The Manger King

Heavenly Father, we have gathered this morning as your people.

And we now incline our ears and our hearts toward your word because we believe that you seek to us, you Lord.

We have this privilege of gathering in your name because of what you did on our behalf.

And sending your son, Jesus.

On Christmas Day, we live a perfect life, to die for our sins, and be raised for our justification.

And that privilege, Lord, we do not want to take the rest.

We ask God that you would strike us this morning on you with the wonder of Christmas.

The wonder of Christ, the Lord, the Son of God.

In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.

Luke chapter 2.

Luke 2 · chapter mention

I will go ahead and read out loud.

Justin is supposed to read for this morning, but he's really sick.

He's got a new clay.

He's staying home.

Maybe Luke chapter 2.

Luke 2 · chapter mention

In those days, a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.

This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria.

And all went to be registered, each to his own town.

And Joseph also went out from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem.

Because he was of the house and lineage of David.

To be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.

And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth.

And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger.

Because there was no place for them in the inn.

And in the same region, there were shepherds out there, keeping watch over their flock by night.

And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them.

And they were filled with great fear.

And the angel said to them, Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

And this will be a sign for you.

You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly hosts, praising God and saying,

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased.

When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another,

Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.

And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the baby lying in a manger.

And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child.

And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.

But Mary, treasuring up all these things, pondering them in her heart.

And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen as it had been told.

And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus.

It's the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

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.

As it is written in the law of the Lord, every male who first opens the womb shall be called fully to the Lord,

and to offer sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.

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.

And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord Christ.

And he came in his spirit into the temple.

And when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him according to the custom of the law,

he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,

Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace according to your work.

For my eyes have seen your salvation, that you are prepared in the presence of all peoples,

of light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.

And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him.

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, and a sword will pierce to your own souls,

so that the thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.

And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Thania of the tribe of Asher.

She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin,

and then as a widow until she was 84.

She did not depart from the temple, worshipping with fasting and prayer at night and day.

And coming up that very hour, she began to give thanks to God

and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.

And when they had performed everything according to the law of the Lord,

they returned into Galilee to their own town of Nazareth.

And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom, and the favor of God was upon him.

Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the Passover.

And when he was 12 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 answer.

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 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 submitted 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.

Always winter and never Christmas.

I guess my recognized line.

That's the condition in which we discover the imaginary world of Narnia in C.S. Lewis' book,

The Lion, the Witch, and the Warbrook.

And Christmas follows the winter solstice, which for us was this past Friday, December 21st,

the shortest day of the year when the sun seemed to pass by only for a few fleeting moments.

And in Narnia, it was always winter, never Christmas.

The blistering cold kept people as shuddered in,

and the frozen world seemed impervious to the faint rays of light.

And this is an apt description of the world before the coming of Christ as well,

which we celebrate on Christmas Day.

God's people were looking for relief, looking for salvation,

but their God, it seemed to them, was nowhere to be found.

And some of them were starting to look elsewhere for salvation.

Some of them had already resigned themselves to perpetual winter.

But then Christmas came, and that's what Luke 2 is all about.

It teaches us that we should believe in Christ the Lord,

who has come to redeem God's people.

And I will talk about the identity of Christ, the fourth phase.

First, Jesus as the Christ, and then Jesus as the Lord, and then the Savior,

and then finally as the Son of God.

In verses 1 to 7, we see his identity as the Christ.

Because in verses 1 to 2, it set the context for this important story.

It says in verses 1 to 2,

In those days, a decree went out from Caesar Augustus

that all the world should be registered.

This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria.

In those days refers to the time of John the Baptist's birth,

which we just talked about in the previous chapter.

And it was during the reign of Caesar Augustus, also known as Octavian,

who was the first emperor of the Roman Empire.

And he reigned from 27 B.C. to 14 A.B.

And during his reign, he issued a decree that called for the registration of all the world,

meaning the entire Roman world.

