WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:09.099 The reading from which our teaching is based tonight is from Luke's Gospel, chapter 2, verses 22-35. 00:00:10.640 --> 00:00:16.940 And it's what happens when Jesus is brought to the temple when he's 40 days old for dedication. 00:00:17.800 --> 00:00:19.859 So this is what Luke records for us. 00:00:20.620 --> 00:00:28.000 And when the time came for their purification, according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. 00:00:28.000 --> 00:00:34.079 As it is written in the law of the Lord, every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord, 00:00:34.560 --> 00:00:40.759 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, a pair of turtle doves or two young pigeons. 00:00:41.460 --> 00:00:48.420 Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel. 00:00:49.260 --> 00:00:57.820 And the Holy Spirit was upon him, and it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. 00:00:58.000 --> 00:01:05.540 And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him according to the custom of the law, 00:01:05.980 --> 00:01:08.780 he took him up in his arms and he blessed God and said, 00:01:09.299 --> 00:01:13.460 Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace according to your word. 00:01:13.939 --> 00:01:21.719 For my eyes have seen your salvation, that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples a light for revelation to the Gentiles, 00:01:21.719 --> 00:01:24.079 and for glory to your people Israel. 00:01:25.039 --> 00:01:31.579 And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him, and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, 00:01:32.120 --> 00:01:37.099 Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and the rising of many in Israel, 00:01:37.439 --> 00:01:42.599 and for a sign that is opposed, and a sword will pierce through your own soul too, 00:01:43.239 --> 00:01:46.599 so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed. 00:01:46.599 --> 00:01:48.719 This is God's holy word. 00:01:49.299 --> 00:01:51.239 Let me pray before we study it together. 00:01:51.359 --> 00:01:59.079 Lord, we ask now that you would help us to understand this last of Annunciation stories from the mouth of Simeon, 00:01:59.159 --> 00:02:05.679 and we pray, Lord, on this Christmas Eve that you would open our hearts to celebrate and rejoice in the love 00:02:05.679 --> 00:02:10.479 that you have shed abroad into this world through the Incarnation, 00:02:10.479 --> 00:02:13.039 and through Christ's coming and his death and his resurrection. 00:02:13.780 --> 00:02:15.799 So we come as people with joy tonight. 00:02:16.239 --> 00:02:17.120 Advent is over. 00:02:17.280 --> 00:02:21.759 We celebrate the fact that Jesus Christ came in the middle of history to redeem. 00:02:21.939 --> 00:02:28.039 And so give us hearts of joy, hearts of celebration as we read this text for a few minutes and think about it 00:02:28.039 --> 00:02:30.679 before we go to our homes to celebrate more. 00:02:30.819 --> 00:02:34.199 So we ask for this spirit, your spirit, Lord, to help us. 00:02:34.419 --> 00:02:35.859 In Jesus' name, amen. 00:02:35.860 --> 00:02:35.980 Amen. 00:02:38.620 --> 00:02:45.920 We read the story of Jesus coming to the temple when he was 40 days old for purification and dedication. 00:02:46.240 --> 00:02:50.720 It's an unfamiliar Christmas story, not the most common Christmas story that people read, 00:02:50.800 --> 00:02:56.200 but it is part of the Christmas stories in the narrative, and it's actually an annunciation text. 00:02:56.380 --> 00:03:04.260 So there's a series of annunciations, announcements, that Christ, the Redeemer, the Messiah is coming into the world. 00:03:04.259 --> 00:03:10.299 So you can think of the angels announcing to the shepherds or even announcing to Mary what was going to happen to her. 00:03:10.479 --> 00:03:12.060 Those are annunciation texts. 00:03:12.199 --> 00:03:15.319 And here we have one where Simeon announces it. 00:03:15.379 --> 00:03:16.359 He says in verse 31, 00:03:16.959 --> 00:03:19.979 My eyes have seen the Lord's salvation. 00:03:19.979 --> 00:03:21.500 So he announces to the world. 