Simeon (Luke 2:22-35) | 12/12/2021
Luke 2:22-35 | 12/12/21 | Will DuVal
Last week we kicked off the Advent season with a new sermon series - “Unheralded Heralds”. Most of us are pretty familiar with the Charlie Brown version of the Christmas story, that picks things up in Luke ch2, with the shepherds, the angels, Mary and Joseph and of course the baby Jesus himself. But what about the MINOR characters in the Nativity story? The unheralded figures who God nevertheless saw fit to write into this most famous of ALL stories, for a purpose. And ONE of God’s purposes in including the likes of Zechariah, Elizabeth, Simeon and Anna is that like them, you and I too have been called by God to be HERALDS of the good news about Jesus. They got to announce the news of his BIRTH; WE get to announce the even BETTER news of his death and resurrection and offer of ETERNAL LIFE!
Mark 16: ““Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. ”
Acts 1:8: “you will be my witnesses… to the end of the earth.””
Matthew 28: “Go… and make disciples of all nations”
And like Zechariah, Elizabeth, Simeon and Anna, we’re called to DO this not for our OWN glory and renown, but for GOD’S. We are to be unheralded heralds. But if we’re going to do that effectively, we need to learn from their examples.
Last week, Pastor Thad introduced us to Zechariah, who is unique among these 4 characters in that he serves as a NEGATIVE example for us: what NOT to do, as a herald. Specifically: don’t DOUBT God’s word. Zechariah, you remember, was visited by none other than the angel Gabriel, in Luke ch1, who promised that Zechariah’s old, barren wife Elizabeth would finally, miraculously bear a son, and not just any son, but Malachi 4’s promised forerunner of the Messiah! But Zechariah couldn’t believe it. He doubted. So the Lord worked another miracle, to simultaneously SHUT Zechariah’s mouth, even as he opened Elizabeth’s womb. And the lesson for us was simple: you can’t herald a message you don’t even BELIEVE. In fact, if you fail to believe, God may just shut your mouth altogether, to make sure you can’t announce ANYTHING to ANYONE!
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So the first step in being a faithful HERALD of the gospel is to BELIEVE the good news, personally, for yourself. Do you believe it this morning - that Jesus, the Son of God, was not only born of a virgin on Christmas, but that he died on Good Friday, as an atoning sacrifice for the sin of the world, and was RAISED 3 days later on Easter, to offer you eternal life if you simply trust in him by faith - do you believe that this morning? I mean REALLY believe it? If you DO, you will WANT to herald that incredible news, so that others might also hear, and believe, and so be saved.
This morning, we meet our SECOND unheralded herald, Zechariah’s wife ELIZABETH. So let’s read her story together; I invite you to stand with me, as you’re able, for the reading of God’s word...
SCRIPTURE: Luke 1:5-7, 24-25, 39-45, 56-66
“In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah,[a] of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years…
After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying, 25 “Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among people….”
In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, 40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be[g] a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord...”
And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home. Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. 58 And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. 59 And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they would have called him Zechariah after his father, 60 but his mother answered, “No; he shall be called John.” 61 And they said to her, “None of your relatives is called by this name.” 62 And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called. 63 And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they all wondered. 64 And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God. 65 And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea, 66 and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” For the hand of the Lord was with him.”
This is the word of the Lord… Let’s pray...
Elizabeth’s part in Jesus’ story unfolds here over 4 short sections of text, with each one highlighting a different attribute she demonstrates for us, about what it means to be a faithful messenger of the gospel.
#1 - in vv5-7, we discover that to be an effective herald, we must be righteous.
Elizabeth is described in v6 as: “righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord.”
Now, it’s not ENOUGH to be righteous. Because the text tells us her husband Zechariah was righteous too. But if you’re NOT righteous, that can seriously impede your ability to be used by God, as a witness to others.
