MY EYES HAVE SEEN YOUR SALVATION

Luke 2:21-38

Key Verse 2:30

For my eyes have seen your salvation. 

Today’s passage teaches us how we can personally experience God’s work of salvation and then actually participate in God’s work of salvation for many.

First, they circumcised Jesus.

The circumcision Jesus received tells us that God sent Jesus to fulfill the promise to send the Savior, so that people would be saved by faith in the Savior who in turn will save people through God’s power, not man’s power.

Many people go to church services, study the Bible, listen to sermons, and yet are not sure of their own salvation. One of the reasons for their lack of the assurance of salvation is their ignorance of the power of God. They do not know God’s power. Relying on their own power and strength for their salvation they end up not experiencing God’s power, and therefore not knowing God’s power, thereby remaining unsure of their salvation. 

God made men so well that men are capable of doing many things. But as far as the saving of one’s soul is concerned, man is not capable of doing it. God’s salvation is based on God’s power. 

Had we been capable of saving ourselves, the Savior would not have been necessary. But the Lord God, knowing our total incapacity, promised to send his one and only Son Jesus as the Savior of the world. 

But not all people take God’s promise seriously. However, the Lord God meant business. In order to make certain that people would believe in the Savior to come, the Lord God came up with a very interesting program called circumcision at the beginning of the history of the Israelites with a man named Abraham. 

^“On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise him, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he had been conceived.” The origin of circumcision as in verse 21 goes all the way back to the day of Abraham in Genesis. (Genesis 17:7,11-12; Romans 4:13-17) At that time God commanded Abraham and his descendants to do this (circumcision) to make certain that all believers (after Abraham’s example) would live by faith in God’s promise to send the Savior to come, who will in turn save people through God’s power (as exemplified in the way God granted a son to Abraham and Sarah even after passing the age of procreation). Surely, God’s salvation is based on God’s power, not man’s power. 

Second, they presented Jesus to the Lord. 

In verses 22-24, Jesus’ parents presented him to the Lord when he was forty days old. (cf. Lev 12:3-8) The consecration of Jesus at the Lord’s temple is symbolic of the message that God saves man in order that man may serve God’s purpose, not man’s purpose. 

The Bible consistently teaches us that God saves man to enable man to serve God’s purpose, not man’s purpose. And God’s purpose is to enable man to serve God without fear. God set the purpose of salvation to be for God’s purpose, not for God’s own interest, but for man’s best interest in mind. God is good. In fact, he is the only one who is good all the time. The only reason he created the universe and everything in it, and the only motive he created man to be the crown of creation, is to bestow upon man all that are good. And of all that are good, God is the best good. So in order for God to be able to bestow upon man only that which is good and perfect the Lord God has to set the purpose of salvation to be for God’s purpose, not for man’s purpose, and God set his purpose of salvation to be that way in order to secure that man’s interests would be served in the best way possible. So God’s salvation is for God’s purpose, not man’s. 

But not all who experience the mighty act of God’s salvation understand this purpose and live up to this purpose. Like all that are good, as man fails to live up to this purpose of salvation, man ends up abusing such a good grace as salvation. God gave us many good gifts. For example, time is good. This gift is good and perfect. But one abuses it if one uses it for a wrong purpose such as “killing” time for unfruitful purposes. We are not supposed to “kill time.” Rather, we are supposed to capitalize on it, just as Jesus said, “As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work” (John 9:4). Like time, salvation is a great gift from God, a gift which is totally good and perfect, and yet one can end up abusing it. 

God knows that we so easily become unthankful for the grace of salvation and are therefore prone to abuse it. In order to train the chosen people not to abuse the grace of salvation, the Lord God built in the history of Israel a command to dedicate to the Lord the firstborn male. (cf. Exodus 13:14-16)  Look at verses 22-24. “When the time of their purification according to the Law of Moses had been completed, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, ‘Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord’), and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: ‘a pair of doves or two young pigeons.’” 

In verses 22-24, Jesus’ parents consecrated him to the Lord along with the offerings prescribed by the Law of Moses. Unlike modern societies where much of the female population works as bread earners, in those days it was the male population that earned the bread. And it was not easy for a family to dedicate the firstborn male to let him serve God first, rather than family businesses. So it was not easy for any parent to obey this command. Yet, God asked them to do this to teach them that: 1) man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God; and 2) Jesus is the true bread of life who came to deliver all sinners from the grip of the power of sin and Satan as symbolized by Pharaoh in Egypt. 