00:03:21.680 --> 00:03:25.099 He's in the temple, actually, in Jerusalem, announcing to everyone, 00:03:25.620 --> 00:03:31.079 There is salvation, and my eyes have laid hold of salvation in this 40-day-old little baby boy. 00:03:31.080 --> 00:03:37.000 But then right after that, unexpectedly, such a joyful thing to say. 00:03:37.100 --> 00:03:40.960 And then in verse 34, Simeon turns and says to Mary and Joseph, 00:03:41.540 --> 00:03:47.640 Behold, this child is appointed for the falling and the rising of many. 00:03:49.180 --> 00:03:51.620 And it's very unexpected. 00:03:51.880 --> 00:03:54.600 Right after he's announced salvation has come, he says, 00:03:54.760 --> 00:03:57.360 This child is going to cause many to fall. 00:03:57.360 --> 00:04:01.460 And let's think about that on Christmas Eve. 00:04:01.840 --> 00:04:02.500 What does that mean? 00:04:03.060 --> 00:04:04.120 What does Simeon mean by that? 00:04:04.240 --> 00:04:07.040 So let's think about how Christ makes us fall, 00:04:07.460 --> 00:04:09.600 And then how Christ raises us up. 00:04:09.740 --> 00:04:11.260 Because that's what Simeon announces here. 00:04:11.760 --> 00:04:14.100 So first, how Christ makes us fall. 00:04:14.940 --> 00:04:16.480 There's something difficult about Christmas. 00:04:17.439 --> 00:04:19.199 And this is what Simeon's talking about. 00:04:19.259 --> 00:04:20.040 So here's the scene. 00:04:20.240 --> 00:04:23.500 We're at this dedication of Jesus, 40-day-old baby. 00:04:23.500 --> 00:04:27.959 And we read here that the Holy Spirit had come to Simeon. 00:04:28.100 --> 00:04:30.540 And the Holy Spirit had told Simeon, 00:04:30.699 --> 00:04:35.899 You are not going to die until you see, quote, the consolation of Israel. 00:04:36.420 --> 00:04:39.560 Not normal speech for us in the modern world, consolation. 00:04:39.980 --> 00:04:40.939 We say comfort. 00:04:41.279 --> 00:04:42.839 So that's just a word that means comfort. 00:04:43.579 --> 00:04:47.439 And he said, You won't pass away until you've seen the comfort of Israel. 00:04:47.620 --> 00:04:48.879 Now there's a background to that. 00:04:48.879 --> 00:04:54.180 And the background is that Israel, the Jewish people, have been under occupation for centuries. 00:04:54.740 --> 00:04:57.800 Roman occupation, Persian occupation, Babylonian. 00:04:58.500 --> 00:05:03.019 And so all the way back in the Old Testament, in Isaiah, God had prophesied and said things like, 00:05:03.639 --> 00:05:07.740 Comfort, comfort, or consolation, consolation to my people. 00:05:07.839 --> 00:05:10.420 One day, through a Messiah, you will receive comfort. 00:05:10.959 --> 00:05:12.759 And here, that's what Simeon sees. 00:05:12.839 --> 00:05:14.019 He says, There's the comfort. 00:05:14.500 --> 00:05:17.060 There's the consolation when he sees the baby Jesus. 00:05:17.060 --> 00:05:22.680 And then in verse 29 to 32, he sings a song, effectively. 00:05:23.100 --> 00:05:25.519 We call it in Latin today, the nunc dimittis. 00:05:26.100 --> 00:05:30.560 That's just the Latin translation of the first line of Simeon's song. 00:05:30.699 --> 00:05:32.139 And it's the line from verse 29. 00:05:32.540 --> 00:05:35.259 Now you are letting your servant depart, nunc dimittis. 00:05:35.939 --> 00:05:36.680 And so he sings that. 00:05:36.740 --> 00:05:37.720 He sees the baby boy. 00:05:38.439 --> 00:05:41.579 He says, There's the comfort that was promised from the Old Testament. 00:05:41.579 --> 00:05:42.439 And then he sings. 00:05:42.439 --> 00:05:48.300 And this song is what the scholars would call a full Christology. 00:05:48.699 --> 00:05:52.379 So sometimes in the academy, New Testament scholars will ask, 00:05:52.800 --> 00:05:56.819 Did the Gospels really teach that Jesus actually is God? 00:05:56.939 --> 00:05:58.079 Do they even say that? 00:05:59.120 --> 00:06:02.360 And sometimes people say no, and that's a low Christology. 00:06:02.519 --> 00:06:05.279 But here, the opposite is proven from the beginning. 00:06:05.399 --> 00:06:06.980 This is a very full Christology. 00:06:06.980 --> 00:06:10.560 Because Simeon in his song, just listen to a couple of things he says. 00:06:10.640 --> 00:06:13.920 He says, Now that you're here, I can depart. 00:06:14.040 --> 00:06:15.600 I can finally die in peace. 00:06:16.160 --> 00:06:17.819 So he says, I've seen salvation. 00:06:18.020 --> 00:06:21.660 And now I can face death with peace in my heart. 00:06:22.240 --> 00:06:25.560 And then right after that, he says, My eyes have seen salvation. 