We all KNOW this, don’t we, both intuitively and from personal experience. If you’re trying to convince someone that if they want eternal life, life to the fullest, not only in life AFTER death, but in THIS life as well, then they need to know JESUS - that ever since YOU came to know Jesus, life hasn’t been the same for you; He’s transformed you from the inside out; you’re a “new creation: the old has gone; the new has come!” - if THAT’s the message and the invitation you extend to them, but then the reality of your LIFE - what that unbelieving family member, that neighbor, that coworker to whom you’re trying to witness - if what they actually SEE in your LIFE doesn’t look AT ALL like “life to the fullest” to them, then you’re not gonna be a very effective herald, are you? Jesus said, “You’ll know a tree by its fruit”; non-Christians GET that, don’t they? If your fruit STINKS, they’re not interested in planting whatever SEED you’re selling them, in the soil of their OWN heart. The apostle Paul was bold enough to witness in this way: he said, “Imitate me, as I imitate Christ” (1 Cor 11:1). I don’t know about you, but that verse is pretty convicting for me, personally. If I evangelized my unbelieving friends that way: “Hey, if you give your life to Christ, He can transform your life to look more like MINE!”; I’m not sure how many takers I’d get.
The famous skeptic Friedrich Nietzsche once quipped: “I might believe in the Redeemer if his followers looked a little more redeemed.” Nearly every poll taken of non-Christians, asking why they don’t follow Christ, reveals that one of the top answers is “the hypocrisy within the Church; If THAT’S what it means to be a Jesus-follower, I don’t want any part of it.”
We’ve got to be righteous. Not perfect, but imperfect people who are being slowly but surely perfect-ED by a perfect Savior and Sanctifier. We all still make mistakes, and fall short of the glory of God. But is the overarching, long-term direction of our lives trending towards righteousness? Do we look a little more like Jesus today than we did yesterday? More this YEAR than LAST year?
1 John 2:29 “you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of [God].” Conversely, 1 John 3:9 “No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's[b] seed abides in him”. A fig tree can’t produce apples; if you plant a fig seed, you’re gonna get a fig tree.
One of the most well-known passages in the NT on “heralding”, on evangelism, is 1 Peter 3:15 - “always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you”. Notice: the only REASON you would need to be ready to give an answer, a defense, is if someone has a reason to ASK you about the “hope that is in you”; if they notice that there’s something DIFFERENT about you. Your fruit. GOD’S fruit; the fruit of the SPIRIT.
Greg Stewart does NOT have the spiritual gift of evangelism. Greg doesn’t wake up every morning, excited just thinking and praying about who he’s gonna get to share the GOSPEL with that day. But here’s what he DOES do: he’s a good husband and father; he loves Katie and his kids well. He’s a good employee; he works hard, with competency and integrity. He’s a good neighbor - the Stewarts are kind, hospitable, and caring. And in the 2 ½ years since I’ve been lead pastor here now, we’ve seen THREE families come to West Hills, through the simple, ordinary but faithful, righteous everyday ministry of Greg and Katie in their neighborhood. We need more heralds like them. Actions speak louder than words. May our lives - our righteous lives - be living testimonies to the truth of the gospel, at work within us.
#2 - We need to be humble and worshipful. (vv24-25) Humble and worshipful.
V24 is kind of bizarre; it says: “Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden”. Pastor Thad informed you last week that Jews in that day viewed affliction as a sign of God’s JUDGMENT against a person. That’s why the disciples asked Jesus, in John ch9, ““Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?””. They just ASSUMED that the man was blind because God was punishing him for something. So back in Luke, v25, we hear that Elizabeth had been viewed with “reproach” - disgrace, disapproval, GUILT - by those around her, for DECADES now. We don’t know how old she was for sure - according to the Guinness Book of World Records, the oldest woman ever to give birth was 66 - so if Elizabeth’s conception had to be a miracle of GOD, I’m guessing she was at least in her 50s or 60s - well past childbearing age - but because she’s battled infertility all her life, her Jewish peers conclude there MUST be some hidden sin in her life. From the outside, she looks righteous, v6, blameless. But God doesn’t let the righteous suffer; He MUST be judging her for something. (Apparently they forgot to read the book of JOB, in their OT!)
Now, if I’m Elizabeth, in this scenario, and after DECADES of barrenness, not only do I miraculously conceive, but the child in my womb is none other than the prophet promised in Malachi 4; if the angel Gabriel himself had come down to personally announce it to ME, you better believe that I would be rubbing my big fat pregnant belly in every other woman’s face in town! I’d ask Gabriel if he could REPEAT the promise one more time, so I could record him, as PROOF to show everyone else in town! “You thought I was a SINNER, huh? Well watch THIS!” [I took my iPhone back in time with me. :) ]
But what does Elizabeth do? She HIDES for 5 months! She keeps to her house. Why? Luke doesn’t tell us for sure, but here’s my theory: because she’s HUMBLE. Because she KNOWS that as a sinner, her temptation will be to flaunt her pregnancy, in order to vindicate herself, to clear her good name. But Elizabeth knows that DOING so would make the pregnancy all about HER, when Gabriel had made it clear that this pregnancy is all about GOD! Why did God let her suffer barrenness all those years? The same reason the man in John 9 was born blind: “that the works of God might be displayed in him.” So that God might get GLORY from doing the IMPOSSIBLE! Doing what only HE could have possibly done: giving sight to the blind… opening the womb of this old, barren woman.
