December 1, 2024
Luke 2:41-52
“Following the Path”
Today we’re transitioning. It’s a span covering more than a decade. We’re moving from baby Jesus to Jesus as a young man.
Here’s the bridge passage in our transition:
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 on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace.For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.”
The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, 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 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.
When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.
Luke 2:25-40
Simeon and Anna were good, kind, decent, faithful people. Worship was at the heart of their devotion to God. That, plus they read and studied Scripture. They were honorable people.
Make no mistake. Simeon and Anna weren’t honorable, decent people as a means to win God’s favor. They were decent, honorable people because that’s the only natural response to God’s grace and mercy pouring into your life. I love how one pastor puts it – “Holiness isn’t the way to Christ; Christ is the way to holiness.” {Josh Buice} That applied to Simeon and Anna and it applies to us, as well.
In light of being decent and honorable people, here’s something you might want to write down:
DON’T EXPECT TO ALWAYS BE PERFECT, BUT ALWAYS TRY TO GET BETTER.
What a wonderful church we are when we’re all on board with that. It pleases God and honors the gift He gave us in Jesus Christ.
Simeon knows the promises of Scripture. Remember, Luke describes him as righteous and devout. It’s not lost on us that the name “Simeon” means “God has Heard.” God hears the prayers of His people. Here are the passages he weaves into his proclamation:
Isaiah 49:13 – “Shout for joy, you heavens; rejoice, you earth; burstinto song, you mountains! For the Lord comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones.”
Isaiah 51:3 – “The Lord will surely comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins; he will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing.”
Isaiah 57:18-19 – “I have seen their ways, but I will heal them; I will guide them and restore comfort to Israel’s mourners, creating praise on their lips. Peace, peace, to those far and near,” says the Lord. “And I will heal them.”
Simeon knew the promises of Scripture. And here’s how deep his faith ran. He is so overjoyed by the presence of God’s salvation that he is now ready to die. But here’s his strongest affirmation. He appears to recognize that his time of watchful service is over. While his role in God’s salvation history has been to interpret the meaning of Jesus’ birth, he knows he will not live to see it carried out. And that’s okay. Because Simeon knows it is unstoppable. It’s like that old saying, we plant a tree today so that our grandchildren can enjoy its shade.
Simeon knows that the day is coming when people will be sheltered in the healing wings of their Savior. As we love to sing:
Hail the heav’n-born Prince of Peace! Hail the Sun of righteousness!Light and life to all He brings, Ris’n with healing in His wings:Mild He lays His glory by, Born that man no more may die;Born to raise the sons of earth; Born to give them second birth.
That is the song Simeon sings. Can you imagine what it was like for him to hold the Savior of the world in his arms? So now he can die happy. How about you? Do you stand with Simeon?
Before we leave Simeon, there’s one more piece we have to touch on. Listen again to the ominous portion of his words:
Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
These words grab hold of you and spit you out. Mary’s child will be a suffering Messiah. And his mother will share in his sorrows. The trajectory of God’s salvation history will take him all the way to the cross. Simeon’s words hint at the opposition that will rise against Jesus.
Here’s what Luke doesn’t tell us. He doesn’t describe how Mary and Joseph react to Simeon’s dire warning. If you remember back to 2:19, Mary pondered the shepherd’s words. I think we can safely assume that she and Joseph do the same thing here. What Luke does for us is, instead of spelling everything out, he allows us to ponder the significance of Simeon’s words.
Next there’s Anna. She’s old. Seems to be a theme here in God’s salvation history. Old people waiting on the new. Not afraid of the new or anxious about the new, but joyfully awaiting the new. Are you with me on that?
What was Anna doing up until Mary and Joseph and the infant Jesus arrived at the temple? What was Anna doing? She was worshiping, with prayer and fasting. Again, another basic, simple, unassuming person appears on the scene. Anna is in the timeline of God’s salvation history.
Here’s the beautiful thing about Anna. Psalm 130:5-8 says:
I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope;my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.
O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption.
And he will redeem Israel
from all his iniquities.
Anna is faithful to God’s Word. She is spiritually in tune with what this moment is about.
Here’s the best thing about Anna’s part in the unfolding drama of the presentation of Jesus in the Temple. In spite of her age, Anna actively participated in what God was doing. She worshiped with prayer and fasting. Fasting was a form of protest. In this context, it was a sign that all was not well. People suffered under the grip of sin and oppression…their sin and the sin committed against them…their oppression, and the oppression committed against them.
Anna, in these few verses, represents the physically and spiritually hungry whom God promises to fill with good things. And then, as Jesus is presented in the Temple, she knows their redemption has arrived. Anna was another unremarkable person with remarkable faith. And she played a major role in his introduction to the world.
I love the simplicity of her cameo appearance. Simeon had just picked up
the baby Jesus and made his prophetic blessing over him. “And coming up at that very hour,” as Luke tells us, which was their way of saying in that instant, Anna happened by. And what happened? She immediately knew what was going on. She knew who Jesus was. She was prepared.
It might all seem so weird, if not for the sovereign will of God. Simeon, holding the baby; Anna, doing what she had been doing night and day. It doesn’t appear they knew each other or knew of each other. Yet here their paths cross. Again, part of the trajectory of God’s salvation history. They are both swept along by the sovereign will of God. It is such a beautiful thing.
Here's the powerful point to fix in our minds:
ANNA WAS BLESSED BY GOD TO BE ONE OF A HANDFUL OF
WITNESSES WHO KNEW AND UNDERSTOOD THE SIGNIFICANCE
OF JESUS’ BIRTH.
Luke tells us what she did. She spoke of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Israel. Anna was one of the first witnesses to Christ. And not only that, she was also one of the first to proclaim the gospel. As we read, “Coming up to them 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.” She helped bring others to the Savior.
Anna was never heard from again. Talk about the power of God’s sovereign will at work in someone’s life. Amazing. Absolutely amazing.
Now the transition. All the details that were important for Luke to convey about the conception, birth, and dedication of Jesus end at chapter two, very thirty-nine. Luke now leaps ahead to when Jesus was twelve:
Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom. And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, but supposing him to be in the group they went a day's journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances, and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. And when his parents saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.” And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?” And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them. And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart.
And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.
Luke 2:41-52
Here’s something we’re going to pay attention to, for two reasons. Reason
“1”, because it’s something repeated. And “B,” it’s repeated within a few short verses. Two times Luke tells us that:
“And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.”
“And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.”
There’s a huge reason Luke makes those similar points so close together. That’s where we’ll pick things up next week.
Until then, here’s a little hint from Charles Spurgeon:
"Infinite, and an infant. Eternal, and yet born of a woman. Almighty, and yet hanging on a woman’s breast. Supporting a universe, and yet needing to be carried in a mother’s arms. King of angels, and yet the reputed son of Joseph. Heir of all things, and yet the carpenter’s despised son. Oh, the wonder of Christmas."
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