00:06:25.680 --> 00:06:29.580 So it's probably the case that Simeon is holding Jesus the 40 day. 00:06:29.579 --> 00:06:33.819 He probably went over to Mary and Joseph and grabbed up baby Jesus, 00:06:33.819 --> 00:06:38.339 not to be advised in normal situations to go to a stranger like that. 00:06:38.379 --> 00:06:39.419 But this is what Simeon does. 00:06:39.579 --> 00:06:42.459 And he says, I'm looking at salvation in this little baby. 00:06:43.500 --> 00:06:47.199 And he calls him the person salvation. 00:06:48.539 --> 00:06:53.120 And then he says, You've prepared the salvation for all people, 00:06:53.279 --> 00:06:56.339 a light to Israel and the Gentiles. 00:06:56.339 --> 00:07:02.319 So he says, This is the light of the world, the salvation in a person for both Jews and Gentiles. 00:07:02.379 --> 00:07:03.139 And that means everybody. 00:07:04.259 --> 00:07:05.719 And so this is a very full statement. 00:07:06.179 --> 00:07:10.919 The Greek word that's used for this song is it says he eulogized God. 00:07:11.299 --> 00:07:12.699 This is where we get our word eulogy. 00:07:13.159 --> 00:07:15.699 The text translates as he blessed God. 00:07:16.799 --> 00:07:18.759 And so we see here what Simeon thinks. 00:07:19.099 --> 00:07:23.439 But then, then the conflict statement, and that's right after that. 00:07:23.439 --> 00:07:28.939 Simeon said to Mary, verse 34, Behold, this child is appointed for the fall of many. 00:07:29.639 --> 00:07:33.560 So right after this song about the greatness of Jesus, his salvation, 00:07:33.879 --> 00:07:36.360 but this boy is appointed for people to fall. 00:07:36.819 --> 00:07:39.379 It's literally a word that means to be ruined. 00:07:40.159 --> 00:07:41.360 And you say, What do you mean? 00:07:42.159 --> 00:07:46.740 He is salvation for Jews and Gentiles, and he's appointed for the fall of many people. 00:07:46.740 --> 00:07:53.000 And we can think about all sorts of other passages in the Gospels, like Mark 10, very similar. 00:07:53.360 --> 00:07:56.040 Jesus says, Do not think I've come to bring peace. 00:07:56.079 --> 00:07:57.000 I've come to bring a sword. 00:07:57.740 --> 00:08:03.860 And then right after that, in a place like Mark 9, I've come so that you might be at peace with one another. 00:08:04.540 --> 00:08:07.220 Or Luke 12, Do you think I've come to give peace on earth? 00:08:07.280 --> 00:08:08.579 No, I've come to bring division. 00:08:09.240 --> 00:08:12.160 Or John 14, Peace I leave with you. 00:08:12.240 --> 00:08:13.220 My peace I give to you. 00:08:13.280 --> 00:08:14.379 Do not let your hearts be troubled. 00:08:14.379 --> 00:08:18.019 So on the one hand, Simeon sings both. 00:08:18.199 --> 00:08:19.180 And then Jesus says both. 00:08:19.300 --> 00:08:24.439 I've come to give peace on earth, to bring people together, to bring peace. 00:08:24.600 --> 00:08:25.899 And yet I've come for division. 00:08:26.040 --> 00:08:26.819 I've come to bring a sword. 00:08:27.360 --> 00:08:31.399 And you ask, Is there schizophrenia going on here in the Gospels? 00:08:31.680 --> 00:08:33.939 And Simeon says, It's both. 00:08:34.799 --> 00:08:35.120 How? 00:08:35.980 --> 00:08:37.740 And here's the answer, I think. 00:08:38.259 --> 00:08:42.179 Jesus Christ came into the world at Christmastime to a lost world, 00:08:42.179 --> 00:08:48.500 a world full of lost people, sopping wet with sin and death and misery all around us, 00:08:48.500 --> 00:08:52.539 to bring peace to us through conflict. 00:08:53.659 --> 00:08:58.019 He came to bring peace through a conflict, with a sword, through the sword. 00:08:58.679 --> 00:08:59.659 I think that's what he means. 00:08:59.739 --> 00:09:01.239 Now you say, Well, that's not any clearer. 00:09:01.819 --> 00:09:03.000 Okay, well, what does that mean? 00:09:04.039 --> 00:09:04.699 That's fair. 00:09:04.700 --> 00:09:09.160 Here's a way to think about it. 00:09:09.240 --> 00:09:13.180 Commentators will suggest that Simeon here is probably thinking when he says, 00:09:13.540 --> 00:09:14.900 He will cause many to fall. 00:09:15.920 --> 00:09:18.300 He's probably thinking of another passage in Isaiah, 00:09:18.920 --> 00:09:22.400 where in Isaiah 8 we read about the Messiah that is to come, 00:09:22.420 --> 00:09:26.920 and it says, He will be a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling. 00:09:27.400 --> 00:09:30.460 So when the Messiah comes, He will cause people to trip. 00:09:30.460 --> 00:09:33.600 People will be offended by him, stumble over him. 00:09:34.160 --> 00:09:35.540 And then Simeon says something like that. 00:09:35.580 --> 00:09:38.080 He's probably thinking of that from Isaiah 8. 