20241222 Luke 2:22-52 Christmas: The Coming of God's Anointed

What are you waiting for? Right now, my family is waiting for the birth of our third child that should happen in less than a month. Some of you in this room, though I have just begun the sermon, are waiting for me to be done. We are all waiting for something. It could be to become an adult and move out of your parents’ home. Others are waiting to find a special someone to spend the rest of their lives with. Others wait to have children. We wait for medical test results to know if anything is wrong. Others are waiting to get a job or a promotion. Life includes waiting for a lot of things, all the time. What are you waiting for? …

By the time I am done, I want us to think of our answer to the question, “What are you waiting for?” in a different way. My long-term goal for our church, is for us to be a people whose lives are characterized by waiting for Jesus.

Christmas is about the Coming of God’s Anointed. Today we will see that, the coming of God's anointed is (1) awaited, (2) it is fulfilled in Jesus the God-Man, and (3) it begins the fulfillment of God’s plan of Salvation.

First, we see that the coming of God’s Anointed is awaited in piety and righteousness in Luke 2:22-24, 39, 25, 36-38.

A common thread in Luke 1-2 is that people in the narrative are devoted to the Lord. A first example of devotion is in Luke 1:6. Zechariah and Elizabeth were “righteous before God, walking blameless in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord.” A second example of devotion is Mary and Joseph. Luke dedicates 4 verses to show they obeyed the Law of Moses.[1] A third example is Simeon. According to Luke 2:25, Simeon was righteous and devout. Lastly, Luke describes Anna’s devotion in Luke 2:36-38. In the decades that followed her becoming a widow, she devoted herself to the Lord. She remained in the temple, fasting, petitioning, and worshipping. To each, God reveals himself in a powerful way. We can conclude that, “God reveals his secret purposes in history to humble servants who continually live in his presence.”[2]

Most Christians will say they want to know God’s will for their lives. This text suggests that we should begin with devotion. Being devoted to the Lord in religious piety can be a joyous thing that leads to intimacy with God and fellow believers. The result of devotion to the Lord is a heightened awareness of God’s purposes for the world. It leads to greater confidence that we are walking with him. Our devotion leads to love for God and delight and it changes our desires, passions, and behaviors.

An extra theme that connects Simeon and Anna is the theme of “waiting.” In Luke 2:25, Simeon was “waiting” for the comfort of Israel. According to Luke 2:38, those Anna addressed in the temple were “waiting” for the redemption of Jerusalem.” It is the same word. The basic definition of the Greek word is not to wait, but to receive. Their expectation of receiving something in the future was so high that they were acting like it was a done deal. Waiting for Jesus affects how we live today.

For us today, we also await the Messiah, now his second coming, with great devotion. In Luke 1-2, there is a wide range of people who share in the joy of Jesus’ coming. We have people in a rural setting with the shepherds and people in the city. They are male and female, a young, engaged couple and a pair of senior citizen saints.[3] Whoever we are, Jesus came for people like us, like me, like you.

Devotion to God may sound like a religious duty to get God to notice you. There is no hint in the text of performance to try to earn anything. Mary, Joseph, Simeon, and Anna were devoted to God because he is God. Devotion to God according to the text is at least three things. It is obeying God’s commandments like Mary and Joseph. Devotion is committing ourselves to worship like Anna. Devotion is living in the reality of the Bible’s story with Jesus at the center like Simeon.

This devotion changes every aspect of our being. It is gospel or cross- shaped. Obedience, worship, Christ-centeredness change our reflexes. The Holy Spirit uses these practices to change us, to make us more like Jesus. We become quicker to give, forgive, ask for forgiveness, invest in people rather than stuff. These flow from the Christian good news of the forgiveness of sins for all who believe.

Our lack of Devotion hurts us. Simeon illustrates this. He is about to die, and he says, “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace.” This is the peace Christians can experience in the face of death when we are devoted to God. A poll of adults showed that their top four resolutions were: Improve personal finances, stop smoking, lose weight, and get more exercise. These goals are all external, not internal. Since the external slowly withers away, they are setting themselves up for disappointment. When our goals do not include relationships, even if we are successful, we still feel lonely and discontent. To know God as Simeon knew God is a better way. It becomes something constant no matter what our external circumstances. Simeon has peace even in the face of death because he knows he is living out God’s will for his life.

Second, we see the Coming of God’s Anointed – Is fulfilled in Jesus the God-Man in Luke 2:22-24, 39, 40, 52, 26, 49.

Luke 1-2 is loaded with information on the identity of Jesus. The Angel Gabriel told Mary that she would conceive a son who would be called “the Son of the Most-High.” He also said that the Lord would give the child “the throne of his father David” to reign forever (Luke 1:32). The shepherds told Mary and Joseph that the baby was a “Savior, who is Christ the LORD” (Luke 2:11, 17). Our text reveals Jesus’ identity. We learn about his human nature and his divine nature.

Our text stresses particularly Jesus' human nature. Luke 2:22-24, 39 teaches that Jesus was a Jewish boy. His parents kept the law of Moses concerning him. They offered “two turtledoves or two pigeons” (Luke 2:24). According to Lev 12:8 this was the offering for families who could not offer a lamb. Jesus was not born in a wealthy family. Luke 2:51 teaches that Jesus was submissive to his parents. Luke 2:40 and 52, teach us that Jesus grew stronger, increased in wisdom and in favor with God and man.

