sermon – Page 25 – jeffersonvann

Appreciate Him

20230115 Appreciate Him

Luke 7:36-50 NET

36 Now one of the Pharisees asked Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went into the Pharisee’s house and took his place at the table.
37 Then when a woman of that town, who was a sinner, learned that Jesus was dining at the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfumed oil.
38 As she stood behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. She wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and anointed them with the perfumed oil.
39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him, that she is a sinner.”
40 So Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” He replied, “Say it, Teacher.”
41 “A certain creditor had two debtors; one owed him five hundred silver coins, and the other fifty.
42 When they could not pay, he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”
43 Simon answered, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled.” Jesus said to him, “You have judged rightly.”
44 Then, turning toward the woman, he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house. You gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.
45 You gave me no kiss of greeting, but from the time I entered she has not stopped kissing my feet.
46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with perfumed oil.
47 Therefore I tell you, her sins, which were many, are forgiven, thus she loved much; but the one who is forgiven little loves little.”
48 Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
49 But those who were at the table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?”
50 He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

We have been trying to do what Jesus told us to do in his Great Commission. He told us to teach everything that he commanded. So far, we have focused on direct commands, like when he tells those who are mourning to rejoice, or when he tells us to love our neighbors and our enemies. But today we are looking at an indirect command. Jesus is talking to a Pharisee named Simon, and he tells him a story, and then he shows him what this woman did for him. So, what we have in today’s text is an implied command. Jesus implies that this Pharisee should appreciate him as this woman did. Luke includes this story in his history because we are all responsible to love and appreciate Jesus as well.

Let’s look at the characters in today’s text.

The first character to appear in today’s drama is a Pharisee named Simon. All we know about him at first is that he was a Pharisee and that he owns his own house. From those two facts, we would assume that this man has his life sorted out. He is not a broken person. He pays his bills, goes to the synagogue, and tries to be nice to others. If you met this man walking around town, you would want to say hello. You might invite this man to church. Nobody would fault you for that. He’s good people.

We also know that Simon had learned about Jesus and invited him to his home for a meal. We can add hospitality to his list of admirable attributes. But if we look a little closer at today’s story we see that Simon’s appreciation for Jesus leaves a bit to be desired. Compared to the woman in the story, Simon’s love for Jesus comes up short.

We see Jesus in this story too. Interestingly, we see two Jesuses. We see Simon’s Jesus and we see the woman’s Jesus. Simon’s Jesus is a Teacher, but there is some question about whether or not he is a prophet. Simon’s Jesus is worth an invitation to his house, but apparently, he does not rate the traditional welcome because Simon’s servant didn’t wash his feet or anoint him with olive oil. Simon also forgot to welcome Jesus with a symbolic kiss on the cheek.

This woman appears out of nowhere. Apparently, Simon’s dining room was adjacent to his courtyard, and this woman just wanders in and starts ministering to Jesus. She is the diametrical opposite of Simon. She has a reputation as a sinner. If you see her walking around town you would probably turn around and walk in the opposite direction. You don’t say hello to such a person, and you definitely would not invite her to church. Simon didn’t invite her to his house. She just showed up.

Interestingly, though, this woman’s Jesus is very different from Simon’s Jesus. Just coming into Jesus’ presence sends this woman into tears. She has forgotten her towel for wiping his feet, so she wipes them with her hair. She has a little bottle of perfumed oil and she uses that to anoint Jesus’ feet. The very least that we can say about this woman is that she values and appreciates Jesus Christ. She is a visual aid to demonstrate what it means to worship the Savior.

The final characters in the setting are the others who had been invited and are at the table. Their only line is a question. They ask “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” Like Simon, they are not convinced that Jesus is who he claims to be. The only person in the story who demonstrates faith in Jesus is the woman.

Now, let’s look at the lessons taught in today’s text.

There are two lessons. The first is the object lesson taught by the woman. Through her actions, she teaches what it means to appreciate Jesus. She does not immediately come to see Jesus face-to-face. She approaches from behind and ministers to his feet. To understand how this happens, you have to realize that when people are dining in Jesus’ day, they lie down and rest on their left elbow, and their feet are exposed. Having access to his feet, she washes, kisses, and anoints them with her perfumed oil. She does what Simon should have done. Simon welcome Jesus to his house, but this woman recognized who he really is. Simon asked Jesus to come to his house, but this woman came to Jesus.

Jesus had recently commanded all those who are weary and burdened to come to him and he will give them rest. This woman had decided to repent of her sin and come to her Savior. She decided to stop carrying the heavy load of her life of sin and get the rest that Jesus offers. From the way she treats Jesus in Simon’s house, you can see that her life has changed. Conversion does that to a person. Now, her only goal in life is to love her Lord. That is why she does what she does.

