Sorrow and Joy
Introduction
Post tenebras lux is Latin for “After darkness, light.” This motto defined the protestant reformation. The Reformers Luther, Calvin, and Zwingli believed the Roman church held Christians in a state of darkness because they obscured and barricaded God’s word from God’s people. So, one of the first things the reformers did was translate God’s word into the people’s language and explain what was going on in the liturgy. Even though the world was dark, now that God’s people could see, they could then know where they should go.
The Text
And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.
And he came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to carry out for Him the custom of the Law, then he took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said,
“Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace, According to Your word; For my eyes have seen Your salvation, Which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, A Light of revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.”
And His father and mother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed— and a sword will pierce even your own soul—to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.” Luke 2:25–35
Summary of Text
40 days after Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Mary and Joseph took Jesus into the temple to fulfil the sacrificial law found in Leviticus 12. While they were in the temple, they met Simeon. Apparently, the Holy Spirit promised Simeon that he would see the messiah before he died. The Spirit also directed Simeon this day to meet Jesus in the temple.
Simeon makes two remarks. The first was a praise to God (vv. 29-32) and the second a warning to Mary. He thanks God for His faithfulness to Him (v. 29). He really has seen the messiah before dying (v.30). Simeon knows Jesus will bring salvation to Israel and to the Gentiles (vv.31-32). Literally, Jesus will be a light to the Gentiles.
In Genesis 1, when God made the world, He counted days by evening then morning. Scripture also shows us the time before Christ was a time of darkness like nighttime. But like the sun pierces through the night sky, so did Jesus pierce the darkness. The glory of the heavenly host appeared to shepherds at night (Luke 2:8). The Lord shows us in a story with much physical darkness also much spiritual darkness. As God made the world through evening becoming morning, so did God recreate the world from darkness to light. Before Christ, the world was in darkness. Jesus, the Light of the world, brings the dawning of a new day.
Sorrow and Darkness
We live in a world still with much darkness. Sickness follows us. Loved ones grow weak and die. Families break. Children go to sleep hungry and cold. Little babies die just after being born.
It was precisely this kind of world that Jesus was born into. He was born in a world with no clean hospitals. His virgin mother was more a child than adult. Inexperienced with any of the womanly wisdom wives before her had to prepare for birth. Her delivery nurse was none other than Joseph, whose hands and skills were formed by wood, hammers, and splinters. Jesus’ delivery room was a stable with fresh manure inches from them.
When Jesus came into the world, the world wasn’t this pristine nativity scene with polished figurines. There was blood, gore, feces, after birth, flies, manure, and a lot of crying. This is the world Jesus came into.
He came to this world of sorrow and darkness to bring joy and light. If you think your life is too messy for the order of Jesus, then He came into the world for people like you. If you think your life is too scandalous for the grace of Jesus, He was born into a family like yours. If you think your life is too sinful for the forgiveness of Jesus, He died for people like you.
Jesus came for people with nothing but hope. He came for Simeon.
Joy and Light
In Simeon’s warning to Mary (vv.34-35), he mentioned four things Jesus will do to bring light into the world: 1. Appoint the fall and rise of many in Israel; 2. Be a sign to be opposed; 3. He will pierce Mary’s soul; and 4. He will reveal the thoughts and hearts of many.
When light comes, those who afflict in the night run away while those afflicted by the darkness come out to play. When justice comes, those who break the law are now afraid while the victims of injustice rejoice. Jesus came to humble the exalted and exalt the humble.
When the light comes, He will be opposed. Those who use the darkness to cover up their sin will fight against the light. Those who were sleeping will complain that the light is on. Jesus came to make comfortable people uncomfortable.
When the light comes, Mary will cry. When Jesus pays for the penalty of sin, He will die. When Jesus dies to save Mary’s soul, he will also pierce her soul. We know Mary stood before Jesus at his crucifixion (John 19:26-27).
When the light comes, what everyone thinks and does in the darkness will be exposed. Herod proved he was more like a Pharoah than a king of Judah when he murdered the boys in Bethlehem.
It was for the joy set before Jesus that he endured the sorrow of the cross (Hebrews 12:2). Brothers and sisters, sometimes joy is painful.