It's a generalization, but it's not really that much of an exaggeration,

since the Roman Empire at the time occupied a sprawling territory

from Western Europe to North Africa and the Middle East,

and about 70 million people, which is about a third of the world's population.

And the registration is basically a census.

The world census actually originated in ancient Rome,

and it played a crucial role in Roman governance,

because it facilitated the assessment of taxes

and the conscription of citizens for military service.

So it was the ways in which kings and emperors kind of flexed their proverbial muscles,

giving them an estimate of the extent of their financial and military power.

And due to this mandated registration, verses 3 to 5,

Tal has said all went to be registered, each to his own town,

and Joseph also went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth,

to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem,

because he was of the house and lineage of David,

to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.

It seems that the Jews, according to their custom,

were required to go back to their ancestral homeland in order to register.

And so Joseph knew that he lived in the region of Galilee,

in a town of Nazareth.

He had to journey back to Judea, to the city of David,

which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the lineage of David.

And this, of course, is not an incidental detail.

It's important, intentional detail,

because 1 Samuel 17, 12 tells us that now David was a son of an Ephrathite,

of Bethlehem in Judah, named Jesse, who had eight sons.

So, because of the divine promise in 2 Samuel 10,

that the Davidic monarchy would continue forever,

the Old Testament prophecies declared that the Messianic king that would come

would be from the line of David.

And Micah 5, chapter 5, verse 2 prophesied,

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,

who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,

from you shall come forth for me,

one who is to be ruler in Israel,

whose coming forth is from the old, from ancient of days.

And so, even though Jesus was conceived in Mary,

which was still a virgin,

since lineage is traced through the Father,

Jesus is born in the lineage of David,

in Bethlehem, the city of David.

And the implication, of course, is that Jesus is the Davidic king,

the Christ, which means anointed one,

the promised Messiah,

that God's people have been waiting all this time for.

By people, they have known, they have been conquered by the Assyrians,

and then by the Babylonians, the Persians, and the Greeks,

and then finally by the Romans.

And there's seemingly endless subjugation of oppression.

There always winter is about to come to an end.

And the child in Mary's womb is the king who will end that winter and bring Christmas.

And Augustus Caesar, who is only trying to flex his own royal muscles,

unwittingly becomes the pawn of God's sovereign rule

and brings about the fulfillment of this Old Testament prophecy,

that the Messiah will be born in Bethlehem.

He calls for senses to display his power,

and God displays his own power and witness

by bringing about the Messiah through his birth in Bethlehem.

And if the coming of this long-awaited Christ is amazing,

the circumstance of his birth is even more shocking.

Look at verses 6 to 7 with me.

And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth.

And she gave birth to her firstborn son

and wrapped him in swatling cloths

and laid him in a manger

because there was no place for them in the age.

When the contractions start,

you quickly have to make arrangements

for the pregnant woman to give birth

because the baby's birth is imminent.

And inns in the ancient world

usually had two sections.

They had the first section for human occupancy,

and they had a second section for animals,

to house people's animals.

Joseph and Mary needed to find lodging immediately,

but because there was no place for them in the inn,

it says, meaning the guest rooms were already occupied,

they had to settle for a stable

where the animals were usually housed.

Church tradition holds that the stable

was actually a cave,

which was not uncommon in those days.

And the church of the natively now

sits in that site in Bethlehem.

A manger is a box or trough in a stable

from which the cattle eat.

We had to get a privilege of baptizing

a few people a few weeks ago in our church,

and for our baptismal,

we used a horse trough.

I don't know if you guys knew that.

It's never been used as a horse trough.

It's only repurposed as a baptismal,

so it's clean.

But that's kind of what you're looking at.

But this manger in which Jesus is born, however,

is a trough that's in use.

It's dirty, probably smelling.

He's in a stable,

and he has a manger for his cradle.

While Caesar Augustus was busy

counting his subjects

so he could use them

for himself and his kingdom,

Jesus the Christ,

the messianic king,

came to be counted among us,

and he's laid in a manger.

And because of that,

we know he's not like the kings of this world.

