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Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, the text comes from the Gospel reading. You may be seated. Today is the city of destiny in the text, and the city of destiny for our Lord Jesus is Jerusalem. This is the first of many times that our Lord ends up in Jerusalem teaching and proclaiming truth. The kingdom of God comes in him.
Now, let’s take a moment to think about this: that when Joseph and Mary, on this 40th day after our Lord’s birth, come to the temple in Jerusalem, they are bringing into the earthly temple the true temple of God in Jesus Christ. Remember, it was our Lord Jesus that says, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” So what a remarkable moment that Mary and Joseph would bring into the earthly temple the incarnate temple of God to offer a sacrifice.
And here’s another little fun math fact. This is the 33rd day after Jesus was circumcised that they are in the temple. And 33 years later, the final drops of blood are shed for all mankind in Jerusalem, outside the city. Now typically, one of the normal sacrifices for a firstborn would be a lamb. Mary and Joseph, however, because of their economic abilities, were not able to afford a lamb. And so… The law of Moses allows for two turtle doves or two pigeons to be offered.
But can you imagine how ridiculous it would be for Mary and Joseph to offer a lamb as a sacrificial offering for the Lamb of God who’s in the arms of God? So here is the Lamb of God who by His presence in this earthly temple sanctifies everything in that temple and every sacrifice in that temple because He is the temple incarnate, our Lord Jesus Christ.
But let’s look at the text with when Simeon greets Mary and Joseph and, in essence, takes the baby out of their arms. So Mary and Joseph are bringing baby Jesus, the temple incarnate. Simeon picks up the baby Jesus and holds it. He had been waiting there because the Holy Spirit had told him he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Christ, the Lord’s Christ, the Lord’s Messiah. So he is waiting day in and day out, knowing by faith, even though it doesn’t seem like it could be, knowing by faith he would hold and see his salvation.
So the first words out of Simeon’s lips, now that he is holding his salvation, he is holding the sacrificial lamb, he is holding the temple that will be destroyed and raised in three days. Out of his mouth comes, “Lord, now let your servant depart in peace according to your word.” It’s as if Simeon is saying, “Lord, I’m tired. I’ve been waiting and I’m ready to go home. And now that you have fulfilled your promise that I’ve seen my salvation and am holding this infant, take me home.”
Now, anybody watching this scene—and this is the temple, so there are lots of people probably observing this scene—can you imagine what they’re thinking? They’re thinking this guy Simeon is senile, that he has been at the temple one too many days and has breathed in a little too much incense. Because he’s calling a baby his Messiah, his Savior. He is saying, “I’m holding my salvation.” That’s not something that makes rational sense, which is why anybody watching this would assume Simeon is senile. Or suffering from dementia, Alzheimer’s, or who knows what. But he is not in his right mind.
And yet you and I know he is because those words, “Lord, now let me depart in peace according to your word. For my eyes have seen your salvation.” Those words are what you confessed to me every time you receive the Lord’s Supper and sing that to me and to God. You’re confessing that you are just like Simeon. You have not only held Christ; more importantly, you have feasted upon the Lamb who takes away your sin. And you’re saying, “Lord, take me. Anytime now, take me. I have received you in my body. I am your child. I am your son or daughter. Take me. According to your word, let it be done.”
Simeon was given this gift of proclamation that the Church grabbed hold of. And isn’t it theologically profound that when the Church was putting together our liturgy, that they would put that specific biblical text after the Lord’s Supper? Very interesting. Now it’s a part of the many holy inspired texts that surround our Lord’s birth. During the midweek, we looked at the first of those inspired texts by Zechariah, called the Benedictus. A little later we heard about Mary’s song, which is called the Magnificat. And now we have Simeon’s song called Nunc Dimittis.
All of these unique Holy Spirit-inspired texts God intended not just for the ears of those who were in that temple that day and for Mary and Joseph, but God intended those texts for you, and you still sing them and have been singing them all your life if you grew up in the Church. And if not, now you see what God has done in His Scripture that has fulfillment in that supper where you see and eat your salvation just as much as Simeon. Your eyes have been opened.
Anybody on the outside looks at that text and looks at communion and says… “No connection between that text and communion.” No different than everybody in that temple who heard Simeon speak those words and saw him hold an infant could say the same thing. There’s no connection to what he is saying and the infant in his arms. But you by faith think that there is, don’t you? You see the theological and biblical connection that God has woven in that text and in that meal.