Application From Doug Wilson
Jesus came into a real world to solve real problems to bring real joy. Christmas is a time for Christians to really celebrate this. But because we live in a world that wants gifts without a giver, we also live in a world where Christmas is not as real as it should be.
I’ve been helped by this book on Advent, God Rest Ye Merry, by Doug Wilson. Pastor Wilson gives three enemies of Christmas that I thought were so good, I’ll mention them to you this morning.
The first enemy is Sentimentalism—a sentimental Christmas is a Christmas without conflict. In this type of Christmas, you avoid saying “merry Christmas” to the clerk at the store or to the server at the restaurant. You don’t want to ruffle any feathers. You tell yourself that Jesus doesn’t want His people to cause trouble or to make people feel uncomfortable. Sadly, you have forgotten that Jesus came to cause trouble and to make people feel uncomfortable. There’s a bull in a china shop, then there’s Jesus in a corrupt temple. The corrupt Sanhedrin wanted a sentimental temple. Jesus turned that upside down.
A Biblical Christmas embraces conflict because Jesus opposes the proud. You don’t get grace without someone getting upset. This should cause us comfort because Christmas actually solves our real problems. A sentimental Christmas ignores the scandal of Mary giving birth to Jesus, of roughneck Shepherds entering a makeshift delivery room, of Herod murdering all the toddlers in Bethlehem. Jesus came into a real world with real problems, conflicts, and troubles. He didn’t come into a perfectly dramatized play. Your problems belong in Christmas because Christ came into world of problems. Your marriage troubles, your worries for your child, your anxiety at work, your loneliness, weariness, and pain belong in Christmas because that’s exactly what Christ came to save.
So, fight sentimentalism with the forgiveness found in the gospel. Sentimentalism ignores conflict until after the ornaments are packed while forgiveness crucifies conflict on the cross never to be seen again. Jesus came into the world at Christmas time to give his people something new to say, “I forgive you.”
The second enemy is Moralism—A moralistic Christmas is a Christmas without sin. A moralistic Christmas is filled with rules, regulations, worries, and worry warts. They see Christmas as an opportunity to display personal virtue instead of receive virtue personally. They dare not celebrate Christmas too much. Who knows little Johnny might enjoy himself.
A Biblical Christmas accepts the reality of sin because Jesus is the savior of sins. Because of the gospel, forgiveness can win this season instead of gripes and complaints and other sinful attitudes.
You fight moralism with grace. Jesus didn’t come into the world to give more rules of things to avoid. He didn’t come saying, “don’t drink the egg nog.” He came giving gifts so you could enjoy egg nog without it destroying you. Without Christ, our sin runs free in this world while joy lays six feet under. But in Christ, our sin is buried so joy can run free. So, confess your sins, repent of sin, and aim your sights at enjoying this world Jesus came to save.
Finally, Spiritualism—A spiritualistic Christmas is a Christmas without matter. A spiritualistic Christmas thinks gift giving is materialistic. You see all the decorations, Christmas trees, gifts, and sales as materialism ruining the spirit of Christmas.
A Biblical Christmas is in the real world because Jesus actually came into the world. If you celebrate Christmas biblically, it should be seen in the real world. God, who is Spirit, did not come into the world as a nice thought telling the the physical world no longer matters. No, He came into this physical world filled with food, sports, crafts, and gardens. He came into a world of stuff. Yes, the stuff was unclean and unholy and profane. But did he destroy what was unclean or did he instead touch it and make it clean? So, don’t think Jesus came to take away Christmas gifts, Christmas movies, Christmas trees, and Christmas dinners. He came to make them worthy of a king.
If you think your heart is in the right place but it doesn’t affect your wallet, then your heart isn’t in the right place at all. Jesus’ heart was in the right place and it cost him all the physical stuff he had—his body, his family, even his clothes the soldiers took from him. Jesus showed his love by giving stuff. This Christmas you have the opportunity to follow your Lord and do the same.
Conclusion
Holiday means holy day. In this sense, Christmas is the ultimate holiday because the coming of Jesus sanctifies and makes things holy. In the Old Covenant, all the holy things were sequestered off from the people because the people were too unholy to be around them. But the king of heaven came down 2,000 ago to our profane and unclean existence to make us worthy of the holy of holies. Jesus came into this world of sorrow to bring joy. He came into a world of darkness to turn the light on. This Christmas, enjoy the light.