THERE’S
A SCRIPTURE PASSAGE THAT OFTEN GETS OVERLOOKED at Christmas time, but it’s part
of Luke’s Christmas story, and it occurs forty days after Jesus’ birth.
It was required of new parents to
present their firstborn male baby and make a sacrifice after her purification
time was over, which was forty days after the birth. The “Highway to Holiness”
blog says this is “basically a ceremonial
purification from the blood of birth, life, and death.”1 In this case
Mary and Joseph sacrificed two turtle doves, which was the sacrifice allowed
for middle-class or poorer parents if they could not afford a lamb. Offering
the two birds was her purification ritual, not a sacrifice for Jesus.
The male baby that opened the
mother’s womb was to be presented to the Lord in order to fulfill the law of
the Lord: “Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the LORD”
(Exodus 2, 12 and 15).
When Mary and Joseph make their
sojourn to the temple to offer Jesus (symbolically) and their turtledoves, they
are met by a man named Simeon who is described as just and devout. A man
“waiting for the Consolation of Israel.” Luke says that the Holy Spirit was
upon him.
Luke also points out that God had
revealed to Simeon that he would not die before he’d seen the Lord’s Christ.
So in Luke 2:25 – 35, we find Simeon
in the temple when Mary and Joseph arrive, and Simeon knows immediately that
this baby Jesus is the One, the Lord’s Christ.
Simeon takes Jesus up in his arms,
blesses God and says,
“Lord, now You are letting your
servant
depart in peace,
According to Your word;
For my eyes have seen Your salvation
Which You have prepared before the
face
of all peoples,
A light to bring revelation to the
Gentiles,
And the glory of Your people
Israel.” (NKJV)
A happy man, ready to die
Simeon is fulfilled, satisfied. Happy. God has fulfilled His promise to
him, and he is ready to die, in peace. And what kind of peace is it that Simeon
refers to? It’s a prosperous type of peace that implies quietness or rest.
Simeon’s heart has been quieted. He won’t go to the grave wondering, with a
questioning heart.
How wonderful that must have been
for Simeon, how full his heart must have been after seeing and holding Jesus! How
grateful to God he was!
Ready to depart, in peace
And shouldn’t it be that way for all
followers of Christ? While we may have a plan sheet a mile long of all of the
good things we can do, of all the ways we can and want to serve—all of the
things we want to accomplish—shouldn’t we be ready to depart in peace? Without hesitation, without remorse or question.
If the Prince of Peace dwells in our
hearts, peace should dwell in our spirits. And we should be ready for the end.
Whenever it comes.
At the completion of this passage,
Simeon’s words to Mary and Joseph give us insight as to why you may not have
peace.
Verse 34 - 35 says, “…Behold this
Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign
which will be spoken against…that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
Causing a heart crisis
Evidently the Prince of Peace
doesn’t bring peace to everyone, or they don’t accept the kind of peace He
brings. Just as He did during his short life on earth, he does now. He is a
lightning rod that divides. He divides families and friends. Some men were
raised up while others were brought down.
Jesus caused a crisis in Israel that
ended up causing a crisis in the world, and that crisis has avalanched down to
us today.
Nothing has changed. He continues to
divide. And He was spoken against two thousand years ago just as He is now.
And the reason?
Because He is a revealer of hearts.
A heart surgeon.
And if your heart is sick, you
really have no peace.
Jesus reveals in the light what has
been hidden in the darkness.
He causes us to examine our own
thoughts and attitudes. We all undergo turmoil when we are confronted with
Jesus and His truth.
How about you?
Everyone at some point in his life
has to decide what to do with Jesus. So the question is: Who do you say Jesus
is?
Your answer will reveal the thoughts
and beliefs of your heart. Your answer will reveal whether or not your heart is
a purveyor of real, soul-quieting peace, or is a heart double-minded and
troubled.
I pray it is overflowing with peace!
If it isn’t, or you’re unsure, now
is the time to find out. Jesus came over two thousand years ago so you might
claim and have peace. He’s ready to give it to you today. What a Christmas
present!
Blessings,
Andrea
May you prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul
prospers (3 John 2).
Photos courtesy of Google Images
http://www.crivoice.org/luke2c.html
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