rites after they had children. And then, thirdly, because of the Exodus event from Exodus chapter 13, every newborn, every firstborn of Israel was holy to the Lord, and so they were to be presented to the Lord according to the law of Moses. All of that information leads us to this question. Why is Luke so concerned to show us the piety of Joseph and Mary's obedience to the Mosaic covenant, to God's law?
Because if you read the text carefully, it says over and over: they submitted to the law of Moses, to the law of Moses, to the law. Luke is repeating this. Why is he concerned to show us this submission to God's law? Let me just briefly consider with you the ceremony of circumcision. What was circumcision?
Circumcision. Was instituted in the Abrahamic covenant, but it was repeated in the Mosaic covenant, which was the law. Circumcision was the sacrament of identification for those whose privilege and responsibility it was to be members of the people of God, to be a part of the worshiping community of God's people. Further, with the privilege of circumcision came the responsibility of those who are called into fellowship with God. They now have this responsibility as having been set apart for his service to live a life of faithful obedience to God's law.
So, by undergoing circumcision on the eighth day, Jesus. is identifying himself with his people. Jesus' circumcision was a public testimony to Israel that according to the flesh he was a Jew. And then he was made of a Jewish woman. Galatians 4:4, Paul says he was born of a woman, born, listen, born.
Under the law. Luke is showing you From the very moment of his birth Jesus is submitting himself To the law. He is being born and brought into this world under the law. Without it, he would not have fulfilled the law's requirements. He could not have been recognized as the son of David and as the seed of Abraham.
Also, we have to remember that circumcision was necessary because the Lord could not be heard as a teacher in Israel. He would have had no lawful place. In a Jewish assembly, no right to do any Jewish ordinance because without it, he would have been regarded by all Jews. as nothing better than an uncircumcised Gentile. And so he would have been looked at as an apostate from the faith of the fathers.
But here we see from the moment of his birth, Jesus. Was born, as Paul says in Galatians 4:4, under the law.
Now we'll come back to that at the end, but remember this. It's very significant what Luke is setting up for us. Jesus being born in submission to the Mosaic covenant gave him the opportunity to perform both actively what the law required and passively the penalties the law demanded for breaking it on our behalf.
So in keeping with the law's requirements, Luke tells us Joseph and Mary offered birds instead of a lamb. Why is that important? Because the law says if you're too poor to offer a lamb, you can offer these cheaper version, which was the birds given by poor. And so again, throughout all of Luke's opening chapter here, in chapters 1 and 2 in these Psalms, we see this emphasis how God has chosen the lowly and weak in the world's eyes. the foolish of the world to bring about his plan of redemption.
So while the presentation of Jesus was customary, Luke is beginning to show you that his presentation, though customary, would be an extraordinary event in the history of God's plan of redemption. And that's what he's setting us up for. Joseph and Mary. are drawing near to the temple. to present Jesus And as they come, Luke tells us that they experience this divinely orchestrated meeting of the Holy Spirit.
Now, you need to understand all throughout Luke chapters 1 and 2, the Holy Spirit. Luke has mentioned the Holy Spirit over and over and over. He plays a significant part in this whole birth narrative. And what is Luke trying to show us? He's showing us that at every single turn in the work of Jesus coming into this world, it is the Holy Spirit who empowers that and makes that happen.
He is orchestrating the whole plan of redemption in history. You see, this was the Father's plan. The Father sent the Son, and the Holy Spirit is orchestrating the whole plan of salvation. Luca showing you how the Trinity carries out our salvation. And so Mary and Joseph are thinking they're just going to customarily, as every law-abiding Jewish family would do, we're going to walk to the temple, we're going to present our firstborn son, we're going to keep the law.
And as they were doing a normal, ordinary, everyday activity, they experience this divinely orchestrated, extraordinary encounter because the Holy Spirit has orchestrated that they meet this man called Simeon. And that's what Luke is showing us. They're greeted by this total stranger. And he gives them amazing words of testimony concerning the significance of their son. I mean, can you imagine coming to church, right?
