His Name Is Jesus

Luke 2:21-40 - Riley Boggs

This morning we find ourselves in a text that is often forgotten, or at least it seems that way. More times than not, when we think about the early days of Jesus’ life, we think of his birth and then sort of jump forward to the story Mary and Jospeh being unable to find12-year-old Jesus and eventually finding Him in the temple. That’s the story that we will look at next week. The story we are in this morning is the story between that one and the birth of Jesus. It is the story of Jesus being presented by His parents at the temple. 

Now, I think one of the main reasons this story is often forgotten is because out of the 4 Gospels, this story is only found it the Gospel of Luke. And that isn’t because this story is less credible and so the other Gospel writers didn’t think it should be recorded. No, the reason is because each Gospel writer wrote the things that they wrote, inspired by God if course, with a specific purpose in mind. The had a goal in their writing. 

Do you remember what Luke said his goal was? Luke starts by telling us that he is writing so that we may have certainty concerning the things we have been taught. So that we could be sure and have confidence about the things that we have already heard. And it is for that I think Luke includes the story we are looking at this morning. Also, if you’ll remember, Luke was not an eyewitness to these things. He wasn’t in the temple when Mary and Jospeh brought Jesus there. But it seems that while he was searching out the truth, listening to stories, and ensuring that they were true, he saw that this story would bring about further certainty. And I think it does just that.

Let’s start off by walking through the story and making sure we understand everything that is going on. Our text starts off by telling us that, “…at the end of eight days, when has circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.” Now there isn’t much for us to draw here, other than Jesus is being born under the law, which we’ll see even more clearly here in just a moment, and that Mary and Jospeh are obedient to name their son the name that the angel had told them, Jesus.

Then, in verse 22, we read, “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.” Now, in that first phrase, “And when the time came…” there is obviously an assumed amount of time passing, but you have to know what the law required here in order to know how much time. So let me just explain what is happening in verses 22-24, so that we can get a better understanding. 

You don’t have to turn there, but if you’re taking notes, write down Leviticus 12. This is where you can see exactly what the law states. So, in this time, according to the Law of Moses, after a woman had given birth to a son, she would be considered unclean for 40 days. This meant, until those 40 days had passed, Mary could not enter the sanctuary. And since they have Jesus circumcised on the 8th day, as the law required, then we know that 33 days have passed here before they arrive at the temple to do what was necessary. Now there are 2 reasons that they came to the temple, according to the law.

First, they brought Jesus to the temple to offer Him unto the Lord, because He was the firstborn son. You can see that in verse 23. The second reason they came to the temple goes back to the uncleanliness of Mary because of birth. The law required that a woman come into the sanctuary, after 40 days, and bring a sacrifice so that atonement can be made, and she can be considered clean again. And the law said that a woman must bring a year-old lamb for a burnt offering and a pigeon or turtledove for a sin offering. Now, if you look in verse 24, that isn’t what Mary brought. The text says that Mary brought a pair of turtledoves or a pair of pigeons. Now the reason she didn’t bring a year-old lamb isn’t because she was being disobedient or something like that. No, the reason is because the law made a provision for those who could not afford a lamb. And so, this was true of Mary and Joseph. They could not afford a lamb, so they brought the option for those who were poor, and brought a pair of turtledoves or pigeons.

I mentioned that they came to the temple for 2 reasons, and that is only partly true. Mary and Joseph thought were only coming for 2 reasons, but as we see in the rest of the passage, the Lord had much more in mind. Right after this, in verses 25-35, we read of a man named Simeon. And the text says that Simeon was a righteous and devout man, who had the Spirit upon Him, and was awaiting the redemption of Israel. And we also read that the Lord had told him that he would not die until he saw the Lord’s Christ.

So there Simeon was, in the temple, when Mary and Jospeh walk in with Jesus in their arms. And we read that Simeon takes up Jesus in his arms, knowing who this was baby was, and blesses God. He knows this is the Lord’s Christ, whom he was waiting for, and acknowledges that now he can depart this world in peace, just like the Lord has told him. Then he goes on to tell of what Jesus is going to bring and who he is going to bring it to, which we will look at in a little bit. Mary and Jospeh hear all of this and marvel at it, and then Simeon turns to them and blesses them as well, telling them, again, important details of what Jesus’ life will entail.

After this, we meet another character, a prophetess named Anna. We read that only 7 years into her marriage, her husband died, and she had been a widow for decades since. Not only that, but she was also a woman who spent all her time at the temple, worshipping, fasting, and praying. And as she hears this blessing that Simeon is pronouncing, she joins in giving thanks to God for the coming redemption of Jerusalem.