00:09:39.019 --> 00:09:43.560 I was in 2017 in Germany in Stuttgart in Frankfurt. 00:09:44.500 --> 00:09:47.920 I thought it was going to be a really fun trip with a friend doing research, 00:09:48.040 --> 00:09:50.960 but actually I stood in a library for about 12 hours a day, 00:09:51.420 --> 00:09:55.540 photocopying manuscripts until I couldn't move my hands anymore. 00:09:55.539 --> 00:09:59.319 But the little bit of Stuttgart in Frankfurt I did see, 00:09:59.819 --> 00:10:02.379 I was walking down the pavement once, 00:10:02.519 --> 00:10:04.679 and I've mentioned this at St. Seas before. 00:10:05.099 --> 00:10:11.059 I tripped, and I looked down, and there on the pavement is a little stone 00:10:11.059 --> 00:10:13.179 that's raised up above the pavement line. 00:10:13.319 --> 00:10:13.860 It's not level. 00:10:14.019 --> 00:10:17.639 It's every city council's worst nightmare, health and safety hazard. 00:10:18.279 --> 00:10:22.019 And it's a 10-centimeter by 10-centimeter stone, 00:10:22.019 --> 00:10:24.799 and I noticed on it there was text written in Hebrew. 00:10:25.539 --> 00:10:27.459 And I later learned what these were. 00:10:27.539 --> 00:10:30.679 These are Distoppersteine, the stumbling stones, 00:10:30.779 --> 00:10:33.480 and they were put in in 1996 across Germany, 00:10:33.480 --> 00:10:35.939 and they are meant for people to trip over. 00:10:36.219 --> 00:10:38.379 And it's because they're memorials. 00:10:38.500 --> 00:10:42.959 They're put outside homes of Jews that were ripped from their home 00:10:42.959 --> 00:10:44.240 and taken to concentration camps. 00:10:44.299 --> 00:10:47.939 And so they put them outside the homes so that people will fall over them, 00:10:48.939 --> 00:10:50.159 be reminded. 00:10:50.759 --> 00:10:51.799 What are they being reminded of? 00:10:51.799 --> 00:10:58.179 They're there to remind us in this modern world of the fact that despite the stories of progress, 00:10:58.599 --> 00:11:01.159 the narratives that as a people we're getting better and better, 00:11:01.539 --> 00:11:05.620 that the 20th century had the most horrific evils that have ever been. 00:11:06.579 --> 00:11:09.459 And you see, they're there for us to trip over, to remind ourselves, 00:11:09.799 --> 00:11:13.240 remember what the human heart is capable of, what's deep down inside. 00:11:13.240 --> 00:11:14.500 And that's the same thing. 00:11:14.740 --> 00:11:15.840 That's a biblical idea. 00:11:16.100 --> 00:11:17.919 Isaiah 8, Luke 2, 00:11:18.639 --> 00:11:21.680 when Jesus came into the world to cause the fall of many, 00:11:21.779 --> 00:11:24.139 he will be a rock of offense, a stone of stumbling. 00:11:24.960 --> 00:11:26.399 Because when we see him, 00:11:27.100 --> 00:11:29.600 we're at first forced to trip over him, 00:11:29.659 --> 00:11:31.060 to smack against him and fall. 00:11:32.080 --> 00:11:34.159 Let me give you three ways that that's true, 00:11:34.740 --> 00:11:35.720 and I'll just list them. 00:11:35.720 --> 00:11:40.360 The first is that his claims are so extreme. 00:11:40.960 --> 00:11:43.100 He's a rock of offense because his claims are so extreme. 00:11:43.340 --> 00:11:44.960 He says, 00:11:45.240 --> 00:11:46.379 I am the way, the truth, and the life. 00:11:46.740 --> 00:11:48.440 No one comes to God except through me. 00:11:49.779 --> 00:11:52.800 And then in another way in his time, 00:11:53.759 --> 00:11:57.759 he ate with those that were considered defiled in the culture. 00:11:57.960 --> 00:12:01.120 He broke all the customs and norms to reach out to the poor. 00:12:01.120 --> 00:12:05.200 However, he was offensive to the people in the time that he lived. 00:12:05.820 --> 00:12:07.340 But most importantly, the third thing, 00:12:07.399 --> 00:12:09.899 and I think this is what really Simeon's getting at, 00:12:09.980 --> 00:12:12.139 is when you encounter him, 00:12:12.340 --> 00:12:15.740 he exposes the truth of the human heart. 00:12:16.759 --> 00:12:18.240 And we trip over him. 00:12:18.320 --> 00:12:19.519 We see his perfection. 