Now, Simon the Pharisee is apparently too dense to figure out the first lesson, so the Teacher gives him another one. The second lesson is a parable. Jesus tells a story about a creditor and two debtors. Both debtors owe what they cannot pay, so the creditor decides to forgive both debts. Jesus asks Simon which debtor would love the generous man more. Even Simon can’t get that wrong. He acknowledges that the one who is forgiven more will love the forgiver more. We don’t know from Luke if Simon was able to make the connections and turn his life around and love Jesus as this woman did.

Finally, let’s look at the doctrines taught by today’s text.

I think this passage of scripture reinforces what the Bible teaches on many levels. For example, the Bible teaches us that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). In the parable Jesus taught Simon, the important thing he mentioned about the two debtors is that they both owed what neither could pay. Isaiah says “All of us had wandered off like sheep; each of us had strayed off on his own path” (53:6). Both of the debtors needed their debt to be canceled. Jesus loved this woman and he also loved Simon, and he loved the others around the table. He offered forgiveness to them all. But the woman responded to God’s grace and apparently Simon and the others did not. Simon doubted that Jesus was a prophet. The others just asked who he really was. Only this woman had the faith to accept his salvation. Which person in the story am I? Am I devoted to loving Jesus because of his forgiveness, or am I still on the fence?

We should also be careful not to misinterpret today’s story as if it teaches that you have to be a great sinner in order to be a great Christian. Note how Jesus puts it in verse 47: “her sins, which were many, are forgiven, thus she loved much.” She loved much not because she had sinned much. She loved much because she had been forgiven. You don’t have to wallow with the pigs in order to appreciate a good bath. Forgiveness cleanses us from all sin and fits us to worship as this woman did.

What does it take to know true forgiveness? Jesus told the woman “Your sins are forgiven.” Why did he tell her that? He said to her “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” Her faith drew her to Jesus, and Jesus forgave her. The difference between this woman and the others in today’s story is not the lifestyle she used to live. The difference is the choice she made. You and I are challenged to make the same choice. We need to see ourselves as hopelessly in debt and entirely dependent on God’s grace. Then, when we see Christ, by faith we recognize that he is the answer to our deepest needs. That is why we can “confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace whenever we need help” (Hebrews 4:16).

What is the result of our seeing Christ for who he really is? Like the woman in the story, we come to him in faith, showing tearful repentance for our sins, and demonstrating appreciation and worship. We come to his feet in humility. We offer our best perfumed oil for his feet. We are changed. We call that being saved. It comes with a new destiny. Before salvation, our sins keep adding to the debt that we cannot pay. Our destiny is destruction. We have no hope. But after salvation, we are free to demonstrate love again. We can demonstrate love to Christ. We can demonstrate love to our neighbors. We can demonstrate love to each other. We can even demonstrate love to our enemies. We have been forgiven much, thus we love much.

Before salvation, we are at war. We are at war with others. We are at war with ourselves. We are at war with God. But after salvation by faith in Jesus Christ, he tells us what he told that woman. He said, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” He tells us that we have a new life to live today. It is a life of wholeness and devoid of the enmity and brokenness that had characterized our past life.

It is the peace of safety and security. We can say with the psalmist “I will lie down and sleep peacefully, for you, LORD, make me safe and secure” (Psalm 4:8). Our Lord is called the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). He tells his followers “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; I do not give it to you as the world does. Do not let your hearts be distressed or lacking in courage” (John 14:27). Wherever we go, we can go in peace. Nobody can take away that peace because we get it from him.

Now, as a result of our time in today’s text, we should all be asking ourselves two important questions. First, who is Jesus to me? Is he a curious mystery as the people around the table saw him? Is he a Teacher but less than a prophet like Simon saw him? Or, is he the wonderful Savior, forgiver of sins, giver of peace, and granter of grace that the woman saw?

The second question is who am I? Am I a hopeless debtor, destined for destruction? Or am I a forgiven debtor, free to live and love again, and destined for eternal life? Before she left Simon’s house that day, the woman knew who she was. Before you and I leave this house today, we need to discover who we are.

COME TO HIM

Come to Him

Matthew 11:20-30 NET

20 Then Jesus began to criticize openly the cities in which he had done
many of his miracles because they did not repent. 21 “Woe to you,
Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the miracles done in you had been
done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth
and ashes. 22 But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on
the day of judgment than for you! 23 And you, Capernaum, will you be
exalted to heaven? No, you will be thrown down to Hades! For if the
miracles done among you had been done in Sodom, it would have
continued to this day. 24 But I tell you, it will be more bearable for the
region of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you!” 25 At that time
Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you
have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent, and revealed
them to little children. 26 Yes, Father, for this was your gracious will.
27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows
the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son
and anyone to whom the Son decides to reveal him. 28 Come to me, all
you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my
yoke on you and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and
my load is not hard to carry.”

