Simeon and Anna: Waiting on God's Salvation

Luke's Gospel tells us about Simeon and Anna, two people who met Mary and Joseph at the Temple when they brought Jesus there as an infant. Luke notes pieces of their conversation -- presumably passed along to others by Mary. While the pieces of conversation are worth noting, so are the actions: they waited. They waited and waited. They kept coming back. People only wait -- and keep waiting -- when they expect something. They trusted God. They trusted when the wait seemed endlessly long. They trusted that if God made a covenant, then God kept his covenant. If God promised something, then it would come in its time. They expected God to keep his word, so they waited. 

In comparison, our age's cynicism seems like bitter despair masquerading as realism. Our age's irreverence consists, in the main, of mocking hostility toward reverence -- toward virtues of respect, hope, and faith. Our age is full of "virtue signals" but not of virtue. 

Simeon tells us what he expected, what he considered fulfilled when he saw Jesus: A light to enlighten the Gentiles, and the glory of Israel. Simeon had hope and faith even before he had seen. May our day be capable of hope and faith again. 

"Remission" of sins: layers of meaning, layers of hope

Languages are multi-layered things, and a translator's job is not a simple one. Sometimes we come across  other shades of meaning when we study how a word is used. I've long found it interesting that the Bible talks about the "remission" of sins. These days our English word remission is often a specialty-word for early success in cancer treatment. But that use was repurposed from older uses. In the New Testament, here are a few familiar verses that all contain the same Greek word, most commonly rendered into English as remission: 

For this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. (Matthew 26:28)

John baptized in the wilderness, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. (Mark 1:4)

To give his people knowledge of salvation by the remission of their sins. (Luke 1:77)

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to announce good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are bound. (Luke 4:18)

Going through all the uses in the New Testament, all the uses of that Greek word (aphesis) are typically rendered into English as remission or forgiveness except in Luke 4:18, where the English is typically given along the lines of deliverance, liberty, or freedom. 

It lends me hope that some of those shades of meaning, too, were meant about our sins: deliverance, liberty, and freedom. Forgiveness for them is a treasured promise; freedom from them even more so. Even if the final freedom is still to come, it will be cause for celebration. 

Fighting Temptation: Where we find our strength

Every year we remember Jesus' temptation in the wilderness. This year, I have spotted some things I had missed before. First, Luke's account for reference; then some notes: 

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness ² for forty days, being tempted by the devil. He ate nothing in those days. Afterward, when they were completed, he was hungry. ³ The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”

⁴ Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’”

⁵ The devil, leading him up on a high mountain, showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. ⁶ The devil said to him, “I will give you all this authority, and their glory, for it has been delivered to me; and I give it to whomever I want. ⁷ If you therefore will worship before me, it will all be yours.”

⁸ Jesus answered him, “Get behind me Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and you shall serve him only.’”

⁹ He led him to Jerusalem, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, cast yourself down from here, ¹⁰ for it is written,

‘He will put his angels in charge of you, to guard you;’

¹¹ and,

‘On their hands they will bear you up,
    lest perhaps you dash your foot against a stone.’”

¹² Jesus answering, said to him, “It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’”

¹³ When the devil had completed every temptation, he departed from him until another time.  (Luke 4:1-13)

Jesus was fasting. The devil came at a time of weakness. He watches and waits for us to be isolated from help, weakened in our resolve, in need or in distress. If he roams like a lion looking for those to devour, he looks for a moment when we are vulnerable. We can expect him. 

The first temptation is a temptation of human flesh.
Satan tempted Jesus to strengthen himself in the face of his human weakness: hunger.
Jesus deflected the temptation with the Word of God, and had strength enough. 
When we can resist the temptations of the flesh it is good, but we can expect more temptations to come. 

The second temptation is a temptation of human spirit. 
Satan tempted Jesus to gain authority and splendor in a corrupt way: by bowing to Satan. 