So here is another question for you: If you are not sure of your salvation, (although Jesus saved you because at one point of time or another, you confessed that you are a rotten sinner, but that Jesus saved you), ask yourself, “What do I do with this salvation?” And, “Who do I live for, for me or for the Savior?” 

Third, a man called Simeon

To be saved is one thing, to be used by God is another. Among those who are saved by God, some are used in a major way, some in a minor way. In verses 25-35, at one of the critical moments of Jesus’ life here on earth, the Lord God established a man named Simeon and used him to teach humanity the work of God’s salvation through Jesus Christ in a special way. At that moment, Jesus was only 40 days old. Jesus was to begin his public ministry only about thirty years thereafter. Yet, the Lord God used Simeon to teach all peoples on earth (including Jesus’ parents) the full impact of the work of salvation to be fulfilled through His son. 

Three weeks ago I visited Chicago to attend a meeting. One of the attendants at the meeting was Dr. Jim Rabchuck, a physics professor. Each time I meet a man who looks like he has achieved something and carries an impressive title like Ph.D, I feel the itch to dig into his area of expertise and get some insight out of him. So I asked him, “What area of physics did you major in?” He said, “Computational physics.” Wow! Computational physics! That sounded interesting. So I asked him a lot of questions about computational physics. Because it was his specialty area, he felt honored. And so with great excitement he shared with me many interesting things about it. We also talked about Dr. Daniel Hong who majored in theoretical physics, and Albert Einstein one of the great physicists. Although the conversation was brief, one thing I learned more deeply than ever is that the world of physics is really deep. And laymen cannot understand the depth of knowledge that is true of the world of physics. Only a trained person with academic disciplines can understand the deep things of the world of physics. 

As I studied about the man Simeon, it dawned on me that the same is true in regard to the truths of the spiritual world. Not all who are intellectual can fully fathom into the depths and heights of all the truths that are true of the spiritual world. In fact, in 1 Corinthians 2:14, the Apostle Paul says, “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.” In addition, other Bible passages indicate that not all who have God’s Spirit in him can fully understand all that are true of God. And of all those who are “spiritually” discerning, the level of their understanding is different from person to person: some are on an elementary level, some on a graduate student level, some on a Ph.D. level, and still some on a super-PhD level. And I would say that the man named Simeon belongs to the super PhD level. 

How then was he able to discern all the deep things of God? Look at verses 25-29. “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 upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ. 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, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: ‘Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace.’” This passage tells us that he had the deep joy of salvation. How did he receive this joy? The passage tells us that he did receive the joy by: 1) maintaining a right relationship with the Lord; 2) fully devoting himself to the Lord daily; 3) looking to God (not to men or money) for salvation; and 4) living in close fellowship with the Holy Spirit. [Note: consolation of Israel refers to God’s promise to send the Savior to Israel at God’s right time as it is repeatedly described in the Scriptures such as Isaiah 52.] 

Simeon’s good example inspires us. When we devote ourselves to our relationship with Jesus Christ with an undivided heart, look to His help for salvation, seeking that we would be filled with His Spirit, then, we too can rise to the level of Simeon and be used by God in a major way. But this is more easily said than done, for in our own generation there are so many attractive distractions that lead men away from the fellowship with the Lord, misleading men to the ways of destruction. 

So that the Lord would help us to be wise enough to ward ourselves against the wickedness of this generation, keep a close relationship with: 1) the Lord (in our personal, daily devotion to the Lord); 2) with fellow believers in the Lord; and 3) the people of this world, looking for the opportunity to teach them the Bible for their salvation.

Fourth, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel

Practically then what is salvation? How does it come about? And what will it do for men? These are huge questions deserving years of discussion. Tons of sermon, messages, articles, and books have been written on the subjects posed by these questions. But when you see a man trying to explain these subjects in a rather complex way, you can rest assured that that person does not know the subjects well; he is yet to master the subjects involved. See how Albert Einstein reduced the theory of special relativity in a less than one inch equation: E=MC² . 

So is the case with Simeon. Through the movement of the Holy Spirit, according to perfect timing, he had a divine appointment with the Savior of the world at the Lord’s temple. Then he expressed God’s revelation about God’s salvation through Jesus in simple terms: 

“[M]y eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.” In my opinion this passage answers all the questions about the definition of salvation, the way it comes, and the fruit to bear in a man. 

First of all, salvation is all about Jesus Christ. “My eyes have seen your salvation.” Jesus Christ himself, the tiny baby in Simeon’s arms, represents the sum total of God’s salvation. The Lord God wrote in Jesus all the messages (or truths) we need to know about God’s salvation. In a rather coarse way, it can be said that Jesus represents all the truths we need to know for salvation in two ways: first, Jesus came to open the way of salvation, that is, through himself dying on the cross to take away our sins (which work as the stumbling block in our relationship with God) and rising from the dead and going back to the Father, so he could work as the high priest praying for us all who believe in Him, and second Jesus came to set an example of the life that loves the Lord God and serves Him and one’s neighbors. 

