Fallen yet Faithful Servants of God

Dr. John Clayton's sermon on Luke 2:21-24 from our service on June 16, 2024, the eighth in his sermon series The Gospel of Luke.

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.”

And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.” And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. And when they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him (Luke 2:25–40).

There is great benefit from reading Christian biography. To see God at work in and through his fallen yet faithful servants encourages us to learn from those who have lived before us and inspires us to live lives of faithfulness. This of course is not only the case with published biographies but also biographical descriptions in Scripture. In some cases, such as the patriarchs Abraham and Jacob, we know much; in other cases, such as Isaac, we know less. But what we read of them all, God has given. This is not to say that every description is prescription, but as “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16-17), we trust that God has given us what we need to know.

There is much we need to know in this passage, especially the significance of Simeon’s prophecy, but today I want to draw your attention to two individuals, Simeon and Anna, what we learn about them and what we may learn from them. The reason I want to us to consider them is because Luke does not merely tell who they are and what they are doing, but he tells us specifically or descriptively characteristics of each. Simeon is not only at Jesus’ presentation but is described as “righteous and devout.” Anna not only makes a timely arrival but is a woman of undivided devotion to the Lord. So, consider with me these two fallen yet faithful servants of God and what God may teach us through their lives.

A Righteous and Devout Man

First, let us consider Simeon, who Luke describes as “righteous and devout,” “waiting for the consolation of Israel,” and filled with the Holy Spirit (25). The use of the word “righteous” in this context does not imply perfection before God, such as our perfect righteous standing before God in our justification, but the righteousness of a godly life. Such a life is evidenced not in perfection but devotion to the Lord our God, to his Word and ways. I am reminded of the first psalm in which we read,

            Blessed is the man

                        who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,Fai

            nor stands in the way of sinners,

                        nor sits in the seat of scoffers;

            but his delight is in the law of the LORD,

                        and on his law he meditates day and night.

            He is like a tree

                        planted by streams of water

            that yields its fruit in its season,

                        and its leaf does not wither.

            In all that he does, he prospers.

                        The wicked are not so,

            but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

            Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,

                        nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;

            for the LORD knows the way of the righteous,

                        but the way of the wicked will perish (Ps. 1).

Simeon is such a man, righteous and devout.

This is worthy of emphasis in an age where grace is misinterpreted as a license for licentiousness and godliness is rendered an unachievable ideal. But in his first epistle, the apostle Peter states our standard: “But as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct (1 Pet. 1:15). This is not a command for the unbeliever but the one who stands in the perfect righteousness of Christ by faith and is called to live accordingly. The apostle Paul calls such righteous living not a suggestion but spiritual worship, appealing “by the mercies of God” that we present ourselves “as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is [our] spiritual worship” (Rom. 12:1). Righteous living is sacrificial devotion to God. This is no less countercultural and contrary to the way of the world, but we need reminding on a daily, if not more often, basis: if you are in Christ, “You are not your own, for you were bought with a price” (1 Cor. 6:19-20). Given the acceptance of self-indulgence today, even among Christians, I believe every Christian should have this memorized and on ready repeat:

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal. 2:20).

The Christian is called to a crucified life, and therefore, like Simeon, a righteous and devout life. 

Congruent with his righteousness and devotion, we are told that Simeon was “waiting for the consolation of Israel,” which implies a patient trust in the providence of God. A Christian who lives a righteous and devout life doesn’t get entangled with the worldly worries of the age but patiently waits upon the Lord. In Simeon’s case, he had received God’s special revelation telling him that “he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ” (26), so his patient trust was also an expectant one. What he waited for, “the consolation of Israel” and “the Lord’s Christ,” are then connected. The word “consolation,” as it is used here, does not imply a consoling or comforting but hope, an expectant hope of salvation through Christ. Having believed God’s covenant promise, Simeon awaited its fulfillment in the coming of Christ, and experienced it, and held him in his arms. What an extraordinary moment for Simeon but also for us. For, our Lord Jesus grew not only in wisdom in stature but lived perfectly, died sacrificially, and resurrected gloriously that we might have forgiveness of our sins, be reconciled to God, and have the same expectant hope of Simeon of our Lord’s return and eternal life.

Finally, we read that “the Holy Spirit was upon him,” revealing first that the ministry of the Holy Spirit was present and active well before Pentecost, and second that he filled and directed Simeon. Through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, Simeon serves uniquely as a prophet of God, spiritually gifted and empowered for this very moment, to deliver the prophetic Word of God. Reading this, we may think how amazing it would be for God to give his special revelation to us, that we might with patient-yet-expectant trust await our Lord’s second coming. But we need not wish for what we already have. While what God revealed to Simeon was indeed miraculous, it is no less miraculous that God has given us the special revelation of his written Word, a full canon of Scripture, Genesis through Revelation, which produces trust in us too. Do you wish to have the expectant hope of Simeon? Devote yourself to the daily, systematic reading of God’s Word, which the Holy Spirit will use to shape your heart and mind.

