The course of discipleship: a summary

Thursday 11Feb2010, 7:33 am

The following is a side-by-side comparison of the teaching of our Lord on the course we must take in becoming his disciples:

Luke 12:51-53	Matthew 10: 34-36
Christ brings division	Christ brings sword
three vs two, two vs three	son vs father, daughter vs mother etc
in-laws against in-laws	family = worst enemies
Luke 14:26	Matthew 10:37
Whoever does not hate father & mother/ wife & children etc	Whoever loves father & mother / son & daughter more than Christ
- cannot be my disciple	- not fit to be my disciple
Luke 14:27	Matthew 10: 38
Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.	Whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.

Let each of us take our own cross and follow our Lord. This is the course of discipleship.

The Course of Discipleship

Wednesday, 10Feb2010, 5: 30 pm. Luke 12: 51-53; Matthew 10: 34-36; 37-38. ESV

"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple." Luke 14: 26, 27

As a young Christian I've occasionally listened to preachers teach about the necessity to "hate" ones family members in order to be a disciple of our Lord Jesus. Almost invariably, the term hate as used by our Lord would be interpreted by the speakers as a matter of "relative degree of love", i.e. a disciple of Christ is to love the Lord so much, so intensely, to such a high degree, that his love for his father and mother, and wife and children, and brothers and sisters, appears to be "hatred" by comparison. These preachers would explain that our Lord didn't actually command his disciples to hate family members.

So I tried to obey this teaching through the years, with some reservation though, over whether our Lord Jesus actually meant "relative degree of love" when he used the word hate. After all, isn't the Bible full of teachings that we should both honour and obey our parents? Why did our Lord use such a strong word? Have those preachers missed something in their exegesis?

The answer to my question came when one day I realised that our Lord had foretold something astonishing about his work just before he set this seemingly impossible condition for discipleship: that is, his ministry would eventually bring about division on earth, particularly division within families. In Luke chapter 12, he had said,

"Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law." Luke 12: 51-53

"They will be divided", our Lord says of family members within a household. Matthew uses a stronger word "a sword" in Matt 10:34 symbolising bitter contention or enmity within families.

In Luke this teaching was recorded in Luke 12, almost two chapters earlier before his command to "hate" one's own family members in Luke 14: 26. Being two chapters away, it would not appear obviously enough that the command to "hate" one's family should be interpreted within the context of "division within the family" - a kind of division foretold by our Lord himself - where three will go against two, and two against three.

If this inevitable division foretold by the Lord is taken into consideration, it becomes obvious why our Lord used such a strong word - "hate" - when referring to the course that we must be willing to take in order to be a disciple of Christ: that we are to follow Christ even when some members of our family may reject us, persecute us, nay, even disown us.

In other words, we must be so committed to following our Lord that we are willing to let go our love for such opposing family members. Our love for them must "die" - regardless of whether they are father or mother, wife or children, brother or sister - that is we must be willing to lose their love and acceptance for the sake of following Christ. We must go against their dissaproval of our belief in Christ. We must follow Christ notwithstanding their strong opposition against our "new religion", and their associated displeasure over our forsaking many years of their family tradition. In the parallel passage in Matthew chapter 10, our Lord added,

And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. v36

For the sake of following Jesus Christ we must be prepared for the eventuality when, sadly, our very own loved ones become our bitter opponents and behave as enemies to us! Notice that immediately after these strong words, "hate father and mother . . .", our Lord added the statement, "Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.".

Again, contrary to popular notion, the command to bear our own cross in this verse is not so much about the cost of discipleship, as it is about the course of discipleship. "And come after me", he said. The Lord is telling us to follow him on a course towards crucifixion, a journey that leads even to death. We must be willing to die to our old self. If we are not willing to follow our Lord on such a deadly course, we cannot be his disciples.

This interpretation of our Lord's words "hate father and mother" becomes even more obvious when we turn to the Gospel according to Matthew where, in chapter 10, the author puts the two teachings of our Lord Jesus together into one continuous discourse: the prophecy about Christ bringing division ("sword") within families is followed immediately by the stern warning that anyone who loves father or mother more than Christ is not worthy of him.

"Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household." Matthew 10: 34-36

"Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me." Matthew 10: 37-38

Brothers and sisters in Christ: Let us follow our Lord Jesus Christ even when our own loved ones turn against us, wielding swords against us like "enemies" because of our faith in the Son of God who died for us, and whom God has raised on the third day, and whom God made to sit at his right hand, where he intercedes for us. (Romans 8:34)

Let each of us take up his own cross. This is the course of our discipleship.

