“Simeon’s Proclamation” – Luke 2:25-35

Do you like scary movies?  I don’t usually care for them because I don’t like being scared. Besides the fact that most of them aren’t watchable for any number of reasons, I just don’t care for them.  But obviously some people do because they come out with new ones all the time. Not only do I not want to be scared, most of the ones I’ve seen are too far-fetched.  You know what I mean.

The 18-year old girl sees a guy go into an abandoned building and says, “I wonder if he needs help.  I better go check.” He’s got a chainsaw, a peg leg and a hockey mask.  Obviously, he needs her help, right? Then, at some point in the movie, some girl is going to hear something in the basement and even though all her friends have been sliced open with a machete, she feels the need to go check. Call the police? No.  Get a gun? No.  Take a friend? No.

Just start walking down to the basement and what always happens? The light at the top of the stairs is burned out, right?  It’s pitch black and there may be a psycho serial killer down there but Muffy is going to check it out anyway and here’s how it goes.  The scary organ music starts playing.  She’s walking down the steps real slow, the music builds, the girl is squinting into the darkness and all of the sudden…a cat jumps in front of her and she breathes a big sigh of relief, starts back down the stairs with a smile right into the arms of the killer and his bloody machete.

Now, what one thing would have changed that outcome? We know they have to make movies but in real life, what one thing would have prevented her from going all the way down there? A light, of course.  If she had just had a flashlight or if the light bulb at the top of the stairs had not burned out, she could have made it to the end of the movie…maybe…except we know she would have been running through the woods away from the killer and she would have fallen, but whatever.

A light solves a lot of problems, doesn’t it? It reveals things that the darkness hides. It reveals the hidden killer or the hidden tree root that she tripped on or the way out of trouble that she almost found. I’m a big fan of shining light in the darkness.  I have all kinds of flashlights and lamps and spotlights and you can bet if I hear a noise downstairs, I’m turning on some kind of light.

I was looking at flashlights online the other day and you can spend a lot of money on just a flashlight.  Oh, you can buy a cheepo at Walmart for a dollar but you can also spend $200-300 for something with a lot more power and quality. The question is, how valuable is light to you when you need it most? How bad do you want the light to reveal what is hidden? Do you want to go in the right way or the wrong way? Do you want to see the truth instead of darkness? Do you want to live the right life or live a lie?

Those are some of life’s most important questions and they are answered, not with a flashlight or a lantern but with THE LIGHT; the light that IS the Way, the Truth and the Life; and that is, of course, Jesus. That is what Simeon called the baby Jesus in Luke chapter 2, verse 32.  He said Jesus was the light for revelation to the Gentiles.  Let’s look at that as we continue our study of this beautiful passage about the prophet Simeon when he first saw Jesus that day in the temple.

Turn to Luke 2 and let’s read verses 25-35 again as we finish up studying Simeon’s vision of Christmas and what it means to us all these years later.  Luke 2:25-35 says, “Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:

29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
    you may now dismiss your servant in peace.
30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,
31     which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
    and the glory of your people Israel.”

33 The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

Back in the days before electricity, a tightfisted old farmer was taking his hired man to task for carrying a lighted lantern when he went to call on his best girl. "Why," he exclaimed, "when I went a-courtin' I never carried one of them things. I always went in the dark." "Yes," the hired man said, "and look what you got!" (sermoncentral.com)

We all need a light for revelation in every aspect of our lives, from who we marry to where we go to church but the most important area of our lives that we need revelation is spiritually.  We know that light for revelation is Jesus just as Simeon prophesied. We know that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life and that is what you need a light to reveal, don’t you?  You need a light to reveal the right way to go. You need a light to reveal truth and you need light to reveal how to live your life.

In John chapter 14, Jesus is talking to His disciples and He tells them that He is about to go away.  He knows He is about to be arrested and crucified, die and come back to life but that He will ultimately go back to Heaven to be with God the Father. He says in verse 1, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2My Father's house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4You know the way to the place where I am going."

At this point, the minds of the disciples are starting to swirl.  Is Jesus being literal or figurative?  Where is going and then what are we going to do?  Then Thomas speaks up and says in verse 5, “LORD, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" Thomas is saying he doesn’t have a light.  He doesn’t have a map.  He doesn’t have GPS. How is he supposed to know where Jesus is going?

