JESUS: PROPHET, GREAT TEACHER, OR WHAT?

The things people say when you get into conversations about who Jesus is are really interesting. 

Some say He was a prophet.  I heartily agree.

Jesus certainly had prophetic things to say.   He commented on Old Testament prophecy (He was Jewish after all and knew the OT Scriptures), especially as He saw it applying to Him.  Like at the time when he began his public ministry. 

Luke 4:16-21 "Jesus went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom.  And he stood up to read.  The scroll of the (Old Testament) prophet Isaiah was handed to him.  Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written (Isaiah 61:1-2):  'The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."  Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down.  The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying, 'Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."

With these words Jesus was proclaiming himself to be the Jewish Messiah.  Whew, dangerous claim if it wasn't true!

Jesus also had plenty to say about future prophecy - things that happened during and after the days in which He lived.  In Matthew 26:31-35; 57-75, He prophesied that Peter, one of his closest disciples', would deny him three times before the rooster crowed, the night Jesus was arrested.  And he did, although he had vowed to go to the death with Jesus.  His shame drove him out into the night weeping bitterly.  Peter hadn't believed Jesus, but his prophet's words were fulfilled nevertheless.

And then in Matthew 24:30, Jesus predicted the sign of his return, yet future to us, when he said: "At that time the sign of the Son of Man (a title he often used to refer to himself) will appear in the sky and all the nations of the earth will mourn.  They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory." 

Yes, Jesus was a prophet.

Others would say that Jesus was a great teacher.  I heartily agree.

Jesus was not only a great teacher, he was an inspired teacher.  Like all good teachers, he began with the practical and went to the theoretical, using ordinary events (like planting seed and catching fish) as teaching tools to reveal spiritual truth.  What made him a great teacher was that he had authority not found in the teachers of His day.  Even as a youth his teaching was notable.

He was only 12 years old, in Jerusalem for the Feast of Passover with his family, when he went missing.  His parents had already left for home when his absence was discovered.  After making the return trip to Jerusalem, it was 3 days before they found him in the temple.

Luke 2:46-49 "they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listen to them and asking them questions.  Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers.  When his parents saw him, they were astonished.  His mother said to him, 'Son, why have you treated us like this?  Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.'  "Why were you searching for me?", Jesus asked.  "Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?"

In Matthew 7, after Jesus long discourse, which we call the "Sermon on the Mount", it says in v. 18-19, "When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as the teachers of the law."

Jesus truly was a GREAT teacher.

Others might say that Jesus is a good man, and once again I have to agree.

Jesus touched the untouchable; leprous outcasts, bringing healing and comfort.  Jesus raised the dead (John 11).  Jesus had compassion on widows, on pleading fathers, on bleeding women, on repentant prostitutes, on a people who were like sheep without a shepherd.  He was a good man - though few ordinary men could do the miraculous things he did.

BUT IS HE GOD?  That is the question.

The best way to answer that is to hear what Jesus says about himself.

John 3:16 Jesus said: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."  With these words Jesus declared that God the Father sent him, the Son.

John 3:14-15 "Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man (a term he used often to refer to himself) must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life."

John 4:23-26 In a conversation with a woman at a well Jesus said: "A time is coming and has now come when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.  God is spirit and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth'.  The woman said, 'I know that Messiah' (called Christ) 'is coming.  When he comes, he will explain everything to us.'  Then Jesus declared, 'I who speak to you am he".  With these words, Jesus declared that he was NOT just a man, he was Israel's long awaited Messiah.

John 5:17-18 "Jesus said, 'My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too, am working.'  For this reason the Jews tried all the harder to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God."  There was no confusion for the Jews of Jesus' day about what Jesus was saying about himself.  They clearly interpreted his words as an indication that he was claiming to be God and they wanted to kill him for it, and rightly so, because in their eyes it was blasphemy.  Unless it was true.

John 8:23-24 Jesus said: "I am not of this world.  I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins."

John 8:58 "Before Abraham was born, I AM".  The name, "I AM", was the same name by which God revealed himself to Moses at the burning bush.  Using this reverent title, Jesus was claiming to BE God!

John 10:30 "I and the Father are ONE."

John 14:6 "I am the way, and the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me."

So, what do we do with these claims of Jesus?  They're pretty outrageous.  Can we believe them and still say he is JUST a prophet, a great teacher, a good man - or could it be that they are true - he IS God, the Messiah, the only One through whom we can know God the Father?

Is he ONE with the Father?  Can he gives us eternal life?  Is he the Jewish Messiah, the great I AM of Exodus 3?  Is he the ONLY way, the ONLY truth and the ONLY source of spiritual life - because no one can come into relationship with the Father EXCEPT through him? 

