Reflecting on Luke 2:25-38
"And a sword will pierce your own soul too." (Luke 2:32)These words of Simeon reflect what actually happens when Jesus shows up.
Jesus brought salvation, light and glory for Jews AND Gentiles.
But He was spoken against because His words and ways cut to the heart.
Mary was not spared this either; everyone was affected.
To encounter Jesus is both exciting and unsettling.
The light of Jesus’s love exposes the darkness in our own hearts.
In His light we see light, but we also the contrasting darkness.
The words and the ways of Jesus are like a sword, piercing the soul.
Jesus wants to make me a servant of love, not a servant of self.
Jesus wants to save me from attitudes and behaviours that harm me and others.
Jesus wants to restore all of God’s family, not just me.
That includes the people I do not like (Gentiles).
That includes the people that have hurt me, and the people I have hurt.
Some hearts will welcome this scalpel, even though it cuts deep.
Others will resist it, and in turn use their swords on Jesus.
And as we see in Jesus, it is surprising who these people are.
It is those who are considered religious, who ‘go to church’.
It is those in positions of religious, political or social power.
Today we see many christians and churches vying for position and power.
They are using the sword against others instead of being cut to the heart.
Too many christians and churches today seem more like the pharisees.
Jesus has been turned into their personal bodyguards, fighting their enemies.
There will be both rising and falling as a result of Jesus.
But many will be surprised by who is rising and who is falling.
It will be the sinners, tax collectors and prostitutes who rise.
And it will be the religious, pharisees, teachers of the Law who will fall.
In contemporary terms, those considered sexual sinners will be saved.
And those considered faithful church-goers will fall.
Both will have their hearts revealed, but the self-righteous won’t accept it.
A personal relationship with Jesus focuses on my own heart and soul.
My business is not someone else’s’ sin, but my own.
Jesus will deal graciously with me, and He will deal graciously with them.
We need to put our stones away; Jesus does not condemn us, or them.
In a personal relationship with Jesus, Jesus will comfort and convict us.
He will show us what love looks live, and call us to grow in that love.
If my relationship with Jesus does not reflect this, something is off.
My business is not how Trump or Carney or ‘those sinners’ think and behave.
My business is not what those sexual sinners or religious hypocrites are doing.
My business is to pay attention to my own thoughts and behaviours.
My business is to allow Jesus to work on me, not to turn Jesus on others.
Jesus is not giving me a sword as a weapon to use against others.
Jesus is using using the sword as a scalpel for me, and for others.
He is surgically cutting away the cancerous cells in me.
No surgery is pleasant, but the healing that follows is worth it.
That healing will involve love, joy, peace for me, but also for others.
It will make me more patient, kind and good… more like Jesus.
I will be more faithful (loyal, reliable) and gentle with others.
And I will prioritize self-control, not other-control.
Jesus will save me from self-serving, other-harming thoughts and ways.
And the people I struggle with around me (Gentiles) will be blessed to.
The glory of Jesus shining in me will be light for others who meet me.
For many of them, their hearts will be revealed in a healing way as well.
Jesus-like gracious love is God’s way of making things right again.
The proud will be humbled, and the lowly will be lifted up.
And we will all meet at an equal point, standing as equals before Jesus.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, forgive us for ripping the scalpel from your hands and using it as a weapon against our opponents. Reveal our hearts to us, as painful as that is, so that we can be healed with Your love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Remember the log and the splinter as described in Matthew? When we point our finger to others, see how there are three fingers pointed to ourselves and the thumb is pointed heavenward. That’s our starting point. In Christ alone we stand and look at our relationship to Him. We do not cast the first stone. Christ didn’t. In His name I need to go forward each day being an instrument of His peacem showing the love of Christ in me to all I meet and greet.