Just like it does every year, Christmas has come and gone. By this time many of our Christmas trees have begun to wilt, pine needles are all over the floor, toys have been played with and some of them are already broken. The leftover cookies on our counters are dried up and our refrigerators look empty again. The department stores have stopped playing Christmas music and the holiday clearance sales are being replaced with new merchandise. (Next week we will start to see Valentine’s Day candy on display.)
Now that we have celebrated Christmas, responsibility is staring us in the face again. For most of us this week means back to waking up early, going to work and school, and fulfilling all of the obligations that make our lives what they are. We go through this same dreadful cycle every year. If you are feeling depressed about the reality of responsibility after Christmas, you may be encouraged to know that Mary and Joseph went through this same cycle.
Joseph and Mary’s Responsibility (21-24)
After the angels had disappeared and went back into heaven and the shepherds returned to their flocks and after all of the excitement of Christmas settled down, Joseph and Mary had some responsibilities to fulfill. First, they had the responsibility of circumcising their baby boy on eight days after he was born to comply with Jewish custom. When the boy was circumcised he was also given his formal name. Mary and Joseph obeyed the angel and gave their boy the name Jesus. This name means “savior” and was a foreshadowing of his divine destiny to become the savior of the world.
Second, Mary and Joseph had the responsibility of taking Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem to dedicate him to the Lord. But before they could do this they had to wait 33 days for Mary’s purification to be completed. Once the appropriate time had lapsed, they took Jesus to the temple and consecrated him. It appears that Mary and Joseph were quite poor; for they gave the poor man’s offering of two doves or pigeons, because they could not afford the usual offering of one lamb and a dove or pigeon.
When we read these verses, we catch a deeper glimpse into Joseph and Mary’s character. They were people who fulfilled their obligations to God and to the law. (Just like today, it cost money to have a baby in ancient Palestine.) Despite their difficult financial situation, they fulfilled their responsibilities. They whine or complain about their circumstances. They didn’t make excuses. They simply did what they were supposed to do!
How about you? Do you do what you are supposed to do? Are you fulfilling your responsibilities to God, to your family, at work, at school, etc? Do you take care of your financial obligations? Are you the type that whines and complains about your circumstances, or do you humbly do what you are supposed to do like Joseph and Mary?
Dying in Peace (25-33)
As Joseph and Mary entered the temple to fulfill their responsibility, they met up with a most interesting character. Simeon is usually thought to be a very old man, although there is nothing in the text that explicitly suggests this. Regardless of Simeon’s age, we know that he lived a righteous life and he was deeply committed to the Lord. It was certainly not coincidental that he entered the temple at the exact time that Joseph and Mary were there. For Simeon had been led to that precise place at that exact time by the Holy Spirit.
Why did the Holy Spirit lead Simeon to Joseph and Mary? The Holy Spirit had promised Simeon that he would not die until he saw the Messiah. In this one moment Simeon accomplished his life’s purpose of seeing the promised Messiah and pronouncing a prophecy over his life. And now that he had seen and embraced God’s salvation for all people—both Gentile and Jew alike—he was now ready to die in peace.
Now I am quite sure that none of us will ever get an opportunity to hold the baby Jesus like Simeon did, but we all have the chance to embrace God’s promise of salvation. This divine child would one day grow up and die on the cross for our sins and rise from the grave on the third day to give us the hope of eternal life. Regardless of whether you are young or old, you are not ready to die until you have embraced God’s salvation by giving your life to his son! You can only die in peace when you know for sure that your sins have been forgiven! You can only die in peace when you know that you are heaven bound!
None of us knows when we are going to die, but we can know if we will die in peace! Have you embraced Jesus Christ? Have you put your faith in God’s plan of salvation? Have you given your heart to the only one who can save you?
Our Divine Destiny (34-40)
As Mary and Joseph marveled at Simeon’s words, Simeon blessed them and spoke directly to Mary a prophecy about the child’s future. For God had already destined this child to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel and to be a sign spoken against, to reveal the hearts of many. Don’t miss the irony in this verse: Simeon’s divine destiny was to prophesy the destiny of the divine!