We are continuing to look at the commands that Jesus gave us in the
Gospels. We have moved from those commands found in his sermons on
the mount and the plain, but we will still find many important commands as we read the narratives in the Gospels, and we will also notice several more sermons.

Today we focus on Jesus’ command for the weary and burdened to come to him. We find that command in verse twenty-eight. It comes with a promise from the Lord that those who come to him will find rest.

If we back up seven verses, we find that …

The Lord came to three cities with the gospel (21,23).

Those three cities are all in the region of Galilee, where Jesus performed
most of his miracles during this time in his ministry. Jesus grew up in Nazareth of Galilee. After his hometown rejected him, he moved to Capernaum, and the focus of his early ministry was in the region consisting of that city and others (like Chorazin and Bethsaida).

Jesus and his disciples visited all three of these cities numerous times, and they preached the gospel there. They gave ample evidence of the truth of their message by performing signs and wonders. All three of these cities are proud of the fact that they had a rich spiritual heritage. Capernaum, for example, seems to have adopted a motto that because of Jesus’ work among them, Jesus would exalt them to heaven. These cities expected Jesus to bless them because he had exposed them to the gospel.

But those cities refused to come to Him! (20,22,24).

Matthew tells us that Jesus criticized these cities because they did not
repent. In other words, Jesus had invited them to come to him, but they never came. It was like they had bragged about all the invitations they had received for the wedding but never got around to going to the ceremony.

You might remember that Jesus gave a parable (recorded in Matthew 22) about a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. In that parable, the king’s command was “Come to the wedding banquet.” The king became furious because the people he had invited “were indifferent and went away, one to his farm, another to his business.”

When people refuse God’s gracious invitation to come to his Son, it infuriates him. To show this, Jesus picked three pagan cities, notorious for their sinfulness. Those cities were Sodom, Tyre, and Sidon. These were three bad apples – rotten to the core. But Jesus said that on Judgment Day, these three cities would fair better than Capernaum, Chorazin, and Bethsaida.

Jesus said that because he had not blessed Sodom, Tyre, and Sidon by his presence like he had blessed Capernaum, Chorazin, and Bethsaida. The king had not invited them to the wedding banquet. Those who God blesses with the message are responsible to respond to the message. It is a sin to hear the gospel and to be indifferent to it.

But there is good news in today’s text. After his condemnation of
those cities…

Jesus Praises his Father for those who did come to Him (25-27).

Despite the refusal of these Galilean cities to repent and come to Jesus,
many individuals had responded to his message, repented of their sins,
and forgave them and welcomed them.

Jesus’ prayer in today’s text reveals two principles. Both principles are valid scriptural truths. People have problems with one or the other of these biblical truths. The reason is that it is hard to hold to one of these principles without denying the other.

The first principle is that everyone is responsible to repent of their sins and come to Christ. The second principle is that no one understands this responsibility unless God supernaturally reveals it to them.

The Galilean cities had heard the gospel many times, but they never responded to it. But the king was not going to sit idly by while those he invited refused to come to his son’s wedding. He told his slaves to go into the main streets and invite everyone they find to come.

The citizens of those Galilean cities were happy to be associated with Christ and his ministry, but they considered themselves too wise and intelligent to respond to the gospel by repenting of their sins. But there were some little children who were meek mourners who were poor in spirit, and hungry and thirsty for God’s righteousness.

Jesus blessed his apostles because they were hungry and thirsty for his righteousness, and he promised them that they would be filled. He gave them the proper wedding garments – he clothed them in his righteousness.

Today…

Jesus invites us all to come to Him (28-30).

He tells all of us who are weary and burdened that we can come to him
and find rest. This is the rest of God’s grace. We cannot earn this rest. It
only comes to those who choose to let God save them.

The invitation is to all. Even those Galilean cities are the target of this
invitation, even though they repeatedly refuse it. On the day of
Judgment, the books will be opened. A record of every time the gospel
was presented will be noted. A record of every time a person thought
“Not now” will be revealed.

He tells all of us to put his yoke on our necks. The version I read says
“you will find rest for your souls” but souls do not wear yokes. You put a
yoke on your neck. The master carpenter has built a yoke for you that fits
perfectly. When you are doing your work wearing his yoke, it will not
seem like work. It will be work and rest at the same time.

He tells all of us to learn from him. Oh, the hardship we suffer needlessly
because we stubbornly refuse to follow instructions. He has taught us
all we need to know to live our best life, but we leave his book on the
shelf. If there is one resolution I recommend every year it is to get back to
the Bible. Learn the word of God. Learn from the teacher who obeyed
every word his Father gave him.

