NYUBF | New York UBF

2008 Christmas Lesson 6

WAITING PEOPLE
(A Light of Salvation)

Luke 2:21-38
Key Verse: 2:30-32

“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.”

Merry Christmas and a happy new year! Before Christmas I saw people in stores waiting in line to pay for their Christmas gifts. After Christmas we see people still waiting in line, this time to get a refund for their returned items. We are always waiting for something. Some of you might already be waiting for my message to end. We wait in traffic and we wait in lines. We wait for buses and trains. We wait for food to be ready. We wait for the next pay check. We wait for phone calls or e-mails from our loved ones. We wait for sickness to go away. We wait for graduation and the New Year. As we are living in the age of instant gratification, waiting is neither pleasant nor desirable. We like to be in control over things. But we are not. People who are in prison might be waiting for the day of their release or for the day of their execution. We are all waiting. In retrospect, the year 2008 has been a very eventful year. But it’s almost over now and a new year is just around the corner. What are we waiting for? What are we expecting to see in 2009 and beyond? What are we hoping to see in our personal life, our nation and the world? Many of us are eagerly expecting that the failing economy will rebound and the staggering and bloody war in Afghanistan and Iraq will finally be over. Those are very legitimate and desperate wishes. The list of our hopes and wishes is endless.

In today’s passage, we see that Simeon and Anna were also among those who were waiting and looking forward in Israel. What were they waiting for? They were waiting for the redemption of Israel. What does “the redemption of Israel” mean in Luke’s gospel? It does not mean that salvation is only for the Israelites. It means that salvation is for all people of all nations. In fact, Simeon praised God, saying “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.” (30-32) The salvation that God our Father prepared for us in Jesus Christ is a fantastic salvation and is worthy of our eager expectation. Let’s see if what we wait for is worthy of waiting.

First, the baby Jesus and humanity (21-24)

In verses 21-24, the author Luke mentions two events: how the baby Jesus was circumcised on the eighth day (21) and several weeks later that he was presented to the Lord in the temple, according to the Lord’s commandments. (22-24) His name “Jesus”, which was given by the angel Gabriel, was quite a popular name in those days. The name “Jesus” means “the Lord (Yahweh) saves.” All Jewish males were supposed to be circumcised as the reminder of God’s covenant with their father Abraham (Gen 17:12) and all the firstborn males were supposed to be dedicated to the Lord as the reminder of God’s covenant of salvation in Egypt when all the firstborn Egyptian males were killed. (Ex 13:2, 12, 15; Nu 3:13) In fact, Jesus came to this world to fulfill God’s covenant of salvation for all fallen humankind through his life of obedience, his sacrificial death and resurrection. It was actually Jesus’ parents, Joseph and Mary, who obeyed the Lord’s command. Particularly, Mary had to wait for 33 days following her son’s circumcision because she was considered ceremonially unclean. (Lev 12:4-5) Ceremonially unclean does not mean that she was sinful or dirty. It rather means she was not fit for religious ceremonies because of her delivery of a child. One thing we also notice here is that Mary and Joseph could not afford the offering of a lamb. Instead, they brought only a pair of doves, which was called ‘the offerings of the poor.” (24; Lev 12:8)

One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is intentional poverty, which is a very unpopular gift of the Spirit. We are not sure whether or not it was their choice to be poor, but Jesus’ parents could not afford a lamb for their child who was supposed to be the Lamb of God for the sin of the world. (Jn 1:29) In this materialistic world, people tend to think that poverty is something we should feel ashamed of, like if you are poor, something is wrong with you. Poor people are seen as being either not diligent or smart enough. When you are rich, you may feel that you are in control over many things. But that’s not true. Money cannot buy happiness. Some people want to make a lot of money and retire early, thinking that this would make them really happy. But that’s not true at all. When Michael Jordan retired from professional basketball in September 1993, B.J. Armstrong, Jordan’s closest friend on the Chicago Bulls, said he worried for Jordan because he would now have ‘the two scariest things in life; a lot of money and a lot of free time.” We must know that material wealth does not make us rich, and at the same time, material poverty does not make us poor in God’s Spirit. In fact, there is great spiritual wealth given to us through material poverty of Jesus Christ. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 8:9, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.” He was familiar with sufferings and called a man of sorrows. I am not saying that we all should become materially poor. I don’t want to be poor either. What I am saying is that we should be free from obsession and a materialistic way of thinking. We must know how to be content in each and every situation, whether poor or rich. That’s true freedom. Even though Jesus was the holy Son of God, he was born in a manger. He knew what it meant to be poor, what it meant to be lonely, misunderstood, rejected and humiliated. He knew what it meant to be human. He was a man of sorrows and familiar with sufferings.

There must have been many interesting stories about Jesus’ infant stage. Yet, Dr. Luke chose only these two events to be included in his account. Why might this be? We can’t know for sure. But if we use our sanctified imagination, we know first of all that going through all these religious rituals meant that Jesus was a human, fully identifying himself as one of Jewish boys through his circumcision and dedication to the Lord. Even though Jesus is the holy Son of God, he also grew up in the context of tradition, the poverty and culture of the time, like other men and women in the world and in history. This Jesus, who is fully divine and human, is exclusively suitable to be the mediator between God and fallen humankind.