00:12:20.820 --> 00:12:22.700 And we realize that we have stumbled. 00:12:23.179 --> 00:12:24.919 He becomes offensive to us in that way. 00:12:25.440 --> 00:12:26.879 He shows us what we really are. 00:12:26.940 --> 00:12:27.620 He exposes us. 00:12:27.639 --> 00:12:30.180 And that's exactly what Simeon says down in verse 35. 00:12:30.179 --> 00:12:30.679 He says, 00:12:31.099 --> 00:12:33.639 The thoughts of many hearts will be revealed 00:12:33.639 --> 00:12:36.339 when the Messiah is revealed. 00:12:37.259 --> 00:12:38.279 The truth about who we are. 00:12:38.359 --> 00:12:41.539 You see, Christmas first says that he came to show us 00:12:41.539 --> 00:12:43.399 that we are not the people God made us to be. 00:12:43.539 --> 00:12:45.639 There's a being exposed. 00:12:45.839 --> 00:12:47.779 That is the beginning of the Christmas message. 00:12:48.419 --> 00:12:50.759 That the incarnation is about salvation, 00:12:51.079 --> 00:12:52.399 but first it's about confrontation. 00:12:53.559 --> 00:12:55.939 He came to confront in order to redeem. 00:12:56.479 --> 00:12:57.759 He came to cause a conflict. 00:12:57.759 --> 00:13:00.519 And that conflict begins inside the human soul 00:13:00.519 --> 00:13:01.779 to wrestle and to say, 00:13:01.980 --> 00:13:04.860 I'm not quite as independent as I thought I was. 00:13:06.860 --> 00:13:07.679 Here's a way to say it. 00:13:07.700 --> 00:13:09.460 Even when we think we're pretty good people, 00:13:09.899 --> 00:13:11.939 the reality of Christmas says, 00:13:12.080 --> 00:13:13.659 when you look down at the bottom of your heart, 00:13:13.759 --> 00:13:15.000 you're fundamentally selfish. 00:13:15.620 --> 00:13:17.639 And every person, Jew and Gentile, 00:13:18.120 --> 00:13:20.200 struggles with putting themselves 00:13:20.200 --> 00:13:21.379 at the center of the universe. 00:13:21.379 --> 00:13:25.059 We, as one writer, 00:13:25.220 --> 00:13:26.639 I was reading a theologian, 00:13:26.919 --> 00:13:27.840 a new book recently, 00:13:28.019 --> 00:13:31.439 and he pointed me to this classic doctrine. 00:13:31.659 --> 00:13:34.080 He called it the theology of the belly button. 00:13:35.139 --> 00:13:36.600 You may have heard that doctrine before. 00:13:36.679 --> 00:13:37.679 The theology of the belly button. 00:13:37.740 --> 00:13:38.059 What is it? 00:13:38.100 --> 00:13:39.320 It's the fact that we all, 00:13:39.860 --> 00:13:40.899 every human has a belly button. 00:13:41.080 --> 00:13:43.500 And that reminds us that we had an umbilical cord. 00:13:44.600 --> 00:13:46.820 We came into this world wildly dependent. 00:13:47.720 --> 00:13:48.519 Not independent, 00:13:48.700 --> 00:13:49.919 not the center of the universe, no, 00:13:49.919 --> 00:13:50.939 but dependent. 00:13:51.179 --> 00:13:52.819 And the God who made us, 00:13:52.939 --> 00:13:55.219 we're made to be absolutely dependent on him, 00:13:55.299 --> 00:13:56.699 yet we live as if we're independent. 00:13:57.120 --> 00:13:58.620 And Jesus comes in the incarnation 00:13:58.620 --> 00:14:00.059 first to expose that, 00:14:01.019 --> 00:14:02.500 to point us to see that. 00:14:02.699 --> 00:14:03.379 Secondly, finally, 00:14:04.459 --> 00:14:06.019 that confrontation, though, 00:14:06.139 --> 00:14:08.319 leads from falling to rising. 00:14:09.019 --> 00:14:10.500 So Simeon also says, 00:14:10.839 --> 00:14:12.419 yet, not only the fall, 00:14:12.539 --> 00:14:13.459 not only to be ruined, 00:14:13.779 --> 00:14:15.279 not only is he a rock of offense, 00:14:15.719 --> 00:14:17.179 but for the rising of many. 00:14:17.559 --> 00:14:18.879 Now, what does that mean as we finish? 00:14:19.919 --> 00:14:22.500 I think one way to think about it 00:14:22.500 --> 00:14:24.719 is through the lens of what he says to Mary, 00:14:25.059 --> 00:14:27.339 the mother of Jesus here in verse 35. 00:14:27.439 --> 00:14:28.000 It's very helpful. 