And a total stranger takes your baby. and holds him up. And says, here is the Savior. All the world. That's what happened to Joseph and Mary.
Now let's just very quickly, as we get this context, let's look at Simeon's character, verses 25 through 27. There's not much known about what Luke tells us. Luke is not telling us what his vocation was. He probably wasn't a priest, nor his age, but he was probably an older man. Luke tells us about his spiritual condition.
Look what he says in verses 25 through 27. He says that Simeon was righteous and devout, so he was a God-fearer. He was a lawkeeper like Mary and Joseph. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, verse 25.
Now remember the context here. Remember the setting. This was a time of extraordinary darkness for Israel. Israel, as we have learned throughout this series, is that they are still in exile. They're still in darkness under Roman oppression, Roman rule.
And so God's people are still waiting in hope for God to fulfill his ancient promises to the fathers of Abraham and David. And so, this coming offspring who will visit his people in salvation and judgment. And so, in the midst of this darkness, There were a righteous remnant of Old Testament believers. There weren't many. But there were some And these righteous Old Testament saints like Simeon were looking forward, Luke says, to the consolation, that is, to the comfort.
To the comfort of Israel as foretold by the prophets, Isaiah 40 verses 1 through 2, because as we're going to see, the song of Simeon abounds in Old Testament allusions. Just for example, the prophet Isaiah says to Israel, Comfort, oh, comfort my people, says your God. Speak kindly to Jerusalem and call out to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity has been removed, that she has received the Lord's hand double for all her sins. And so, here, this Old Testament layman. Knew his Bible well and had been looking, waiting his whole life.
For the consolation, for this comfort of Israel to come. To his surprise, the Holy Spirit, Luke says, revealed to him that he was about to see that consolation. Look at verse 27. Luke says that Simeon came in the spirit into the temple. See, there it is.
The Holy Spirit led him to this divinely appointed meeting. Simeon had been endowed with a very rare and special blessing. This was before Pentecost. This was before the rich outpouring of the Holy Spirit and somehow this Old Testament believer, the Holy Spirit was resting upon him and influencing everything he was doing and brought him to the temple. This is quite amazing.
And look at verses 26 and 27. The Holy Spirit revealed to him that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. This consolation, this comfort of Israel that he had been waiting for, reading about from the Old Testament scriptures his whole life, which leads to a quick application point for us. When you read the Bible, Particularly the Old Testament, Genesis to Malachi. What are you looking for?
What were these Old Testament saints looking for? Jesus The consolation of Israel, the comfort from God, this light that had been promised. When we read the Bible, And maybe perhaps some of you this year have made your New Year's resolution to read the Bible every day and read it through. Look For Jesus. Just like these believers did, look for him.
He came guided by the Holy Spirit. Into the temple looking for the consolation of Israel. And when he meets Joseph and Mary, he breaks forth into a spirit-filled song concerning the significance of their sons.
So that's all the context. To help you appreciate this song, so let's look at the song in verses 28 to 32. It says Simeon took this one and a half month old baby Jesus. He took him up into his arms and he blessed God.
So here comes Joseph and Mary. He meets them in probably the courtyard of the Gentiles or the courtyard of the women, because that's only where Mary was allowed to go. They weren't in the exact. central part of the temple because you couldn't go to that part. But he meets Mary and Joseph here, and he takes their child.
And he blessed God and he thanks God for what this child meant to him personally and for what it meant for the world, both Jew and Gentile. And Mary and Joseph are just standing there watching this whole thing take place. And so he begins this song. He says, Now, Lord, you are releasing your bondservant to depart in peace according to your word. What was God's word?
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It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death. before he had seen the Lord's Christ. God is faithful to fulfill his word. And isn't that a theme that we've seen over and over in all these songs? God is faithful.