The reason Jesus is the best teacher is that he is gentle and humble in
heart. We all know what it is like to have a teacher who is proud, cruel, and abusive. You can’t learn anything with that kind of teacher. But our
teacher cares about us. He is patient with us, giving us the same
instruction again and again until it sticks.

His yoke is easy to bear, and his load is not hard to carry. Compared to
the load the devil gives us, living the Christian life is a piece of cake. It is
a burden, but it is a light burden. Even when Jesus commands us to love
our fellow Christians, we will find that the more we do that, the more joy
we will experience in this life. We will find ourselves saying “He ain’t
heavy, he’s my brother.”

Now, what happened with the inhabitants of Chorazin, Bethsaida and
Capernaum? The citizens of those cities were told a lie and believed it.
The devil told them that there are three ways to live. He told them that
they didn’t have to live the devil’s way, and they didn’t have to live
Jesus’ way either. They could follow Frank Sinatra and live life their way.

Folks, I hope you are not planning to stand before Christ on Judgment
day and tell him “I did it my way.” “My way” is the devil’s way. Jesus
said that He is the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the
Father except through Him.

Jesus invites us all to come to him because He is the way to the Father
(John 14:6).

Jesus invites us all to come to him because whoever believes in him will
not perish but have permanent life (John 3:16).

Jesus invites us all to come to him because the result of living life my way
is permanent death, but the Gift of God through Jesus Christ is
permanent life (Romans 6:23).

Jesus invites us all to come to him because God has given us a chance to
live a permanent life, and this promise of a permanent life is exclusively
for those who are in his Son. The one who has the Son has this permanent
life: the one who does not have the Son of God does not have this
permanent life (1 John 5:11-12).

Delco is not listed among the cities that Jesus condemned in today’s text.
But we are in danger of sharing their fate. We have been blessed with the
proclamation of the gospel, and with much evidence of its reality. We
have no excuse if we choose to live life our way – the devil’s way. The
invitation to come to Christ has been given. Each of us is commanded
to respond.

BUILD ON HIM

20230101 Build on Him

Luke 6:46-49 NET

46 “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and don’t do what I tell you? 47 “Everyone who comes to me and listens to my words and puts them into practice — I will show you what he is like: 48 He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep, and laid the foundation on bedrock. When a flood came, the river burst against that house but could not shake it, because it had been well built. 49 But the person who hears and does not put my words into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the river burst against that house, it collapsed immediately, and was utterly destroyed!”

We are starting a new year today, but we are returning to our old series of messages on the commands of Christ. I think all of us have areas in our lives over which we would like more control than we had last year. Today’s text gives us the advice we need to get our lives going in the right direction.

The first bit of advice seems to be about those who plan to build a house, but we know that is just a metaphor. Nevertheless, it is important for us to understand what Jesus meant by the metaphor he used. He said…

A well-built house requires a foundation on bedrock (48).

A house is a structure that provides shelter, safety and an environment for living. We all know what it is like to live in a house. We know that there are good houses and bad houses. There are houses made of strong, sturdy materials, and houses made of poor, flimsy, faulty materials. But it is interesting that Jesus did not give us the advice this way: He didn’t say that we should build our houses on good materials. Instead, he instructed his apostles — and all of us who name his as our master — to build our houses on the proper foundation. A well-built house requires a foundation of bedrock. If we don’t get the foundation right, it won’t matter what the house is made of. If we don’t get the foundation right, everything we put into the house is in danger.

Of course, what the metaphor means is that…

A well-built life requires Jesus Christ as its foundation (46-47).

We all know of people who are living what appears to be healthy productive lives but who have never considered acknowledging Christ as their Savior and Lord. Today’s text is a word of warning for them. In the metaphor Jesus used in today’s text, they have large houses filled with all kinds of good things. But their houses are built on the wrong foundation. They did not dig deep and go to the bedrock. Consequently, it does not matter how strong their lives appear to be. They are in danger.

They may not think they are in danger. They may have a good job, good insurance to protect them against a natural disaster or health emergency. They may have good friends that they can count on. They may have plenty of money in the bank. But according to Jesus, they are not as safe as they think they are. They covered every possible contingency except the one that matters the most.

You see, people can lose all that they have and still bounce back. They can suffer a catastrophic loss and eventually recover. They can lose their health, but slowly get well again. But what happens when a person loses their chance at eternal life? What happens when a person stands before the judge of all the earth at the end of days and discovers that those things he or she depended on are gone?