00:14:28.459 --> 00:14:29.199 He says to her, 00:14:29.360 --> 00:14:31.240 Mary, this is for you too. 00:14:32.079 --> 00:14:35.319 You will have a sword pierced through your heart also. 00:14:35.740 --> 00:14:37.799 So when he wants to explain what this means, 00:14:37.860 --> 00:14:39.459 that you will fall, 00:14:39.579 --> 00:14:40.399 but then you will rise, 00:14:40.479 --> 00:14:41.179 he says to Mary, 00:14:41.319 --> 00:14:42.519 this is for you too, Mary, 00:14:43.000 --> 00:14:45.599 and a sword will pierce through your heart as well. 00:14:46.399 --> 00:14:47.600 We can think about what he means 00:14:47.600 --> 00:14:49.639 through this lens of how he says it to Mary. 00:14:50.360 --> 00:14:51.200 What does he mean? 00:14:52.259 --> 00:14:52.860 Commentators will say, 00:14:52.980 --> 00:14:54.320 well, look, here's what he's saying to Mary. 00:14:54.960 --> 00:14:56.139 Mary, you're going to have to, 00:14:56.460 --> 00:14:57.639 a sword is going to cut through your heart. 00:14:57.720 --> 00:14:58.600 This is a metaphor, right? 00:14:58.659 --> 00:14:59.860 For pain and suffering. 00:15:00.540 --> 00:15:02.360 You're going to have to watch Jesus, 00:15:02.560 --> 00:15:03.240 your son, 00:15:04.340 --> 00:15:06.240 have a nation rise up against him, 00:15:07.240 --> 00:15:08.720 be betrayed, 00:15:08.879 --> 00:15:09.480 be murdered. 00:15:10.379 --> 00:15:12.019 And the pain that that's going to cause her, 00:15:12.019 --> 00:15:12.319 a boy, 00:15:12.919 --> 00:15:13.939 a sword to the heart. 00:15:14.039 --> 00:15:14.279 Yes. 00:15:15.100 --> 00:15:17.439 But also we learn in the rest of the gospel, 00:15:17.659 --> 00:15:19.779 there are times where Mary is embarrassed by him 00:15:19.779 --> 00:15:21.840 and she struggles with him. 00:15:22.699 --> 00:15:25.379 And it's because it's the same thing for her. 00:15:25.500 --> 00:15:27.559 He exposes the truth of her heart as well. 00:15:27.659 --> 00:15:29.579 She's a sinner just like everybody else. 00:15:29.620 --> 00:15:30.059 So he's saying, 00:15:30.319 --> 00:15:31.240 Mary, this is you too. 00:15:31.319 --> 00:15:32.319 You're going to fall as well. 00:15:32.679 --> 00:15:35.939 You're exposed as a sinner when he comes, 00:15:36.039 --> 00:15:38.019 this boy of yours into the world. 00:15:38.079 --> 00:15:39.639 But then what about this rise? 00:15:40.259 --> 00:15:40.740 What does it mean? 00:15:40.740 --> 00:15:42.919 The Greek word that's used here, 00:15:43.000 --> 00:15:44.039 the rising of many, 00:15:44.279 --> 00:15:46.320 is the word anastasis. 00:15:46.519 --> 00:15:47.960 And we know that word in English 00:15:47.960 --> 00:15:50.060 from names like anastasia. 00:15:51.220 --> 00:15:52.680 That name, what does that name mean? 00:15:52.700 --> 00:15:53.419 It means resurrection. 00:15:53.659 --> 00:15:56.100 Normally this word anastasis means resurrection. 00:15:57.019 --> 00:15:58.480 He will cause the fall of many, 00:15:59.159 --> 00:16:00.220 but the rising of many, 00:16:00.320 --> 00:16:00.980 the anastasis, 00:16:01.100 --> 00:16:02.399 the resurrection of many. 00:16:03.200 --> 00:16:03.779 And you see, 00:16:03.860 --> 00:16:05.279 he puts these things together 00:16:05.279 --> 00:16:06.840 and that's when we realize, 00:16:07.039 --> 00:16:08.379 and the commentators point this out, 00:16:08.379 --> 00:16:12.000 that not only is this a connection to Isaiah 8, 00:16:12.120 --> 00:16:14.159 but also Isaiah 28. 00:16:14.360 --> 00:16:14.939 Isaiah 8, 00:16:15.039 --> 00:16:16.399 he will be a stone of stumbling, 00:16:16.899 --> 00:16:17.899 a rock of offense. 00:16:17.899 --> 00:16:19.059 Isaiah 28, 00:16:19.539 --> 00:16:23.059 but he will become the cornerstone. 00:16:24.639 --> 00:16:24.899 So he, 00:16:25.320 --> 00:16:26.580 Isaiah 8 and 28, 00:16:26.779 --> 00:16:28.279 a rock of falling, 00:16:28.419 --> 00:16:29.700 but also of raising again, 00:16:29.740 --> 00:16:30.299 a cornerstone, 00:16:30.600 --> 00:16:31.960 lifting the building back up again. 00:16:32.200 --> 00:16:33.120 Another way to say it, 00:16:33.120 --> 00:16:34.799 if we add what Simeon says is, 00:16:35.379 --> 00:16:37.279 the one who is the stumbling stone 00:16:37.279 --> 00:16:40.799 is now for us becoming the resurrection stone. 00:16:41.480 --> 00:16:42.519 The true cornerstone 00:16:42.519 --> 00:16:44.080 that's going to lift us back up again. 00:16:44.600 --> 00:16:46.899 That's what he sings here in the song. 00:16:47.659 --> 00:16:48.440 The stumbling stone, 00:16:48.840 --> 00:16:50.399 you trip over him because he, 00:16:51.100 --> 00:16:52.220 when you stand in his presence, 00:16:52.360 --> 00:16:52.519 boy, 00:16:53.000 --> 00:16:54.840 the truth about who you really are comes out. 00:16:55.639 --> 00:16:57.560 But then he turns and he says to Mary, 00:16:57.879 --> 00:16:59.279 a sword is going to pierce your heart. 