He's filled with mercy. He's filled with steadfast love. He keeps his word. He acts according to his promises for our behalf. And so God has fulfilled his word and so now Simeon can die in peace knowing that the comfort, the consolation of Israel has come and he's holding the consolation of Israel in his arms, which is a one and a half month old baby.
And so Zachariah was concluding the same thing that Simeon was concluding. He says that he has released his bondservant to depart in peace. This strong emphasis on peace. At the end of Zachariah's song, Zachariah said that this sunrise from on high shall come and visit his people to guide our feet into the way of peace. What did that angel sing at chapter 2 verse 14?
Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace. Among men with whom he is pleased. And so Simeon is declaring that his life can come to an end. In peace. In the comfort of knowing that God's consolation, salvation has come.
And so he continues: he says, For my eyes have seen your salvation. That's when we say the gospel is outside of you. The gospel is in history. It is a person. It is Jesus, flesh and blood, in Simeon's arms, and he's looking at it saying, this is my salvation.
My eyes have seen your salvation. These Old Testament allusions abound in Simeon's song. Where was he getting this from? Isaiah chapter 52 verse 10. The Lord has bared his holy arm in the sight of all the nations, that all the ends of the earth may see the salvation of our God.
And so the reason Simeon can't depart in peace is because he has seen God's salvation literally in his arms.
Now note carefully that God's salvation is directly linked to seeing Jesus. Salvation comes because Jesus has come. Salvation is in this person. in a person. And so in verses 31 and 32, Simeon loudly and joyfully proclaims the significance of God's salvation.
He says that this salvation. This person This baby is not just for the Jews, but he's also for the Gentiles. Look at verses 31 and 32. He says, My eyes have seen your salvation, a salvation which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples. And who are all peoples?
Verse 32, a light. for revelation to the Gentiles. And glory. to your people with Israel. And so Simeon refers to Jesus as a light.
This light suggests this coming illumination into darkness, which is again the season of epiphany where Jesus appears to be the light of the world to all people. And this is clearly an allusion back to Isaiah again, chapter 42, verses 6 and 7. Listen to what the Lord says through the prophet Isaiah. He says, I am the Lord. I have called you in righteousness.
I will take you by the hand and keep you. I will give you as a covenant for the people a light. for the nations. That's where Simeon applied this to Jesus. A light to the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison, those who sit in darkness.
Or again, Isaiah 49:6. It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel. I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth. And so, this image of light applied to Jesus is richly found in the Old Testament prophets. And Simeon is holding this baby, saying, that which the prophet said would be a light of salvation to the nations is in my hands.
And so we see this also in the song of Zachariah. He says, the sunrise from on high will visit us to shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death. In the midst of Israel's darkness, God Luke says, has prepared a light. Do you see that? The Trinity working again.
God the Father has prepared this light and has sent this light. He has prepared this to illuminate those who are in darkness and in the shadow of death. Matthew says in Matthew 4:16. He says, the people who were sitting in darkness saw a great light. And those who were sitting in the land in shadow of death, upon them a light dawned.
And so scripture repeatedly describes our world's condition and our condition before God is one of darkness. It's sin. And Jesus, as the light, illuminates the way of salvation of all who are in darkness, both Jew and Gentile.
Now, why does Luke say that Jesus is a light of revelation to the Gentiles? The reason he says this is because Gentiles are in the deepest darkness. Let me explain this to you. In Ephesians chapter 2, verse 12, before the coming of Christ, The Apostle Paul says that the Gentiles, quote, were separate from Christ. Excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in this world.
That's darkness. They didn't have the advantage that the Jewish people had. The scriptures show a great advantage that the Jews had over the Gentiles. In Romans chapter 3, verse 2, Paul says that the Jews had a great advantage over Gentiles in that, listen, they were entrusted with the oracles of God. They had the revelation of God, the Old Testament scriptures, Paul says.