He's not like the haughty kings of earth

who are aloof from the cares of common life

and refuse to associate with the lobe.

Christ the king comes to the downtrodden

and the lowly

so that he might lift them up toward God.

And because Christ the king came in a manger,

because he came in weakness,

in lowliness,

he's able to empathize with our lowliness and weakness.

Hebrews chapter 4, 15 to 16,

Hebrews 4 · chapter mention

says this about Christ.

For we do not have a high priest

who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses,

but one who in every respect

has been tempted as we are,

yet without sin.

Let us then,

with confidence,

draw near to the throne of grace,

that we may receive mercy

and find grace

to help in time of the meeting.

Because Christ knows

what it is like to be lowly and weak.

Because Christ knows

what it's like to be born

into a broken and sinful world.

Because of all of that,

because Christ was laid in a manger,

he's able to sympathize with our weaknesses,

and we can be confident

that when we approach him,

we'll receive mercy and grace.

So remember that truth.

This Christmas is in the year to come.

Don't forget for a moment

that your hardships,

your weaknesses,

and your temptations,

that you have to bear them alone.

Christ knows,

Christ sees,

Christ sympathizes with your lowliness,

because he's the manger king.

And then this Jesus,

who is the Christ,

who is also the Lord,

as verse 8 to 20 tells us.

In verse 8,

the scene shifts

from the barn to the field.

It says,

And in the same region

there were shepherds

out in the field

keeping watch

over their flock by night.

And verse 9 continues,

And an angel of the Lord

appeared to them,

and the glory of the Lord

shone around them,

and they were filled

with great fear.

So the fact that this happened

while the shepherds

were keeping night watch

paints kind of a wondrous scene,

because out in the field

in the middle of the night

there would not be

much light at all,

especially in those days

when there's not a lot of,

there's no artificial light.

So, but during this time,

the glory of the Lord

shone around them.

In scripture,

God's glory shines

wherever he makes

his presence felt,

whenever he reveals

his presence to people.

The glory of God

is kind of the sum

of all of the divine attributes.

His holiness,

his beauty,

his power,

it's kind of the manifestation

of Godness,

display of divinity.

And so God's presence

is powerfully being manifest

around the shepherds

in the midst

of a dark night.

And understandably,

shepherds are filled

with great fear

in the presence of God,

but the angel reassured them

in verses 10 to 14

this way,

Fear not,

for behold,

I bring you good news,

a great joy

that will be for all the people.

For unto you

is born this day

in the city of David

a Savior

who is Christ the Lord.

And this will be

a sign for you.

You will find

a baby wrapped

in swaddling cloths

and wine in a manger.

And suddenly

there was with the angel

a multitude of the heavenly hosts

praising God

and saying,

Glory to God in highest

and on earth peace

among those

with whom he is pleased.

Verse 1,

we noted that

in verse 1

we noted that

Jesus was born

during the reign

of Caesar Augustus.

And there's an interesting

parallel with his life

and the things

we hear about his reign.

Because during his reign,

the Greek cities in Asia

had decided to rearrange

their calendar

to begin the year

on Augustus' birthday

due to the claim

that he had been sent

as a savior

to them

to make an end

to all war.

And there are

Greek inscriptions

that archaeologists

have found

from that era

that claim

that Augustus' birth

marks the beginning

of the message

of, quote,

good news

and peace for the Lord.

In fact,

there was an altar

to Augustan peace

that stood in Rome

commemorating

the unchallenged power

and peace

of the Roman Empire.

And given this context,

the language used

in these verses

invite an intentional

comparison.

Who is the real savior?

Who is the real

bringer of good news?

Who brings peace

on earth?

Who establishes

an eternal kingdom?

By all appearances

at this time

of Jesus' birth,

it seems like

the right answer

is Caesar Augustus.

But Luke tells us

that the right answer

is actually

that baby

wrapped in swaddling

cloths

lying in a manger.

And history

has borne out

Luke's testimony.

