THE UNIVERSAL MESSIAH
Luke 2:25-35
These days we here this word called,
Globalization a lot. What is it? “An English princess with a Welsh title leaves a French hotel
with an Egyptian companion
who has supplanted a Pakistani;
she gets into a German car
with a Dutch engine
that is driven by a Belgian chauffeur
full of Scottish whiskey.
They are then chased by Italian paparazzi
on Japanese scooters
and motor bikes into a Swiss built
tunnel, where they crash. A rescue is
briefly attempted by an American doctor using Brazilian medicines.
And the whole story is told to you in Sharon at
Hope Church by an Indian pastor
who grew up in Costal Districts of Andhra Pradesh, that is Globalization.! (15
countries) So, did you guess who the princess being mentioned is?
That’s right it’s Princess Diana”[1].
Is
globalization a bad thing? How does God view diversity? Whether we like diversity
or not, the world we live is becoming more and more diverse. We are living in times where people are
constantly on the move from one place to another. Who do you think is behind
this cross migration? What should be the role of Hope Church in a vastly
diverse community called Sharon? For the past four weeks we have been preparing
our hearts for the, advent of Christ at Christmas. Our preparation includes
many things: We remember Israel’s hope for the coming of God’s Messiah. We
remember our need for a Savior to save us from our sins, give peace and restore
our Joy eternal. As we prepare to celebrate Christmas, let’s look at Psalm of
praise by Simeon around the birth of Christ and its worldwide implications.
Luke 2:25-35
Background:
Let
me give you the historical and
background to our story. Luke notes, the emperor Augustus issued a decree to
take the census throughout the Roman world.
The
Jewish historian Josephus notes this census took place under Quirinius during 6
or 7 A.D. What is the significance of this worldwide census? First, to show
that the issues of power and status occupy the center stage, for both Augustus
and Quirinius as they were introduced as wealthy sovereigns. Joseph along with
the rest of the world, portrayed as their subordinates. Second, this new
universal census was outwardly designed to number each nation by family and
tribe. Property and income values were not recorded in this registration, but
soon the statistics gathered in this census were used for the levying of poll
taxes on Jews, hence they regarded census as a symbol of Roman oppression.
Third,
to imply that Jesus’ ministry would be universal. Fourth, the census locates
the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, as the fulfilment of the prophecy of Micah
5:2, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of
Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose
origins are from of old, from ancient times.”
As
per the decree, Jews from all over the then Roman world made their way to Judea.
Joseph and Mary too made their way to register themselves in the records to
Bethlehem as Joseph belonged to the house of David. While they were there when
the fullness of time came Mary gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him
in cloths and placed him in a manger as there was no guest room available for
them. According to the Mosaic law every first-born male is to be consecrated to
the Lord. When the time came for the purification rites to be completed, Joseph
and Mary took their eight days old baby Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem. Let’s
pick up our story from here.
I. BEING
IN THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME:
We
often hear people brag about their fortunes, somewhat like this: “I guess we were in
the right place at the right time, because the person ahead of us in line paid
for our drinks!
I
got that great parking space because I pulled up just as someone was leaving. My
friend could never get promoted when she worked here, but I've been in the
right place at the right time to move up in the company. Unless you are in the
right place at the right time you cannot meet a movie star. Being in the right
place at the right time, what does it mean?
The
Cambridge dictionary defines it as, “being in the best position or place to
take advantage of an opportunity. The key to success is to be in the right
place at the right time.” One blogger notes, “Being in the right place at the
right time is really a lesson about persistence.”[2] There is some truth in
these explanations. Coming
back to our story, Simeon was in the right place at the right time. He was one of those who had been persistently
waiting for the savior of the world. He was told by the Holy Spirit that he
would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. From that day, Simeon was
patiently waiting for the appearance of the Lord’s Messiah.