The Gentiles were in utter darkness. They did not have this special revelation. In Romans chapter 9, verses 4 through 5, Paul lists an abundance of Israel's spiritual privileges. Listen to the privileges that they had over the Gentiles. He says, to the Israelites belongs the adoption of sons.
the glory and the covenants and the giving of the law and the temple service and the promises. Whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all? God bless forever. Amen. And so Israel had these Great.
privileges of special revelation given to them. And yet the Gentiles before the coming of Christ lived in utter darkness, knowing nothing of these great spiritual privileges. The Gentiles were devoid of all of them and thus were in total darkness.
Now, could you imagine living back then without now what we have, Genesis to Revelation? And so their darkness was deepest, but Israel's darkness was the most inexcusable. But Simeon announces the good news that Jesus has come as a light to the Gentiles, illuminating those who are in darkness, devoid of all these spiritual privileges, a saving knowledge. Of the Messiah of God and his plan of redemption for all mankind. And that's why the Song of Simeon is so significant during the season of Epiphany.
The gospel is for all people now. Jesus has come illuminating the way of salvation for all people. And that's such good news. And this is why Simeon is just breaking forth in praise to God. And then Luke records that Simeon says, For Israel, God's salvation, which is Jesus, It's glory.
It's a light of revelation to the Gentiles, but for Israel is glory. What does he mean by that?
Well, Israel has been chosen by God to have this unprecedented privilege and honor of bringing forth the Messiah who had been long promised by God from all the way back to Adam and Eve in the garden to Abraham and then to David. They have had the honor of bringing forth the Christ, the Messiah, who is the light of the world for all people. We're all about the season of epiphany. It was talking about how, from ancient times, the prophets were prophesying that it wasn't always about Israel. God chose Israel to have the honor of bringing forth the Messiah to bless all nations.
Why? Because it had already been. prophesied and promised by God long ago to Abraham. In you, Abraham, all nations. Will be blessed.
And the prophets picked up on that. All nations will be blessed through this coming glory of Israel. And so God's salvation, which He has prepared for all peoples, comes through Israel. And it is this blessing more than anything else that was the glory of Israel. And so Simeon's song rings out with notes of joy and praise and comfort and vindication and victory and hope for God's people because God is saving his people in fulfillment of his promises.
And he's not only saving his people Israel, but now he is saving all people, Jew and Gentile, making them one. His father and mother were amazed. at the things which are being said about him.
Now if you just go back through the songs Look at all the amazing things that have already been told Joseph and Mary. About their son, right? And it just keeps coming. And so they're amazed once again. Can you imagine Mary and Joseph's amazement?
They're walking into the temple. This is like you going to work tomorrow morning. That's how ordinary this was, okay? There was nothing extraordinary about taking your son to dedicate him at the temple. This is just what you did.
This is what you do. You get up on Monday morning, you go to work. You're drinking your coffee, you're half asleep, right? And all of a sudden, your son's the savior of the whole world. This total stranger takes their baby up into his arms and he breaks out into a song right in front of them, holding him.
Proclaiming to them, Your Son Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah in whom the realization of God's universal plan of salvation has come.
Now I can depart in peace. I think you might be just a little bit amazed too. What an amazing song and announcement. But as I said, Jesus' coming, Simeon tells Joseph and Mary, was not all good news.
So let's look at this last part. Let's look at his prophecy. Look at verses 34 through 35. Simeon says to Mary, Behold, this child is appointed for the fallen rise of many in Israel, for a sign to be opposed. And a sword will pierce even your own soul.
to the end that the thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.
Listen carefully. Simeon prophesies of the effect that Jesus will have both upon Mary. and upon Israel.
So let's take it backwards. Let's look at Mary. First. Simeon prophesies that Jesus will bring great emotional pain to his mother. In this little parenthetical statement, Simeon foretells to Mary the effect that her son will have upon her.