Finally, in verses 39-40, we read that after they had done everything according to the Law, they returned to Nazareth and Jesus, “…grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.” The question for us this morning is, what is it that we are supposed to see in this story? Or more specifically, what is this text supposed to make us certain of? I think there are 3 things. The first one is this…

1.) Jesus is the Christ

When we consider the reason that Luke added this story to his Gospel, I think the promise being fulfilled to Simeon is one of the clearest reasons. If you were reading this Gospel, up until this point, you would have to do a pretty poor job to not see that this baby, Jesus, is indeed the Christ. You see it in the promise of concerning John the Baptist, the promise to Mary, the interaction between Mary and Elizabeth, the song of Mary, Zechariah’s prophecy, and of course the birth of Jesus. It is abundantly clear. And yet, Luke, inspired by the Spirit, decided to add another crystal-clear way for us to see that Jesus is indeed the Christ. It’s almost like he wants us to be sure of it.

And so he adds this story of Simeon, who had been told, by God, that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Christ. Then, as soon as he sees and holds Jesus in his arms, he says, “Now, it is time for me to die.” Why? Because he has seen the Lord’s Christ. Jesus is the Christ.

Have you ever been in a conversation with a group of people where someone uses a word that you don’t know the meaning of? You hear whatever the word is, and you sort of cut your eyes to the people around you to see if they know what it means. And you can’t really tell whether or not you’re the only one who doesn’t know the word or not. But, just in case you’re the only one, you don’t say again. Instead, you just nod and smile and say, “Yeah!” Chances are, there are several people in the group also don’t know what the word means, and you are all a bit too shy to ask for the meaning.

I don’t think, I know, that this happens when it comes to the language of the church. I know that there are times where a word is used that not everyone knows the meaning to, and there can be a hesitation to ask what that word means. You worried that it’ll make you seem dumb because you’re thinking, “Everyone else in here knows what that means. I can’t ask that.” Again, chances are, you aren’t the only one. And even if you are, who cares. When we gather together, whether that’s here on a Sunday morning, in small groups, or in the men’s and women’s studies, we gather to grow. We gather to learn. And learning, more times than not, takes  the vulnerability to acknowledge that you don’t know and ask the question out loud. And, because I know the kind of people you all are, you can rest assured that no matter the question you ask, you will not be met with anyone looking down on you. You’ll be met with people who delight to help you grow in your knowledge. 

The reason is I say that, is because some of you might have those thoughts about the term, “The Christ”. You call yourself a Christian, you say that you follow Jesus Christ, and yet if someone were to ask you right now, “What does the word ‘Christ’ mean?”, you might look like a deer staring into headlights. If that’s you, first, I don’t think you’re the only one. Secondly, I am about to tell you what it means.

The word “Christ” comes from the Greek word “Christos”, which literally means “anointed one” or “anointed by God.” Now this title isn’t just used of Jesus. In fact, the Hebrew term that parallels this Greek word is “mashiach”. And this term, which translates also to “anointed one” or “messiah” is used to describe several different people in the Old Testament. Specifically, prophets, priests, and kings. However, what sets Jesus Christ apart from the rest of these christ’s is that the Bible speaks of Jesus as “the Christ”. In other words, all of those in the Old Testament, the prophets, priests, and kings, who were indeed anointed by God and played pivotal roles in the history of Israel, all of them pointed to not just another christ, but The Christ, Jesus Christ. They were types and shadows of the ultimate prophet, priest, and king. (https://learn.ligonier.org/devotionals/the-christ, https://learn.ligonier.org/devotionals/christ-1492)

And so when we speak “Jesus Christ”, we aren’t saying that “Christ” is Jesus’ last name, though I think that might be what many people assume. Rather, when we speak of “Jesus Christ”, we are saying who He is. We are giving Him a role, a title, saying that He is The Christ. He is The anointed one, the Messiah, the Christ. That’s what we mean when we say that, and that is what Luke is putting so clearly before us. Jesus is the Christ, the one that all others have been pointing to.

Let me say this before we move on. Our culture likes to sort of bottle up a handful of Jesus’s teachings and separate them from everything else. Here’s what I mean. If you ask the average person what they think about Jesus, they will likely have something good to say. They’ll say He was a good man who taught about loving your neighbor, which we should all do. Then you ask them about Christianity, the church, or some of the less popular Biblical teachings, and they don’t have many good things to say. Do you see this issue with this? You can’t have Jesus without all the rest. Why? Because Jesus wasn’t just a man, He is The Christ. He is the Son of God, who clothed Himself in humanity, to bring about salvation for helpless sinners. 

