Pausing from the study of Mark, this week’s lesson focuses on portions from the early childhood stories found in Luke, including a portion of the beloved Christmas story.
The title of this lesson, like others in the same unit, is cast in the form of a question. Luke chapter 2 is dominated by the declaration that Jesus is the Savior. Only those who have special knowledge of Jesus, the angels and the two elderly prophets in the temple, speak of Jesus, and these associate Jesus with salvation. Mary and Joseph, while busy with family duties, are silent as Jesus’ role in God’s salvation is announced. They simply stand by marveling at the actions and sayings of the various characters they encounter in the chapter.
Many characters speak in chapter 2:1-40: the angels, the shepherds, the prophets in the temple. All who speak solely are focused on God’s saving activity unfolding in their midst. This is Luke’s literary way of pointing out the main message of this chapter and of his book: how God brought his salvation to mankind. Therefore, while the question of this lesson’s title helps one to focus on Luke’s passage, the answer must likewise focus on God’s salvation.
To save mankind (Luke 2:8-15)
The biblical material for the first section of the lesson is tremendously rich in its declaration of Jesus as the Savior.
The biblical passage for this subsection of the lesson should be verses 8-20 because the assertion of Jesus as the Savior flows through two parallel actions of the angels and the shepherds: (1) the angels declare Jesus as the Savior (v. 11); (2) the angels glorify and praise God, worshipping God in the context of his saving activity (vv. 13-14); (3) the shepherds express the intent to find this newborn Savior (v. 15); and (4) the shepherds glorify and praise God (v 20).
The human application for this section of the Christmas story is primarily to follow the actions of the shepherds, that is, to seek out and discover the Savior. For those who have come to know Jesus personally, a second application activity is to praise and glorify God.
Notice that in response to the heaven-sent revelation regarding Jesus, the shepherds decided to seek out the Savior. Also notice that they were overwhelmingly satisfied by their experience because they glorified and praised God. It should be pointed out that nowhere else in the Gospels does a heavenly visitation come to human beings to declare Jesus as Savior. The disciples did not receive such a direct revelation from heaven. The disciples had Jesus himself among them to observe, and three of the disciples heard the words of God’s great pleasure in Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. Yet what a great honor the shepherds had on the night of Jesus’ birth when they alone, not the high priest nor the Jewish religious leaders nor even the local rabbi, received heaven’s announcement of Jesus’ birth.
By extension, over time and geography however, we as readers of Luke’s Gospel share in the announcement to the shepherds. Therefore we too must be determined to respond as the shepherds did and seek Jesus. For those who have never committed their lives to Jesus, it must be understood that seeking Jesus is different than knowing the facts of Jesus’ birth, life and death on the cross. Seeking Jesus means to seek him with all one’s heart (see the great promise in Jeremiah 29:13 for those who seek the Lord). For those who have found the Lord, seeking the Lord must continue throughout life. This is not a performance matter but the action of one in a heart commitment with the Lord.
One other important point to see in this passage is the character of God’s salvation as indicated in verse 14. God’s salvation is described in terms of favor that brings peace. Favor is a word related to grace. God’s salvation is offered through grace and brings peace to those who receive it. The shepherds were the first to enjoy Gods’ favor or grace through the person of Jesus and they were the first to praise God for his salvation through Jesus—expressing the gratitude and joy of hearts that are at peace with God.
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Clearly the famous Christmas story focuses on salvation, the way people come to know the Savior, and how people respond when the find him. So even in connection with the birth of Jesus, God’s salvation is active in the lives of strangers who leapt at the chance to know personally the world’s great Savior. We too should seek out the Lord and respond to the Lord’s presence in our lives by praising and glorifying hyim.
To reveal God’s salvation to mankind (Luke 2:25-32)
Following the shepherd’s discovery of the baby Jesus, the narrative leaps to Jesus’ dedication in the temple eight days after his birth. There two prophets were drawn to Jesus and prophesy over him. Luke 2:21-35 tells the story of the encounter of the first of these prophets, Simeon, with the holy family. As with the previous sections in Luke 2, this section emphasizes God’s work of salvation through the person of Jesus. Simeon’s prophecy adds one further point of disclosure that God’s saving work through Jesus will be revealed to his people and to the Gentiles as well.