My Poor Malaccan Friend

Tuesday, 9Feb2010: Romans 12: 16

Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. NIV

Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion. NKJV

There is an old Chinese saying that the wealthy who live in the deep jungles have friends coming from afar, but the poor who live by the road side do not have any visitor. It reminds us of the tendency of our human nature: to make friends with those who are wealthy and influential, while ignoring those who are poor and powerless.

Likewise, scripture warns us about such discrimination in Proverbs 19: 7

The poor is disliked even by his neighbor, but the rich has many friends.

Recently, however, I was impressed by a poor family who are different. A poor friend from Malacca, whom I've known for more than twenty years, who had to work very hard, a sole-breadwinner, earning limited wages to raise four children in a simple home. We met his family in church back in the early 80s, and my children attended Sunday School with his children.

Last week, his second son, who had just graduated from a local university three years ago, and who had increasing assumed the role of new "breadwinner" in the family, passed away in Malacca Hospital after suffering from an unknown illness for more than a month. Despite numerous tests and examinations, the doctors failed to find the cause for his high fever, vomitting, diarrhoea etc, and his subsequent lapse into coma and swelling of his brain.

Finally, the young man went home to be with our Lord Jesus.

It was indeed a sad story. My poor friend had lost a promising young son whom he had worked so hard to raise and educate, and who had just begun to help alleviate the difficult circumstances in the family. He could see poverty in his future, all over again.

But my poor Malaccan friend had something which I didn't quite expect he'd have. He has many friends, and many of them are wealthier than him.

Contrary to the old Chinese proverb about the poor man by the road-side, my Malaccan friend had many visitors during the funeral of his second son. People, both rich and not-so-rich came from afar to offer their condolences. They came to console him in his grief, and to join him in his bereavement. Some who couldn't make the long journey to Malacca, sent him gifts - generous sums of money. Even a University Professor who had taught his son before, sent him a wreath from Korea.

All his friends share one thing in common with him: they are all believers in Jesus Christ. After the funeral, my Malaccan friend called me. He was overjoyed, and besides saying "thank you" very warmly for my small token of condolences, he went on to relate to me his joy over having so many people visiting him and comforting him in his hour of grief.

This poor Malaccan friend has friends who don't set their minds on money. He has friends who are willing to associate with a poor man like him. They are his real friends, who serve the Lord Jesus Christ in the Kingdom of God, our Father in heaven.

Thanks be to God our Heavenly Father, that under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, we have the power to repent from this worldly love of money. Instead of serving money as our master, we serve God. And as such, we no longer set our mind on "high things" but, instead, we are willing to associate with the humble.

"May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" Romans 15:5

In the Kingdom of God, the poor has many friends.

The Trampling of Jerusalem

Thursday, 21Jan2010. Luke 21: 5 - 28NKJV

And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. v24

It all started that day when our Lord Jesus spoke of the destruction of the Second Temple at Jerusalem. "Not one stone will be left upon another.", he told his disciples. This would have caused much concern and anxiety among the disciples. They asked the Lord, "When will these things be? What sign will appear when these things are imminent?" (v 7)

In the next twenty verses, the Lord answered them with a prophecy of a series of startling events that will take place in the last days.

There will be impostors, our Lord explained, false Christs who will come in Jesus name. There will also be wars and commotions, nations rising against one another. And great earthquakes will occur in many places. There will be famines and pestilences, and fearful sights and great sights in heaven!

There will also be severe persecution of Christians, and eventually Jerusalem will be surrounded by armies. The Jews will fall by the sword and will be dispersed as captives to all nations.

Yet in the midst of foretelling all these terrible events, our Lord told the disciples that the end will not come immediately (verse 9), and that the persecutions will actually serve to be opportunities for their testimony (verse 13).

So when will the desolation of the Second Temple be? The answer appears in verse 20, "When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies . . ." Jesus said.

History tells us that all these things have taken place. Wars and commotions, great earthquakes, famines and pestilences, severe persecution of Christians by kings and by governments, and even the sacking of Jerusalem by General Titus in AD70, resulting in the utter destruction of the Second Temple.

From verse 24 onwards, however, our Lord Jesus appears to be telling the disciples more than what they had wanted to know, for He went on to tell about what will come to pass after that "great desolation" of Jerusalem. He told them that, thereafter, Jerusalem will be trampled upon by Gentiles, before eventually the Son of Man returns in a cloud with power and great glory (v27).