How then does the salvation come? How is it that a man is saved through Jesus Christ? The expression, “a light for revelation to the Gentiles,” answers the question. [Note: here “the Gentiles” is an idiom for unbelievers; whereas “Israel” refers to those who put trust in God.] God saves man through the light shining in and through the life of Jesus – Jesus’ words and actions. Light must be illuminated in each person’s eyes, not just his physical eyes, but his spiritual eyes. Then it must enlighten his inner person so that all the darkness built inside of him would all be replaced by His light. Speaking of this light Jesus says in John 9:5, “While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” Then in John 12:46, “I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.”

As one remains in Jesus, the light of the world, what will God do for him? In other words, what will be the outcome of a man being saved through the illumination of God’s light? In my opinion, the expression, “glory to your people Israel,” answers the question. Some interpret that this expression means that God is going to put the Israelites above all nations, so it would be the champion of all nations. But to me that does not make sense, because God does not discriminate one nation over any other nation, particularly among all who believe in Jesus. If you believe in Jesus, you are already a member of the body of Jesus Christ, which Jesus calls, “the Bride.” Plus, the Apostle Paul plainly declares in Romans 10:12, “[T]here is no difference between Jew and Gentile–the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him.” He then says in Galatians 3:26-29, “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Having said this, we are then told by Simeon that the salvation that comes through Jesus Christ results in the glory of God being restored in the life of every believer. Romans 3:23 says that all sinned and fall short of the glory of God. But now in Jesus there will be no more falling short of the glory of God, but rather reaching the glory of God in increasing measures, so we can go from glory to glory and going on like this in infinite measures. 

Fifth, a sign that will be spoken against

So far the work of God’s salvation sounds glorious. But before getting too excited about the glorious work to be fulfilled in the lives of all, there is one important point for everyone to remember: the power of evil persisting in man. 

The dire truth is that the work of salvation does not come without a battle. It comes through battle after battle, and the battles are between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan. And the point of the battles is the battle between good and evil, between obedience and sin. For this reason the Devil also known as Satan is called the ultimate dealer in sin. But thank God. God sent Jesus to destroy the work of the devil. 

In a prophetic insight, Simeon also depicted how Jesus would fight the battle against the power of evil. Look at verses 33-35. “The child's father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 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, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.’” 

This passage says that Jesus will fight the battle against the power of sin and death in two ways: First, he will expose evil as evil, sin as sin. [Sin is what evil is committed.] For example, when Jesus came to the public service, there were a bunch of people who looked righteous. But Jesus did not compromise with them. In American terms, he was not interested in being politically correct. Without fearing men, he boldly and bravely exposed the sins of the people, especially the sins of the religious leaders. Speaking of the same truth, Jesus says in John 7:7, ^“The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that what it does is evil.” Some people had problems accepting Jesus’ rebuke. So they rallied to speak against Jesus, only to result in their ultimate downfall. Second, Jesus died on the cross for our sins and rose again for our justification. Jesus is different from legalists. Jesus is both truthful and graceful. In his truthfulness he pointed out that people should repent and turn to God. In his gracefulness, he gave his life as a ransom sacrifice for the sins of the world. Speaking of this work of salvation through his self sacrifice, Simeon said, “A sword will pierce your own soul too.” Here “too” implies the soul of Jesus, the agony Jesus had to go through for my sins and for your sins! It has been said that the cross of Jesus is God’s best argument against a sinful lifestyle. Thank God who sent Jesus to put an end to the life of sin and death. 

Sixth, the redemption of Jerusalem

The way the Lord God is going to fulfill the ultimate purpose of His salvation, that is, restoring God’s glory in man, is through His dwelling inside of each believer. 

In verses 36-38, through a prophetess named Anna, the Lord God revealed this truth to us. Let us read this passage responsively. Here, the expression, “redemption of Jerusalem,” deserves special attention. Here the word “Jerusalem” denotes the chosen people in general. By “the redemption,” Anna is referring to the Lord God returning to Jerusalem, that is, in the hearts of all who believe in Him. God expresses the desire to dwell in each person’s heart in close fellowship with each of his children in virtually all chapters of the entire Bible. And God chose to fulfill this purpose by sending His one and only Son Jesus. Anna saw the fulfillment of this vision and shared it with many. 

One word: My eyes have seen your salvation

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