It is so easy to celebrate the birth of Christ and then to move on. We worship together on Christmas Eve and we are moved by Joseph and Mary’s faithfulness with the Messiah humbly asleep on the hay wrapped in swaddling clothes in Bethlehem Ephrathah (Micah 5:2). And we are amazed by the appearance of a host of angels who tell a group of shepherds that they will find the Son of David lying in a manger. But what happens next? What happens after those dramatic events surrounding Christ’s birth? As Paul Harvey would say, let’s find out “The rest of the story.”

What Happens Next?

The Bible records several major events after Jesus was born: The time at the temple when they meet Simeon and Anna, the arrival of the wisemen months later, the slaughter of the innocents, the escape to Egypt, and the return to Nazareth where Jesus is raised. These events occur over the next several years, and so let’s break it down and talk about each one over the next few articles. Today we will focus on the first 41 days.

Circumcision and Sacrifice

Luke tells us that Jesus was circumcised on the eighth day after being born, which fulfills God’s law in Leviticus 12:1-3. But then after thirty-three more days, Joseph and Mary go up to Jerusalem to the temple in order to offer a sacrifice of purification for Mary.

“When the days of her [a mother’s] purification are fulfilled, whether for a son or a daughter, she shall bring to the priest a lamb of the first year as a burnt offering, and a young pigeon or a turtledove as a sin offering, to the door of the tabernacle of meeting. Then he shall offer it before the LORD, and make atonement for her. And she shall be clean from the flow of her blood.” ~Leviticus 12:6-7

God required every mother to offer a sacrifice forty-one days after giving birth, therefore Mary and Joseph, in order to fulfill all righteousness, left Bethlehem and made the five-mile journey to the temple. It reveals their character and love for God, and in doing so they unexpectedly encounter two amazing people at the temple forty-one days after the birth of Jesus.

Simeon 

Luke 2:25-32

“And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting 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. So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, he took Him up in his arms and 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.”

Simeon prophetically declares that this baby is the light of the world and that He is God’s revelation to the Gentiles. What a beautiful message! It creates the feeling we immerse ourselves in during the Christmas season because of its generosity and love. Christ is the Light of the world! The source of all Truth, Justice, Grace, and Mercy.

But then Simeon says something very un-Christmasy:

“Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” Luke 2:34-35

What? Jesus will cause division within Israel? I thought Jesus was the Prince of Peace and that he was the savior of all mankind. We love the baby Jesus! What’s all this talk of Him being a “sign which will be spoken against” and that Mary’s heart will be pierced, too? On one level of meaning, this points to Jesus’ crucifixion which Mary would someday witness (John 19:25-27). It also reveals how much the pharisees would eventually hate Him and “speak against Him” to the point that almost everyone in Jerusalem–even those who had seen Him perform miracles (Acts 2:22)–would curse Him and chant for Him to be hung on a cross. Jesus Himself says, “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword” (Matthew 10:34). Jesus is the Prince of Peace, but following Him requires a decision, and one that many people are not willing to make so they “go to war” against Him. That is what Simeon means by “the fall and rising of many in Israel.” If you think “peace” means God is going to let you continue in your sin, then you are sadly mistaken. Peace means reconciliation with God, and that starts with repentance.

And so, on another level of meaning, Simeon’s prophecy explains why people will hate Him so much: Jesus will reveal “the thoughts of many hearts.” But why does that cause people to hate Him?  

The Living Word of God

The Word of God is like a sword. It isn’t one that cuts our flesh, but one that pierces our soul. The author of Hebrews tells us that the Word of God is like a double-edged sword which divides the thoughts and intents of our hearts–it reveals us. 

“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.” ~Hebrews 4:12-13

Jesus is the Word of God, and it is to Him we must give an account. And also notice that Hebrews doesn’t say it reveals your heart; it says He reveals your heart. And Jesus reveals everyone’s heart. You have no choice in the matter. The Word of God is the living scalpel which cuts open your heart and looks into its elaborate, winding complexities, discerning who you really are. 

Therefore, we shouldn’t think of the Word of God as just a book we keep on a shelf and open up periodically–think of it as the presence of the living God! The Bible we own is the written Word of God, but the living Word of God is Jesus, who is constantly working in our hearts through the Holy Spirit with the ultimate intent of drawing us to Himself.

John says, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). Jesus is the material actualization of all that the spiritual Word of God is. He is the Creator who becomes the created; He is the Law who fulfills the law; He is the Judge who becomes the condemned so we wouldn’t be judged. He is the “two-edged sword” who discerns the thoughts and intents of our hearts. He doesn’t just “get us,” He reveals our souls, naked and alone, standing before Him fully known before His throne, and in so doing He turns our eyes from ourselves and turns them toward Him. That may not always be such a pleasant experience considering the condition of our hearts.

Such exposure can be frightening, but it is meant to be healing. We try to “clothe” our sin so that others won’t see who we really are, but God sees us in all our raw brokenness. On the other hand, the idea that he sees our true nature means He doesn’t merely look at what we do, but at who we are–and He still loves us. He knows our struggles, fears, hopes, and motives. He knows when you sin and why you sin. He is perfectly aware of our innermost self, even if we are not.

“For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust” (Psalm 103:14).

You see, God doesn’t seek to reveal our souls so He can squish us like a bug. He does it so that He can heal us. Sometimes He has to lecture us so that we will feel His disapproval and so that maybe we will change, but at other times He may choose to give us a hug so that we will feel His mercy and maybe change. There will be times when He will punish, but there will be times when He will be gracious and patient.

So whether it is through rebuke or leniency, He is constantly working to draw us to His presence in willing repentance, and it all starts when He reveals our hearts. Some people push away that presence and awareness and retreat into the comfort of darkness and shadow, unwilling to face their true self, the fallen self that seeks only its own glory. Others, however, will allow Him to heal their wounds in the light of His terrifying, but restorative, presence. At that moment the Holy Spirit comes to indwell our hearts and, ironically, we find our true self in the light of His glory, not our own. 

And so, after this season in which we celebrate the birth of Christ, I pray you will hold the infant Child aloft, like Simeon, and allow your heart to be filled with the light of His truth and love. I pray that instead of pushing Him away, that you will embrace him, for He knows you–and loves you.

Anna

After Simeon held aloft the baby Jesus and blessed Him, a 91 year-old widow named Anna showed up at the temple (as was her habit) and immediately she discerned exactly who Jesus was,

“And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem” (Luke 2:36-38).

Isn’t that a beautiful moment? The redeemer of mankind had arrived and Anna understood exactly who he was immediately and told everyone she saw.

Are we listening?

As we will see in the next article, apparently not a lot of people paid attention to the birth of Christ at all.  We know this because when the magi arrived almost a year later, nobody in Jerusalem seemed to remember what the shepherds had proclaimed, or what Simeon had prophesied, or what Anna had shouted from the rooftops. Indeed, it appears that the miraculous events of Christ’s birth and what happened forty-one days later had been entirely forgotten–or dismissed as irrelevant.

May that not be so for us.

To be continued…