Advent - Day 20
27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you may now dismiss your servant in peace.
30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,
31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and the glory of your people Israel.”
Luke 2:27-32
We are anticipating the birth of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, our Lord. This is advent. And this year we are following Luke’s gospel as he passes on to us the eyewitness accounts of Jesus’ life.
Yesterday we saw that Jesus is a Jew. He is the Jewish Messiah so that He can fulfil God’s law perfectly and therefore be a righteous sacrifice on behalf of sinners. But does that mean you must be Jewish to enjoy the hope of Jesus as your Messiah?
Well, no. This is Paul’s point in Romans 9-11. God chose Israel to have the privilege of producing the Messiah. But God’s promises are not for any one race or tribe. They are for all people.
God chose a people who were not a people. He made them Israel and chose them to be the people from whom the Old Testament Scriptures and the Messiah would come. In this way, they would bless the world.
And this of course is the point here in Luke 2. Simeon quotes Isaiah in a reminder that Jesus is the Messiah of all nations. This is what God has been preparing to do all along.
Through the Jewish Messiah, all peoples are offered salvation. He is the light to the Gentiles that the Jews were always meant to be.
For Today:
Pray:
29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you may now dismiss your servant in peace.
30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,
31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and the glory of your people Israel.”
Luke 2:27-32
We are anticipating the birth of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, our Lord. This is advent. And this year we are following Luke’s gospel as he passes on to us the eyewitness accounts of Jesus’ life.
Yesterday we saw that Jesus is a Jew. He is the Jewish Messiah so that He can fulfil God’s law perfectly and therefore be a righteous sacrifice on behalf of sinners. But does that mean you must be Jewish to enjoy the hope of Jesus as your Messiah?
Well, no. This is Paul’s point in Romans 9-11. God chose Israel to have the privilege of producing the Messiah. But God’s promises are not for any one race or tribe. They are for all people.
God chose a people who were not a people. He made them Israel and chose them to be the people from whom the Old Testament Scriptures and the Messiah would come. In this way, they would bless the world.
And this of course is the point here in Luke 2. Simeon quotes Isaiah in a reminder that Jesus is the Messiah of all nations. This is what God has been preparing to do all along.
Through the Jewish Messiah, all peoples are offered salvation. He is the light to the Gentiles that the Jews were always meant to be.
For Today:
- Why does Jesus offer salvation to all types of people?
- How did you hear about Jesus?
- How can you be a light to others today?
Pray:
- Praise the Father that He is the God of light.
- Give thanks for Jesus who reveals God’s light to us.
- Ask God for His Holy Spirit to help you and others be light in your community today.
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