On
one of his visits to the temple he was prompted by the Holy Spirit, to go into
the temple courts, and at the same time Joseph and Mary brought Jesus to be
dedicated. Was it a coincidence or Simeon was at the right place at the right
time? Seeing, the baby Jesus in the arms of his mother, Simeon must have been
overwhelmed. His prayers were answered and his waiting had come to an end. He
had been waiting to see the consolation of Israel. That was the salvation of
Israel. Simeon took the boy in his arms and made some bold proclamations. Let’s
see how that proclamation would impact our lives today in the 21st
century.
II.
THE UNIVERSAL MESSIAH
Vs,
29-32, “Sovereign Lord, as you have
promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in
the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory
of your people Israel.”
At
the time of the birth of Jesus, many Jews were looking for solace. The Roman
Empire was quite powerful and imposed an oppressive burden on the Jewish
community. Life on the first century was hard for other reasons lack of clean
water, disease, high maternal mortality rate, and a host of other challenges. In
this bleak context, we see a righteous person anticipating some relief.[3] As Simeon was lifting
Jesus in his arms he understood that he was not only embracing the messiah for
the people of Israel, but for the whole world. In one way he was holding the
Universal Messiah and proclaimed saying salvation of the Lord is for all
nations.
Is
this proclamation consistent with God’s overall plan of salvation? Consider
these scriptures: The call of Abraham, Genesis 12:1-3 “The Lord had said to
Abram, “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make
your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and
whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed
through you.” God
wanted to bless all nations through the seed of Abraham.
Isaiah
Prophesied, Isaiah 49:5-6 “And now the Lord says he who formed me in the womb to
be his servant to bring Jacob back to him and gather Israel to himself… “It is
too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and
bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the
Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.” These two
scriptures reiterate that God’s salvation is meant for the Jews and the
Gentiles alike.
In
Judaism tikkun olam. means, “God is
repairing the whole world through his people.” This concept now is a regular
part of the Jewish prayer service. Listen to a third century Jewish prayer, “And
therefore, we pray to you, Lord our God, that we may speedily behold the
splendor of your might, to banish idolatry from the earth – and false gods will be utterly destroyed; to
perfect the world under the sovereignty of the Almighty.
All
mankind shall invoke Your Name to turn all the wicked of the earth to you.”[4] John the Baptist saw himself as the repairer of the world. Simeon
saw the salvation of the gentiles. The Jewish community understood that God is
repairing the world through them, so they get involved in fighting for justice,
loving the immigrants and the eradication of poverty.
It
is interesting to note that Simeon embraced the universal Messiah in his hands.
With his eyes closed he saw into the future, farther than any telescope could
see, the salvation of millions of gentiles. How do we see the world today? Are
we aware of what God is doing around the world? How do we respond when we
encounter people from other countries, are we quick to dismiss them, or do we
embrace them as Simeon did?
I
personally believe that God wants to repair the world through us his Church, so
He is sending people from all over the world into our neighborhoods. Many
bright international students from countries that are closed to the gospel, are
coming to the USA, as the followers of the Universal Messiah how are we going
to reach out to them?
There
are so many ways to build friendships with internationals who are likely
craving relationships because they have left so many behind: Host an
international student, or welcome home a college student from another country
for meals on weekends and holidays. As a church let’s explore opportunities to
work among the Somalin and Syrian refugees. Maybe we can plan on running or be
a part of an ESL program in our community. The town of Sharon is well known as
a diverse and welcoming community, let’s connect with our neighbors, take a
meal to a Chinese or an Indian family down the street. As a popular proverb
goes “where there is a will there is a way” let’s pray and ask God to put in
our hearts a will and desire to build friendships, and to show us creative ways
to share the gospel with our neighbors. Amen!
[1] An
Illustration on globalization originally shared by Shahi Tharoor, Indian Member
of Parliament shared in a Key note address at Harvard University in Boston.
(Slightly Modified)
[2] https://www.danwaldschmidt.com/articles/2014/06/extreme-behavior/secret-right-place-right-time/
[3] Dr. Todd M. Johnson, Director of the Center
for the Studies of Global Christianity at GCTS
[4] https://jewsforjesus.org/publications/issues/issues-v20-n03/tikkun-olam-repairing-the-world/