He says, a sword will pierce even your own soul. In other words, here's how you say it: Mary's heart would be filled with grief. As she sees the great division that her son will bring and have this negative effect everywhere he goes on the hearts of men. This the vision that Jesus will bring causes great emotional grief in his mother. And then, of course, in John 19, verses 25 through 27, which is the culmination and consummation fulfillment of Zachariah's prophecy here.
Mary is standing at the cross, and you can only imagine the emotional intensity of her suffering as she stood helplessly by, watching her son be cruelly crucified for nothing. And so here, Simeon is already telling Mary, your son will bring you great emotional pain. And so there's no doubt that the sharp and painful sword that Simeon prophesied of when Jesus was but an infant pierced her soul to the depths. when her son was crucified on the cross. But little did she know that three days later, the depth of grief would be replaced by the heights of joy in his resurrection.
But look at the second part of this prophecy. Not only will the coming of Jesus result in great emotional pain to Mary throughout her whole life. But the second effect is that Jesus will divide Israel. Despite Israel's spiritual advantage and glory, Jesus' coming would result in a sharp division between those who receive him and those who reject him. I want you to listen carefully to what Jesus says in Matthew chapter 10, verses 34 through 35.
It is a sobering warning about the reality of what Jesus brings when he comes into this world. Jesus says, do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, and a man's enemies will be the members. of his household.
End quote. I can testify to that from our own family that we've experienced that pain and I can tell you that I am... Pray with families that go through that all the time. Jesus divides families. There were some who receive him, and there were some who reject him, and it creates great division and deep emotional grief, and suffering, and pain for people.
And this is what Simeon says will happen to the nation of Israel and will happen to families. Ultimately, the coming of Jesus will result in a great dividing of all humanity in the final judgment. If you keep reading in Luke's Gospel, in Luke chapter 13, verses 25 to 30. Luke reveals that this baby, who has come to be the Savior of all mankind, is not only the Savior of all people, but he's also the final judge of all people. In this passage, Jesus warns that He will shut some people out of the kingdom of God because they rejected Him.
They refused to submit to Him and to believe in Him. And so Luke says, therefore, Jesus himself will, quote, cast them out. He will bring the great divide at the end time. But in contrast, Luke says that Jesus will welcome not only believing Israelites, Luke 13, verse 28. But he will also welcome believing Gentiles.
Luke says, people from the East. and the west and the north and the south. All peoples, all Gentiles, Jew and Gentile, who receive him by faith now, Jesus will welcome them into his eternal kingdom. But it will create at the end time The division that is now seen in this world through this baby will come to a great culmination in the end when Jesus himself will not be Savior but judge and make the clear division.
So all can see it perfectly. And so all who have trusted Jesus by faith now enter his kingdom. And so Simeon tells Mary that her son, look at verse 34 and 35. He says, Mary, your son will serve as a sign to be opposed. Jesus will be opposed.
He will be assigned to be opposed to the end that the thoughts from many hearts may be revealed. The purpose of Jesus' divisive ministry, Simeon says, is so that the thoughts of all men's hearts might be revealed. That's what he says in verse 35. As a result, As a result of what? As a result of opposing him.
The thoughts of their hearts will be revealed. Jesus is a sign, this baby that Simeon is holding, this one and a half-month-old newborn baby, is God's sign. pointing away from himself to his father who sent him. Pointing to the one who prepared him in the presence of all peoples. And listen, it would be in Jesus' claiming this close relationship with his heavenly Father throughout his life and ministry that men's hearts would be revealed, disclosing whether they were for him or against him.
This is exactly what happens in Luke chapter 4. Luke begins to show you in his gospel the fulfillment of Simeon's prophecy. In chapter 4, verses 28 and 29, listen to what Luke writes. He says, and all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things. What were these things?
Jesus stood up in the synagogue. He read the scroll of Isaiah, Isaiah 61, verses 1 through 2. He put it down and he said, This reading has been fulfilled in your presence today in me. And that's what everybody else was doing, except they didn't just laugh, they were laughing with derision. Because their hearts were just revealed by the sign sitting in front of them.
