Luke 2:25-40 (Christmas 1)
Pastor Ron Koehler
Grace—Tucson, AZ
December 27, 2020
Dear Friends in Christ, Have you ever watched when someone brings a new baby into a room or here to church? It’s amazing. It’s like everything stops and all of the attention goes to that little one. “She’s adorable!” “He’s soooo cute!” “Look how little those hands are!” “Oh, he’s just perfect!” “Look, she smiled!” You might have a hard time seeing how a baby could NOT be the center of attention when it arrives on the scene. And while that is usually true, it might not be when you and I hear this bit of history written down by the gospel writer Luke. You know how we can get distracted by all things Christmas and it can divert our attention from Jesus? That can happen when you hear these words from Luke chapter 2 because there is a lot going on! Who was this guy, Simeon? He must have been someone special if the Holy Spirit came to him in such a unique way! And boy, he had some interesting things to say! Mary and Joseph were there, obeying the Levitical law by bringing Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem. Wait, what law—or laws? Oh, that’s an old lady there! If I’m doing the math right, she is how old? Over 100? Maybe 107? And she basically lived at the temple. That’s not normal! And she was a prophetess? What does that mean exactly? There was also a bunch of very religious people there that she talked to. The magnificent temple, special laws requiring specific sacrifices, lots of people—and unique ones at that! All this can be like tinsel and lights and trees and ornaments and gifts—all so attention-getting that you might miss the baby! But we’re not going to let that happen this morning. We’re going to Keep Jesus as the Center of Attention. We’ll think about the other people and what they said and did, but we’re going to do that only so that we can focus on Christ—just like they did. Mary and Joseph were at the temple in Jerusalem for two things. God’s law stated that there were many things that made a person unclean and denied them access to the sanctuary. One of those things was childbirth. After a period of 40 days, a woman was to bring an offering to the Lord in order to fulfill the law of purification (Lev. 12:1-8). In the case of Mary and Joseph, it was the gift of those in humble circumstances: the price of two doves or pigeons. They were also there to present Jesus to the Lord or dedicate him, as the firstborn son, because God’s law required this also (Ex. 13:1-2, 11-16). As they faithfully went about their worship of the Lord in this way, they ran into some interesting people!
The first person we hear about is Simeon, a man for whom Jesus was the Center of Attention. People often talk about Simeon being an old man. In fact, both hymns that we have sung this morning suggest this! That may or may not be accurate. Everything we know about him is from this account right here. This is his entire biography and his age is not given. He was a righteous man who was waiting for the promised Savior to arrive. And he waited like no one else because the Holy Spirit actually told him that he wouldn’t die before he saw Christ! Each day he waited for the “comfort of Israel,” probably thinking about the words of Isaiah the prophet, “Comfort, comfort, my people, says your God,” and who then wrote about the One who would come. The Spirit even moved him to go to the temple that day Mary and Joseph brought the baby Jesus there—just 6 weeks old. Did Simeon know that he should look for a baby? How did he know Jesus was the one? After all, he looked like any other baby and his parents looked like any other simple, even poor, family. The Holy Spirit is how he knew. The devout Simeon was truly blessed. He was also prepared for this day. He knew his Scriptures. He was filled with the Holy Spirit. And he trusted God’s promise to him. So Simeon was overjoyed to see the Savior whom the Lord had promised for so long. Simeon was ready to go to heaven now that he had seen the Lord’s salvation, a light for the Gentiles and the glory of Israel—also things Isaiah had written about. Yes, the time had come for all the Scriptures’ promises and prophecies about the Savior to be fulfilled! This little child, this baby boy that Simeon was privileged to hold in his arms, was the One! He would save the people from their sins! He would pay for everyone’s sins—Jews and Gentiles alike—and open the gates of heaven! What wonderful news God had given over the centuries, and now the time had come for that Savior to arrive and do his redeeming work. Simeon had some Spirit-given words to say about that too. He looked at Mary and said, “Listen carefully, this child is appointed for the falling and rising of many in Israel and for a sign that is spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” Simeon was allowed to see forward to the way people would react to Jesus. You and I can read in the gospels and see how some faithfully followed Jesus and trusted that he was the Savior God had promised to send. Their words of praise and their actions toward Jesus would reveal faith-filled hearts. We also know how others flat-out rejected Jesus, including many in the religious community. Some would be lifted up by faith in Jesus and some would spiritually trip and fall because of their refusal to see him as the Savior. They would contradict Christ and speak slander against him, revealing the impurity of their hearts. Simeon foretold all of these things in one statement. But there was one sentence more that must have been tucked away in Mary’s mind for all the years of Jesus’ life—right up to the end, as she tearfully looked upon her son and her Savior, hanging on a