In v25, Elizabeth “kept herself hidden, saying, 25 “Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me...” - she says, “The LORD worked this miracle; I don’t care what others think of me, it’s not about them… OR ME... it’s all about GOD! HIS power. HIS faithfulness. HIS kindness toward me.”
And in her humility, Elizabeth WORSHIPS the Lord. Perhaps that’s another reason she hid for five months: to devote herself wholeheartedly to magnifying the Lord, for this amazing gift he has blessed her with.
Humility and worship go hand in hand, don’t they? Elizabeth’s SON, John the Baptist, makes this clearest for us, when he later declares of Jesus: “He must increase, but I must decrease” (Jn 3:30). The only way to make much of JESUS, is if I get out of the way; there’s not enough room in the spotlight for both of us. If he’s gonna INCREASE - in our lives, our hearts, as the sole, rightful recipient of our worship - then you and I are going to have to DECREASE - in humility.
Listen, if ANYONE had a reason to be prideful, it was John the Baptist. The guy had OT prophecy written about him! Angels announced his birth! Matthew 3:5 says that all of JUDEA was coming out to listen to John’s preaching, and to be baptized by him. IN SPITE OF the fact that he dressed and ate like a crazy homeless person! THAT’S how good his preaching was! And yet, John said, “I’m just a messenger, a humble herald, of a Messiah whose sandals I’m not even worthy to untie.” HE must increase; I must decrease.
Where do you think John learned that kind of humility, and worship? Like mother, like son, right? Elizabeth taught him well. But like MOST of the virtues we parents try to convey to our kids, humility and worship aren’t so much TAUGHT, as they are CAUGHT. John didn’t turn out WORSHIPFUL - “he must increase” - and HUMBLE - “I must decrease”, because of what Zechariah and Elizabeth TOLD him; NO - they SHOWED him that God was primary, through the way they lived their OWN lives.
I shouldn’t be surprised when my kids act selfish and ungrateful, if the message that my OWN actions send them is that “God must DECREASE, so that Will can INCREASE.” Does our humble worship point others, especially those closest to us - our spouses, our kids - does it point them PAST us, to JESUS? He must increase; we must decrease.
#3 - In order to be a faithful herald, you must be a Spirit-filled blessor of others (vv39-45). A Spirit-filled BLESSOR.
We read in v39 that immediately after the angel Gabriel had appeared to MARY, in vv26-38, she “arose and went with haste… to the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.” Why? v36 tells us that Elizabeth was Mary’s relative, but that fact alone can’t explain it; Mary presumably had PLENTY of other relatives way closer to home in Nazareth, who she didn’t have to travel 100 miles while fighting 1st trimester morning sickness to visit. Some point out that perhaps Mary wanted to get out of town, before she started showing; remember: she wasn’t married yet, she was still betrothed. So it was only a matter of time before the rumors and questions started coming. I had a friend in high school who missed half of our junior year for the same reason. To avoid all the questions and judgmental stares. Just imagine the looks MARY got, walking the halls of Nazareth High… 1st Baptist Nazareth… just imagine how they reacted when they asked “So, who’s the father?” and she replied, “The HOLY SPIRIT. I’m still a VIRGIN; I’m just carrying GOD’S child for him”!
So Mary wanted to get outta town. But I think it’s MORE than that. In v36, Gabriel had told Mary about Elizabeth’s OWN miraculous conception. Not immaculate, like Mary’s, mind you, but miraculous, nevertheless. So Mary knew if ANYONE was going to believe her, and understand what she was going through, it would be Aunt Elizabeth. Moreover, Mary knew Elizabeth to be RIGHTEOUS, having herself been the object of society’s undeserved scorn and condemnation, yet able to rise above it in blamelessness before the Lord. If anyone would show Mary grace and compassion, it would be Aunt Elizabeth. So she goes.