I’ll tell you what will happen. They will suffer a cataclysmic destruction from which there is no recovery. They will die the second death — the death from which there is no resurrection. That is what is going to happen to billions who are living this very moment. The watchword for all of us today is to get the gospel out to those who have not heard it. We need to do that desperately because it is our responsibility to evangelize those who have not heard the message of Christ.

But today’s advice is equally important for us as well. We have committed our lives to Jesus Christ. But we need to understand that …

Building on Him requires putting his words into practice (47-49).

Jesus did not say that professing the name of Christ as our Savior will keep us from disaster on the last day. He warned of those who would call him Lord but who do not do what he tells them to do. His instruction is for us to listen to his words. We do that often enough. But his advice goes further. He tells those of us who regularly listen to his words to put those words into practice. That means obeying the commands of our Master. That means regularly doing what he has told us to do. That means a process of constant evaluation of our lives to see that every aspect of those lives is being lived like Jesus wants us to live. That means constantly reforming — changing what we do to match the directions that he has given us.

To reflect back on the metaphor, what Jesus is talking about is house building. But the metaphor is not exact because most people who have houses are not in a lifelong process of building them. But in the metaphor that Jesus used, our house building is a lifelong process. It is not like we started building when we were children, but we stopped when we were young adults because the house is already built. No, it is a lifelong process.

I do not apologize for spending all this time focusing on the commands of Christ. I think if we really take the commands of Jesus seriously, we can learn how to keep building our lives on the bedrock foundation which is Christ himself. If we ever stop the process, it would be like digging up the foundation.

The message for those who are tempted to stop building on Christ, and the message to those who have never laid that foundation is the same message.

Not building on Christ will result in destruction (49).

Jesus said the person who hears and does not put his words into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the river burst against that house, it collapsed immediately, and was utterly destroyed!”

This destruction that Jesus is referring to is the destruction of soul and body in Gehenna hell (Matthew 10:28).

The apostle Peter said that the present heavens and earth are stored up for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly (2 Peter 3:7).

The apostle Paul said that when Christ returns, there will be those who say they are experiencing peace and security, but sudden destruction will come on them (1 Thessalonians 5:3).

The apostle John tells us that if we believe in Christ we will have eternal life, but if we don’t we will perish. (John 3:16). He said that those who have the Son have life, but those who do not have the Son will not have the life (1 John 5:12).

What Jesus and all these apostles are talking about is the bad news that accompanies the good news. The good news is that there is a permanent life that awaits all who trust in Christ and learn to obey his commands. The bad news is that permanent life is not something we are born with.

The psalmist says that “the LORD guards the way of the godly, but the way of the wicked ends in destruction” (Psalm 1:6).

The Proverbs says that destruction is going to overtake the wicked (Proverbs 3:25).

That alternate theme of the fate of the lost is found throughout scripture. We cannot afford to ignore it. There will be a place called hell, and it will do what God says it will do. Our Lord’s message to every one of us today is to not only listen to his words, but also keep putting them into practice. Build on Him, because there is a day of vengeance coming that only he can protect us from.

We saw that when the Israelites were in Egypt. God sent the destroying angel, and only the blood of the lamb on the doorposts could save those earmarked for death. The wages of sin is death. All of us who have sinned need a Savior. Only his atoning blood shed for us on the cross can keep us from the judgment to come. Come to Jesus, and once you come to him in faith, listen to his word. You have a house to build. You have a life to build. His commands can keep your life safe on the coming day of destruction.

SIMEON AND ANNA’S STORY

20221225 Simeon and Anna’s Story

Luke 2:22-40 NET

I’ve been sharing the Christmas stories from Luke’s Gospel this month. We started with the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth and the angel’s announcement of the birth of their son John — whom we know as John the Baptist. Next, we looked at Mary’s story of how the same angel visited her and told her that she would have a son, and told her to name him Jesus. Next, we looked at the story of the shepherds who also were told of Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem. After hearing the message, the shepherds went to see Jesus themselves and left worshiping and praising God.

Luke’s final Christmas story is found in today’s text. It takes place in the temple in Jerusalem forty days after Jesus’ birth. We first learn of two rituals at the temple (22-24), then we learn of two prophets that Joseph and Mary meet at the temple (25-38) and then we learn that the two parents leave the temple (39-40).

The first ritual under the old covenant that involved Jesus was his circumcision. That took place when he was eight days old, and it took place in Bethlehem where he was born. That was when Jesus was officially named. Mary names him Jesus because that was the name they were instructed to give him. They had been told to name him Jesus because the name means Yahveh saves. Through Jesus Yahveh God will save his people from their sins.

Today’s passage does not mention circumcision. There are two other old covenant rituals that Joseph and Mary performed forty days after Jesus was born.

