Getting Job-ed
Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous 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. And he came in 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 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.” Luke 2:25-32 ESV
If you’ve been reading so far you may have seen, especially in the articles on the New Covenant, that those promises appear to the addressed to the Israelite people. They appear that way, especially depending on your views of eschatology (study of end things). However, these promises were not isolated to ethnic Israelites only but were intended for all of God’s people.
Abraham
Remember back to our study with Abraham. There was a promise given to Abraham that all nations would be blessed through his offspring (Genesis 18:18, 22:18). Although seemingly only addressed to the ethnic people of Israel, we also note that there is a concept of a “true” Israel, the true people of God (Romans 9:6). The promises of the New Covenant in Jeremiah and Ezekiel were not limited just to an ethnic people group.
The Synoptic Gospels
This concept is especially prevalent in the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke). Think about the story of Jesus’ birth: the magi from the east (more than likely pagan nations) recognized the true King and Savior that was coming to earth and they had come to worship the King while the religious leaders weren’t exuberant with joy at the possibility of the long-awaited King’s coming (Matthew 2:3-4, pay careful attention to the verbiage that was used). But in the presence of Jesus, the magi fall down and worship Him. This is the proper posture of the heart. The unlikely people found the Savior. We see this in the thief on the cross that turns to Jesus in his last hours (Luke 23:39-43). We also see this in a Roman soldier that is at the crucifixion who recognizes Jesus as God (Matthew 27:54)- another unlikely person to see Jesus for who He is.
Refer to the opening verses. Simeon had been longing for the coming of the Messiah, and when he sees the Child, he takes Him in his arms and ends his address with “…for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel” (Luke 2:30-32 ESV). This would have been a huge deal in the first century, especially within the Jewish community. The King is not just there to save an ethnic group of people, but also those despised and outside the group of ethnic Israel. When the full number of God’s people, both from the Gentiles and Jews, are brought together then “…all Israel will be saved… (Romans 11:26 ESV, refer to Romans 9-11 for the entire context).
The Unlikely People
Have you ever felt unworthy to be a part of God’s people? Jesus came to bring the unlikely people to God, to reconcile that relationship, to right the wrong. It’s not something you could do- it’s only something God Himself could do. Do you feel like you’re too bad to be saved? God is more powerful than anything you’ve ever done. The God of Scripture is more powerful than any evil. Love Christ, turn to Christ this Christmas. The most unlikely people can truly turn and know God.
-Austin