Indeed, by the late 7th century AD, an Islamic shrine called the Dome of the Rock, along with the al-Aqsa Mosque were built on the site of the Second Temple and they are still standing today.

Now, if we ponder over what verse 24b says, we can still see today that Jerusalem is still being "trampled by Gentiles . . .". And our Lord said that this will go on until "the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled". To me, this means that as long as the "trampling " continues, which is ongoing at present, the ultimate end of the world has not arrived yet.

And, like the disciples, may we ask again, "What signs will there be"? What will happen when the times of the Gentiles are complete?

Observe what our Lord says in verses 25 - 28. There will be signs in the sun, the moon and the stars. There will be distress and perplexity on earth in nations. The sea and the waves will be roaring! Men's courage will fail from their fear and expectation of impending doom.

In other words, there will be unprecedented signs.

Verse 26b tells us, ". . . the powers of heaven will be shaken."

This reminds me of the prophecy in Haggai 2: 6 (quoted in Hebrews 12: 26)

For thus says the LORD of hosts: Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, the LORD our God will shake the powers of heaven one day, yet once more, and then the Lord Jesus, the Son of Man, will return in power and glory. This will happen when the "times of the Gentiles" are complete, when their trampling upon the site of the holy Temple at Jerusalem must end.

For the time being, let us keep ourselves in our most holy faith in the Lord Jesus. Let us be prepared for his return. No one knows when it will take place. Not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son of man, but only God our Father in heaven knows it (Mark 13:32).

Meanwhile, the trampling of Jerusalem must go on.

The Everlasting Kingdom

Wednesday, 20Jan2010. Daniel 7: 13-14, 26,27 NIV

In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the ancient of days and was led into his presence. v13

I had almost always been preoccupied with Daniel's dream of the four beasts whenever I read this chapter, particularly with the ten horns of fourth beast, with the emerging little horn that eventually uprooted three of the initial ones. This new horn spoke boastfully!

This time as I skimmed through Daniel chapter 7 again, my attention was drawn to the subsequent "vision at night" in which Daniel saw the Ancient of Days in his majestic white appearance on His throne among other thrones, with a fiery river flowing out from before Him, and with thousands upon thousands of servants in attendance.

Several remarkable events followed:

(1) The fourth beast with his boastful horn was slain. Its body was thrown into the blazing fire. Other beasts were rendered powerless, but were allowed to live for some time.

The meaning of this is given by one of the attending servants to Daniel in verses 23-26: that the boastful horn is a king who will arise in the fourth kingdom, who will subdue three earlier kings. He will also speak against the Most High and oppress His saints. He is so audacious that he will even try to change "times and laws". And the saints will be oppressed by him for three and a half years.

But he won't last very long.

Verse 26 tells us that the Court of the Most High will convene and will remove the power of this boastful king, destroying it completely and permanently.

(2) As Daniel looked, someone appeared, coming with the clouds of heaven. He was like a "son of man", verse 13 says. And this son of man approached the Ancient of Days and was led into His presence. He was given authority, glory and great power. All peoples, nations and race worshipped him. His dominion over all peoples is an everlasting one. It will not pass away. His kingdom will never be destroyed! (verse 14)

The interpretation for this vision is given in verse 27 which explains that the sovereignty and power and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be handed over to the saints - the people of the most high. This prophecy is actually mentioned earlier in verse 18 which says that the saints of the Most High will receive the Kingdom and will possess it forever - yes, for ever and ever!

At this juncture, something began to puzzle me. In the vision, Daniel saw a being, someone who resembled a Son of Man who will receive this everlasting Kingdom from the Ancient of Days. However, the interpretation given to Daniel says that it is not just one person who will receive and possess this Kingdom forever but, instead, it will be all the saints of the Most High. And this interpretation is given twice: initially in verse 18, and again in verse 23.

How can this be? Didn't our Lord Jesus refer to himself on many occasions as the Son of Man? Then shouldn't he alone be the one who should receive the Everlasting Kingdom from God? As it is written in another place in scripture,

The kingdom that God has given you will last for ever and ever. Psalm 45:6TEV

Then how do the saints of the Most High come about? The answer to this question came from the several places in the NT where, the apostle wrote:

If we died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him. 2Tim. 2: 11, 12 NIV

Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? 1Cor. 6: 3

Now, if we are children, then we are heirs - heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. Romans 8:17

Most succinctly of all,

But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. . . .So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir. Gal. 4: 4 - 7 NIV

Brothers and sisters, I urge you to ponder over the great inheritance we have in our Lord Jesus Christ.  The Kingdom that is receive by the Son of Man in Daniel's vision is also given to us, his saints. We shall rule with our Lord forever.