And they were filled with rage as they heard Jesus say these things. These, what you've heard, is now fulfilled in your presence today. And they got up and drove him out of the city and led him to the brow of the hill on which their city had been built in order to throw him down the cliff. But listen to verse 30. But passing through their midst Ha ha ha ha ha.
He went his way. You can't lay a hand on God. Unless God lets you. And that's the glory of the gospel. In John 18.
A whole legion of soldiers with the high priest and Judas came to arrest Jesus in the garden. It's one of my all-time favorite passages in the New Testament.
So this whole legion of trained killers, because Roman soldiers were trained killers, believe me. They would make MMA fighters look like Mr. Rogers, right? They were there to kill. Jesus is praying in the garden.
He stands up. He looks at them and he says, Who you looking for? And they go, we're looking for Jesus in Nazareth. Basically, we're here to arrest him and kill him, you know. Jesus looks at them.
He says two words in the Greek, ego emi. That means I am. You know where I came from? Old Testament, where he told Moses, Who do I tell Pharaoh you are? Pharaoh is the great king of the world, he's got all the power.
God said, tell him I am. sent you. Jesus looks at a whole legion of soldiers, all the priests and everybody with Judas. He says two words to them. And you know what John says?
They all fell down backwards and hit the ground. Two words, boom, they're on their backs. Who do you think was in charge of that moment? Right? Who do you think was in charge at this moment?
They were exposed to the sign, and their hearts were revealed that they hated it and wanted nothing to do with it. They wanted to kill him, but they couldn't.
So he just passed through their midst and went on his way. Because his time had not yet come.
So, as we reflect this morning in the Song of Simeon, there are some very important lessons for us to consider. Here's the first one as we finish. The song of Simeon prepares sinners to Yeah, I think it's a very good idea. Simeon said he could die in peace because he saw Jesus, God's salvation. No one is prepared to die until they have seen God's salvation.
It is only by seeing Jesus, God's salvation, that you can depart like this man did in peace. Simeon's song prepares us to die well and correctly. Second, the Song of Simeon declares salvation to the nations. What did the Lord promise Abraham, Genesis 12, verse 3? All the nations will be blessed in you.
⁇ The Lord's promise came to fulfillment through the coming of Jesus. This is why Luke, at the end of his gospel in chapter 24, verses 26 and 27, gives to his disciples the great commission that is worldwide in scope. Luke has been building his case the whole time throughout his gospel. And he comes to the culminating part of the end of his gospel, and Jesus says to his disciples: Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, and the repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. But it wasn't just for Jerusalem, it was for all people.
And so here's the point for us: the Christian faith is not just a Semitic faith. It's not just a white northern European, western American faith. It is an international faith. One author puts it like this, in a world that is typically segregated by our cultural identities, By consumer preferences, And political affiliations, the Song of Simeon shows us that the church is a chosen race. A royal priesthood, a holy nation.
A people for his own possession. In Revelation chapter 5, verses 9 and 10. John is looking at the culmination of God's promise to Abraham. And we see the culmination, the consummation of Simeon's song that he breaks forth in at the temple. And John says this, that the church, Jesus, has purchased for God with Christ's blood persons from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.
You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God, and they will reign upon the earth. We live in a very divided society now. But when we come to church, there's a different society being created in the midst of a divided society, which is composed of every tribe, every language, every people, every tongue. Nobody's more special than the other. They're all special.
They're all treasured possessions of the great king. That's the song of Simeon, and that's what it teaches us. The song of Simeon, thirdly, makes neutrality with Jesus impossible. Simeon's prophecy leaves every person with a vital question to answer. Are you for him or against him?
The song of Simeon shows us that neutrality with Jesus is impossible. You can't be neutral with this baby. Luke 11:23, Jesus says, Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. You are for him or against him. God's salvation, Simeon says, has come into this world, and responding rightly to Jesus is the issue of the song of Simeon.
