Living in Simeon's Hope
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Happy 2022! We are living in the future. The second Back to the Future movie, with its flying cars and hover boards took place 7 years ago. Something I appreciate about that movie, and science fiction in general, is that it dreams about how the world could be. Sometimes the dream of science fiction is a nightmare. Sometimes it’s a utopia, or somewhere in between. One of the virtues of science fiction is that it attempts to place humanity in a new setting with some or all of its flaws, and by doing so, it lets us see who we are now. But the best science fiction gives us hope that the world can be different. That humanity can move past our problems and begin to solve them. When science fiction does that, it’s giving us an eschatology, a hopeful view of the end. And part of why that’s so satisfying is because it’s drawing on something, it’s borrowing something, that isn’t fictional. It apprehends something of reality. A reality that begins in earnest at the incarnation, at Christmas. Here 2022-ish years after that first Christmas, we find ourselves grafted into a story with a hopeful beginning, pointing of course to a hopeful ending. Let’s examine that hope more fully looking at St. Luke’s account of the beginning of Jesus’ life, which strangely enough, is a life under the law.
22 And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.”
From the very beginning of Jesus’ life story, we are shown that he is not interested in abolishing the Law, or superseding it, but fulfilling it. The levitical law gives an appointed time for purification from childbirth and a sacrifice for Jesus as the firstborn son. No angel appears to tell Mary and Joseph to skip this piece. And we get a good insight about it’s significance in Galatians 4:4 -7 which reads:
4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
Jesus came to offer salvation to the whole world. That needed to include those under the law. It had to. There is no way that when God saves humanity he’s going to leave his chosen people in the dust. So if he’s going to save not only those who don’t know the law, but also those who are under the law, he’s going to observe the law himself, even as a little baby, so that he can fulfill the law and free up everyone to experience not slavery to the law, but sonship, a special, closer relationship with God than the law can provide by itself. So the story of Jesus begins under the law.
As the firstborn, Jesus was set apart as belonging to God under the law and was supposed to be sacrificed to God, but humans could be redeemed by offering a sacrifice in the firstborn child’s place. And after giving birth, the ritual purification of Mary required a sacrifice as well. The law called for a sacrifice of a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons. Actually, a lamb, two turtledoves, or two pigeons. The lamb would have been by far the most expensive choice, so the custom had become 2 birds. It would have been interesting to see a lamb offered as the sacrifice, after all, Jesus is the messiah, so why not? Maybe because the lamb of God in this narrative was Jesus and it would have muddied the waters of significance to bring in another lamb at this point in the story. Or maybe the humility of the sacrifice was worth introducing at this point. Whatever the reason, Jesus is shown to be born under the law and observes the law from the very beginning making it later possible to redeem those under the law and bring them into a closer relationship with God.
25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And 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 And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, 28 he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, 29 “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; 30 for my eyes have seen your salvation 31 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.” 33 And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed 35 (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”
While Jesus is still in the temple, the Holy Spirit led Simeon to the temple. The Holy Spirit had been at work in Simeon’s life already, revealing to him that he would see God’s messiah in his lifetime. He took up Jesus into his arms and blessed God for fulfilling the prophetic word given to him.
If you’re used to praying through any of the evening or night-time services from the prayer book, these words from Simeon are probably familiar to you. We identify with Simeon at the end of the day because we can be at rest after a day in this world of needing deliverance from sin while also offering holy service to God through our work and through loving our neighbors; we’ve reached the day’s end. We’re praying to God, asking for forgiveness and we can rest in the fact that we’ve received it. We can go to sleep with hope for the next day and for the Last Day because we’ve experienced Jesus’ presence and the hope, love that comes with that, and the forgiveness that he’s made available to us by his life, death, and resurrection.
Simeon is also a representative for all of Israel who waited their whole life and whose parents, grandparents, and ancestors had waited to see the messiah come. And Simeon held the baby in his arms and expresses that his striving is over. Faith has become sight for Simeon. The messiah has come. And he’s holding him in his arms.
It was a new declaration about Jesus from someone who had received a prophetic insight that he would see the messiah. And Mary and Joseph were overjoyed, surprised, perplexed, and ecstatic at Simeon’s words.
And then Simeon adds more gravity to the coming of Jesus. Jesus will become the great equalizer. The will of God for individuals rising and falling will be carried out because of Jesus. Thoughts from many hearts will be revealed because of him. And he will be opposed and the way it’s carried out will be like a sword in Mary’s heart.
With the coming of a new and expected king, the king of all kings, there will be great things that happen, joyous things, but there will also be meaningful difficult things. The balance of the world’s power has become unstable at the coming of Jesus. As judge he will make changes that some will like and some will not. And as he himself is one day put under judgment, Mary will suffer and mourn. But one thing is certain, this child in Simeon’s hands is going to change the world, bringing a kingdom, salvation, light to the Gentiles and glory to Israel.
And word began to spread from even that moment. The prophetess Anna went out and began to tell the good news to people she knew had been waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.
So on this second Sunday of Christmas, we marvel and celebrate with Mary and Joseph and the people at the temple who had met their hope face to face and we expectantly wait to see the redemption he will bring to the world. The story of hope that we’ve been grafted into has begun. God is at work not only in our hearts, but in the world.
And we attest to that hope, we participate in it at the Lord’s table. We re-live and receive the moment of our salvation. And if he could give salvation to us, there is hope for everyone. So let us begin this new year in the hope of Christ and abide there with him until our faith becomes sight.