Luke 2:25-35 vs.34
"Then Simeon blessed them
and
said to his mother Mary,

" 'This child is destined for the falling
and
the rising of many in Israel,..' "

Mary and Joseph, like most Jewish parents brought Jesus to the temple to be dedicated to God. It was there that they met an elderly man named Simeon.

Simeon had been waiting all his life, quietly, patiently and prayerfully for God’s anointed King. This was not just wishful thinking on the part of Simeon. According the scripture reading, the Holy Spirit had promised Simeon, that his life would not end before he had seen God’s own anointed King.

Simeon does two things upon seeing Jesus. First, he confirms Jesus identity. In a similiar way that the shepherds and wisemen did. His message about Jesus is rather different. The shepherds came repeating the angel’s message of, ‘Glory to God in the highest and peace among all people.’ The wisemen came looking for the King of the Jews. Their messages were more along the line with the expectations of the Jewish people, that the Messiah would usher in a new world peace, a new world order and that Israel would rule. After all every Jew was well acquainted with the OT prophecies that spoke of the Messiah blessing the nation Israel.

Simeon’s message was slightly different. Simeon prophesied that Jesus would have a paradoxical effect on Israel.

"This child is destined for the falling and rising of many in Israel,"

The fall of the Gentiles, YES, but the fall of many in Israel?

If this came as a surprise to the Jews it should not have. Just as there was prophecy about the Messiah being a blessing, there was also prophecy that said the Messiah would cause the fall of many.

I suppose we are no different. We selectively choose what passages of scripture we are going to believe and which we aren’t. Joyfully we embrace the truth of

John 3:16, "for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life."

What about other statements of Jesus,

"If you love me,
you will do what I command."

We seem to enjoy the privileges, the love that Jesus brings us, but balk at the responsibilities that comes with that love.

If God loved you the way you love God would you be satisfied? If God was as faithful to you as your are to God, would be you pleased?

What concerns me about the trend in Christianity today, is the emphasis on God’s love. A love that seems to accept all. A love which requires little to no commitment. A love which is tolerant of everything. God is a loving God, who loves you and who doesn’t care who is naughty or nice. This is not consistent with scripture.

It was once said, that to say Jesus was a great moral teacher, would be like saying that Michael Jordan is a guy who played triple A baseball for the Chicago White Sox. It’s true BUT you are missing the point. To say Jesus is Savior but not Lord is missing the point.

We cannot expect the privileges while neglecting the responsiblities. We cannot embrace Jesus as Savior and reject Him as Lord.

"This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many.."

A professor was sitting in his office one afternoon when an attractive student knocked on his door.

"Yes?’ he replied, "How can I help you?’
The lady said, "I need to talk to you about my grade in your class."

"Come in and have a seat," said the instructor.

"Is there anything I can do to get an ‘A’ in your class?"

"What do you mean by anything?", he replied.

"Anything", she said.

"Anything?", he asked again

She said, in her best sultry voice, "I mean anything."

The professor got up from behind his desk,
sat down beside her and whispered in her ear,
"Would you study?"

There are many goals that we want to achieve--better grades, lower weight, a place on an athletic team, success in business, greater knowledge of the Bible, a closer relationship with God. Many of these goals have prompted us to make our New Year’s resolutions. The question is, "Are you willing to put forth the necessary effort to achieve your goals? Are you willing to do anything?" How often do we want the end result, but we often don’t want to put forth the effort to achieve that result? The same is true with faith.

Jesus will be the cause whereby many fall. This is strange and a hard saying, but it is true. It is not so much God who judges a man or woman; a man or woman judges themselves; and his judgment is his or her reaction to Jesus Christ.

You determine if Jesus is a blessing or a curse, not Jesus. God sent Him as a blessing, to be your Savior and your Lord, not your Savior or your Lord. It’s your choice.

Paul exhorted Timothy with these words,

"Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed rightly dividing the Word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15)

Jesus would be and is met with much opposition. There is no neutrality when it comes to Jesus. We either surrender to him or we are at war with him. It is the tragedy of life that our pride keeps us from making that surrender wherein is victory.

AMEN

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