The humanity of Jesus is really important. This is what Christmas is about. It is a celebration of the second member of the Trinity, God the Son becoming a human being, or adding on human nature. This human nature comes with a body and brain. The human nature of Jesus developed and reach maturity. He grew physically and mentally. Understanding Christ who is one person with two natures is complicated or impossible. We must avoid two extremes. One extreme is to neglect his human nature. Jesus did not just appear to be human, he really was. The other extreme is to deny Jesus’ deity. Jesus was not just political revolutionary, a charismatic holy Galilean man. He was divine[4]

The humanity of Jesus is really important.[5] It was Adam's sin that led all humans to be sinners. We need a human being to act to offer righteousness. Jesus died the sinner’s death to offer the forgiveness of sins to the world (Rom 5:18-19). Heb 2:16-17 makes the following point about the importance of Christ’s humanity. Jesus had to be a human in order to serve as our high priest and represent us. Jesus was a human and came to die for humans like him. Without the humanity of Christ, there is no salvation.

Our text stresses the Deity of Christ According to Luke 2:26, Jesus is the Lord’s Anointed /Christ/ Messiah. Anointed is the English word. Christ is the Greek word. Messiah is the Hebrew word.[6] In Luke 2:11, the angels referred to Jesus as “Christ, the Lord.” The title “Messiah” is connected with Lord, which was one of the most common names of God in the OT. This is a hint to Chrit’s divine nature.

A second way we see the Deity of Jesus in this text is in Luke 2:49. Jesus refers to God as his father, when he calls the temple as “my father’s house.” John 5:18 teaches that when Jesus calls God his father, he is making himself equal to God.

The same way we needed Jesus to be a man for our salvation, we also needed him to be divine. While a man can die on behalf of another man, Jesus' divine nature gave an infinite value to his human nature, so that he could suffer and die for many people at the same time." Without the divinity of Christ, there is no salvation.

The promised Messiah is fulfilled in Jesus, the God-Man. The combination of Jesus' human and divine natures are at the center of the Christmas message. We celebrate something that we will never truly comprehend. But we celebrate this amazing fact. The God who created the universe, in the Second Person of the God head, became a human being. Jesus is uniquely qualified to save humanity from sin.

Third, The Coming of God’s Anointed – Begins the fulfillment of God’s plan of Salvation (Luke 2:25, 38, 32, 34-35)

We saw the posture of those waiting, we saw the one who came. Now we look at why he came. When Simeone saw Jesus, he said, “My eyes have seen your salvation.” Jesus came to bring salvation. This text describes Jesus’ work as “the comfort of Israel” (Luke 2:25). He brings the “redemption of Jerusalem” (Luke 2:38). He is “a light for revelation to the Gentiles (Luke 2:32) and for glory to your people Israel (Luke 2:32). Jesus brings salvation but Luke 2:34-35 describes Jesus' ministry in other terms. He was “appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel”. He is “a sign that is opposed,” that many hearts would be revealed.

First, we look at “the comfort of Israel” (Luke 2:25) and “the redemption of Jerusalem” (Luke 2:38). The Old Testament prophets connected themes of salvation. They spoke of the return from exile from Babylon. They spoke of a Messiah from the line of David. There was also the promise of the forgiveness of sins. Following Israel's release from Babylon, they were under the control of other nations. The deliverance of the nation of Israel in its fullest sense became connected with the coming Messiah and the forgiveness of sins.

Second, in Luke 2:30-32, Simeon describes the comfort of Israel and refers to salvation as light to the Gentiles. This is a clear allusion to Isa 49:6. This section of Isaiah, and particularly Isaiah 53 speaks of Israel's forgiveness of sins through a mysterious servant. Luke 1:77 has already made it clear that the Messiah comes for the forgiveness of sins.

Now, for the more difficult aspect of Christ’s ministry. Luke 2:34-35 reads that the Messiah was “appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel”, “a sign that is opposed,” that many hearts would be revealed. This means Jesus will divide the nation of Israel. Some will believe and others will not believe.[8]

Christmas comes with a challenge. The birth of Jesus divides. There are those who accept him and surrender their lives to him and have their sins forgiven. Others reject him. This becomes clear in Jesus' ministry in Luke, in the book Acts and still today. When gospel is preached, some believe others reject.

Christmas is about the greatest gift of God’s savior for the world. Christmas also brings people’s greatest challenge. Because of who he is and what he came to do, we have to make a decision. We will be devoted to Christ and become a light in the world that shines the light of Jesus. Or are there sins in our lives that are too appealing that we would rather keep living in them? We need to respond to the coming of Jesu into the world.

Conclusion

What are you waiting for? I want us all, Christians, and not yet Christian to be a people who wait for Jesus. How biggest problem is our separation from God because of our sin. Jesus is fully man to represent the human race. He is fully God to offer a sacrifice of infinite value to guarantee the forgiveness of our sins. He came to be a light to all people in the world. At Christmas, he was born so that he would die. He rose again to conquer death so that he could offer us life. Waiting for Jesus today means we wait for his second coming where he will make all things right.

This Christmas will be hard for a number of us. I know for myself, this is the first Christmas, since my younger brother died. For some of us, I know it will be the second without a loved one. Jesus changes everything, and yet, our pain this Christmas is legitimate. We are in pain, because we have loved. We live in a tension. When all I want is my brother back, I also want what God promises at Jesus' second coming. God will inaugurate a new reality with no more death, no more pain, no more grieving. When the Christian church celebrates Christmas, we are between both comings of Christ. We live in a tension. We are a people that mourns and grieves. We are also a people of unexplainable hope in our consolation and comfort. Waiting for Jesus allows us to embrace fully both realities.