But whatever Mary expected to hear from Elizabeth upon her arrival, it couldn’t have possibly been the words of vv42-45: ““Blessed are you among women, [Mary] and blessed is the fruit of your womb! [This child inside you; Mary isn’t even showing yet, she hasn’t even disclosed her pregnancy to Elizabeth yet; she’s not even through the front DOOR yet, and Elizabeth is already BLESSING Mary’s unborn son] v43 And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? [“I’m not even worthy to be in the same ROOM with the baby inside your womb, Mary; He is my LORD! He’s our MESSIAH!”; this is confirmation of the angel Gabriel’s promise!] v44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. [6 month old John is in here doing FLIPS over one WEEK old Fetus Jesus showing up on the front porch!] v45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.” [Unlike her mute husband - “Oh Zechariah - Mary’s here! Come say “Hi”; Oh shoot, I forgot; you CAN’T...“; no- unlike him, Mary BELIEVED, and therefore, she shall be BLESSED.]
How could Elizabeth possibly have known all that? V41 explains: “Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit”.
Now, what’s the practical application for us today? Most of us may live our entire lives and NEVER enjoy the spiritual gift of prophecy - spontaneous, divine revelation directly from God himself - like Elizabeth here. But this much IS true of every child of God here: God empowers His people with His Holy Spirit for the purpose of BLESSING others. 1 Corinthians 12 says that’s why God gives ALL of the NT spiritual gifts; so that we might use them to serve and bless others.
We just finished the Book of Genesis over the summer; remember why God blessed Abraham? Genesis 12 - so that Abraham, and his OFFSPRING, could be a BLESSING to “ALL the families of the EARTH”! He was blessed to be a blessing.
Isaiah 43:7 declares that God created us to bring Him glory. So how do we DO that? Jesus answers for us, in John ch15: “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.” When the Bible uses that metaphor, “FRUIT”, think about it: what IS fruit, anatomically? Fruit is a tree’s means of REPRODUCTION. It’s how a tree makes MORE trees, how it multiplies and spreads its seeds. Jesus is saying, “You want to glorify God? Go make disciples. Bear much fruit. Reproduce the seed of the gospel into hearts with fertile soil.” Now, you and I can’t make it grow; that’s GOD’s job. But we can SOW. We can bear WITNESS. We can HERALD the good news. And Jesus goes so far in John 15 as to say that by doing so, by “bearing much fruit”, we PROVE ourselves to be his disciples. You’ll know a tree by its fruit.
Listen: Jesus instructed us unequivocally, “No one lights a lamp only to hide it under a basket… but to give LIGHT to the whole HOUSE; in the same way”, he directed, “let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven” (Matt 5:15-16). Jesus didn’t put his Spirit in US, he didn’t illuminate OUR hearts, so that we could just keep the gospel to ourselves; NO! “This little light of mine, I’m gonna… [WHAT?]”
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.
Brother, sister: like Elizabeth, you and I have been BLESSED to be a BLESSING to others.
John 15:26 - Jesus promised his disciples that He was sending them his Spirit to “bear witness about me”; that’s why He fills us with His Spirit - to bear witness.
Acts 1:8 - “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses...”.
What’s the very first thing the disciples do, in Acts ch2, after they get filled with the Spirit at Pentecost? They rush outside to start preaching the gospel in every language, so that every nation, tribe and tongue might hear the good news about Jesus, repent and believe in Him, and be SAVED!
The Spirit bestows MANY varied gifts. ALL of which can and should be used to bless others. But the single GREATEST blessing of all, that we could EVER bless another person with, is the blessing of the GOSPEL! To share with them the good news about Jesus, and thereby bless them with the hope of ETERNAL LIFE IN CHRIST! He is the greatest gift of all. At Christmas, and in EVERY season.
Lastly, #4 - if we want to be faithful, unheralded heralds, we must be obedient. (vv56-66) Obedient.
We read in v56 that “Mary remained with [Elizabeth] about three months and then returned home.” So first of all, Elizabeth demonstrates the obedience of HOSPITALITY. She was “blameless in all the commandments of the Lord”, and God had commanded hospitality in His word, in the OT, Leviticus 19:34 - “the stranger who sojourns with you… you shall love him as yourself” - how much more so your own flesh and blood! Mary is her relative. And remember: if Mary is engaged to be married, she’s probably 12 or 13 years old. That was the standard age for a young girl’s betrothal according to Jewish custom at the time. Can you imagine being an unwed, PREGNANT 12 or 13 year old, out on your own, 100 miles from home? Mary is vulnerable, and desperate.