If not, then these are ridiculous, outlandish claims, and he is a liar, a counterfeit, a deceiver, a fraud, or a schizophrenic - but certainly NOT a prophet, a great teacher, or a good man - and anyone who believed that he was a good "anything" would be a fool. 

So, if you are one of those who believe that Jesus is JUST a prophet, a great teacher, a good man, you just might want to give up being a fool. 

Or, you could consider that what Jesus says about Himself just might be TRUE, begin reading the Bible, especially the New Testament gospel accounts, and let Jesus speak for Himself.

FINISHING WELL

The Bible is full of examples of people who began well, but ended badly. 

I was surprised, when I first studied the history of Israel and its kings, how few were godly in the first place, (only 4 in the southern kingdom of Judah, and none in the northern kingdom of Israel), and how many of these same godly men failed in their faithfulness to God at their life’s end.

There was King David, most renown of the kings of the United Kingdom of Israel, whom God called a man after His own heart.  At the height of his reign as king, David sinned by taking another man’s wife and then orchestrating his death in battle to cover up David’s adultery.  David repented of his sin, but reaped the consequences of it in his own family for years to come.

After the Kingdom of Israel divided, Asa reigned as king over Judah for 41 years.  The Bible says this of him at the start of his reign (2 Chronicles 14):

Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God.  He removed the foreign altars and the high places, smashed the sacred stones (symbols of the peoples’ idolatry).  He commanded Judah to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers and to obey His laws and commands.

But then, after Asa had been king for thirty-six years, he made a treaty with Ben-Hadad, the idolatrous king of Aram, sweetened with silver and gold items which he took from the treasury of the Lord’s temple.  Hanani, a seer living in Judah at that time, spoke God’s Word to Asa (2 Chronicles 16):

Because you relied on the king of Aram and not on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand (they were after all, Judah’s enemy).

. . For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him.  You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war.  Asa was angry with the seer because of this; he was so enraged that he put him in prison.  At the same time Asa brutally oppressed some of the people.

Later, when Asa was stricken with a disease in his feet, the Bible records:

Even in his illness he did not seek help from the Lord.

Asa’s son Jehoshaphat succeeded him as king of Judah.  During his reign there was always the threat of war with the idolatrous northern kingdom of Israel, so he set to work fortifying the cities of Judah.  2 Chronicles 17 says of him:

The Lord was with Jehoshaphat because in his early years he walked in the ways his father (ancestor) David had followed.  He sought the God of his Fathers and followed His commands.  His heart was devoted to the ways of the Lord; furthermore, he removed (the idols) from Judah.

In the third year of his reign he sent his officials out to teach throughout Judah, taking with them the Book of the Law of God; they went around all the towns, teaching the people. 

Then we get to chapter 18 of 2 Chronicles.  Jehoshaphat had great wealth and honor by this time, but made a foolish alliance through marriage with the northern kingdom’s most notorious evil king, Ahab.  They went to war together and Jehoshaphat would have lost his life had not the Lord protected him.

When Jehoshaphat returned from battle he was met by Jehu the seer, who denounced him for aligning with Ahab and pronounced these words (2 Chronicles 19:2):

Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord?  Because of this, the wrath of the Lord is upon you.

Chapter 19 and 20 of 2 Chronicles stand as a wonderful testimony of Jehoshaphat’s faith in the Lord, but he did not learn from his foolish alliance with Ahab and near the end of his life, made another:

Later, Jehoshaphat king of Judah made an alliance with Ahaziah king of Israel, who was guilty of wickedness.  Eliezer prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, ‘Because you have made an alliance with Ahaziah, the Lord will destroy what you have made.’  The ships were wrecked and not able to set sail to trade.

When I read these accounts of people who began well and then ended not so well, I have two reactions – sadness and comfort.  Sadness because they began so WELL!  They were committed to the Lord and His ways and led their people in His ways as well.  What happened to them? 

Did they forget that it was the Lord who had been blessing them with His favor and begin to believe their own press, “I’m successful because I’m smart, powerful, strong.  Everyone says so.”?

Did fear replace faith, causing them to make foolish and ungodly alliances?

Were they resting on their laurels so that they weren’t prepared when temptation came calling?

Whatever it was, it’s not surprising the Bible warns us about pride and the necessity to stand fast in faith.

Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

In Ephesians, chapter 6, verses 11 and 13, the Apostle Paul instructs us about the Armor of God, that which protects us against the wiles of Satan to destroy us:

Be strong in the Lord and the power of His might.  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done all, to stand.

The other reaction I have to the Bible’s record of these men is comfort.  For one thing, I am really not very different from them.  I too have loved the Lord and followed in His ways, and I too have said things, and done things, and THOUGHT things, that were equally foolish and sinful as theirs.  With those things came unpleasant consequences as well as the great grace of God.