Like the apostle Paul had written in Ephesians 1, let us pray for one another, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, our Glorious Father, may enlighten our hearts to know the hope to which He has called us,

and the "riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints"!

What Mary kept in her heart, Part Three

Tuesday, 19Jan2010.

Previously, we have seen that:

I Jesus is the Son, begotten by God.

When Mary was chosen to be the mother of Jesus, the Angel Gabriel had told her that the Holy Spirit, the power of God most high would come upon her and overshadow her. Therefore the child that she would bear would be holy and be called the Son of God (Luke 1:35).

As the Son of God, our Lord Jesus has been appointed the heir of all things (Heb. 1:2), through whom God made the universe. And we who put our faith in the Son of God have also become children of God (Gal 3:26), are made joint heirs together with him (Rom 8:17).

II Jesus is the Sacrifice, who is prepared by God (Luke 2: 21 - 35)

Mary's child, Jesus, was described by Simeon of Jerusalem as God's salvation which God has "prepared for all peoples, as a light for a revelation to the Gentiles and a glory to Israel". By learning obedience through sufferings, culminating in his crucifixion, offering himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the whole world, the Lord Jesus has been made perfect and has become the source and author of our salvation.

When we put our faith in this sacrifice, the Spirit of God who raised Jesus from the dead lives in us. And He who raised Christ from the dead will also make our bodies alive through His Spirit who dwells in us. We have been predestined by God to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ, so that Jesus is the "first-born among many brethren" (Romans 8: 11, 29). In this way, we are made holy and have become one family with Our Lord Jesus, who is not ashamed to call us his brothers! ((Heb.2: 11, 12, Psalm 22:22).

Now, let us proceed with:

III Jesus is the Saviour, who was promised by God (Luke 2: 18 - 19)

On the night our Lord Jesus was born in a manger in Bethlehem, a group of shepherds were watching their flock out in the pastures. Suddenly, an angel of the LORD appeared to them. The pastures around them were brightly lit, as the glory of the LORD shone on them.

The shepherds were terrified!

But the angel said to them:

Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:10-11

After the angel had told them how to look for the new-born baby, a large number of other angels appeared together. They gave Glory to God most high and pronounced peace and goodwill on earth among men.

The shepherds hurried over to Bethlehem to look for the baby. When they had found Joseph and Mary with the baby Jesus wrapped in swaddling cloth in the manger, they recounted the words of the Angel to the parents: on that day, in that City of David, the child who was born was the Saviour, the anointed One, the Messiah who is "Christ the Lord".

Let us pause and take a closer look at what the Angel meant.

The word Christ, or Christos in Greek, was originally used as an adjective in ancient times. It simply meant "anointed". Later, around the second century BC, at the time when the LXX was being translated, Christos has become a substantive - i.e. it carries the meaning of an "anointed person". Its meaning continued to evolve, subsequently to become a generic term meaning "the anointed person" and, by the time the Gospel accounts were being written, this word Christos had become a technical-specific term that referred to "the anointed person who is hoped for".

Eventually, in the Pauline Epistles, Christos was used as our Lord's last name: Jesus Christ or Jesus the Anointed.

As such, when the Angel told the shepherds that night of a Saviour being born, Christ the Lord, the shepherds would have understood it to mean the Anointed One whom they have hoped for. In other words, the baby is the promised Saviour from God: Christ the Lord.

Now, those very words, "Christ the Lord" as related by the shepherds, would have caused many questions to arise in Mary's mind. What would this baby actually grow up to be? What would he do? In what way would her son, Jesus, reveal himself as the promised Christ, the Anointed One whom everybody hoped for? Most of all, how would Jesus save his people?

Luke 2: 19 tells us that Mary kept (Gr: syntereo, meaning "preserved") all these words in her heart. And she pondered (Gr: symballw, meaning "conferred with") over them. It was as though she was conferring with her own self over all that she had heard that night.