While the Roman Empire

came to an end

in 476 AD,

the kingdom of God

continues to expand

in and through

the 2,000 year old church.

And Caesar Augustus

brought a political peace

that lasted a short while,

but Christ brings

eternal peace

with God

and through that

with our brothers

and sisters in Christ.

Caesar Augustus

saved his subjects

for a short while

from the ravages of war,

but Christ saves

his people

from sin and death

onto eternal life.

Caesar Augustus

brought good news

for some,

but Christ brings

good news

for all

who would believe.

Okay.

And what is

this good news?

Why is the coming

of Christ

good news?

This is explained

by the three terms

that the angel

uses to describe Jesus.

He says

that he is Savior,

that he is Christ,

and that he is Lord.

And I'll talk about

Jesus' identity

as a Savior

in my next point,

but for now,

Jesus,

he says,

is the Christ,

which means

anointed one,

that he's the Messiah,

and that's not surprising

because we've seen

his Davidic lineage

in the previous passage.

What's surprising,

though,

is the phrase

Christ the Lord.

Because the word

Lord is consistently

used throughout

the Gospel of Luke

to refer to God.

It's really,

it has in its background

the Old Testament

proper name of God,

which is rendered

as the Lord.

This is an audacious

identification.

In the same way

that Elizabeth

earlier in chapter 1,

verse 43,

called Jesus my Lord,

here Jesus

is being identified

with the Lord God,

the creator

of the universe.

Jesus is not only

the Christ,

the Davidic Messiah,

the king sent by God,

he's also the Lord God himself.

And what is the sign

of this good news?

It says in verse 12,

this will be a sign

for you,

you will find a baby

wrapped in sparkling cloths

and lying in a manger.

That's crazy,

right?

Think about it.

The word baby

is used to refer

to the infant Jesus

only twice in all four

of the gospel accounts.

And both of those instances

are in Luke chapter 2.

Luke 2 · chapter mention

And there's something

jarring about that image

because the Lord,

the eternal,

timeless Son of God,

the Word of God,

is born on earth

as a babbling,

crying,

breastfeeding,

diaper-sowing baby.

I hope you get

how mind-blowing that is.

We see Jesus

once again

through this incarnation,

taking on human flesh,

occupying the place

of the weak

and the low.

After this

unidentified angel

makes the announcement,

he's suddenly joined

by a multitude

of the heavenly hosts

of angels,

praising God,

saying,

glory to God

in the highest

and on earth

peace among those

with whom he's pleased.

The highest

is referenced

to the highest

of heavens.

So it's the first half

of the angelicals' praise

described the effect

of Christ coming

in heaven

and the second half

described the effect

of Christ coming

on earth.

In heaven,

God receives glory

and praise

because of Christ

and on earth,

people with whom

God is pleased

receive peace.

And the people

with whom God

is pleased

is a reference

to the kind of people

that were mentioned

earlier in Mary's

song of praise

in chapter 1,

verse 50,

that God's mercy

is for those

who fear him.

God is pleased

with those

who revere

and worship God,

people who humble

themselves before God.

And these are they

who belong to him.

And with them,

God is pleased

and he keeps them peace.

Not peace

in terms of

a ceasefire,

a rest from war,

the peace with God,

which is the key concept

in Luke and Acts.

And note the contrast

between verse 10

and verse 14.

Verse 10 said

that this good news

of great joy

is brought for all

the people,

but God's peace,

it says in verse 14,

will rest only among

those with whom

he is pleased.

The good news

invites all people,

but only those

who humble themselves

and come to God

in faith

will benefit

from that peace.

And this passage

enjoins us to believe

with the examples

of the shepherds

and Mary

because we saw

that the shepherds

in verse 16,

they went with haste

in obedience

to the angels' words,

just like Mary

before them

in chapter 1

went with haste

to Elizabeth

after hearing

the angels' announcement.

And it says,

and it says in Mary

that even though

the crowds

who were there

who heard

the shepherds' views,

they wondered

at what the shepherds

told them,

verses 18 to 19.