Here’s what stands out to me in the accounts of kings Asa and Jehoshaphat:

2 Chronicles 15:17

Although he did not remove the high places (of idolatrous worship) from Israel, Asa’s heart was fully committed to the Lord all his life.

2 Chronicles 20:31

So Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah for 25 years.  He walked in the ways of his father Asa and did not stray from them; he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord.

How thankful I am that when the Lord looks at my life, He applies His grace.  Because I belong to Him, God forgives me, and bases His evaluation of me on the sacrifice of His Son by which righteousness has been credited to my account.  Amazing grace! 

So, why this blog at this time?  I’ve been thinking a lot about Billy Graham who died last week after a long and blessed “career” as an evangelist of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

What impressed me most about this wonderful man of God is that he not only began well, he finished well.  Billy Graham was a man saved by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ.  Like those kings, and like me, he probably had his failings too.  However, when I look at the way he lived these last days, I see his faithfulness – to the call of God upon him when He saved him, and to the call of God upon him when he became an evangelist – and an evangelist he was until God called him home.

I don’t know about you, but that’s how I want to live my life – right up to the end of my earthly life – faithful to the God who saved me by His grace.

I had taken an online Bible class through Dallas Theological Seminary and so began to receive their magazine.  In this month’s issue there was an article about the life and homegoing of Dr. Donald K. Campbell who had served as the seminary’s president.

In the article was the following poem by Robertson McQuilkin called, Let Me Get Home Before Dark.  It made me think of those kings of Judah, and of Billy Graham, and it echoes the thoughts of my heart as I live through these winter years of my life. 

Let Me Get Home Before Dark

It’s sundown, Lord.

The shadows of my life stretch back

into the dimness of the years long spent.

I fear not death, for that grim foe betrays himself at last,

Thrusting me forever into life;

Life with YOU, unsoiled and free.

But I do fear.

I fear the Dark Spectre may come too soon – or do I

mean, too late?

That I should end before I finish or

finish, but not well.

That I should stain Your honor, shame Your name, grieve Your loving heart.

Few, they tell me, finish well. . .

Lord, let me get home before dark.

ANNA - LUKE 2

My daughter Becky originally coined the phrase. . . whenever she needed prayer she’d get in touch and say, “Mom, can you pass this on to the God Squad?”  The members of my God Squad have changed since we’ve moved, but I now have a new God Squad to rely on whenever Becky, or I, need prayer. 

Who are the women who make up your God Squad, the people you call when YOU need prayer?

The subject of today’s blog was her own one-woman God Squad.  Her name was Anna and her story follows on the heels of Simeon’s story in Luke 2.

Luke recorded just three verses about her and truthfully, they don’t contain a lot of information.  Luke 2:36-38:

There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.  She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.  Coming up to them (Mary, Joseph, Jesus and Simeon), at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

We know from verse 36 that she was a prophetess, an interesting and unusual fact.  We tend to think of a prophet as someone who predicts the future.  God’s prophets certainly did that, but when the Bible uses the word, it has a broader meaning.  Biblically speaking, a prophet is someone who spoke the words of God.  Moses, Isaiah, Micah and many others were considered prophets.  And so was Anna.

What makes Anna unique is that female prophets were rare.  Moses’s sister Miriam was a prophet, as was Deborah in the book of Judges in the Old Testament.  In the New Testament, the four daughters of Phillip the evangelist, were also prophetesses, but males far exceeded females in this important office.

In verse 36 we’re told that Anna was the daughter of Phanuel, who was of the tribe of Asher (one of the twelve tribes descended from Jacob).  Asher was one of the more insignificant of the twelve tribes, settling in the land assigned them by God along the more northern border of Israel.  It had been said that “no prophets can come from Asher”.  Anna proved otherwise.

In addition to being quite old, 84 years of age, we also learn that she had been a widow since the seventh year of marriage.  That would have been hard for any woman, but especially a woman living in Anna’s day.

A woman left widowed in that day had few options.  She could either return to her parents’ home or that of another relative, to wait in hope for another husband.  Or if she had grown children, she could live with them. 

If you have read the Old Testament book of Ruth, then you will remember the widow Naomi, Ruth’s mother in law. 

Naomi had lost not only her husband, but both of her grown and married sons, and was filled with despair over what would happen to her without their support.  When she returned to Israel from Moab, where they had all been living, accompanied by her daughter in law Ruth, she lived in hope that a near relative of hers might offer to care for them, and she found that relative in Boaz. 

Maybe you know a woman who was so devastated after the loss of her husband that she never recovered.  As far as she was concerned, her life was over.  What followed was loneliness, isolation and depression.  Maybe she even blamed God for her husband’s death.  Maybe you even ARE that woman.