It was the Holy Spirit who led Simeon to the temple that day, and it was the Holy Spirit who used Simeon to proclaim the Word of God. “For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man,” the apostle Peter explains, “but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Pet. 1:21). And it is the same Holy Spirit who “works in you, both to will and to work” for God’s good pleasure (Phil. 2:13).  And God’s good pleasure, we may trust, is always good for us.

An Undividedly Devoted Woman

Second, let us consider prophetess Anna, a descendant of the northern tribe of Asher, a detail likely confirming the reconstitution of that forgotten tribe and her certain heritage as a child of Israel. Like Simeon, she is advanced in years, if you consider 84 years old “advanced,” and she has been a widow for many years. She possesses, as the apostle Paul puts it, an “undivided devotion to the Lord” (1 Cor. 7:40). Let this then be an encouragement to those advanced in years: You are a vital part of the church and have a role to play. Commentator Dale Ralph Davis says, “So the remnant church we find in Luke 1-2 has a good sprinkling of ‘senior citizen’ believers, which suggests that your gray hairs and aching bones and arthritic joints are welcome in Jesus’ fellowship.”[1]

Yet so often, the latter years can be devoted to the meaningless and the worthless, rather than the fellowship of Christ’s church. The church is not just for the young or just for the old but a multi-generational assembly of worshipers living out their faith interdependently. For example, in his letter to Titus the apostle Paul emphasizes the necessity of those advanced in years actively engaging with the younger generations:

Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled (Titus 2:2-5).

Young men in the church need godly examples, not silly, self-obsessed, rootless, angry, and impatient old men but serious, decorous, self-disciplined, men who love the Lord and live it out day after day.

Likewise, we need women like Anna, undistracted from the cares of the world outside the church, women who are living for the Lord well into old age and willing to teach the younger women. In age of self-obsession and self-promotion, our younger women need to learn what it means to be “reverent in behavior.” In age of social media, our younger women need to learn from you that most of life, if any, isn’t meant to be shared online but in service to family and church. Let the younger women learn from the older temperance in food and drink, the wisdom of moderation. Let them learn the benefits of marriage, the beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit (1 Pet. 3:4), the blessing of raising a family, and that the choice of working in the home is a noble one. Let them learn how to be self-controlled in their emotions and appetites, how to pursue purity in their thoughts as well as their deeds, and how to push back against the verbal vomit of our cultural rhetoric, exercising discretion with genuine kindness. Most of all, teach them to learn from you to be in God’s Word, to treasure it, to store it up, and to meditate on it, that their lives may be a testimony to the presence of the Word and Spirit.

This is exemplified in Anna’s life, as a widow, as a life of singular devotion. She devoted herself to faithful attendance in worship and to continual fasting and prayer. If you are wondering where you may serve the church today, start here. Do not neglect Lord’s Day worship but be present and be a blessing to your church family. Your life and the lives of others is impacted by your church attendance. Fast and pray for the church, for our “adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Pet. 5:8). Fast and pray for the salvation of our covenant children, for our families, for our elders and deacons, for your pastor, for one another. If you want God to bless our church, then fast and pray for her, because he who ordains the end also ordains the means.

Finally, Anna is faithful “to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem” (38). The expression “the redemption of Jerusalem” echoes “the consolation of Israel,” as Jerusalem throughout Scripture serves as the center of Israel’s worship. Like Simeon, Anna is expectantly hopeful in the coming of her Redeemer, and she is not alone; there are others “who were waiting.” Can you imagine her joy in hearing Simeon’s song and seeing Christ in his arms? What joy she must have had as God providentially directed her to be present at the temple at that moment.

But note how she responds: She gives thanks to God and speaks of him to all who also were waiting. Is this not what we do in our assembled worship every Lord’s Day? Has not the Lord directed us to assemble according to his Word? Every Sunday we assemble in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ to give thanks to God for what he has done for us in Christ. We do not assemble in private but corporate worship. We confess our sins and rejoice in the gospel aloud. We sing hymns, and psalms, and spiritual songs together. We affirm our faith in vocal solidarity. Like Anna, we speak of the Lord to all who assemble with us in worship. May God give us a heart like Anna’s for weekly corporate worship.

Conclusion

Today, we have considered two faithful servants of God, but make no mistake about it, they were sinners just as we. As Luke reveals, their hope was not in their works of righteousness but in our righteous Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, to whom we look in faith. We look back to the faithful saints of old and in the fellowship of the church only in light of the Life, who lived, and died, and resurrected that we might have life in him and live for him forever. By his grace and for his glory, may we too live lives worthy of regard, as fallen yet faithful servants of God.

[1] Davis, 55.