Roman cross. The truly innocent son of hers and Son of God, fulfilled what was foretold by the prophets, as he suffered and died for sinners. It was then that she understood Simeon’s words: And a sword will pierce your own soul too. Mary and Joseph both marveled at the things they heard. The same must have been true as they watched the old woman there. Anna was her name and, while everyone around the temple surely knew her since she had been there so many years, we only know what Luke tells us here. She’s called a prophetess, someone who glorified God with her words as she spoke to others. This is what she did when she saw the baby Jesus that day. The people who were there at the temple, the people who were truly looking for God to send a Redeemer who would pay sin’s price to buy them back from eternal destruction—those people are the ones Anna kept telling about Jesus. What exactly did she say? Did she quote the prophets? We don’t know, but I can assure you that she was not focused on Jesus’ cute smile or tiny toes. Jesus was the Center of her Attention because he came to redeem his people! She thanked the Lord for sending the Savior as he had promised to do. She was blessed to see the him, and she didn’t want those around her to miss who this baby was! As Luke completes this slice of history from Jesus’ early life, he says that Mary and Joseph had accomplished everything according to the law of the Lord. Remember, they both knew very well who their son was. Angels sent from God had clearly told each of them that this was God’s Son and the Savior from sin. As you can imagine, they were sure to follow God’s law as it concerned this child! Then they returned to Nazareth where they cared for him as he grew under God’s grace. Jesus was the Center of their Attention too. How are you doing at making Jesus the Center of your Attention? Are you committed to him like Mary and Joseph were? Are you focused on his work as the Savior like Simeon was—and as joyful and at peace because of Jesus like he was? Are you as concerned as Anna was that everyone around you should know who Jesus is and that he should be the Center of their Attention too? The people we hear about today seem like heroes of faith, don’t they…Joseph, Mary, Simeon, Anna? Obedient. Righteous. Devout. When it comes to appreciating Jesus as the Savior and declaring his praises, how can we compete?! Well, they’re really not the competition, are they? Our competition is ourselves, our sinful nature. It is Satan. It is the influence of the sinful world around us. These things try to pull us away from Jesus. They distract us so that our attention is drawn away from him. We become the center of our attention. The things and stuff of this life become the center of our attention.
Obviously this is wrong in God’s eyes. It is sinful. And it leads to an eternity where the Lamb at the center of the throne in heaven will be so far removed that he will not even be able to be seen. Instead of blessings and glory and the presence of Jesus, there will be suffering and separation from him. This is what sin does. This is why Jesus was willing to be born into this world. He did not want that to be the eternal future for every person. He came to live and suffer and die, taking the place of sinners under God’s curse. He came to conquer death and Satan. He came to bring the comfort of sins forgiven that Isaiah foresaw and Simeon waited for. He came to bring peace with God that allows a person who has seen their Savior to even look forward to departing this world. He came to bring a joy that must be shared with others. None of the people we hear about this morning were perfect. We aren’t either. But they did make Jesus the Center of their Attention and so can we! We too can focus on God’s promises and see Jesus as the Savior of all people, as Simeon did. We can worship like Anna did. You don’t have to sleep in the courtyard here at church, of course. And we’d appreciate it if you didn’t. But continual worship and prayer and focus on Jesus that causes you to tell people about him? Yes. We can marvel at Jesus and the things the Bible tells us about him, like Mary and Joseph did. We can strive to live according to God’s Word, just as we hear they did. In all of this, Jesus is the Center of Attention—the focus of our hope, our worship, and our living. We, like they, also find forgiveness in the One who was brought to the temple that day as a little child. Because he did grow and become strong, and he was filled with righteous wisdom and the grace of God the Father. He actually was perfect—and so was his sacrifice on the cross. He lived and died for you, that he might be the Center of your Attention—now as you live thankful lives for him, and for eternity when you’ll live with him. Amen. Now the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen. 25
Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, waiting for the comfort of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death 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 was customary according to the law, 28 Simeon took him into his arms and praised God. He said, 29 Lord, you now dismiss your servant in peace, according to your word, 30 because my eyes have seen your salvation, 31 which you have prepared before the face of all people, 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel. 33 Joseph and the child’s mother were amazed at the things that were spoken about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Listen carefully, this child is appointed for the falling and rising of many in Israel and for a sign that is spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.” 36 Anna, a prophetess, was there. She was a daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old. She had lived with her husband for seven years after her marriage, 37 and then she was a widow of eighty-four years. She did not leave the temple complex, since she was worshipping with fasting and prayers night and day. 38 Standing nearby at that very hour, she gave thanks to the Lord. She kept speaking about the child to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. 39 When they had accomplished everything according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town, Nazareth. 40 The child grew and became strong. He was filled with wisdom, and God’s favor was on him.