Anna apparently did not give in to despair.  Instead of turning inward or turning away from God, Anna turned TO God and He became the focus of her life.  She had experienced great loss and was now old, but the Lord gave her an important ministry.  Anna was what we Christians  call a prayer warrior, someone who will faithfully and powerfully pray to the Lord on behalf of others.

Verse 37 tells us that Anna never left the temple, but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.

Since there really was no place for Anna to have actually stayed in the temple, commentators say this probably means that whenever the temple doors were open – Anna was there – worshiping and praying – day and night.

Even though Anna was completely focused on the Lord, she wasn’t unaware of what was going on around her, so when Simeon stood holding Jesus, Anna noticed.

Verse 38:  Coming up to them at that very moment

Sounds like a coincidence, right?  Given the nature of this encounter, this was too much of a coincidence to BE a coincidence!  I prefer to call this a Divine Appointment! 

God who had taken such good care of Anna during all the long years of her widowhood, saw to it now that she didn’t miss the most exciting moment of her life!

At this point, I’m left with some questions I might have to wait till heaven to have answered!

·       Did Simeon and Anna know one another? 

·       Did they talk together about the Promise the Lord had given Simeon?

·       While Simeon was holding Jesus did he motion to Anna to come over or did she simply SEE Simeon with the child and put two and two together? 

·       Had she arrived in time to actually hear what he said and that prompted her to rush over?

·       How did the conversation go once Anna joined it?

Whatever prompted her include herself in this scene, we know what she did next, verse 38:

·       She gave thanks to God.

·       And she spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

When I read this, I can’t help thinking about that other woman, the woman at the well in chapter 4 of John’s gospel who believed in Jesus, and then went out to the whole town and told everyone else she had met the Messiah!

That’s exactly what Anna did, she told everyone also clinging to the hope of Messiah that He had finally arrived!

I wish God had told us exactly what she said, and then what everyone else said and did who heard and believed her news!  Don’t you?

When it comes to Anna’s life, we don’t have a lot to go on, but there is a lesson we can learn from her:

When the focus of our lives is Jesus – even loss and old age are no barrier to serving God.

Widowhood didn’t signal the end of Anna’s life, nor did the physical limitations of old age.  Rather, when she found herself without a husband, she gave herself over to serving the Lord and others in His temple, and believing in the promises of His Messiah’s coming.

When Anna became a widow, and then got to the ripe old age of eighty four, she didn’t turn inward.  She didn’t think she was no longer of use to anyone, including God. She devoted herself to prayer and worship of the Lord.  And when she finally saw Jesus, her long awaited Messiah, she didn’t keep it the news to herself.

Maybe you, like Anna, have lost a husband, or retired from a job you loved and find yourself at a loss. 

How are you reacting to your loss?  Are you turning inward and isolating yourself?  Throwing a pity party?  Blaming God?  Withdrawing from the things that used to give you pleasure?  

When we turn inward after loss, we deprive ourselves of the comfort God is abundantly willing and able to give us.  And we lose out on the potential of having a meaningful ministry to others who might also be hurting.

Let me encourage you through Anna’s example, if you will focus your life on Jesus, there WILL be life after loss.  That very loss makes you uniquely qualified to comfort others in their loss as the Lord has comforted you.  Who knows better the faithfulness of God during loss than someone who has already experienced it?

There’s a poem called, “Just Think”, by Roy Lessin that hangs on my wall here at home.  Whenever I become discouraged and need reminding about the high calling God has for us as His children, especially as I get older, I read it. 

Just think, you’re here, not by chance, but by God’s choosing

His hand formed you and made you the person you are.

He compares you to no one else – you are one of a kind.

You lack nothing that His grace can’t give you. 

He has allowed you to be here at this time in history to fulfill His special purpose for this generation.

God has a special purpose for your life and my life for this very time in history that He doesn’t want us to miss.  How sad it would be to spend what remains of it in isolation and despair.

The next time you experience loss, or a look in the mirror reminds you that you’re not so young as you used to be – remember Anna, and ask yourself this: 

Am I going to let this keep me from worshipping and serving the Lord for the years of my life that remain, or am I going to see it as an opportunity to renew my devotion to Him – the way Anna did – the way Simeon did - so that I’ll be alert to SEE what God is doing around me?

Then, will I determine to be be part of it?

Do you know what we might discover if we do that? 

We might just discover that our most productive years, in relationship with God, and in spiritual service for God, are still ahead of us! 

What contribution will you make this week to be productive in God’s kingdom – despite personal loss, or the ravages of age? 

SIMEON - LUKE 2

My mom died back in 2007 at the age of 78.  A stroke five weeks before left her paralyzed on her right side.  She couldn’t swallow and her speech was very difficult to understand unless you spent a lot of time with her.