00:16:59.340 --> 00:17:00.539 And that has to also mean 00:17:00.539 --> 00:17:02.259 somehow lift her up as well. 00:17:02.259 --> 00:17:03.480 It means this, 00:17:03.539 --> 00:17:03.860 I think, 00:17:04.819 --> 00:17:06.879 that the sword that's going to pierce her heart, 00:17:07.019 --> 00:17:08.579 pierce every human heart, 00:17:08.920 --> 00:17:11.799 is not the sword of judgment, 00:17:12.079 --> 00:17:14.420 but it's more like a surgeon's scalpel. 00:17:16.140 --> 00:17:18.079 You can come with the sword of judgment 00:17:18.079 --> 00:17:19.000 that will kill, 00:17:19.140 --> 00:17:20.339 but the surgeon's scalpel, 00:17:20.519 --> 00:17:23.640 it cuts in order to heal. 00:17:24.619 --> 00:17:26.059 And Jesus Christ comes and he cuts. 00:17:26.119 --> 00:17:27.660 He first comes and he exposes us, 00:17:27.740 --> 00:17:29.119 but then that exposure, 00:17:29.279 --> 00:17:29.720 that cut, 00:17:29.720 --> 00:17:33.440 then we realize he's the great surgeon. 00:17:34.240 --> 00:17:35.259 He's come to heal us. 00:17:35.299 --> 00:17:36.039 How does he do it? 00:17:36.100 --> 00:17:36.779 How does he do it? 00:17:36.779 --> 00:17:38.000 As we close. 00:17:38.980 --> 00:17:40.000 And let me just say this, 00:17:40.039 --> 00:17:41.920 it's hinted at in verse 23, 00:17:42.400 --> 00:17:44.860 because when he goes to be dedicated, 00:17:45.660 --> 00:17:48.160 verse 23 tells us that on that day, 00:17:48.759 --> 00:17:49.120 he was, 00:17:49.559 --> 00:17:51.620 the sacrifice made for his dedication 00:17:51.620 --> 00:17:54.220 was a pair of turtle doves and pigeons. 00:17:55.120 --> 00:17:56.839 And in the Old Testament and Leviticus, 00:17:56.980 --> 00:17:59.279 we learned that the poorest families 00:17:59.279 --> 00:18:01.279 would use turtle doves and pigeons 00:18:01.279 --> 00:18:03.680 for sacrifices, 00:18:03.680 --> 00:18:05.640 for dedications and purifications 00:18:05.640 --> 00:18:06.420 and things like that. 00:18:06.880 --> 00:18:07.620 If you were wealthy, 00:18:07.680 --> 00:18:08.420 you would bring a lamb. 00:18:08.660 --> 00:18:09.600 If you didn't have any money, 00:18:09.660 --> 00:18:11.640 you would get a pair of turtle doves. 00:18:12.039 --> 00:18:13.900 And that's what happens in his case. 00:18:14.299 --> 00:18:15.339 And what we realize here, 00:18:15.480 --> 00:18:16.480 it's just hinted at. 00:18:16.880 --> 00:18:17.440 He's poor. 00:18:18.440 --> 00:18:20.519 Jesus was the son of God 00:18:20.519 --> 00:18:22.460 who hung the stars is poor. 00:18:24.080 --> 00:18:26.160 And that's just a little shadow 00:18:26.160 --> 00:18:27.779 of what the text David read for us 00:18:27.779 --> 00:18:29.340 earlier in Philippians 2, 00:18:29.500 --> 00:18:30.840 that from the beginning 00:18:30.840 --> 00:18:31.680 to the end of his life, 00:18:31.740 --> 00:18:32.700 he was humiliated. 00:18:33.860 --> 00:18:35.340 He made himself nothing. 00:18:36.320 --> 00:18:37.559 From the beginning of his life 00:18:37.559 --> 00:18:38.660 all the way to his death, 00:18:38.880 --> 00:18:40.100 his ultimate humiliation, 00:18:40.480 --> 00:18:40.980 what do we learn? 00:18:41.059 --> 00:18:41.880 The fall of many, 00:18:41.920 --> 00:18:42.460 but the rising, 00:18:42.539 --> 00:18:43.160 how does it happen? 00:18:44.019 --> 00:18:46.299 He took the sword of judgment, 00:18:46.299 --> 00:18:47.559 the sort of justice 00:18:47.559 --> 00:18:49.200 that we deserve at the cross 00:18:49.200 --> 00:18:50.639 is ultimate humiliation 00:18:50.639 --> 00:18:52.639 so we could have the surgeon's scalpel, 00:18:53.039 --> 00:18:54.559 so we could have peace, 00:18:54.980 --> 00:18:56.680 so the cut that he makes 00:18:56.680 --> 00:18:57.980 when we see our selfishness 00:18:57.980 --> 00:18:59.879 exposed by him would turn 00:18:59.879 --> 00:19:00.940 and we could lift up our heads 00:19:00.940 --> 00:19:02.899 and rejoice because in him 00:19:02.899 --> 00:19:03.919 it has all been healed. 00:19:05.259 --> 00:19:06.180 He took the sword. 00:19:06.519 --> 00:19:07.859 He took the justice that we deserved 00:19:07.859 --> 00:19:09.399 in order to heal us. 00:19:09.440 --> 00:19:10.599 That's the whole story. 00:19:10.759 --> 00:19:12.539 So the incarnation tonight 00:19:12.539 --> 00:19:13.980 leads you to the cross. 