If you want some of His Words, you must take all of them, the whole counsel of God. You can have Jesus , the Christ, or you can have no Jesus at all. There is no in between. Whether or not He is the Christ is not in question, that much is abundantly clear, thanks to texts like this one.

The next thing I want you to see is not only that Jesus came to bring salvation, which I just mentioned, but I want you to see who He brought it for.

2.) Jesus came to bring salvation to people from every nation

As Simeon holds the Savior in his arms, he makes it abundantly clear who He is here to save. Look at what he says in verses 29-32, “Lord, now you are letting me your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”

Jesus did not come simply to save Israel. He came to save people from all peoples, from all nations. The scope of His redemption is worldwide. It transcends all cultures and goes beyond all borders. There is no people group that finds themselves outside the reach of the salvation found in the person and work of Jesus Christ. 

As we work through the rest of this Gospel, this truth becomes clearer and clearer. And then, if you spend any time at all in the rest of the New Testament, again, this truth is glaringly obvious. That alone lets us know that Christ came to save people from all nations. But there is still another way. Now, this isn’t the way that we should judge whether or not something is true, but we can find further evidence of true things in this way. That way is experience. 

If you were to travel the world in search of Christians, you would find them nearly everywhere. In all the places that the Gospel has gone, people have been saved, and Christians exists and are gathering. It’s clear that Christ came to bring salvation to people from all nations. And yes, there are certain people groups in the world today that have never heard the good news of Jesus Christ. Not only that, but they have no access to it. And we prayed that the Lord would bring the Gospel to these people groups during our time of corporate prayer. Do you know why we prayed this? We prayed this because we know that once the Gospel makes its way to these people, the Lord will use it to save them. Why? Because Jesus Christ came to save people from all nations, so the good news of Jesus Christ is good news to all people.

This is why we, as the church, have to be engaged in the mission of the church, to take the Gospel to the ends of the Earth. Listen to what Paul writes in Romans 10:11-17. He says, “11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”

Do see what he is saying there? Yes, Christ came to bring salvation to people of all nations. But, they need to know this! They need to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ proclaimed to them, so that they can turn from their sin, place their faith in Christ, and be saved. And it is the churches job, by the power of the Spirit, to take that Gospel to them. The Gospel that we, the church, have been entrusted with.

While we might be a church who gathers on this hill in Glasgow, Kentucky, we serve a God who sent His Son to redeem people from every nook and cranny of this Earth. And because of this, we ought to be church who seeks, in whatever ways we can, to help the Gospel go to all people.

You know, this is one of the primary reasons we joined the Southern Baptist Convention. We didn’t have to, but I know, because I know them personally, that there are people who are funded by the SBC, right now, who are trying to take the Gospel to places it has never been. I want our money to be there. That’s a worthwhile endeavor. As the Lord brings it to mind, I would encourage you to pray that there would be great success in these works. And hopefully, at the end of our days, there will be less unreached and unengaged people groups in the world than there were at the beginning of our days. Thanks be to God, that Christ came to bring salvation to people from every nation. This we can know for sure. The last thing I want us to see is this.

3.) Jesus will not be received by all people

Look at what Simeon says to Mary about Jesus, starting in verse halfway through verse 34. He says, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword swill pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.” What is Simeon saying here? What is he trying to convey about this child, Jesus.

I think that what Simeon is saying is that not everyone is going to respond the same to Jesus the Christ. Some, like Anna in the following verses, will respond with thanksgiving. They will respond with faith, trust, belief, and joy. That is what I think Simeon means by the rising of many in Israel. It’s the exaltation of people who receive Christ. On the other hand, there are some who will not respond like Anna. No, they will respond with unbelief, with bitterness, even anger. I think that is what Simeon means by the fall of many in Israel. It is the judgement that will come upon all those who reject Jesus Christ.

This is a reality that likely none of us needed to see in the Bible to know it is true. We have met people who are so receptive to the Gospel, who the Lord has clearly been preparing beforehand, and when they hear of the good news of Jesus Christ, they respond with joyful faith. But we also know people who are incredibly hardened against the Gospel. They do not want to hear about it. You begin to share a bit about the church, the Bible, or something related, and it’s like water and oil. They flee from the topic. They want nothing to do with any of that. Maybe there’s someone in your family, a close friend, who you so dearly want to come to faith, but they refuse to leave any room for such a conversation.