Jesus is a sign who reveals where hearts truly are before God. When you come to church, are you bored or are you excited to see Jesus? People say, well, I go to that church, I don't really get anything out of it. It's not like those exciting churches. You better be careful because if word and sacrament were rightly given, Jesus was there, and you just said Jesus was boring.
What are you coming to church to look for, a concert or Jesus? Here's a sign. And wherever Jesus is present, he divides the heart open perfectly to reveal what is there. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 2, verse 16: when he is before you and revealed to you, when he is the sign, Paul says he will either be an aroma from death to death, or he will be an aroma from life to life. You can't be neutral with this sign.
Simeon says to Mary, your son will be the fall. He will be the judgment of many, or he will be the rise. You know what that word rise is? It's resurrection. It's the word for resurrection.
He will be the fall, Mary. He will be the judgment for many, or he will be the resurrection. He will be the rise for many. You can't be neutral with this child. Believe in him.
You are for him or you are against him. You cannot be neutral. And fourth and finally. This is what we began with. The song of Simeon shows us how Jesus was born under the law.
for us. We have noted that the Mosaic covenant gave Jesus the opportunity to perform and obey for us. Luke has shown us in this passage that Jesus was born under the law. Listen, he was born under the sentence of death for you and me. From the very beginning, Luke tells you that Jesus is obligating himself voluntarily through his parents, albeit here.
This is why their piety was so important. Jesus is obligating himself to bear the law's penalties and satisfy his demands of perfect obedience. He received in his flesh the curse pictured in the covenantal blood oath of the Abrahamic covenant in Genesis 15, and which was signified and sealed through the sacrament of circumcision in Genesis 17. He received circumcision on the eighth day. He became literally at this point a curse for our sin.
And that was culminated on the cross of Christ, where Paul says in Galatians 3:13, Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse. For us. For it is written, Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree. How do we know that curse was what Jesus was fulfilling in the Abrahamic covenant and all the way back to the garden? How do we know that was a circumcision?
Because Paul says it plain as day in Colossians chapter 2. In Colossians chapter 2, verses 11 and 12, Paul says that Christ became our bloody circumcision on the cross. On the cross, his flesh was torn, just like the flesh of every male child was torn. And his blood was shed as he suffered the judgment of God's wrath against us for our sin. This is why the Apostle Paul picks up on it in Galatians 4:4 through 5 and says, listen.
When the fullness of the time came, God the Father sent forth his son, born of a woman. Born under the law. Why? So that he might redeem those who were under the law.
so that we might receive adoption as sons. And so let us say like Simeon, our eyes have seen your salvation. And let us rejoice like Simeon that God's salvation has invaded human history and that he has come into this world for all people to save us from sin, death, and hell. And let us remember that Christ did for us that which we could never do for ourselves. He submitted under the law, and he earned righteousness both by his obedience and by his death.
for us and by that has made us acceptable to God. Isn't that good news? Let's pray. Father, we thank you. We thank you for Jesus, who is the light of the world.
In this season of Epiphany, as we reflect back Looking how you entered into Simeon's time. of gray darkness. You penetrated that darkness with a great light, Jesus. And just as you did it for Him, you do it for us today. And I pray that you would come and penetrate every life that is here.
and dispel every bit of darkness from our heart. And fill it with the light and hope of Jesus, who was our salvation. We pray this in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Hamway Proclaim is heard daily on several radio stations.
And if you're not near one of those stations and want to hear it live, there's a couple of ways. Go to ilovethetruth.com, or I'll put a link in the description for an app you can use as well. Two more things, don't forget about our Reformation conference. I'll put a link to that as well. And if you like audiobooks, John has a great audiobook that came from his series called Do You Not Know?
All the links are in our description. On behalf of Pastor John, thanks so much for listening. See you next time.
