The Rest of the Christmas Story

Luke 2:25-38

INTRODUCTION

You’re familiar with the story about Jesus in the manger with Mary and Joseph and the shepherds gathered around, and the angels hovering above.

Today I’m going to tell you about something that happened just a few weeks later that is also an important part of the Christmas story.

Six weeks after Jesus was born, Mary and Joseph set out to walk to Jerusalem.

Let’s use our imaginations and watch them as they trudge along the dusty, rocky road through the hills. Baby Jesus is probably sucking his thumb. He is a real, human baby.

Mary and Joseph have gotten early start because Jerusalem is five miles from Bethlehem. It would have taken three hours, at least. They would want to be home by evening.

Mary is carrying her baby but not in her arms. That would have been too risky for such a journey. Like other mothers in ancient times—and many today—she carries her precious baby in a sling against her chest or on her back.

Joseph is walking beside her carrying the lunch, some diapers—the Bible calls them “swaddling bands”—and a little basket with a lid. I’ll tell you about that later.

Perhaps, during the long walk, they stop beside the road to nurse the baby and change his diaper.

Finally they come within sight of Jerusalem. Above the city they see the beautiful Temple. From a distance it looks like the Temple Mount is snow-capped—the white limestone of the temple gleaming in the sun.

It was said that you don’t know what beauty is until you’ve seen the Jerusalem Temple.

King Herod’s builders have flattened the top of the mount and buttressed it with huge stones to make a great flat area as large as 20 football fields.

The Temple itself was in the middle of this courtyard.

There are two ways into the temple courtyard. One is via a great viaduct that extends over the street beneath and is mounted by many steps.

The other way in is via underground passages with steps that come out into the courtyard. These passages are lit by lamps.

The courtyard the Holy Family enter is called the Court of the Gentiles. Anyone, even foreigners could come this far.

In this courtyard they see souvenir vendors, money changers, and people selling sheep and oxen and pigeons for offerings.

People would be standing around praying—out loud, holding up their hands to heaven.

Around the great courtyard were beautiful cloisters, or porticos, roofed porches behind rows of beautiful columns.

One was called the “Royal Portico”; another was “Solomon’s Portico.” It was under the roofs of these porches that the rabbis taught--and where, later, Jesus would teach.

Mary and Joseph see priests clothed with white robes moving around among the people assisting them with their offerings.

Mary and Joseph are here today with their child because they are Jews and serious about their faith.

They are careful to keep all the requirements of their law, according to scripture.

On the eighth day after the baby was born, he was circumcised and given his name—the name “Jesus,” the name the angel had given Joseph.

Now they are at the Temple to fulfill two more requirements of the Old Testament Law.

The first was to pay the five shekel offering, as required for every firstborn boy baby. This was in remembrance of the escape from death in Egypt, when God said that the firstborn son belonged to God and must be redeemed by an offering.

The second, and more important responsibility was the ritual of the purification of the mother. This must be done 40 days after the baby boy’s birth. I don’t know exactly the reason for this, but it appears that life forces involved in the birth of a child were so awesome that the law required a special ritual before the mother could be free to go on with ordinary life and mix with people again.

The law, as recorded in Leviticus, required a lamb for a burnt offering and a pigeon for a sin offering. But provision was made for a family too poor to afford a lamb. In this case, another pigeon or dove could be substituted. This was the offering Joseph and Mary brings because they are poor.

Joseph buys the two young pigeons from a vendor in the temple court, puts them in his basket and closes its lid.

They go to the steps to a gate leading into another walled courtyard.

This is the “Court of the Women.” All Israelites could come into this area but it was called “The Court of the Women” because this was as far as the women could come.

Here they might have seen choirs of Levites playing their instruments and singing psalms.

There may have been dancing.

Here were the boxes were for the offerings. You remember that once Jesus sat here and watched people putting in their offerings.

I suppose it was now that Joseph turns over the two pigeons to a priest to make the offering for Mary.

The priest takes the offerings into another courtyard, up more steps to the great altar where the animals are being sacrificed. Joseph could follow into this courtyard, called “The Court of Israel,” but Mary, being a woman, could not enter this courtyard.