Now, it is noteworthy that the Jews were already familiar with the promise of a Saviour, the Christ or Messiah from OT scripture. So when the shepherds hurried over to tell Joseph and Mary the angelic announcement, they were telling a long awaited piece of good news: that, at last, their promised Messiah has arrived! Among the promises found in scripture, two of the most well known, and probably well-taught by the Rabbis in their synagogues, are found in the Psalms below:

The LORD (Heb. YHWH) says to my Lord (Heb. Adoni) the king:
"Sit here at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet." Psalm 110: 1 TEV
The Kingdom that God (Elohim) has given you will last forever. You rule over your people with justice. You love what is right and hate what is evil. That is why God, your God, has chosen you . . . Psalm 45:6,7 TEV

After the death and resurrection of our Lord, the apostles began to preach that Jesus is the Christ. The good news that God's promised Anointed One has finally arrived was spread to people every where the apostles went. Many believed them and repented and put their trust in the Lord Jesus as the Anointed Saviour, promised by God.

In closing, let me share with you an example of how Christ was preached in those early NT days, by the Apostle Peter to the household of Cornelius the Centurion at the coastal city of Caesarea, forty miles north of Joppa.

In Acts 10: 38 - 43 we read,

"God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. And we are witnesses of all things which He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they killed by hanging on a tree. Him God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly, not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before by God, even to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead. To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins."

Such was the powerful preaching of the apostle Peter, in demonstrating that Jesus is the Christ, anointed by God. Normally, among the Israelites, a person was anointed with oil. But Peter pointed out to the household of Caesarea that Jesus of Nazareth was anointed by God "with the Holy Spirit" and "with power" (Acts 10:39).

And that was not all. Peter went on to describe many marvellous acts that God performed through his Anointed One:

God was with Him (v 38b).

After he was killed, God raised him up on the third day (v 39).

God who showed the resurrected Lord Jesus openly to selected witnesses (v 41), witnesses whom God had chosen, so that they could even eat and drink with Him.

Finally, God who ordained the Lord to be judge of the living and the dead (v 42).

Brothers and sisters, let us also keep these words in our hearts. Like Mary who heard the words of the angels through the shepherds, let us ponder over them: that on that night, in Bethlehem the City of David, was born a Saviour, Jesus Christ the Lord.

When we remember that our Lord is the Christ, we remember that he was anointed not with mere symbolic oil, but with the Spirit of God, with power! We ponder over the things that God had done in Jesus: God was with him wherever he went, healing all who were oppressed by demons, God raised him from death on the third day, and showed him to selected witnesses. And God had ordained him to be judge of the living and the dead.

Let us keep these things in our hearts.

What Mary kept in her heart, Part Two

Tuesday, 19Jan2010.

Previously, I elaborated on:

I Jesus is the Son, begotten by God.

Now, I'd like to proceed with:

II Jesus is the Sacrifice, who is prepared by God (Luke 2: 21 - 35)

According to Exodus 13 - every first-born child in an Israelite family belongs to God, and the parents must present the child at the temple to be "redeemed" from God. It appears that, in Luke chapter 2, the most appropriate time for Joseph and Mary to present their first-born child Jesus was to wait for the stipulated days of Purification to be complete. Details of the Law for such ceremonial purification is given in Leviticus 12.

For a baby boy the mother is required in the Levitical Law to wait for 7 + 33 days, the eighth day being the day of circumcision, and the fortieth being a day of offering. During this period of purification, the mother must not touch anything sacred nor visit the temple. This purification time is twice as long for a baby daughter, i.e. 14 + 66 days.

When the days of her purification are completed, for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the doorway of the tent of meeting a one year old lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering . . . But if she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take two turtledoves or two young pigeons, the one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement for her, and she will be clean. Leviticus 12: 6, 8 NASB

Thus, Joseph and Mary brought the 40-day old baby Jesus to the Temple at Jerusalem to make the required offerings to the LORD. They must have been too poor to bring a year-old lamb for the burnt offering, for Luke 2: 24 tells us that they brought "two turtledoves or two young pigeons" - one of them for the burnt offering, while the other was for the sin offering.

And it was on that day too, that the baby Jesus was presented by Joseph and Mary to the Priest at the Temple for redemption. Today, such redemption of the first born child, called Pidyon HaBen is still carried out by Jewish communities throughout the world.

At the presentation ceremony that day, a Godly man from Jerusalem named Simeon, to whom God had revealed that he would meet the messiah before he died, was led by the Spirit of God into the Temple. He approached Joseph and Mary, took the baby in his arms, blessed God and said,

“ Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word; For my eyes have seen Your salvation Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.” Luke 2: 29 - 32 NKJV

Both Joseph and Mary were amazed by Simeon's prayer. Verse 33 says they "marvelled" at what they heard. That day, God's revelation to Simeon came to pass: when Simeon looked at the baby Jesus cradled in his arm, he saw God's salvation, a salvation prepared by God for all peoples: both Jews and Gentiles. Notice verse 32 tells us that this baby Jesus, this salvation from God, was to become a revelation to the Gentiles, and also a glory to Israel.