It says,

but,

contrast,

but Mary

treasured up

all these things,

pondering them

in her heart.

There's a contrast

there between

the crowds

who wondered

and Mary

who treasured

and pondered.

The announcement

that the baby

in a manger

is a Savior

who is Christ the Lord,

it piqued

the crowd's interest.

Who wouldn't be

interested in hearing

something like that?

It tickled their ears,

but it did not

pierce their hearts.

So they moved on

with their lives.

But Mary,

on the other hand,

it says,

she did not move on.

She treasured up

all these things,

pondering them

in her heart.

Some of you

are visiting us

because this is

a Christmas service.

And some of you

are not yet a follower

of Jesus Christ.

But regardless of why

you came in here

this morning,

which is the good news

that you are hearing now,

the good news,

the same news

that the shepherds

announced,

that the angel announced

is what you're hearing

now,

the same message.

How will you respond

to this good news?

Will you be like

the people in Bethlehem

who merely wandered

and then moved on

with their lives?

Or will you be like

Mary who treasured

these things

and pondered them

in her heart?

Will you respond

with faith

and obedience?

The scene shifts

once again

in verses 21-40

this time to the temple

where we see

Jesus' identity

as the Savior.

It says in verses

21-24,

and at the end

of eight days

when he was circumcised

he was called

Jesus,

the name given

by the angel

before he was conceived

in the womb.

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

as it is written

in the law

of the Lord.

Every male

who first opens

the womb

shall be called

holy to the Lord

and to offer

a sacrifice

according to

what is sent

in the law

of the Lord.

A pair of turtle doves

or two young people.

We saw earlier

in verse 11

the angel

called Jesus

a Savior

and the name

Jesus

given here

according to

the angel's

announcement

means the Lord

saves.

And there are

two specific reasons

why Joseph and Mary

traveled to the temple

in Jerusalem

with baby Jesus

and they both

have something to do

with the Old Testament law.

The first purpose

is this,

the purification

according to

the law of Moses.

Due to the discharge

of blood

during the birth

a woman with a second birth

was required

by the Old Testament law

to go through

a ceremony

of purification

in Leviticus

Leviticus 12 · chapter mention

chapter 12.

And according to

Leviticus chapter 12

Leviticus 12:6–8

verses 6 to 8

the purification ritual

required two sacrifices.

The sacrifices

of a male lamb

a year old

for a burnt offering

and a pigeon

or a turtle dove

for a sin offering.

But it's specified

that in the event

that the woman

and her husband

cannot afford

a male lamb

a year old

for burnt offering

they could

substitute

with the

substitute

the lamb

by using

two turtle doves

or two pigeons

instead.

And that's actually

what Joseph and Mary

do here

which shows us

that they were

not well off.

They could not afford

a male lamb

a year old

so they substitute

a pigeon

or a turtle dove.

They bring the poor

people's offering

to God

and that's the first

purpose.

That's purification.

The second purpose

was to present

Jesus to the Lord

as it is written

in the law

of the Lord

to every male

who first opens

the womb

shall be called

holy to the Lord

meaning set apart

for the Lord

and to offer

sacrifice according

to what is said

in the law

of the Lord.

So in Exodus 13

God said that

every firstborn male

in Israel

belongs to him.

Every firstborn male

animal

had to be

sacrificed

to the Lord

and every firstborn

son

had to be

redeemed

for the redemption

price of five shekels

specified in Numbers

Numbers 18 · chapter mention

chapter 18.

So this requirement

was in commemoration

of the Passover

when God struck down

the Egyptians

by killing all

the firstborn sons

of the Egyptians

and all their

firstborn male animals

because Pharaohs

stubbornly refused

to let God's people

Israel go

from their slavery.

And there's

this kind of

retributive justice here

because in Exodus

Exodus 4 · chapter mention

chapter 4.22

and elsewhere

God calls Israel

his people

my firstborn son.

And so Egypt's

firstborn sons

are struck down

for enslaving

God's firstborn son.