From the hospital, she spent some time in a rehabilitation, nursing home.  The staff was mostly kind and caring, but because of Mom’s difficulty communicating, they saw her only as the agitated patient in room 203.  It made me sad that the people caring for her knew little about the person Mom had been before the stroke.  Sometimes it felt like she no longer counted.

Hitting the age of 70 myself brings the consequences of aging much closer to home, which is one of the reasons why the passage I’m writing about today is so sweet to me and so full of hope!

In my last blog I wrote about Mary and Joseph’s obedience in fulfilling the Law of Moses with regard to Jesus’ circumcision and dedication.  This blog begins where that one ended, because it was when they entered the temple for Jesus’ dedication, they met a man named Simeon. 

We know nothing about Simeon’s background or vocation, but in this short passage we are given a clear understanding of his faith and trust in the Lord and His promises.  Simeon’s story can be found in Luke’s gospel, chapter two, beginning with verse 25:

Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting 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 die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.  Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. 

When the text says that Simeon was “waiting for the consolation of Israel”, to what does it refer?

The word consolation means comfort, which ties Simeon’s word to the words of the Prophet Isaiah, chapter 40, verses 1-3.  If you’re familiar with Handel’s “Messiah”, you may recognize the words:

 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God, speak tenderly to Jerusalem and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed and that her sin has been paid for.  A voice of one calling: in the desert prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. . .and the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it.

Six hundred years before the coming of Jesus, Isaiah used the term “consolation of Israel” to refer to the hope of Israel, the Messiah, who would pay for the sins of mankind.  In Him the glory of the Lord would be revealed and all mankind, Jew and Gentile together, would see it.

Simeon’s righteousness is revealed, not in his goodness, of which we read nothing in this passage.  Rather Simeon’s righteousness, as with all those God considers righteous, is based on faith in God and His promises regarding His Messiah. 

Furthermore, the Holy Spirit had made it known to Simeon that he would not die until he had seen the Messiah for himself. 

That day was probably just like every other day of Simeon’s life, except that on THAT day, the Holy Spirit moved Simeon to go to the temple.

How did He do that?  We’re not told, but you may have experienced this kind of movement of the Spirit yourself.  You send a card to the person who was suddenly on your mind and discover later that it came just when she needed it.  Or you have a “chance” encounter with someone in a store or in the cleaners that leads to prayer for them, or a conversation about Jesus. Those things are often the movement of the Spirit directing you.

When Simeon felt the moving of the Spirit, he did what the Spirit led him to do and found his way to the temple.  Luke 2:27b-28:

When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for Him what the custom of the Lord required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God . . .

Simeon had been waiting long, expectantly and confidently, for God’s Messiah, and it would seem, as we read this, that when Simeon saw Mary and Joseph with their infant child he must have immediately known who the child was and why the Spirit had sent him, because we read nothing else but that he took the child in his arms.  What did Mary and Joseph think when he did this, I wonder?

If we had a photo of Simeon’s face at that very moment, I know what we’d see there – the dawn of the light of understanding, and awe, and joy, all of which resulted in praise to God who kept the promise Simeon longed to see.  His words express how confident his hope had been in God and in God’s promises regarding His Messiah.  There is no fear of the death which would come on the other side of this promise’s fulfillment.  Just unadulterated joy!

Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. 

Of all the wonderful names for God that Simeon could have used to address Him in his prayer, SOVEREIGN LORD was not an accident.

The word sovereign, as it relates to God, describes His rulership over all things, in this case, the timing of the coming of His Messiah, and His fulfillment of the very personal promise He had given to Simeon.

How would you react if you knew the time of your death? 

In Simeon’s reaction there is no sadness or shock of realization that Messiah’s arrival means his departure.  His reaction reminds me of that of the Apostle Paul, recorded for us in Philippians 3, verses 1-12.  In that passage, Paul lists the things about which he had boasted before he knew Christ.

He was a good Jew, circumcised on the eighth day, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Pharisee, as for following the law, he considered himself to have done so flawlessly.  Yet, when he met Christ, he counted it all loss, for the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ.

For Simeon, seeing the Lord’s promised Messiah was the culmination of his life’s hope.  Maybe that’s why we know nothing else about him.  Anything else about him is unimportant!  His faith in the coming Messiah is what DEFINED him.

Simeon concludes his prayer in verses 30-31:

For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people,

A light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”

In his prayer Simeon was quoting the Prophet Isaiah, to prophetic passages which spoke of God’s Messiah.  The ministry of salvation God gave to Jesus would affect both Gentiles and Jews – in different ways. 

To the Gentiles, He would be a light of revelation. 

Isaiah 42:6-7 in speaking of Messiah, says:

I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand, I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.