At the same time, can you imagine being ELIZABETH?! We found out with our last pregnancy that even TODAY, with all the advancements of modern medicine, if you’re 35 years old that automatically qualifies you as an “at risk pregnancy”; can you imagine 2,000 years ago, when something like one FOURTH of mothers in NORMAL childbearing age didn’t survive childbirth, can you imagine being 55...or 65?! I mean, if ANYONE needed to be put STRAIGHT on bedrest for all 9 months - maybe THAT’S another reason Elizabeth “hid herself” at home those first 5 months; she didn’t want to do ANYTHING to jeopardize the pregnancy.
So can you imagine being Elizabeth, then, 6 months pregnant, and Mary shows up on your doorstep. The Holy Spirit comes over you, you BLESS her, you welcome her in, draw her a warm bath so she can clean up after the long journey, cook her a nice big meal, catch up over dinner, offer her a cozy bed for the night. But I can just imagine the conversation over coffee the next morning: Elizabeth asks, “Sooo, how long are you in town for? Think you’ll stay a few…” and before Elizabeth can finish her sentence with DAYS... Mary interjects: “MONTHS. Maybe 3 or 4 months. You know, I was thinking I’d just get through the first trimester or so here; you know how HARD it is.” Elizabeth’s got to be thinking to herself: “Yeah, no joke! Just try it when you’re 60! You expect me to wait on you hand and foot for the next 3 months, while I’M in MY third trimester?!”
At least that’s what I’D be thinking. But Elizabeth is a true Proverbs 31 woman. And a Proverbs 31 woman “opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy” (v20). She is hospitable, especially to the vulnerable and desperate.
But v57: finally the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, so Mary returns home, and Elizabeth bears a son. And NOW, v58, “her neighbors and relatives [all gather round to] rejoice with her.” They figure God must have finally forgiven whatever her grievous iniquities were. “And on the eighth day they came to circumcise [and NAME] the child. And [since that was the father’s role, but Zechariah still can’t SPEAK, these neighbors and relatives just took it upon THEMSELVES to name the child, and] they TRIED to call him Zechariah after his father”. V60: “But his mother [Elizabeth] answered, “No; he shall be called John.””
Imagine it: they’re all crowded around, rejoicing, pretending like they’ve just been best buddies with Elizabeth all along, now that she’s back in their social graces. And they’re so used to running roughshod right over her, because that’s what you DO to someone you don’t deem worthy of your friendship, someone who is so HUMBLE, like Elizabeth, that they’ll let you get AWAY with stepping all over them - so they just overlook her completely and take it upon themselves to NAME HER CHILD! And if an ANGEL hadn’t commanded her otherwise, Elizabeth may have even been humble enough to keep her peace. But this is a matter of obedience to the LORD. So for perhaps the first time in all her life, modest, meek, mild old Elizabeth puts her FOOT down, amidst all the commotion of the christening party; she raises her voice and exclaims: “NO!” And the record scratches, the party music stops, and everyone turns to look at her, mouths agape, as Elizabeth declares: “He shall be called JOHN.”
It’s a matter of obedience to God. But it’s so much more than that too. Because as you know, names in the Bible were incredibly significant. Zechariah means “God remembers”. It’s a great name; there were at least 29 different Zechariah’s in the OT. But the name Zechariah points BACKWARD, God remembers. And THIS child, Elizabeth’s child, is coming to point us FORWARD; John means “God is gracious”. John’s an even BETTER name (I know I’m biased…). There were NO John’s in the OT; he came to announce that God’s grace was entering the world in a totally NEW way, through God’s Son Jesus.
In Isaiah 43, God had prophesied: ““Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a NEW thing;
now it springs forth…
I will make a way in the wilderness
and rivers in the desert.”
And 750 years later, all Judea made ITS way OUT into the wilderness, to listen to Elizabeth’s son prepare the way for the One who would cause rivers of living water to spring forth in the desert of people’s dry, dead hearts.
His name is JESUS. And he offers YOU that same living water this morning. “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me, and drink… Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (Jn 7:37; 4:14-15) Friends: taste and see that the Lord is good. And then pass the cup on, as a faithful herald, to quench other thirsty souls as well.