God had revealed to Joseph in a dream what was about to happen. Startled awake, his heart pumping and his mind racing, Joseph quietly woke Mary and together they hurriedly packed, bundled up their son, and slipped away under cover of the night.
Pharaoh, long ago, had tried to wipe out the Jews by killing their newborn boys, but God saved one, Moses, who would lead all God’s people into the promised land. Now Herod tried to wipe out the Messiah by killing all of Bethlehem’s young sons. But God saved one, God’s Son, who would lead all those who believe into eternal fellowship with God.
Perhaps, as they fled, Simeon’s prophecy came to their frightened minds.
The story of Christmas honors those who have had to pay the price of someone else’s wrongdoing, and people who know they will soon die.
Mari Hagemeyer
Destiny
Simeon’s Prophecy
Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him …
Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what was customary under the law, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God …
And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary,
“This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul, too.”
Luke 2:25, 27-28, 33-35 (NRSVUE, italics added)
One day, Jesus would live into—and die into—the prophecy spoken over him.
He Shall Bear Their Sins
The righteous one, my servant, shall make many righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.
Therefore I will allot him a portion with the great,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,
because he poured out himself to death
and was numbered with the transgressors,
yet he bore the sin of many
and made intercession for the transgressors.Isaiah 53:11-12 (NRSVUE)
He Shall Bear Them Alone
From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.” But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me, for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”
Matthew 16:21-23 (NRSVUE)
His Shall Bear Them in Tears
Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.”
He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee and began to be grieved and agitated. Then he said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and stay awake with me.” And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed,
“My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me, yet not what I want but what you want.”
Matthew 26:36-39 (NRESVUE
“My Tears Are My Food”
In Psalm 42, the writer weeps into his pillow, whispering to God, ” My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” These things I remember as I pour out my soul” (Psalm 42:3-4). Perhaps this Psalm came to Jesus’s mind as He wept and prayed in Gethsemane during the predawn hours before His arrest. It can be that way for you and me as well, when we are walking the dark valley of despair, of grief and loss, of fear or a weariness that threatens to overwhelm, or of injustice that feels as though it well never be put right.
From Mari,
“Throughout Jesus’ ministry, He made it clear that His death could not be averted. It was a fixed aspect of His purpose on Earth. As a baby, He could not tell His parents this directly; instead, the prophet Simeon met them once Jesus had been taken to the Temple to be circumcised. Simeon’s prophecy describes what we sometimes call ‘the shadow of the Cross.’
“Even as a tiny infant, Jesus’ destiny was set – but that does not mean it did not pain Him. Even though He knew it was necessary, Jesus grieved and feared the suffering He would go through to rescue humanity from death.”
And yet, for our sake, Jesus willingly entered into the chaos of undoing in order to make a way for all who would receive Him to be reconciled and recreated to life eternal with God.
[Image: Rest on the flight into Egypt | By Luc-Olivier Merson – Photograph by jrcovert taken at MFA on 9 Jan 2015 (replaced [1], upload 2008), Public Domain]