Two rituals at the Temple (22-24)

22 Now when the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, Joseph and Mary brought Jesus up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (just as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male will be set apart to the Lord”), 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is specified in the law of the Lord, a pair of doves or two young pigeons.

Mary and Joseph took the infant Jesus to Jerusalem to participate in two rituals according to the Mosaic law. First, there was the ritual of purification. Here is how the scriptures describe that ritual:

1 The LORD spoke to Moses: 2 “Tell the Israelites, ‘When a woman produces offspring and bears a male child, she will be unclean seven days, as she is unclean during the days of her menstruation. 3 On the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin must be circumcised. 4 Then she will remain thirty-three days in blood purity. She must not touch anything holy and she must not enter the sanctuary until the days of her purification are fulfilled. 5 If she bears a female child, she will be impure fourteen days as during her menstrual flow, and she will remain sixty-six days in blood purity. 6 “‘When the days of her purification are completed for a son or for a daughter, she must bring a one-year-old lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or turtledove for a sin offering to the entrance of the Meeting Tent, to the priest. 7 The priest is to present it before the LORD and make atonement on her behalf, and she will be clean from her flow of blood. This is the law of the one who bears a child, for the male or the female child. 8 If she cannot afford a sheep, then she must take two turtledoves or two young pigeons, one for a burnt offering and one for a sin offering, and the priest is to make atonement on her behalf, and she will be clean.'” (Leviticus 12:1-8).

Jesus had already been circumcised according to this law on the eighth day. Now it had been forty days and it was time to declare Mary’s purification. The fact that Joseph and Mary presented the birds indicates that they were not rich enough to afford sheep. Even the animals that shared their space at Jesus’ birth were not theirs.

When we told the Christmas story during our Christmas program on the 11th, we were not quite accurate. One of the ways we were inaccurate is that we had the wise men join Mary and Joseph at the stable. That’s not how it happened. Even the Christmas carols we sing and the cards we send each other this time of year get it wrong. The star did not appear until later. The shepherds didn’t follow the star. And the wise men did not show up until much later. One of the reasons we know this is that if Joseph and Mary had been given gold on the night of Jesus’ birth, they would have offered sheep for Mary’s purification ritual.

The second ritual that Mary and Joseph performed at the temple that day was the ritual of presentation. Not every child is involved in this ritual. It only applies to the firstborn male. Here is how the law describes that ritual:

12 … you must give over to the LORD the first offspring of every womb. Every firstling of a beast that you have — the males will be the LORD’s. 13 Every firstling of a donkey you must redeem with a lamb, and if you do not redeem it, then you must break its neck. Every firstborn of your sons you must redeem. 14 In the future, when your son asks you ‘What is this?’ you are to tell him, ‘With a mighty hand the LORD brought us out from Egypt, from the land of slavery. (Exodus 13:12-14).

Because Jesus was the firstborn male of Joseph and Mary’s family, he was to be formally presented to the Lord and redeemed according to this law. The ritual celebrated God’s deliverance of all the firstborn males from the destroying angel in Egypt. When the destroying angel saw the blood of the lamb on the doorposts of the Hebrew slaves, he did not enter those houses and take the lives of the firstborn males within them. The ritual celebrated that deliverance.

What Mary and Joseph did that day was to ritually redeem the Redeemer. They paid the price for their son, who would one day pay the price for everyone’s sons and daughters. The angels in heaven were watching.

Oh, and there were two others in the temple that day who were watching. From the two rituals in the temple, we move to the two prophets in the temple.

Two prophets at the temple (25-38)

25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon who was righteous and devout, looking for the restoration of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 So Simeon, directed by the Spirit, came into the temple courts, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what was customary according to the law, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and blessed God, saying, 29 “Now, according to your word, Sovereign Lord, permit your servant to depart in peace. 30 For my eyes have seen your salvation 31 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples: 32 a light, for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.” 33 So the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, “Listen carefully: This child is destined to be the cause of the falling and rising of many in Israel and to be a sign that will be rejected. 35 Indeed, as a result of him the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed — and a sword will pierce your own soul as well!” 36 There was also a prophetess, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old, having been married to her husband for seven years until his death. 37 She had lived as a widow since then for eighty-four years. She never left the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. 38 At that moment, she came up to them and began to give thanks to God and to speak about the child to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.

Luke had begun his Christmas stories with the story of two old people — Zechariah and Elizabeth. He concludes his Christmas stories by mentioning two more old people. Simeon and Anna. Note how Luke describes the character of these two prophets. Simeon is righteous and devout, looking for the restoration of Israel, and the Holy Spirit is upon him. Anna is a 91-year-old widow who never leaves the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day.