Jesus deflected the temptation again with the Word of God, and had authority enough to deny the prince of this world. It is a hopeful thought what kind of power we have through the Word of God, that we can deny the dark prince of this world. In the face of temptation, we can stand our ground. It must bother the evil one that there are people walking this world who do not answer to him, who hold fast against him. Enjoy that for a moment, take satisfaction that by knowing the Word of God, we can thwart the plans that evil has against us: and give glory to God. God's word continues to be our strength.
When we can resist the temptations of the human spirit it is good, but the devil is not quite done trying. 

The third temptation is a specifically religious temptation. 

Satan tempted Jesus to act rashly to prove his faith in his Father: here Satan used Scripture against him. Satan turned God's word, our strength, into a trap. Jesus deflected the temptation again with the Word of God: that Word is enough, understood rightly. And there is no need to worry that the Scriptures are too much for us to know and find the right word: Jesus fended off the evil one from a single book (Deuteronomy). When the adversary uses Scripture too, we must know more than the words: we must know God. When we set our course to honor God, the devil flees. 

The devil does return in our times of weakness. We know where to find our strength. 

Fear not: there's a reason to take heart

An often-used phrase in the Bible is "Fear not!" On various occasions it is spoken by God or by one of his messengers. Reading the Nativity accounts in the Gospel of Luke, I see "Fear not" used several times. It is never used as a raw command; there is always a reason given assure the hearer and to renew confidence. 

As Luke records the events surrounding Jesus' birth, he records three times when the angels announcement begins, "Fear not": 

• To Zechariah: "Fear not, Zechariah: for your prayer has been heard." (Luke 1:13)
  The angel continues to announce that he and his wife will have a son, John. 
  
  
• To Mary: "Fear not, Mary, for you have found favor with God." (Luke 1:30)
  The angel continues to announce that she will have a son. 
  
  
• To the shepherds: "Fear not, for I bring you good news of great joy, which shall be for all people. For to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:10-11)

Today I am thinking mainly of Zechariah's encounter with the angel. 

Zechariah's news would be near and dear to anyone who has offered prayers and waited on the Lord: "Your prayer has been heard." When Zechariah heard the angel's message -- of which I've only included the very start -- Zechariah's answer was in the same neighborhood as "Took you long enough" or "Aren't you a little late, considering our ages?" It is easy to feel frustrated or even cynical when a prayer's answer is delayed, and seems to have been ignored or denied. Still, regardless of outward appearances, God had heard, had loved him, had listened to him -- and even considered it right to grant the request. Why had God waited to fulfill Zechariah's prayer? Was He waiting for Mary to grow up so that John and Jesus would be close in age? Was He waiting for the years of the prophet Daniel to be fulfilled? Was He waiting for Zechariah's priestly division to take its turn at the Temple, so that Zechariah could learn of God's gift as Zechariah offered the incense? We do not know the answer, and this side of heaven we have no way to know the answer. But looking back, it is easier to give God the benefit of the doubt that the timing was right, despite how hopeless things must have looked to Zechariah during the long years he may have waited. That's a thing I would do well to remember when I consider unanswered prayers. It may be that the timing matters for reasons I cannot yet see. 

Best of the Blogroll 2022

I like to welcome the New Year on this blog by a grateful recognition of the posts from the prior year which most enlightened, edified, or uplifted me, from my blog friends and neighbors. Here are the best-loved posts of 2022: 