Simeon’s song has been traditionally called the Nunc Dimittis, deriving from the first two words of Simeon’s prophecy according to the Latin text. The prophecy begins with a gracious plea of dismissal from service, or by indirect words, a submission of retirement as an acknowledgement that God has fulfilled his promise to Simeon. Simeon included this part first to glorify God and in effect state that his career has come to its greatest possible moment.
Simeon also emphasized, as the angels had, God’s saving activity already associated with the baby Jesus. The present day holiday season called Christmas certainly bears Jesus’ title, but its emphases and associations are far removed from the strong emphasis of Luke who strongly associates Jesus and his arrival in this world with God’s active operation of salvation.
God’s revealing activity was seen earlier in the passage with the announcement of the angels over the fields of the shepherds. Again, God’s revealing activity is evident, this time in the life of Simeon. We find out that God had revealed two main points to Simeon: that Simeon would live to see the Messiah and that Simeon would be led to identify the Messiah at the appropriate moment in Simeon’s life. This underscores that God actively and strategically reveals himself. The last line of the Nunc Dimittis is thus the climactic line of Simeon’s song: God’s salvation will be a light of revelation to the Gentiles and of glory to God’s people Israel. God’s revealing activity through Jesus is further emphasized in Simeon’s prophecy to Mary and Joseph, and is the focus of the next section of the lesson.
For further consideration, one should consider the age of Simeon. While his age is not stated, it generally is understood that Simeon was advanced in age because of God’s assurance that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Such an assurance would not necessarily be needed for a younger man who would see the Messiah sometime in the years of his strength or during the customary years of active service.
While the logic is not strong, it seems to indicate Simeon was advanced in age. If so, Simeon’s prophecy seems to belong to phenomena prophesied in Joel 2:28, which indicates the Day of the Lord will arrive with the accompanying phenomena of old men serving in prophetic roles though they are by age beyond the customary days of active service. Peter associated Jesus’ ministry with the inauguration of the Day of the Lord (Acts 2:16-36). That day dawned with the arrival of Jesus in the temple of Jerusalem, and Simeon was there to announce the presence of the Messiah in the Lord’s temple.
The previous point is repeated and underscored with the parallel prophetic activity of the elderly prophetess Anna in verses 36-38. The core emphasis of Anna’s prophecy is once again redemption, Luke’s focus in chapter 2.
How does one respond to God’s revelation of his redemption? At the very least, one should marvel, as Mary and Joseph did (v. 33). Marveling is positive reflection on God’s words and works. Such reflection should eventually lead a person to seek God actively, just as the shepherds did.
To draw a response from the hearts of people (Luke 2:33-35)
Simeon was allowed a moment for prophetic utterance. Holding the child, he announced the child would cause the thoughts of many hearts to be revealed. The child’s future activity would be so provocative that one and all, those who favored him and those who opposed him, would be energized to make vocal choices regarding him. Or in Simeon’s words, they will reveal their hearts regarding Jesus.
Luke records no further response to Simeon’s words except for the prophecy of Anna whose words restate Simeon’s message. How should people today respond to God’s revelation through his Son Jesus? According to Simeon, God has built in a provocative nature into Jesus’ identity as the Savior for all. That provocative nature was meant to cause people to react to Jesus.
That Jesus can be so provocative can be seen in the present world, some 2,000 years later. References to Jesus permeate our society. Opinions of Jesus range widely. Seemingly as many strong opponents to Jesus speak out as those who speak glowingly in his behalf. Jesus seems to be the preference of many while many others seem to possess various reasons to dismiss further consideration of him.
While all the benefits of knowing Jesus are not enunciated in this passage, the main reason for responding to Jesus is to experience the salvation or redemption that he alone offers. The power of God stands with Jesus, as is evidenced numerous times in the Gospels, and specifically in the birth and early childhood events in Jesus’ life.
This in itself is something worth musing over, or marveling over as Mary and Joseph did. Consideration and acceptance of Jesus as Savior is critically important for any life. The appearance of Jesus in one’s life is God’s call to respond to his offer of salvation. It is vital that every person consider God’s gracious offer to redeem them from the enslaving and destructive elements of this world. This redemption is a process that continues as long as a person endures in this world and thus God’s people should continually respond to God’s work through
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