Second, a light of salvation and waiting people (25-38)

At the very time of the presentation of the baby Jesus in the temple, two persons, Simeon and Anna, approached and blessed the child. Simeon was a man who lived in Jerusalem. However, we don’t have any information about his family background or his age. Yet Luke mainly mentions this man’s spiritual aspects – he was righteous and devout and the Holy Spirit was upon him. Although he might always have been around the temple, Simeon was not a priest. Most likely he was a prophet. When he was eagerly waiting for the consolation of Israel, 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 – God the Messiah. It was a quite remarkable and special revelation to him, which could make him very proud of himself. Yet, it seems that he kept it within himself until the appointed time. When Joseph and Mary brought their child to go through the religious rituals in the temple, moved by the Holy Spirit, Simeon also went into the temple courts. There could have been many other baby boys who were also dedicated to the Lord at the same time. But by the guidance of the Holy Spirit, Simeon was able to identify the baby who was to be the Messiah God. Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace, 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.” (30-32)

According to Simeon’s prophesy, Jesus is God’s salvation not just for the people of Israel but for all people. This understanding of God’s salvation for all people was nothing new in the Hebrew Scriptures. However, it was somewhat unusual to his Jewish contemporaries, to whom salvation meant more of a political and nationalistic one. The Jews were very proud of their rich spiritual traditions and religious heritage and culture. The Gentiles were generally considered as inferior to them, unclean or their enemies. So Simeon’s understanding of God’s salvation for all people could not have been well received by the majority of the Jews. How could he overcome his own prejudice and pride? It was the work of the Holy Spirit, yet not apart from the Scriptures, that he could come to a better and closer understanding of God’s salvation for all humankind through God the Messiah. The ongoing work of God’s salvation through the Holy Spirit requires us to be open, flexible and genuine, free from our own fixed ideas and selfish ambition.

In fact, Jesus’ life would be a great challenge to many people. Look at verses 34-35. “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against.” Many years later, the temple, which was the symbol of Jewish religion, in which the baby Jesus was dedicated, would be completely destroyed. In fact, Jesus predicted this by saying to the religious leaders of his time, “Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days.” (Jn 2:19) When Jesus said this, many people were surprised and offended by him. Yet, what Jesus meant was his sacrificial death and resurrection and that he is the new temple of God. When Jesus died on the cross, the curtain, which divided the holy place and the most holy place in the temple sanctuary, was torn from top to bottom, meaning the reconciliation between God and fallen humankind through Jesus Christ. And all dividing walls between Jews and Gentiles had been removed through Jesus Christ. The coming of Jesus, God the Messiah, is the new beginning of God’s salvation for all mankind. If we summarize what Dr. Luke was trying to say about God’s salvation through Zechariah’s song of praise, Mary’s song of praise, the angel’s messages, and Simeon’s praise in the first two chapters of his account, it can be the words, “A light of salvation for all people.” This reminds me of a song, written by Thom Schuyler. “A light will shine for the whole world to see. A light divine, a reflection on Thee. My soul’s at rest and my joy is increased. The world is blessed by the true prince of peace. Light of salvation, light of salvation. Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is sent. On his shoulders will be laid, power over all that’s made. His dominion has no end and the name that’s given him is the wonderful counselor.”

Simeon was not the only one who came to bless this special child. He was joined by an old lady, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. When she saw the baby Jesus, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. And as Simeon and Anna embraced the child Jesus, their hearts were filled with God’s peace, love and joy. Who are all these people who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem? They are lovers of God, theophilus. In some sense, they were just like us, who are waiting and longing for God and His ultimate redemption, the redemption of our body. As we see people today, most people seem to be too busy and preoccupied by so many things in the world. But they are really like thirsty deer, panting for the water. They are starving for the truth that will give them freedom. They are longing for a meaningful relationship, peace and joy that will last. They want something new and good that will make them truly happy and satisfied? Where can we find such things? Where can we find peace and reconciliation in this world? Not through material possessions and not even by our own human effort or good wishes. They come from the unchanging love of God through the redemption our Lord Jesus Christ and by the sanctifying and transforming work of the Holy Spirit. This salvation is for all people, Americans, Asians, Arabs, Europeans and Africans.

I was shocked to hear the news about a man in LA, who, dressed as Santa Claus costume, walked into a house on Christmas Day and shot the entire household, relatives and friends who were a having a Christmas party. And we hear that there is a blood battle between Israelis and Palestinians again. We see that the world we live in is not a perfect or safe place. It’s a crazy world. Something has to be done and something has to change. The old order of things should pass away and the new order of things should come. We have to be changed as well. The body we dwell in for a while is not a perfect or permanent place. It’s a temporary dwelling place. The glory of this world is also temporary. Its beauty is fleeting. We are human, made of dust and ashes. There seem to be too much stress, living in the world today. We get old, sick and will die someday.

What are we waiting for? Are we waiting for temporary relief? Are we waiting for a permanent salvation? We need both. We need spirit, energy, strength and wisdom from the Lord to be able to go through our day-to-day life in this world. Most of all, we need hope, the living hope of God’s ultimate salvation. And we know that the glory we have in Christ will not disappoint us because the redemption of our body will be far greater than we can ever imagine. The hope of the resurrection, the redemption of our body, is unique to Christianity. We believe in this hope. We believe that just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, Adam, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven, Jesus Christ our Lord. (1 Corinthians 15:49) We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. When the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.

But our life in this world is not easy. 2008 was not easy and 2009 will not be easy either. We really wish that things will be better in 2009. But what if 2009 is worse than 2008? Do we have much control over things? No. But we can still have this glorious hope of the resurrection no matter what happens. We have access to God’s grace of salvation now and forever. In fact, the best for each of us is yet to come. This is a fantastic hope and promise for each of us, and we will never be disappointed. At this time of the years, let’s us refocus our thoughts and place our full confidence in Him who is faithful and trustworthy. Let us not worry too much but come to the Lord in prayer and abide in him through His words and indwelling of the Holy Spirit. With this glorious hope in mind, let us wait patiently for His glorious redemption and give ourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because we know that our labor in the Lord will not in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:58)