And this is for the benefit of you. It benefited your grandparents and parents, and it will benefit you and your grandchildren. It is God speaking through this man named Simeon. Jesus said elsewhere, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you have seen.” Some people thought Simeon was completely blind as he held that infant in his arms and spoke those words, but not you and me. We look at that and we say, “I don’t know how he could have believed it, but he said it and I believe it to be true.”
No different than there are many people who say, “How can you think that God could be in flesh and blood with bread and wine? That’s completely absurd.” And yet, that’s what you believe because the Bible says so. Your eyes have been opened. And isn’t it interesting? For we whose eyes have been opened, others think that our eyes are still blind—especially this world.
And the world, who considers themselves to be enlightened and their eyes are opened, the Church, we look at them and say, “Your eyes are blind; you’re missing it. It’s right in front of you.” Enter the second person in this text, her name is Anna, a prophetess, one who proclaims the Word of God. Now, God blessed her as He blessed Mary with a divine proclamation to proclaim, but not nearly as important as Simeon. And all we know about what Anna did was, Anna’s kind of like the shepherds. Think about that. The angels come and proclaim a biblical text to the shepherds. The shepherds grab hold of it, and then they go and do what with that revelation? They tell everybody about it.
Anna listens to Simeon proclaim it directly from God. She herself has been waiting for the consolation of Israel. She sees and believes what Simeon says, and then she, like the shepherds, goes and tells everyone else about this child. But here’s the difference. The shepherds told about Jesus’ birth. Anna? Anna tells about Jesus’ death. For if he is going to bring consolation to Israel, if he is going to redeem Israel, you cannot redeem and bring consolation without death, the shedding of blood.
Anna is telling everyone that this infant that the shepherds told of his birth is the one who will be what Simeon said, the Lord’s Christ, the Messiah, the anointed one who dies for the sins of the world. This is the profundity of what both of these people do in this text about affirming who this is and, more importantly, what his mission is.
Now, it’s interesting because we sometimes, as God’s people, are disappointed because God doesn’t fulfill some of our expectations of Him. And our Lord Jesus never came to fulfill any of your expectations. He is not a God who fulfills expectations. He is a God who sends His Son, who fulfills the Father’s expectations, which really then take care of you and me.
Now most of the people that Jesus met, and most of the people who heard Anna’s proclamation, did not believe. And you remember what was said to Mary by Simeon: “A sword will pierce your own soul as well,” in order that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. That’s God’s Word at work in you. He reveals your thoughts. He makes known to you your great need for the one who was born, but more importantly, also died for you. The one whose blood was shed that you might then become adopted as sons and daughters.
And that revelation does not leave us always comfortable because law also is a part of that revelation. And that’s what leads us to say, “I am a conflicted mess of desiring things of God and desiring my own self-centered things. How and why do I continue to exist in this conflicted state and who will deliver me?” And there’s the comfort of the one who brings consolation. Blood has been shed for that person. Blood has been shed to make you His and release you upon your death. Which is why Simeon’s words, “Take me home. I have seen and tasted. Take me home.”
One last note. It is not random that there are two people in this text to confirm and affirm who Jesus is—two witnesses. In the Old Testament, all things were affirmed by at least two witnesses. How many false witnesses did they get to show that Jesus was a blasphemer? Two. God, by His divine power and grace, fulfills everything by sending two witnesses. Not just one, two. Simeon and Anna. Not two men, not two women. One of each.
That he might affirm the identity of this infant in the arms of Mary and Joseph and the purpose of this infant in the arms of Mary and Joseph. And think about this: after this happened at the 40th day from his birth, we don’t hear about Jesus again until Jesus turns 12 years old. And where do we find Jesus at the age of 12 but in the temple? The very same place he was found at the 40th day; he’s found at 12 years old because he comes to show this temple is temporary. I’m the final and end-all temple. Where I am, you will be with God.
There he is; you are with God. When it says, “The child grew, became strong, being filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him,” when Simeon held that child, when Anna pointed to that child, they were pointing to wisdom incarnate, grace incarnate, truth incarnate. And every time you believe and trust in this same infant, and every time you eat his flesh and drink his blood, you receive his wisdom, his truth, his grace. What else can we say but, “Lord, let us depart in peace according to your word. For our eyes have and will continue to feast upon you, our bread and meat indeed.”
In the name of Jesus, Amen. The peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds. From Christ Jesus to life everlasting, Amen.