I. But of all this we read nothing. What we read about is something that happened that was quite unexpected. We don’t know at which point this unexpected event occurred. It may have been on the way in, or it may have been after the offerings had been made.

A. Suddenly an old man appeared. He took the baby into his arms and began to speak. I will read it to you in the words of scripture:

“Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace,

according to your word;

for my eyes have seen your salvation,

which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,

a light for revelation to the Gentiles

and for glory to your people Israel.”

B. Luke tells us that this man’s name is Simeon.

Simeon was a righteous and devout man.

He was looking for what is called “The consolation of Israel,” which meant that he was looking for the fulfillment of the promises that God had made long ago of a Messiah who would comfort his people, healing their wounds and granting them salvation and peace.

The term comes from Isaiah, in which the prophet says,

“Comfort, comfort my people, says your God,

speak tenderly to Jerusalem…” (Isaiah 40:1)

C. We read that the Holy Spirit had revealed to him that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Guided by the Spirit, he has come to the temple at just this time to have his this promise fulfilled—to see the one who had been promised and for whom he had been waiting so many years—the Savior who would be a light for revelation to the Gentiles and a glory for God’s people Israel.

We read, “The child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him.

Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, ‘This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul also.’”

When Simeon said, “…and a sword will pierce your own soul also” he was looking ahead, by the Spirit of prophecy to the event that would break Mary’s heart.

This is the dark shadow over the story of Christmas.

Old Simeon saw into the destiny of the baby.

This child would be a “sign” that was spoken against.

He would be hated and reviled and condemned and crucified.

And Mary would be there watching and grieving. That was the sword that would pierce her soul. We have the story in the Gospel of John.

II. And now a second character appears, an old lady named Anna.

A. Anna was either 85 years old. And she was a prophet.

Simeon had to be prompted by God to come to the temple that day, but Anna came every day and spent her days in the Temple . The record says, “She never left the Temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day.”

Imagine Anna under the colonnades of the porticos around the courtyard of the temple speaking God’s word to whoever would listen.

Israel had a tradition of women prophets. We remember Miriam, Deborah, and Hulda. In the New  Testament, Philip the Evangelist had four unmarried daughters who prophesied.

B. Then we read, “At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.” So Anna came and took the baby from Simeon and began to praise God and to speak about the child.

Unfortunately Luke has not given us Anna’s speech.

But I have made a speech for Anna. It is something like this she must have said to Mary,

“Yes, dear mother,

there will come a time of great sorrow,

a sword will pierce your heart.

The sun will hide its face as the Lamb of God is handed over to sinners.

But a new day will dawn.

As with a mother in labor, sorrow will turn to joy.

Welcome, welcome, Holy Child.

With you, God will establish his kingdom.

‘Justice will roll down like waters

and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.’”

Jesus’s parents were there because they were obeying the Law of God.

Simeon was there because he had been prompted by the Holy Spirit.

Anna was there because she was always there.

And all four of them were brought together by God to bear witness to the destiny of the holy Child.

APPLICATION

Today we are Simeon. We are Anna.

We look back to what they looked forward to.

They looked at the baby Jesus and saw his sorrow and his glory.

We look back at our Risen Lord Jesus and see that he was “Immanuel,” “God with us.”

With the eyes of faith, we look at the Holy One who came into our world as a human baby and became our Redeemer and rose from the dead and will bring us with him to glory.

What we have in common with Simeon and Anna is that we have seen the Salvation of the Lord.

Though we don’t see him with our human eyes, we see him with the eyes of faith, and we believe in him and stake our lives and our hopes on his truth.

We take him into our hearts as our companion through life.

We follow by the way of the Cross, living for Jesus, obeying, loving, trusting, and hoping to the end.

Let this Christmas be a time of renewal, a time of re-commitment to the Savior who loved us even to death.

People give gifts at Christmas time.

What will we give Jesus?

Let us give him our hearts.

Let us live every day to make his love real in the world—not only to our friends but to everyone we meet.

As the first Christmas was a new beginning for the world, let this Christmas be a new beginning for us.