And that concept

of the firstborn son

is important

of course because

of the right

of inheritance

in this culture.

By virtue of being

the firstborn son

Jesus belonged to God

and since God

explicitly prohibits

child sacrifice

he makes a provision

for the redemption

of the firstborn son

instead

through the payment

of a ransom

price.

And all of these

rituals and sacrifices

serve as signs

that prefigure

the coming

of Jesus Christ

because he's

described in

Colossians chapter 1

Colossians 1:15

verse 15

as the firstborn

of all creation.

That's who Jesus is.

That does not mean

that Jesus was

the first being

ever created

by God.

It's referring

to his right

of inheritance

because Jesus

is an uncreated being.

He's the second person

of the Trinity

as John chapter 1

John 1:1–3

verse 1 to 3

made clear.

But he is the

firstborn of all creation

meaning that he lays

claim on all creation

as an inheritance

because he is

the son of God.

But Jesus

and so this is

Jesus the firstborn son

and then according

to John 1 29

Jesus is also

the lamb of God

who takes away

the sin of the world.

He's the Passover lamb

sacrificed

for us.

So to a couple

that cannot afford

to sacrifice

the male lamb

for purification

and therefore

must substitute

a pigeon

or a turtle

to them

comes

the lamb

of God

who will die

as the atoning

sacrifice

the ultimate

substitute

for our

purification.

Joseph and Mary

present Jesus

at the temple

and pay

his redemption

price

and the ransom

that they pay

points to

the ultimate

ransom

that God

himself pays

with the death

of his one

and only son

Jesus Christ

to redeem

his people

from slavery

to sin and death.

That's why Jesus

describes his own

mission this way

in Mark 10 45

the son of man

came not to be

served but to serve

and to give his

life as a ransom

for many.

Because Jesus

died on the cross

for our sins

as the son of God

we can be spared

as God's people

and become adopted

children of God.

That's how Jesus

is the savior.

He saves others

by not sparing

himself.

He delivers

others by

delivering himself

over to be

crucified in the

hands of sin.

In verses 25

to 28

a man named

Simeon enters

the scene

and corroborates

this.

Verse 25

says that Simeon

was righteous

and devout

waiting for the

consolation of

Israel and the

Holy Spirit

was upon him

and God

had promised

this man

that he would

not die

until he had

seen with his

eyes the

Lord's Christ.

And this man

who had been

waiting and looking

out for the

Lord's Christ

of course

recognizes him

immediately

when baby

Jesus is brought

into the temple

to be presented

for redemption.

And he's quite

eager.

Hopefully he asks

for permission

but he takes

the baby

Jesus up in

his arms

and lifts

him up

and he

praises God

this way

in verses

29 to 32.

Lord

now you are

letting your

servant

depart

in peace

according to

your word

where my

eyes have

seen

your salvation

that you have

prepared in the

presence of

all peoples

a life for

revelation to

the Gentiles

and for glory

to your people

Israel.

Seeing the

Lord's Christ

in verse 26

parallels my

eyes have seen

your salvation

in verse 30.

The Lord's

Christ is

the salvation.

So seeing

salvation

he sees

salvation

when he sees

the Lord's

Christ.

And Jesus

because he is

the salvation

he will be

a light for

revelation

for Gentiles

and for glory

to God's

people Israel.

Christ brings

light to Gentiles

who live in

darkness

and this will

be for Israel's

glory because

Christ is the

Lord the

Savior he came

from among

them.

He was one of

them.

Sometimes people

dismiss the Old

Testament as being

narrow and

ethnocentric

but right from

the beginning

from the book

of Genesis

and onward

God says

repeatedly that

eventually

ultimately the

salvation plan

is for all

the nations.

The reason why

the Jewish nation

has such a

prominent place

in God's

redemption

history in

the Old

Testament

is because

it's from

them among

the Jewish

people that

Christ the

Lord will be

born who

brings salvation

to all

nations.

He is the

Davidic king

the Savior

of the Lord.