It just so happens by God’s miraculous plan that these two old prophets meet up with this young couple and their newborn child that day. Both of them are in tune with what the Holy Spirit is doing, and both recognize that Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah. Both of them give thanks to God and speak about the child Jesus, sharing what God had revealed to them with the others present in the temple that day. Both had been waiting for God to act, and this day was going to be the most important day in both their lives. In fact, Simeon’s prayer told the Lord that he was ready to depart in peace. He has seen the Savior as a child. The next time he sees him it will be at the resurrection.

But it’s not all good news. Simeon reveals to Mary that Jesus would not be accepted by all. The newborn king will bring peace on earth — but not to everyone. In fact, there will be terrible sorrow for Mary herself. No doubt Simeon was prophesying of the horrible day on which Mary watched her son die on the cross.

But the events of this day at the temple ended, and so the two parents got ready to go home.

Two parents leave the temple (39-40).

39 So when Joseph and Mary had performed everything according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. 40 And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom, and the favor of God was upon him.

Luke does not tell us of the wise men’s visit, the star, or the gifts. He fast-forwards to Jesus being raised in Nazareth because the next story he wants to tell is of Jesus as a twelve-year-old returning to the same temple. But Luke’s message about Mary and Joseph is that they remained faithful to God and they got to be witnesses of their son — God’s Son — growing and becoming strong and wise. The same favor that God had blessed Mary with, he now imparts to her son.

As parents, that is what we want of our children. They won’t grow up to be the savior of the world — that job is taken. We only need one. But every parent wants to see their children blessed with wisdom and strength. It is also important that we end the Christmas story here. Christ is no longer a babe in a manger. He is now — and will forever be — God’s Son and our Savior and coming king.

We should all be thankful that God gave us his Son in such a precious and peaceful way. But we should also never forget that the next time we see him, it will not be as a helpless child, but as a warrior on a white horse, doing battle against all God’s enemies, and restoring order to his universe. The road that started in Bethlehem led to the cross in Jerusalem, but it didn’t stop there. He rose from the dead victorious and glorious. The glorious King is coming, and he is going to make all things new.

That’s when we will sing as we never have before – “Joy to the World, The Lord is Come.”

THE SHEPHERDS’ STORY

20221218 The Shepherds’ Story

Luke 2:8-21 NET

Last week, we put on our congregation’s annual Christmas play. While we were observing the spectacle of all the angels, sheep, shepherds, wise men, and the odd King Herod, I was struck by the reality that this story has been told so often by so many. This is not a story that will die unnoticed. If the Lord gives us another thousand years to testify of his grace and to share his gospel, we will be telling the story of the Bethlehem shepherds even then.

Why do we tell this story? What is the significance of the fact that angels visited shepherds that night, and that the shepherds visited Mary and Joseph and saw a little boy asleep in a manger? Those are the questions that I want to address this morning.

Dr. Luke himself told us part of the answer when he introduced his biography. He told his friend Theophilus that “many have undertaken to compile an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, like the accounts passed on to us by those who were eyewitnesses and servants of the word from the beginning. So it seemed good to me as well, because I have followed all things carefully from the beginning, to write an orderly account for you” (Luke 1:1-3). He did this so that Theophilus would “know for certain” the things he was taught (1:4). All of the stories in the Bible are there for us to read, to listen to, to study — so that we can understand what God wants us to know.

God chose lowly shepherds for the important ministry of passing on the good news (8-10).

8 Now there were shepherds nearby living out in the field, keeping guard over their flock at night.
9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were absolutely terrified.
10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid! Listen carefully, for I proclaim to you good news that brings great joy to all the people:

Suppose you were living in the town of Bethlem back then. What if you had a letter with important news in it. Would you give that letter to a shepherd? No, you would not. You have to understand something about shepherds in first-century Palestine. The shepherds were considered the lowest of the low. Because they had to keep watch over their sheep 24/7, they did not participate in any religious activities. They didn’t attend worship in the local synagogues. Because they did not participate in religious activities, they were considered unholy. Shepherding was not considered a noble profession — far from it.

Luke tells us that this group of shepherds was nearby — that is, nearby the town of Bethlehem. They were not in the town, they lived out in the field where the sheep were. They camped out with the animals. If they had business in town, people could see them coming a mile away. They could probably smell them coming two miles away.

Because of the nature of their work, and how they had to perform it, shepherds were not the most trusted. Even though king David himself had been a shepherd, there were no shepherd politicians in Bethlehem in the first century. So, my question is, why would God choose to reveal his good news to these shepherds. Why did he choose lowly shepherds for the important ministry of passing on that good news?