00:19:14.059 --> 00:19:15.519 And here's what it asks you to do. 00:19:16.299 --> 00:19:17.680 Tonight is a night of worship. 00:19:17.839 --> 00:19:20.319 Tonight is a night of falling before him 00:19:20.319 --> 00:19:20.839 and saying, 00:19:21.299 --> 00:19:23.259 I realize that in the coming of Jesus 00:19:23.259 --> 00:19:24.519 my need is exposed 00:19:24.519 --> 00:19:26.879 and yet I'm also healed. 00:19:27.759 --> 00:19:29.980 And that can be anybody's tonight. 00:19:30.099 --> 00:19:30.659 It can be yours, 00:19:30.740 --> 00:19:32.359 whether you're a believer or not. 00:19:32.419 --> 00:19:32.980 You come tonight 00:19:32.980 --> 00:19:34.740 and you can come to God 00:19:34.740 --> 00:19:35.519 in just a moment. 00:19:35.579 --> 00:19:36.399 I'm going to lead us in prayer 00:19:36.399 --> 00:19:37.339 and you can pray 00:19:37.339 --> 00:19:38.619 and you can say, 00:19:38.740 --> 00:19:40.619 Lord, I realize my need 00:19:40.619 --> 00:19:41.500 on this Christmas Eve. 00:19:42.339 --> 00:19:43.160 And I once again 00:19:43.160 --> 00:19:44.279 look to the one 00:19:44.279 --> 00:19:45.359 who took the sword for me 00:19:45.359 --> 00:19:46.400 to give me healing 00:19:46.400 --> 00:19:47.140 that only you can give. 00:19:47.220 --> 00:19:47.579 Forgiveness, 00:19:48.200 --> 00:19:50.019 what is the city, 00:19:50.359 --> 00:19:51.019 our beautiful city, 00:19:51.059 --> 00:19:51.480 we love it. 00:19:52.019 --> 00:19:52.900 It gives you lights, 00:19:52.980 --> 00:19:54.059 it gives you department stores, 00:19:54.240 --> 00:19:55.140 it gives you presents, 00:19:55.500 --> 00:19:56.460 all fun stuff. 00:19:57.319 --> 00:19:58.119 Jesus Christ, 00:19:58.299 --> 00:19:59.299 the truth about Christmas, 00:19:59.460 --> 00:20:00.200 gives you forgiveness 00:20:00.200 --> 00:20:01.539 and a clear conscience 00:20:01.539 --> 00:20:03.140 and gives you a promise 00:20:03.140 --> 00:20:04.359 that when you come to him, 00:20:04.640 --> 00:20:06.079 God will never let you 00:20:06.079 --> 00:20:06.720 out of his hand. 00:20:07.440 --> 00:20:08.279 He gives you hope 00:20:08.279 --> 00:20:09.259 in a future 00:20:09.259 --> 00:20:10.879 that is absolutely sure. 00:20:12.240 --> 00:20:12.980 Let us pray. 00:20:13.079 --> 00:20:13.259 Father, 00:20:13.720 --> 00:20:14.839 we come to you 00:20:14.839 --> 00:20:16.000 on this Christmas Eve 00:20:16.000 --> 00:20:17.079 and we do pray 00:20:17.079 --> 00:20:18.500 and we acknowledge 00:20:18.500 --> 00:20:20.299 before you our need. 00:20:20.539 --> 00:20:21.559 We have a great need 00:20:21.559 --> 00:20:22.720 and we know that 00:20:22.720 --> 00:20:23.220 at Christmas 00:20:23.220 --> 00:20:24.519 we're exposed, 00:20:24.700 --> 00:20:25.759 the darkness within us, 00:20:25.819 --> 00:20:26.579 the selfishness, 00:20:26.879 --> 00:20:27.920 making the center 00:20:27.920 --> 00:20:29.119 of the universe us. 00:20:29.940 --> 00:20:30.819 It's a reality 00:20:30.819 --> 00:20:31.980 and yet the true center 00:20:31.980 --> 00:20:32.480 of the universe, 00:20:32.639 --> 00:20:33.299 you, Lord Jesus, 00:20:33.420 --> 00:20:33.980 you came 00:20:33.980 --> 00:20:35.859 and you died for us. 00:20:36.319 --> 00:20:37.339 The sword you took, 00:20:37.339 --> 00:20:39.220 a sword that we can't imagine, 00:20:39.319 --> 00:20:40.019 a sword of judgment. 00:20:40.259 --> 00:20:40.359 Lord, 00:20:40.439 --> 00:20:42.059 we come tonight 00:20:42.059 --> 00:20:42.599 to thank you, 00:20:42.679 --> 00:20:43.220 to praise you, 00:20:43.359 --> 00:20:44.079 to give you worship 00:20:44.079 --> 00:20:45.179 and glory for that 00:20:45.179 --> 00:20:46.240 and then we pray, 00:20:46.379 --> 00:20:46.459 Lord, 00:20:46.519 --> 00:20:47.459 that our hearts tonight 00:20:47.459 --> 00:20:48.379 would be struck 00:20:48.379 --> 00:20:50.099 by the surgeon's scalpel, 00:20:50.199 --> 00:20:51.579 that we would be able 00:20:51.579 --> 00:20:52.259 to rejoice 00:20:52.259 --> 00:20:53.939 that our need 00:20:53.939 --> 00:20:54.619 has been met 00:20:54.619 --> 00:20:55.220 in Christ. 00:20:55.379 --> 00:20:55.799 So thank you 00:20:55.799 --> 00:20:56.339 for the forgiveness 00:20:56.339 --> 00:20:57.139 that's on offer 00:20:57.139 --> 00:20:58.039 in Jesus 00:20:58.039 --> 00:20:58.659 and we pray 00:20:58.659 --> 00:20:59.359 in Christ's name. 00:20:59.919 --> 00:21:00.179 Amen. 00:21:00.179 --> 00:21:00.319 Amen.