And having

praise God

for the

birth of

Jesus,

Simeon has

a specific

word for

Mary in

verse 34

35.

Behold,

this child is

appointed for

the fall and

rising of

many in

Israel and

for a sign

that is

opposed.

And a

sword will

pierce through

your own

soul also,

so that

thoughts from

many hearts

may be

healed.

It was

prophesied in

Isaiah 8,

14-15,

and Isaiah

28-16,

that the

Messiah would

be a rock.

He would be

a rock that

causes some

people to

stumble,

but he will

also be a

rock that

serves as a

precious

cornerstone of

a sure

foundation for

others.

For those

who reject

Christ, he

will be the

rock of

stumbling that

caused them

to fall,

but for

those who

receive him

in faith,

Christ will

be the

precious

cornerstone

that supports

them up.

Jesus'

coming is

such an

earth-shattering

event, such

a history-defying

event, that

his identity

and ministry

divide the

whole world

into two

parts.

Everybody is

defined according

to God by

how they relate

to Jesus

Christ.

And as

Jesus does

this, as he

divides the

world through

his ministry,

Simeon notes,

a sword will

pierce through

Mary's own

sword also.

The word

sword refers

to a large

and broad

double-edged

sword, which

makes this

image quite

graphic.

It's referring

to sharp

emotional

pain that

Mary will

experience as

a result of

Jesus' life

and ministry.

And of

course, that

pain comes

to a

climax in

Jesus'

crucifixion

when Mary,

according to

John 1925,

is looking at

him, watching

him in the

presence of

his son,

her son's,

crucifixion.

That's the

cost of

bearing the

son of

God, who

properly

belongs not

to her, but

to the

Lord.

And after

Simeon, a

prophetess named

Anna also

comes up, we

have a lot of

actually Annas in

our church.

And Anna is

a godly woman,

a devoted

person like

Simeon.

before the

death and

resurrection of

Christ and

the subsequent

outcome of

the Spirit,

actually only

five women

out in

Scripture,

before the

coming of

the Spirit,

are described

as true

prophetess.

Only five

in the Old

Testament and

here.

Miriam,

Deborah,

Koda,

Isaiah's

unnamed

wife, and

lastly, Anna.

So Anna is

a special

vessel of

God's

revelation.

And she

was so

devoted that

instead of

remarrying after

being widowed

after a short

few years,

she remained

the widow

until she

was 84,

worshipping with

fasting and

prayer daily in

the temple,

giving her

life exclusively

to the service

of God.

And this

godly and

reliable

prophetess of

the Lord,

after seeing

Jesus,

began to

give thanks

to God

and speak

of Him

to all

who were

waiting for

the redemption

of Jerusalem.

He's the

long-awaitest

Savior that

is to come.

And then

in the last

section,

verses 41 to

52,

we move

past Jesus'

infancy to

an account

from Jesus'

boyhood,

which teaches

that Jesus

is also the

Son of

God.

As faithful

Jews,

Jesus'

parents went

to Jerusalem

every year

at the

feast of

the Passover,

and on

one such

occasion,

when Jesus

was 12

years old,

as the

family made

a return

trip from

Jerusalem,

verses 43

to 45

follows this,

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.

So for these

kinds of

major trips,

it was common

for an entire

village to travel

together,

so they would

have quite the

wedding,

Joseph and Mary

would be

accompanied by

their extended

family as well

as their

neighbors from

the village

of Nazareth,

and this is

why,

even though

Jesus wasn't

with them

during the

first day's

journey,

Joseph and

Mary kind

of assumed

that he

was in

the group

somewhere,

and so

they didn't

worry too

much,

but then at

the end

of the day,

when everyone

gets together

again to settle

down for the

night,

Joseph and

Mary discover

that Jesus

is not in

the group,

so they

frantically

search for

him,

and eventually

return to

Jerusalem

in search

of him,

and they

find something

astonishing in

verse 46,

it says,

after three

days,

they find

him in

the temple,

sitting among

the teachers,

listening to

them and

asking them

questions.