Is. 49:6 (Also speaking of Messiah), the Lord said:

It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore (ONLY) the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept.  I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.” (parenthesis mine)

Through Israel’s Messiah, Jesus, we Gentiles have been brought into the blessing of God in a way we could never have imagined before His coming.  Simeon saw this when he applied Isaiah’s prophecy to Jesus.

The arrival of Messiah would also be the glory of God’s people Israel.  Israel would finally fulfill God’s purposes for her through the Messiah.  Messiah will be Israel’s glory, He would make Israel great!

What was the reaction of Mary and Joseph to Simeon’s words?

The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him.

What was it you marveled over when your children were infants? 

I can remember people looking at our oldest daughter and marveling over her long fingers.  Everyone thought she’d be a piano player one day because of those long fingers. She never did play the piano!

This child however, who Simeon cradled in his arms, this child, would fulfill the promises of God believing people had been holding onto from the time of Adam, and of an old man waiting for His Messiah.

No wonder his parents marveled! 

But praise wasn’t all that was on Simeon’s lips.  He also said some things that must have been hard for Mary to hear.  They would have been a puzzle to her at the time – but one day she would see their fulfillment. 

After Simeon had blessed them, he addressed his words to Mary, verses 34-35:

This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel and a sign that will be spoken against so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed.

The ministry of Jesus would bless both Gentiles and Jews who embraced Him as Savior and Messiah, but His coming would also divide the nation of Israel, as many turned against Him.  What they believed about Jesus would reveal the true state of each one’s heart. 

Isaiah 8:14

He will be a sanctuary, but for both houses of Israel He will be a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.

The Apostle John, also a Jew, said of Jesus in his gospel, John 11-12:

He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.  Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.

When it comes to Jesus, in that day or in ours, there is no neutral ground.

Simeon’s last words to Mary must have caused her grief:

And sword will pierce your own soul too

What difficult news to hear.

We mothers hurt when other kids make fun of our children or exclude them, or when our shy child has trouble making friends. 

How difficult it would be for Mary to watch the rejection and suffering her son would endure.  When did she believe the truth that Jesus had come to die, to be our substitute for sin, bring us forgiveness and restore our relationship with a holy God?  We’re not told how Mary responded to Simeon’s words, but they must surely have come to mind during the years of Jesus’ ministry.

What do we learn from Simeon that can be applied to our lives today?

WHEN THE FOCUS OF OUR LIVES IS JESUS, DEATH HOLDS NO FEAR – ONLY THE HOPE OF PROMISES FULFILLED

Simeon’s entire life was focused on God and the fulfillment of His promises – not only with regard to the arrival of Messiah – but also God’s own personal promise to Simeon that he would SEE the Messiah for himself before he died.

The fulfillment of God’s promises regarding Messiah meant that Simeon’s own death would be imminent.  He was fearless in the face of this.  Why?  He was caught up in the joy of Messiah’s coming and promises fulfilled! 

Before that February in 2007 when Mom died, I’d never had the experience of walking with someone through the days leading to their death.  The experience would not have been on my bucket list.  However, I will always look back on those weeks I spent with my mom – right up until the moment she breathed her last breath - as a gift from the Lord for they really were a celebration of faith and hope in His promises for the life after this one.

We spent Mom’s last weeks talking about the love of the Lord for her and reading from the Scriptures His promises for her future:

·       The promise of seeing Jesus face to face – I John 3:2

·       The promise of a home in heaven – John 14:1-3

·       The promise that when Mom “walked through the valley of the shadow of death”, the Lord would be with her to escort her safely home to heaven – Psalm 23

Maybe you, like I, have reached the age where death is a lot closer than it ever was!  Does the thought of it make you afraid? 

When the focus of your life is Jesus, as Simeon’s was, death need hold any fear.  The Apostle Paul tells us in the book of Romans that the sting of death has been  swallowed up in the victory won by Jesus at the cross, and in the hope of all the promises yet to be fulfilled for those who trust in Him. 

Believing friend, fear not, be steadfast in hope, for you can trust Jesus to keep you now and see you safely home to glory.

Is. 46:4

Even to your old age and gray hairs I am He, I am He who will sustain you.  I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.

On The Eighth Day - Luke 2

Did you know that Jesus was Jewish?  We know it, but it’s easy for us Christians to forget it.  Luke, the Gentile physician, and author of the gospel account that bears his name, gives us more detail than the other gospel writers about the events surrounding the birth and infancy of Jesus.  They remind us that Jesus was Jewish, and how important that fact is to who He is and why He came.  Here’s what Luke said:

Luke 2, beginning with verse 21.

On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise him, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he had been conceived.