Then Jesus speaks, in verse 6, some of the most definitive and beautiful words in all of scripture or the world. Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

I saw a motivational poster the other day, and by the way, this world has all the motivational posters it needs, if you ask me.  But this one said, “Keep your flame lit, and you will never feel darkness.” Really? Is that really helping anybody?  I don’t even know what it means, much less how to keep my own flame lit.  Do I even have a flame? I mean, I get heartburn sometimes but that’s not helping.  I don’t need my flame lit.  I need some other light to show me the right way to go. I don’t need my own flame lit. All I need is Jesus to show me the way.

But if we don’t know what that looks like then it doesn’t help us any more than a motivational poster.  What does it mean for Jesus to be the Way? Well, the Old Testament is full of places that talk about “the way”. The Jews referred to it often.  In Deuteronomy 5, it says, “You shall walk in all the ways the Lord your God has commanded you.”

It was the Psalmist’s prayer, “Teach me thy way, Oh Lord.” (Psalm 27) and in Isaiah 30:21, we see, “Your ears shall hear a word behind you saying, this is the way. Walk in in it.”  Now, suppose you go to a strange town and you ask somebody for directions.  They say, “Well, all you do is take the next left, go down three streets, take a right. Go ¾ of a mile to where the old elm tree used to be and take a left and then two more rights and there you are.” Chances are, you’ll be lost before you get half way there.

But if you ask and they tell you they will show you the way, that changes everything.  Just follow them.  Then we would say that THEY are the way. That’s what Jesus does for us. He doesn’t just give advice and directions. He takes us by the hand and leads us; He strengthens us and guides us all the way. He doesn’t tell us about the way. He is the Way.

He is also the Truth. Simeon said Jesus would be a light and Jesus reveals that He is truth. Many men tell us the truth, but Jesus is the Truth. Have you ever watched the news and seen some guy who is a big crusader against something get busted for doing the very thing he rails against? Maybe it’s a congressman who introduces a bill to crack down on drunk driving and then two days later gets busted for DUI.

Or some preacher preaches against homosexuality and then you find out later, he has a boyfriend.  You know what I mean.  We can speak truth. We can preach truth and show other people what truth is but we are fallible. All men, all women, all people are sinners and prone to sin.  As believers, we don’t live in sin any more but even we can and will fall. But Jesus taught truth and lived truth. He is the Way and the Truth.

Morris and I met an interesting fellow a while back at the Wise County jail. He was in there, like we were, to teach a Bible study and before it got started, we struck up a conversation with this guy who believes that the earth is flat. I’m serious. I thought he was joking at first and Morris and I asked him some questions about how is it then that planes can fly east or west and still wind up in China, but he had crazy answers for all of it. He also didn’t believe in gravity and you can imagine we had some questions about that.

He said all of that was lies from NASA. That’s what NASA wants us to believe and there was no moon landing or space travel. It’s all a lie according to him and there was no convincing him otherwise. That’s the way some people are about Jesus. They can read the Bible and see all the prophecies in the Old Testament that came true in the New Testament and they will explain them away somehow.

They can see the way it has played out in the lives of good Christians and how they have peace and joy in the midst of difficulties and not believe it to be true. They can see things predicted in scripture that are coming true even today and just ignore it. That’s their prerogative. You can’t force them and you can’t prove it mathematically or scientifically so they don’t believe. But I believe. I have faith. I know that I know that I know that Jesus is truth. I have seen the light and I know the light. I have a relationship with Him and I have found every word in scripture to be true in my life and in my studies. He is the Way and the Truth.

He is also the Life. In John 10:10, Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” Some translations say, “abundant life”. What does it mean to have “abundant” life? Does it mean busy or rich? I don’t think so; not like the world thinks of busy and rich, at least.  I think a full life is like a full belly after a meal.  I’m satisfied. I don’t need anything else. Sure, I can overeat, but it doesn’t bring any more real satisfaction.

A full life is a contented life.  Paul said in Philippians 4:11, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” Jesus brings contentment. Isn’t that what everybody really wants. It’s not found in stuff or money or fame. There’s nothing wrong with any of that in and of itself but it doesn’t bring a satisfied life. Jesus is the Life.

In John 8:12, Jesus says, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." I wonder if He was thinking about what Simeon said about Him all those years before when Simeon said Jesus would be a “light for revelation to the Gentiles.” That light reveals to us that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life and no man comes to the Father except through Him.

Do you have that faith today? What better time to come to truly know Jesus than when we celebrate His birthday? Do it today. Turn away from your sin and accept God’s forgiveness and truly turn your life over to Him and let Jesus be Lord of your life. Allow Him to give you peace and joy in this life; this full and abundant life today and the hope of eternal life with Him in Heaven. Do that now as the music plays.