• Common Denominator - Ken Schenck posts on the cultural, spiritual, and intellectual context for understanding "The Word became flesh". 
• Douglas Groothuis - posted some shrewd and timeless principles for Christian public ministry. 
• Dr Claude Mariottini - the retired professor has several outstanding posts this year. He posts an in-depth discussion of Job's suffering from a different perspective, and leaves me wondering whether God in some ways protected Job. He also writes on the theology of remembrance and story-telling when reflecting on passages that tell us to teach our children, and they in turn their own. For Father's Day, he also draws some unexpected, insightful parenting tips from (of all places) the genealogical lists of fathers and sons in the Scriptures. 
• Forward Progress - Michael Kelley gives practical suggestions on The Dirty Little Secret of Parenting (that none of us knows what we are doing). He also writes about the empathy of God in Jesus Wept. He also re-posts a previous Thanksgiving post, a timeless reminder that the foundation of Christian Thanksgiving is the character of God, which also made "best of the blogroll" last year. 
• Glory To God For All Things - Fr. Freeman is one of the more prolific Christian bloggers that I read. He posts, with a brief introduction, a sermon from Gregory of Nyssa from the 4th century roundly and thoroughly condemning slavery based on the character of God and the image of God in humanity. It is not often that I am inspired or edified by topics which have been sullied by polemics; this calls back to an earlier age when a simple and clear argument could make its case. As Fr Freeman says, "There is truth. It abides. There is sin. It obscures." He also posts on the world-blessing nature of Abraham's prayers -- and ours. He further posts on our human tendency to shape ourselves by imitating, for good or ill, and how to turn it for our good. My single most-loved post on his blog this year is on living the Scriptures. As he says, "If we do not “become the Scriptures,” then reading them will have been in vain."
• Hyperekperissou - Phil Snider often provides book reviews of worthy reads. I was intrigued by the questions around Thomas Merton in his review of a recent Merton biography.  
• Meta's Blog - Joe Hinman is something of a posting powerhouse, so his section may take a moment. (Visitors please do not be put off by his dyslexic spelling; it is not evidence of lack of thoughtfulness on his part!) He posts a research-based approach to understanding mystical experience; Joe is hands-down the most knowledgeable blogger I know on the intersection between mystical experience and empirical evidence. In another of his strong suits (philosophical warrant for belief in God), he produces his internet-tested Argument from the Laws of Nature. Though my favorite post of his this year is in another much-neglected area: the goodness of God. He formulates 2 beautiful and powerful philosophical arguments for God's goodness, and follows up in a later post with evidence for the infinite loving God. Always a deeply original thinker, here he is at some of his most edifying and profound. 
• The Pocket Scroll - Matthew Hoskin reflects on the power of the Word of God, per se, in Anglican Tradition and the Bible. I also enjoyed his Resurrection-themed repost of "Death, Be Not Proud" by John Donne. 
• Reading Acts - Phillip Long often posts reviews of academic books on Biblical studies. One recent entry of note is the review of The Pastoral Epistles by Osvaldo Padilla. 
• Roger Pearse - a translator and specialist in ancient languages whose work I enjoy and follow, Roger traces the true origin (and true translation) of an oft-(mis)quoted saying of John Chrysostom. He also tracks down an excellent historical resource, collecting the rulings of various church councils up to the 1500's. 
• Sun and Shield - Martin LaBar continues to make his corner of the Internet a brighter place by posting excerpts from a book on prayer; he shares some insightful thoughts on Bible study, hearing God, and fellowship with God. 
• Theology Pathfinder - Derek DeMars enters the seemingly-tired conversation over whether a person needs religion to be moral, and takes it in some new directions. 
• Thinking Christian - Tom Gilson writes a thought-provoking piece (and linked podcast) on the direction of the connection between finding our authentic selves and finding an authentic view of God. 
• Undivided Looking - Aron Wall's blog has been relatively quiet this year; always hoping for more conversation from this worthy soul. His Followup on the Moral Argument for Theism is worth reading and some careful thinking. 
• Weedon's Blog - Pastor Weedon has for years faithfully performed a service to the Internet by regularly posting thoughtful patristic and reformation-era quotes. One of my favorite patristic quotes found its way into the rotation this year, a train of thought which had also informed C.S. Lewis' Christian essays. 

My heartfelt gratitude to all the Christian bloggers who bring much-needed kindness, understanding, wisdom, and mercy to the online community. Here's to 2023!