He chose them because they were lowly. He chose Zechariah and Elizabeth because they were old. He chose Mary because she was a virgin. He chose Joseph because he was a mere builder. God chooses to bless the poor to show us that his gospel is for everyone.

The angel who appears to the shepherds tells them that he has good news that can bring great joy to all the people. I want you to stop and think about that phrase “all the people.” Notice how comprehensive that phrase is. It includes everyone you will ever meet. It includes millions and billions of people you will never meet. You will not be able to reach all the people. But you can reach some. The shepherds were not able to reach all the people. But they tried to reach as many as they could.

Before the shepherds could serve, they had to see Jesus for themselves (11-16).

11 Today your Savior is born in the city of David. He is Christ the Lord.
12 This will be a sign for you: You will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly a vast, heavenly army appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among people with whom he is pleased!”
15 When the angels left them and went back to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, that the Lord has made known to us.”
16 So they hurried off and located Mary and Joseph, and found the baby lying in a manger.

The shepherds did not immediately begin telling the inhabitants of Bethlehem about the presence of the newborn king. Notice the three things the angels said about this infant. They said he was the Savior. They said he was the Christ. They said he was the Lord.

Two of those terms were very familiar to everyone living in Bethlehem — in fact, everyone in the whole Roman empire. Caesar Augustus used the title Savior (Greek, Soter) of himself. He also used the title, Lord. People were used to saying “Caesar is Lord.” So, the titles Savior and Lord were political statements. They were slogans that identified the people who said them as political rebels, and traitors against the established government.

But these titles were even worse than that. Each of these titles was a religious designation.

Listen to Psalm 65:5. “You answer our prayers by performing awesome acts of deliverance, O God, our savior. All the ends of the earth trust in you, as well as those living across the wide seas.” This angel did not use the name, Jesus. That had been revealed by Gabriel earlier. Jesus in Hebrew is Yeshua — short for Yehoshua — and means Yahveh is salvation. Established religion had taught that God alone is the savior. So, to call this baby the Savior is to say that he had a unique standing before God.

The title Christ was even more specific. It was the Greek term that corresponded to the Hebrew Messiah, which means anointed one. It was a political term as well, but one that specifically identified the hope of a Jewish deliverer who would overthrow God’s enemies and rescue the Jews.

The title Lord was so specifically religious that when the Jews translated their Hebrew Scriptures into Greek, they used the term Lord (Greek Kurios) in place of the name of God.

What I am saying is that before these shepherds go spouting off all these things about a newborn, they had to see if it was true themselves. Is this child all that the angel had said about him? They went to see him. Before the shepherds could serve, they had to see Jesus for themselves. They saw him, and just seeing him was enough.

Brothers and sisters, you and I are called to tell the world about who Jesus really is. Don’t try to do this without coming to Jesus yourself. You need an experience with Jesus before you can tell anyone about who he is. You need a relationship before you can be a witness.

The shepherds’ ministry was testimony and worship (17-21).

17 When they saw him, they related what they had been told about this child,
18 and all who heard it were astonished at what the shepherds said.
19 But Mary treasured up all these words, pondering in her heart what they might mean.
20 So the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen; everything was just as they had been told.
21 At the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was named Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

Once they saw that baby in the manger, they believed everything that they had been told about him. Their experience was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. They did not have to go to Sunday School for twenty years in order to share their faith in Christ. They didn’t need to go to Bible college and seminary. All it took was one look.

As a result of their experience with Christ, they set out to share the good news of his existence with everyone in the town. It did not matter that they were low on the totem pole. Their status as lowly shepherds was irrelevant. They were not in Bethlehem to draw attention to themselves. Their message was all about that boy. That boy in the manger was the Savior. He is the Christ. He is the Lord.

The shepherds’ job was to get the message out. They related what they had been told about this child, and all who heard it were astonished at what the shepherds said. Luke does not say that everyone in Bethlehem believed what the shepherds told them. No doubt, some did believe. But the mission of the shepherds was to get the word out. The same is true of you and me. Our mission is to get the word out. Some will believe because of what we say. Others will not. Our task is to testify.

Notice that the shepherds ministered to Mary. They shared their testimony about Christ with her, and she pondered their words and added them to her own experience. Their testimony helped her to understand what the Lord was doing in her life.

The shepherds testified but they also did something else. On their way back to the fields, they were glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. These lowly shepherds, who could not participate in worship in the synagogues because of their job — were now worshiping God. They not only got the message of the gospel out to others, but that message changed them.

The message of the gospel is designed to change us as well. We come to Jesus because of something someone else has said about him. We meet Jesus and discover that what the witness has said is true. But when we return to our fields, we discover that we are different people. We might keep on watching our flocks by night, but we do so with a praise song that wasn’t there before.

The shepherds’ story is our story.