Simeon and Anna

“It had been revealed to him that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.”

Luke tells us of two old people who got to hold baby Jesus in their own two hands -- Simeon and Anna (Lk 2: 25-38). Not like I hold my new grand-daughter, cuddling her in my arms, but in total reverence, knowing and believing that they were holding the long-awaited Messiah.

I think I can count on two hands the number of people who recognized the newborn babe at Bethlehem as the fulfillment of multiple prophecies of the coming Anointed One.  Mary and Joseph of course. Simeon and Anna. A few wise men and a couple of shepherds. We could probably include Zechariah and Elizabeth.

Now you would think that with all the prophecies that were given to the Jews throughout the centuries that they would be able to know when Messiah would come, where he would be born, and so many other details. There must have been countless writings by the great rabbis interpreting the writings of Daniel, Micah, and Isaiah. The people of Israel should have been living with such great expectation and hope, ready to rejoice at the fulfillment of the promise of the ages. But no. No one understood prophecy being fulfilled right in front of their noses.

Simeon and Anna rejoiced, in unabated exultation. They did not go out and proclaim Messiah’s arrival --  no book, no podcast, no webpage, no speaking tour. No one would have believed them anyway. No, they just marveled and treasured the great event in their own hearts. They may have been grieved by the lack of understanding and belief of all the religious people around them, but they were not going to let that disbelief rob them of the great blessing God gave to them personally.

I’m afraid that even Mary was not able to convince anyone that her son, Jesus, was the Messiah.  By the time Jesus started his public ministry she still had not convinced a soul, not even her other children. Joseph may have given up trying to convince anyone as well, retreating into a cocoon of silence. We don’t know. I guess the fulfillment of prophecy only becomes believable after the dust has long settled. Then it becomes the subject of countless books on apologetics.  Hindsight is always 20/20. But let’s be clear, God gives prophecy to tell his people what he is going to do, so they can be prepared (Amos 3:7), not so that we can look back at events and say, “Oh, so that’s what he meant. What a great God we serve, who is more than able to fulfill His word.” I mean, let’s get real. Would you have been one of the ten people who believed Jesus was the Messiah, at that time, or would you have believed all the great teachers who told you to keep waiting, keep looking for something different, someone greater than this here guy. Even thirty years later, there was no amount of evidence, no reconsideration of prophecies, that could change the minds of the teachers of the law and the prophets. Don’t confuse them with the facts, their mind is made up.

There is something we need to understand about this handful of believers. Every one of them was given a special prophecy or revelation, an epiphany from God, to help them see and understand what no one else could believe. Mary and Joseph were told by Gabriel, the angel. Simeon and Anna were told by the Holy Spirit that the small boy in the temple courtyards was the Son of God. The wise men were given a star to follow. And the shepherds saw angels and heard their proclamation. No one else in Bethlehem or Jerusalem had a clue what was happening. They expected something utterly different than what God did.

I mention this because I think it may be somewhat the same at the second coming of Christ.  There are countless books and opinions about the signs of the return of Christ, yet confusion, misguided interpretations, and misunderstanding abounds. But someone, or a few someones, will be led of the Spirit of God to understand the plan of God. But they will probably be left to treasure it in their own heart, overwhelmed with marvelous hope and peace, while others refuse to listen. Then when the long awaited and carefully prophesied plan of God unfolds many Christians will be left in confusion, perhaps even despair. They will miss the joy of seeing the blessed hope being fulfilled before their very eyes. Is that possible? Yes, it is. That’s exactly what happened 2000 years ago.

Understanding Scripture

“If you believe everything your denomination tells you to believe then you are not thinking on your own.” That’s a favorite quote from my good friend who served as a worship pastor in a Foursquare Church for several years. He would elaborate, saying, “I am probably about a two and a half square if you add it up.”

I recently heard another pastor say in his sermon, “Don’t just believe everything you read others say about a Bible passage, learn to read and interpret the meaning on your own.”  That statement is absolutely true. But the funny thing about it was that the majority of his sermons are quotes from two or three commentators, with very little personal contemplation and understanding nor heart felt reflection. He himself parrots what he reads and falls right in line with the Bible commentators who reflect the theological bent that has been handed down to him.

I would hasten to admit that it is sometimes difficult to read the Bible and understand its meaning on your own. It takes some basic knowledge and some effort. Even then, it may be frustratingly difficult. A good study Bible may be helpful, but it becomes very tempting to trust the interpretative notes at the bottom of the page as much or more than the Word of God at the top of the page. Using the cross references in most study Bibles allows the reader to look at the whole of God’s Word and let the Bible interpret the Bible. But this takes time and research. Looking in multiple translations, even some modern translations, is very helpful to understand the Bible passages. Perhaps the greatest assistance we have is the Holy Spirit himself. We are not well adapted to reading, researching, and ruminating the meaning of Bible stories and teachings, allowing the Holy Spirt to teach and lead us into understanding. It is just too easy in our instant gratification culture to pick up a book and see what someone else has to say.