When the time came of their purification according to the law of Moses had been completed, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”), and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”

Just a few verses, yet so much of significance is included in just them.  Dr. Luke records for us three significant ceremonies Jewish families of that day would perform after the birth of a child. The first is circumcision.

v. 21 “On the eighth day, it was time to circumcise him.”

Genesis 17 records the rite of circumcision as the Lord gave it to Abraham.  Circumcision was instituted by God as a sign of the everlasting covenant He made with Abraham and all of his descendants after him.  The covenant included the following promises:

·       The Lord would make Abraham the father of many nations.

o   We see the fulfillment of God’s promise today as Jews, Muslims and Christians all trace the origin of their faith back to Abraham.

·       He would make Abraham very fruitful.

o   Abraham is not only thought of as the father of three major faiths, he is also the spiritual father of all who have been declared righteous by their faith in Jesus.

·       He would give Abraham the whole land of Canaan as an everlasting possession to him and his descendants after him

o   This is why there is still such tension today over who owns the land of Israel.  Jews trace their ownership of the land back to this promise of God’s to Abraham and his descendants.

·       He would be their God.

The covenant, of which circumcision was the sign, was an unconditional covenant, with God Himself making all the promises.

Instructions were given at that time, and repeated later in Leviticus, regarding this rite:

“For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised.”  Genesis 17:12

When your Jewish friends today invite you to a bris, you can expect it to be a ceremony which centers around the circumcision of an infant son.

Luke records the next two ceremonies, purification and consecration, in verses 22-24:

When the time came of their purification according to the law of Moses had been completed, Joseph and Mary took (Jesus) to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”), and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”

What is purification?  We find the answer in God’s instructions to Moses in Leviticus 12:4-7:

For 40 days after the birth of a son and 80 days after the birth of a daughter, the mother was ceremonially unclean (because of her bleeding) and could not enter the temple.  At the end of that time, she was to bring to the temple a year old lamb, or if she couldn’t afford a lamb, two doves or two young pigeons, as a burnt offering.  In this way the priest would make atonement for her and she would be declared clean.

What about consecration?

Webster’s Dictionary defines consecrate in this way:

To dedicate something to a higher, holy purpose

In modern times Jewish children undergo consecration when they begin the study of the Hebrew language and God’s law. 

In the Old Testament, and in the time of Jesus, consecration was based on God’s instructions to Moses in the book of Exodus, chapter 13:

Verses 11-12; 13b;14-15

“After the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites and gives it to you, as he promised on oath to you and your forefathers, you are to give over to the Lord the first offspring of every womb. . . . Redeem every firstborn among your sons. In the days to come, when your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’, say to him, ‘With a mighty hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.  When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed every firstborn in Egypt, both man and animal.  This is why I . . .redeem each of my firstborn sons.”

When the Lord took the lives of all the firstborn of Egypt, He preserved the lives of the firstborn of Israel and thus their lives belonged to Him.  As a reminder of His mercy and grace toward them, the people of Israel were required to “buy them back” from God.  For us who are Christians, this ceremony points ahead to what Jesus would do when He died to “buy back” sinners for Himself through His death, and thereby redeem them.

While these ceremonies are interesting to read about, why, with all the things about the young life of Jesus that Luke could have written, did the Lord have him include these events and not others?

First, I think it shows us something about Mary and Joseph.  They weren’t just nominal believers, they were devout believers who loved God and demonstrated their love through their obedience to His commands.

Why did the Lord choose them?  Because of His grace.  He called them out from among all the other men and women of that day to be His own, He gave them a heart of obedience, so that when He called them to be the parents of His Son, He knew they would obey. 

There is a lesson here for us too from Mary and Joseph:

When we’re devoted to God, we want to obey Him, quickly and completely.

Would you consider yourself devoted to God?  Webster’s definition for this word is interesting.  It means:

·       Displaying strong affection or attachment.

·       Being consecrated; dedicated

Read Mary’s prayer in Luke 1 verses 46-55.  Can you hear her affection, awe, and reverence for God?

My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.

Notice the personal pronoun MY.  Mary’s relationship with God doesn’t sound distant, it’s personal and joyful.  He’s HER Lord and she loves Him.

In Luke 2, verse 38, the angel had just told her something she could not possibly have wrapped her head around.  She would have a child without benefit of a man and, just as puzzling, God would be His Father.  Yet, see the total trust and commitment she has in how she answers!

Luke 2:38

I am the Lord’s servant, may it be to me as you have said.

Because Mary knew and loved the Lord and had consecrated herself to God and His will for her, she was able to obey without question. What about you?

If you wouldn’t describe yourself as dedicated to the Lord or having a strong affection for Him, what would it take for that to change?

Let me suggest one thing.  Begin reading the Bible.  Begin with the New Testament and look at Jesus.  Ask Him to reveal Himself and His will for you as you read.  Be willing to commit yourself to Him in love and obedience.