We ought to stop and think about that word “destined.” This is a clear statement of God’s sovereignty. God had already planned Jesus’ life before he was even born. He had a divine destiny to bring salvation to the world through his suffering and death.
At some point, all of us who call ourselves Christians have to reckon with this idea of destiny. The Bible often uses the term predestination. Now some people don’t like the idea that God has already planned our lives for us—they get frustrated because they think it interferes with our free will. But consider this: Would you with your finite knowledge, limited power, and propensity for making mistakes, like to go through life making every decision for yourself? Or would you rather trust the plan that the Creator of the universe has laid out for your life?
The Bible teaches us that God has a specific purpose and plan for each one of our lives. He doesn’t usually reveal all of it to us at one time, but as we live by faith every day, we begin to see how the “coincidences” of our lives were not coincidences at all, but they were planned by God from the very beginning. Do you know what God’s divine destiny is for your life?
Jesus’ Divine Destiny (34)
Now let us take a deeper look at Jesus’ divine destiny in verse 34.
1.) Jesus’ divine destiny is to cause many to fall (34).
This is the sad truth for some who encounter Christ! It is hard to imagine that the little baby lying in Simeon’s arms would someday be the reason for the fall of so many. It’s not so much that Jesus is the cause of stumbling as he is the stumbling stone. For man would not be judged by what he does, but by what he does with Jesus. Throughout the New Testament we repeatedly see this prophecy fulfilled. Many of Jesus’ disciples deserted him when he was on earth. They followed him when he was popular and comfortable, but they left him as soon as things got tough. Judas Iscariot sold him to the religious leaders for a few pieces of silver.
It is very much the same today. There are so many who reject Jesus today.
2.) Jesus’ divine destiny is to cause many to rise (34).
Jesus would be the cause of people rising to new life. This little baby Simeon held in his arms was the long-awaited Messiah. He was not the political leader or the military conqueror that many of the Jews were expecting, but he was the fulfillment of all of God’s promises to Israel. This little baby would be the one to deliver Israel from sin. He would not only deliver Israel from sin, but all humanity (32).
This is the reason why Jesus Christ stepped out of eternity and into time. He came to seek and to save that which was lost. The whole earth was lost in a sinful state, but this little baby would one day grow into a man and die for us on a cross. Through his death and resurrection, he would forgive sin and raise to new life those who believe.
Scripture constantly testifies to how this prophecy was fulfilled, and it is still being fulfilled today. Even two-thousand years after Jesus lived on earth there are still thousands of people putting their faith in him every year. They are finding forgiveness of sin and new life in Christ. Jesus’ divine destiny of causing people to rise is still happening today.
3.) It is Jesus’ divine destiny to face much opposition (34).
William Barclay comments, “Toward Jesus there is no neutrality. We either surrender to him or we are at war with him. The tragedy is that so many are at war with him.” This aspect of Simeon’s prophecy was also fulfilled in the pages of Scripture.
Jesus faced opposition his whole life. Even when he was a baby King Herod tried to kill him. Later, he was opposed by the Pharisees, Sadducees, Romans, and many others. Some lied about him and others called him a mad man. He was spit on, beaten, whipped, pierced with a spear, and nailed to a cross. He faced more opposition than any human being in history.
Just as Jesus’ divine destiny was to face opposition, so his followers share in that same destiny. Every true Christian will face opposition for what they believe. Maybe a family member or friend will give you a hard time for going to church on Sunday. They might say things like, “Why do you want to waste your time going to church?” You may face opposition from classmates at school when you stand up for Christ. This opposition is part of the Christian’s divine destiny!
This little baby who laid in Simeon’s arms would someday grow into a man and go to the cross to die for the sins of the world. This baby is still causing many to rise and fall. This baby is still facing much opposition. Which side are you on? What will you do with this baby? As you consider the destiny of Christ, I hope that you will consider your own destiny! I tell you this morning: Embrace the Christ Child! I promise that you will never be the same, and you will never regret it! Amen!