I admit, none of us can escape looking to others for help in understanding Scripture. No one is an island of truth unto them self. So, consider this. If you hear a teacher, a preacher, or read an author who shares a doctrinal interpretation other than what you are comfortable with, it may be worth listening to. Avoid jumping on the bandwagon, where it is safe and comfortable. Carefully look beyond the teachers and writers who are merely parroting each other.

Let me give an example from the medical field. I recently developed a very painful shoulder, a sharp pain that effected my work and my sleep. The Holy Spirit woke me up in the middle of the night and told me, “You have crystals in your shoulder.” So, I did some research online to see if this could be true and what I could learn about the condition. I must have read about five or six different medical webpages. They all echoed and parroted the very same thing. Sometimes they even copied each other verbatim. I finally found one webpage, not a mainline website, where they went into greater depth about the symptoms and gave personal testimonies from different cases. I learned so much. I said to myself, that’s exactly what I am experiencing, and none of the others even mentioned that symptom. Then I went to the doctor to see if I could get any help. Unfortunately, “pseudogout” is an unusual condition and difficult to diagnose, so the doctor had to look for professional help, online. As he talked to me about the condition, I could hear all the websites I had read. He merely parroted what the others had said, each of them a mere copy of one another.

We do the same in theology and pastoral ministry. Teachers and pastors are entrusted with an incredible responsibility (James 3:1). But most merely serve as a repeater. Very little original or personal transmission of truth ever occurs. God help us. How can the Holy Spirit compete with Calvin, Scofield, McArthur, Wiersbe, and a host of other Bible commentators who we have made almost infallible?

Dear God, we set our hearts to know your Son, Jesus, to be set free by truth, and to live in your love.

Men With Root Rot

When I first got my tree farm some fifteen years ago I hired a friend to manage the initial logging operation. I would come by to check on the progress just about every day.  As the crew worked their way through the stand of Douglas Fir they came to one tall, majestic tree, the king of the forest in my opinion.  But the loggers waved me over and took me on a walk to the back side of that tree. They had some bad news to tell me. They pointed up about thirty feet where sap was pouring out of the tree’s trunk. “This tree has laminated root rot” they said,” and it’s no good for timber. The rot extends well up into the tree and the lumber would be pithy and worthless. So, we are going to just leave it standing for now. With root rot that bad it won’t be long before a wind will blow it over, especially now that the other trees are being cut away.”

This story is about men, though, not about trees. Men with rot root. Men who are tall and majestic looking, but whose roots have rotted away.  Ready to blow over when that unexpected wind storm buffets them and they can no longer stand upright.

Every week he would say to me the same thing when I asked him how things were going. He was usually holding on to one or both of his small children, diaper bag draped over his shoulder, standing alone while his wife was off and about chatting with family and friends. He was a really nice guy, very likeable, always smiling. And he knew and loved the Lord. But every week he would say to me, “Oh, I’m just living the dream.” And I would walk away thinking to myself, what dream is he talking about.  His wife teaches full time and she negotiated with him to give up his employment and stay at home to watch the kids rather than hiring childcare. She gets up in front of the church with her ministry endeavors while he is in the back holding onto the kids.

I mean, I am no professional arborist or seasoned logger, but when it comes to men I can see the sap running out of the tree trunk thirty feet up. I know when the roots are getting rotten and the source of life is being cut off. I wondered about the dream he said he was living. So, one time I greeted him and he gave me the same-o, same-o, “Oh, just living the dream”.  I stood there with my hand on his shoulder for a good long time looking him eye to eye. Finally, I spoke, “That doesn’t mean a thing to me.” His whole demeanor changed, like he had been exposed. His face dropped, and in measured response he simply said, “Yeah, I know.”

God designed men and women differently.  I am yet to figure out how women are designed, but I think I know men pretty well. God put into the heart of men to be a protector, to be a provider, to be a leader. He will rise to the occasion, take action, and take risks, all because he is a lover who wants to meet the deepest needs of the one he loves. That’s his heartbeat, and unless he is derailed or he’s damaged goods he will do his best to live out his design for his woman and his family. He may not do it perfectly (I certainly did not), but he does not want to be demeaned or usurped. Because then he will withdraw. In fact, what he really, really wants is respect. He doesn’t want a note with hearts and kisses on it saying how much he is loved. No, just tell him how much you appreciate and respect his effort, his sacrifice, his thoughtful decisions. Men need respect, whereas women want to be loved (Eph 5:33). Men need encouragement and freedom to live out God’s design. Otherwise, root rot may bring the tree crashing down.