Another thing that comes to mind as I read this passage is this:

As believers in Christ, you and I are no longer required to keep the ceremonial law Mary and Joseph had to keep – but we CAN follow their example of devoted obedience.

I don’t know about you, but very now and then I need to take my spiritual pulse and ask myself:

When my kids, or my granddaughter, or my neighbors, and extended family look at my life, the way I look at Mary and Joseph’s lives, what do they see? 

Do they see mostly consistency between what I say I believe and the way I live my life, or do they see mostly inconsistency? 

Do they see an authentic Christian life lived out in devotion to God and obedience?  Do they see a walk that backs up my talk?  Or don’t they?

When the Lord has something that needs doing, can He count on me to obey Him as quickly and completely as Joseph and Mary did? 

The Lord knew Mary and Joseph would be faithful to obey the Law of Moses in everything pertaining to His Son, and this was critical because of the second important thing it shows us. 

If Jesus was to be the perfect sacrificial lamb, then He had to have done what no one before Him had ever done – obey God’s law perfectly.  From the time Adam sinned and passed his sin DNA down to the rest of the human race, right up to the present day, no one, absolutely no one, has kept God’s commands perfectly, ever. 

And so Mary and Joseph, perhaps without even realizing how important their actions were, fulfilled God’s law in Jesus’ life by observing these ceremonies surrounding his birth and infancy.  It established, right from the very beginning, that Jesus had come to fulfill the Law of Moses, as He said in the Sermon on the Mount, recorded in Matthew 5:17:

Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

In reference to what the Lord would do through the birth of Jesus, Mary says this Luke 2:54-55 in relation to the nation of Israel:

He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as he said to our fathers.

In the birth of Jesus, Mary saw this promise to Abraham fulfilled.  She was not surprised when her son eventually announced that he was the Messiah.  Her words demonstrate that she had known his mission even from before his birth.

Mary and Joseph trusted and obeyed God and became the ones the Lord used to nurture His Son and raise Him according to the Law of Moses.  In fulfilling all of the law, from the days of his infancy, to the moment of his death on the cross, Jesus proved Himself to be God’s perfect Son, the sinless Passover Lamb, and the only One qualified to be our substitute.

He came to His people the Jews, but He came also to be a light to the Gentiles. . . more about that in my next blog!

IT'S ALL ABOUT GRACE

Since we moved to a new state and a new community, we’ve met lots of new people from all over.  It has been fun to listen to their stories about growing up in various parts of the country.  I’ve never met so many people who grew up on farms! Sometimes it has taken a while to find others here who grew up in cities, on the outskirts of even bigger cities, like we did!  It has made for a bit of a disconnect at times.

A week ago our family lost a relative, the first of OUR generation, the “kids” of our parents’ generation.  It was so sad to hit this milestone and be brought face to face with the reality that now it's our generation’s turn to get old and die off.  Sorry for the morbidity!

My brother and I were discussing this recently as we talked about the death of our cousin.  One topic led to another and we found ourselves reminiscing about our own family growing up.  Having been exposed to so many nice farming family stories lately, of families who worked hard together and then ate huge wholesome farm food lunches cooked by grandmas, our own early history sounded like something out of Dickens, or the depression era!

George and I grew up in an urban town on the other side of the Hudson River from New York City.  We never thought of ourselves as living in an unhappy family – although our parents fought a lot, and especially when we were small, school aged children, our dad was physically and verbally abusive to our mom. We remembered the evening we both clung to Mom’s skirt, hysterically crying, while Dad threatened to hit her. 

We never thought of ourselves as having little – though when we were little, our parents lived in a $15 a month cold water flat with hot and cold running MICE.  The apartments after that one didn’t get a lot better and Mom had to work part time to help pay the rent.  It wasn’t until I was in sixth grade, that we found a 4 room apartment in a lovely two family house, that we felt we had arrived.

We never thought ourselves deprived – even when our dad didn’t see the need for either of us to get more than a high school education (he and mom went no farther than 7^th grade) – or when he said girls especially didn’t need a college education because they would just get married and have babies.  Mom, who valued education because she was deprived of it herself, convinced our reluctant dad to do whatever it took to enable us to go.  George and I were the first in our family to ever go to college, never mind finish.

Since this was all perfectly normal in our family, it’s only now, after hearing other people's stories and comparing them to mine, that I feel maybe my childhood didn’t have such an auspicious beginning! 

George and I talked a lot about these things and others, memories that caused us to marvel that we turned out the way we did.  Then we both said it at the same time, "but for the grace of God".  Exactly.   

"Not to us, not to us, O Lord, but to You be the glory for Your great love and faithfulness."  

Psalm 115:1