In those moments, when they reject so harshly, it can seem like it is our fault. We might be tempted to think, “Maybe I came on too aggressive. Maybe I didn’t explain this right. Maybe I should’ve waited to say something. Maybe I should have never said something at all.” If you’ve had those thoughts and thought that the reason that this person doesn’t believe is because I didn’t share the Gospel perfectly, or something like that, I want you to consider what this text is telling us. It is telling is that there are going to be people who simply reject Christ, not because the Gospel wasn’t shared perfectly, but because they love their sin and have a hardened heart towards Christ. Even if you had shared the Gospel perfectly, it wouldn’t have changed the outcome. In order for them to believe, they need to see their sin for what it is, see God for who He is, and they need to receive Christ. And that is only going to happen if they are made alive, repent of their sin, and place their faith in Jesus Christ.

Even further that a rejection to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we ourselves should expect opposition if we walk in the likeness of Christ. If you could, turn with me to John 15 just for a moment. I want you to see this truth, a bit clearer, in the John’s Gospel. Chapter 15, starting in verse 18, we read, “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.21 But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 Whoever hates me hates my Father also. 24 If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. 25 But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: ‘They hated me without a cause.’ 26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. 27 And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.”

Do you see what Jesus is saying here? Jesus came to save people from their sin, and they hated Him for it. They hated Him to the point where they lied against Him and crucified Him. And now, as those who are in Christ, you should expect the very same thing. If you walk like Jesus, talk like Jesus, live like Jesus, you will be treated like Jesus. You will be hated. Why? Because those who reject the perfect Son of God love their sin, the things of this world. They love the darkness rather than the light, and so they act accordingly. If that seems extreme, consider the fact that they killed the truly perfect man, Jesus.

And that death of Jesus is foreshadowed even here in this text to further this point. When Simeon says to Mary, “and a sword will pierce through your own soul also”, I think he is referring to the fact that Mary is going to have to watch her Son be killed, and it is going to hurt so deeply to watch. Jesus, the Son of God in flesh, slain right in front of His mother’s eyes. If the world can do this, we should expect they could do the same to us. If the world hates Christ, they will hate the Gospel who proclaims Him, and they will hate us as well. 

Yet, we have been called to imitate Christ. Maybe for us, in our context, that isn’t a fearful task in the same way. Imitating Christ and telling of Him doesn’t put you literally in danger. That is true, but let me respond to that in 3 short ways. First, as I mention often, just because it doesn’t happen to us, doesn’t mean it isn’t happening. It is, all around the world. Second, just because it isn’t happening now, doesn’t mean it couldn’t happen in the future. We can’t be too naïve in thinking that. Thirdly, just because you might not be in danger for your life for walking like Christ, doesn’t mean you won’t be hated and ostracized for your faith. And those things can hurt and cause us to have circles of people where we act a bit more like the world to appease the crowd around us, and that’s dangerous.

Here’s what I mean. You’re around a group of people who aren’t Christians, and they are making inappropriate jokes. And you sort of laugh with them to not seem weird. Then an inappropriate joke pops in up in your head, and so you think, “I wouldn’t normally say this, but…” and then you say it. Everyone laughs and you feel good about yourself. You feel like you’re a part of the group. The issue is that the Lord has called you to imitate Christ in all circumstances, not just the ones that benefit you. No, you are to imitate Christ even at when it means people will hate you, or in this case, see you as the weird outcast who doesn’t like to have fun. I’d like to think that as we all grow older, this becomes less of a desire for us, but I know it is still present. But I know with certainty, that those who are younger here find themselves in situations like this all the time. And I want you to hear, from the Word of God, that the looks you are getting for not engaging that inappropriate conversation are to be expected. That’s okay. In fact, it’s a good thing. The world looked down upon Jesus, you can expect them to look down on you. Don’t lose sight of the fact that obedience is always worth it, and one day, you’ll be thankful for every single time you walked in faith in those situations. 

So, what are the things we can be certain of from this text? What are the things that Luke is showing us? First, that Jesus is the Christ. Second, that Jesus came to bring salvation to people from every nation. And lastly, Jesus will not be received by all people. All of these things we can be sure of, because He has revealed them to us in His Word. It is good to be a people of the Word, a church who trusts in the Word of God. It gives us the ability to walk this Christian life, together, with confidence. Thanks be to God for this.