Simeon, however, did not stop there. Verses 34 and 35 tells us that Simeon proceeded to pronounce blessings upon the family. And he also told Mary something unforgettable, something which Mary would undoubtedly have kept in her heart too: that her son Jesus was destined for the rise and fall of many, that he was also destined to become a sign which would be spoken against, bringing upon her great sorrow:

Yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also Luke 2: 35a

Finally, Simeon told Mary that, by this child Jesus, the thoughts of many people will be revealed.

Both Mary and Joseph would have gone home that day with many questions in their hearts. What did Simeon mean when he told Mary that her baby boy was destined for the "rise and fall" of many? In what way would her son eventually become a sign spoken against by many? How would this boy Jesus expose the thoughts of many people?

Even more disturbing is Simeon's warning that he would bring her great sorrow, like a sword piercing through her very soul!

Such were the words that Mary must have kept in her heart, on this unforgettable occasion at the temple of Jerusalem. She had merely gone there out of obedience to the Law of God, to make offerings of thanksgiving and purification, and to present her first-born son for redemption. Little did she know that she would return home with an absolutely amazing prophecy from Simeon of Jerusalem.

Today, like Mary we can also keep these words in our hearts. More than that, we know from the Gospel records, and from the writings of the Apostles, how Simeon's prophecy came true precisely in the subsequent years: the Lord Jesus, the Son of God, was indeed the great Salvation prepared by God for all peoples. His suffering at the hands of the Jewish leaders, and his eventual crucifixion brought great heart-breaking sorrow to his mother Mary. Indeed, a sword had pierced her heart and soul!

Furthermore, Jesus was raised by God after three days. He appeared to witnesses chosen by God. And in the presence of his disciples, he was brought up to heaven and was given a place at the right hand of God.

By learning obedience through sufferings, culminating in his crucifixion, offering himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the whole world, the Lord Jesus has been made perfect and has become the source and author of our salvation.

When we put our faith in this sacrifice, the Spirit of God who raised Jesus from the dead lives in us. And He who raised Christ from the dead will also make our bodies alive through His Spirit who dwells in us. We have been predestined by God to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ, so that Jesus is the "first-born among many brethren" (Romans 8: 11, 29)

In being raised by God, Jesus, the Salvation prepared by God had at last completed the mission for which God sent him. This was a sign that he is the Son of God. However, this very sign is also bitterly spoken against by many adversaries. His enemies paid to Roman soldiers guarding his tomb to say that the Disciples came in the night to steal Jesus' body while they were asleep! (Matthew 13: 13-15). Even, today, the sign of Jesus having been raised by God on the third day continues to cause offence among many skeptics.

My dear brothers and sisters, let us ponder over all these words. Words so marvellous, that like Mary, we should keep them in our hearts. Hebrews chapter 2 tells us to "pay more careful attention to what we heard" so that we do not drift away. Jesus is our salvation, prepared by God long ago:

How shall we escape, if we ignore such a great salvation? Hebrews 2: 3

In concluding this section, I'd like to share with you two things about this great salvation from God. Firstly, Jesus was made perfect by God through his sufferings, culminating in his cruel death on the cross. In this way he became the "author (or captain) of our salvation", and he is able to make us holy before God.

During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him . . . Hebrewes 5: 7-9 NIV

Secondly, we who are made holy by Jesus our Captain, are together of the same family under God. As such Jesus is not ashamed to call us his brothers and sisters. (Hebrews 2: 10, 11).

As it is written in scripture,

I will declare your name to my brothers;
in the congregation I will praise you Psalm 22: 22

Dear brothers, let us hold this truth in our hearts: that the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was described by Simeon of Jerusalem as the Salvation prepared by God. Throughout his ministry for his Father in heaven, Jesus learned obedience through sufferings. He was made perfect through sufferings.

And through his sufferings, death and resurrection, a sign spoken against by many, Jesus became the Author and Source of our Salvation. We, who are made holy by him are of the same family with him. Jesus calls us his brothers, and in the same congregation with our Lord Jesus, we will also praise God together.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Previous Part:

I Jesus is the Son, begotten by God

Next part:

III Jesus is the Saviour, who is chosen by God (Luke 2: 8 - 19)
(to be continued, in subsequent posts)