It was

common for

Jewish teachers

of the law

to be surrounded

by students

who sat by

their feet

to receive

instruction,

so the

technical way

to describe

that relationship

is for them

to sit before

the teacher's

feet,

as it says

in Acts 22

3,

but that

typical scene

is kind of

mixed up here

in verse 46,

because Jesus

is not sitting

before the

teachers' feet,

he says he's

sitting among

the teachers,

listening to

them and

questioning them.

In verse 47,

it says,

and all who

heard him

were amazed

at his

understanding

and his

answers.

The word

understanding

here refers

to penetrated

insight.

Jesus is

a full

conversational

partner

with these

teachers of

the law,

and in fact,

he dazzles

them with

his own

penetrating

insights,

his understanding

and his

answers to

the questions

and problems

that they

pose.

And finding

Jesus sitting

casually among

the teachers

and conversing

with them

is understandably

upsetting to

the parents

who have

been searching

practically for

them for

three days.

So Mary

scolds them

in verse 48,

Son,

why have

you treated

us so?

Behold,

your father

and I

have been

searching for

you in

great distress.

But if they

were astounded

earlier,

Jesus' response

floors them

in verse 49,

Why were

you looking

for me?

Did you

not know

that I

must be

in my

father's

house?

If Jesus

weren't really

the son of

God,

if this

weren't true,

this would

be like the

height of

insolence,

right?

How dare

you,

child,

talk to me

this way,

but that

because he

is the

son of

God,

this is

true.

And look

at the

contrast

between

verse 48

and verse

49.

In verse

48,

Mary addresses

Jesus as

son,

and then

she

emphasizes

your

father and

I have

been looking

for you.

And Jesus'

response

directly answers

that.

Why are you

surprised?

Do you not

know that I

must be in

my father's

house?

He's been

in his

father's

house this

whole time.

This reveals

Jesus'

self-awareness

and identity

and purpose,

his priority.

He must

be in

his

father's

house.

It's a

necessity

placed upon

him through

his true

identity as

the son

of God.

Biologically,

as a human

being,

Jesus is

the son of

Mary.

Genealogically,

Joseph is

Jesus'

father.

But spiritually,

internally,

Jesus is the

son of God.

God.

This is such a

bold statement

that Joseph

and Mary

are taken

aback.

They don't

quite even

understand what

Jesus means

by this.

And nevertheless,

verse 41 tells

us that in

spite of his

identity as the

son of God,

Jesus was

submissive to

his earthly

parents.

And Mary,

once again,

treasured up all

these things in

her heart.

You can see

Jesus' growth and

progression in

this chapter by

looking at what

words are used

to describe him,

to call him.

Because verse

52 provides

another growth

chart for

child genes for

us.

It says,

And Jesus

increased in

wisdom and

in stature and

in favor with

God and

men.

In this

chapter,

Jesus has

gone from

being a

baby in

verse 16

to a

child in

verse 40

to a

boy in

verse 43.

And finally

here in

verse 52,

he simply

referred to

by his

name,

Jesus.

And this

is a

noteworthy

statement that

reveals Jesus'

nature as

being both

fully God

and fully

man,

because it

says that

he increased

in three

categories,

wisdom,

stature,

and favor.

Jesus grew

mentally,

physically,

and morally

in terms of

the favorable

moral standing

he had before

God and

men.

Jesus did

not have

all of

these things

in fullness

from the

beginning.

He increased

in them.

Jesus is

fully the

Son of

God,

but in

his full

identity as

Son of

Man,

he grew

and he

increased

in these

things.

His divine

nature and

his human

nature are

united

separately and

eternally in

the person

of Jesus

Christ.

And throughout

this entire

chapter,

we've seen

the greatness

of Jesus

according to

heaven's

estimation,

salvation,

put right

next to

side-by-side

with his

lowliness

from an

earthy

perspective.

And if

you are

ready to

follow Christ,

brothers and

sisters,

this is

your calling

as well.

Because if

you wish to