“And Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins. And he shall put them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is in readiness.”
Leviticus 16:21
The ritual was profoundly simple. Every year two goats were brought into the Temple. Goat #1 was sacrificed for the sins of the high priest. Goat #2 was not killed, but became the “scapegoat.” The priest would lay his hands on its head, and the nation’s sins would be transmitted and then carried to the desert.
This ritual finds fulfillment in Jesus Christ, for He absorbs our sin and carries it away.
Scripture is clear on this. Maybe this might help. Back in the 1970s I remember sponges printed with a politician’s advertising his platform/promises. At first the sponge was paper thin. But when you added water it expanded into a full-size sponge.
For some weird reason that communicates what happened at the cross. Jesus received my sin, darkness, and iniquity. He absorbed it all, and I’m free. He is my scapegoat. He carries all of my dark darkness.
“Surely He has borne our griefs (sicknesses, weaknesses, and distresses) and carried our sorrows pains [of punishment], yet we [ignorantly] considered Him stricken, smitten, and afflicted by God [as if with leprosy].”
“Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.””
– Luke 2:28-32
Simeon has lingered, he has waited for this a very long time. He had nights that had brought him dreams, wonderful dreams. People who dream are different; they tend to visualize what seems to be intangible. But they also can’t always get a grip on it. Or explain it. But when dreams mix with faith they produce incredible things.
Simeon is in the perfect place, at the exact time he needed to be. When he arrives, the baby Jesus is right there. Bringing our crazy, mixed lives to that spot sometimes takes a lifetime. The Holy Spirit however, has ‘superintending power’. That means that He will directly intervene in us to make things happen.
There is a baby. And I submit to you that He is the center of this whole narrative. Through the gospels, this is always the case. Jesus Christ is the pivot point of every healing, or teaching, in every parable spoken. It is also great drama when the dreams of a very old man encounter their fulfillment in this baby.
It is interesting (and frightening) to see our society marginalize people. It seems that those on the ‘ends’ of society are pretty much forgotten. The weak– the old, and the babies are pushed back. Not much room for them. Those in their 20s and 30s are our focus. I think we need old men and old women, and littles ones to teach us our theology, and discipleship.
Notice that Simeon addresses God in this encounter. We very quickly find that he is a believer. His words come out of a worshipper’s heart. They are plain and direct. He loves what the Lord has done already, and he is soaked in the beautiful promises of salvation. But, it’s just him and the baby Jesus at that moment. They stand and reach up to God, but just for a moment.
A word about the Gentiles. I think Simeon latches unto what was an obscure teaching in his day. That the Gentiles, ‘God’s unchosen people’ will be included with the Chosen. The promises extend out into the darkness–and these promises are luminescent. They light everything. This light is headed for the thickest, most dense night–the Gentiles.
A final word about Simeon. His work is done, he has no fear at all. He sees these few minutes with the Child as the ultimate culmination of his entire life. He is an example for us. And his understanding about the things of God is astonishing. Father, help me to be like your servant, and watch over me as I struggle to figure it out. Amen.
“Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.”
Psalm 139:14
“God is not a duplicator, He is a Creator. You are an original.”
-Reinhard Bonnke
The Bible states many wonderful things. One of them is that we are created in the image of God, and I’m quite certain that each of us are shaped completely different. I recently read that an estimated 117 billion people have lived on earth. That’s amazing; and to think we are all unique.
Sometime ago I found my Grandmother’s Bible.
I was somewhat intrigued, and I supposed that it might just ‘impart’ some special spiritual blessing to me. I sat down on the couch, and reverently opened it up. It was filled with wonderful handwritten notes.
As I sat down to read it though, I slowly began to realize that it was exactly like my own! The verses and the promises were the same, they had not changed. What was true for my grandma was true for me. That amazed me, and it kind of sent me spinning. But I suddenly started thinking.
Each of us struggles differently.
We endure depression, PTSD, schizophrenia, even suicidal thoughts. We struggle with different addictions and lonely divorces. There are those believers who are epileptics or disabled. There are some of us who have been raped or molested. I have a paralyzed right arm, and am typing this with my left hand. I also struggle with depression and anger.
Each of us are the same in a basic sense, and yet we are all distinctly different. We all have gone through things, some good, some quite awful. These issues are uniquely our own. Our “personal” testimony with God is unlike someone else’s. We respond to our different circumstances in different ways.
We are “snowflakes’ that have been artistically crafted. Our circumstances are individually tailored by God, who is the ultimate Artist. I opened this post with the idea that God creates “snowflakes,” and I’ve been told that every one of them is unique.
I do believe that when we stand before God we will all have these fantastically different stories. Each of us have found forgiveness, mercy and grace that the Lord freely gives us. As “grace-walkers” our life can be mixed with His love, filtered through a myriad of circumstances.
And they mix exceedingly well.
Reading the Word we must realize that each man or woman who walked with God had a different story to tell. We rightly consider them in amazement. And yet none of them knew they were special at the time, all they understood was “the daily grind.”
We can trust Him. We slowly begin to see, and understand, that there are implications of being ‘snowflakes.’ God took Joseph and ‘molded’ him by His unique circumstances, he went from prison to the Prime Minister overnight. Each of us has testimony of His incredible care.
“People are special, and human life is sacred, whether of not we admit it. Every person is worth fighting for, regardless of whether he is young or old, sick or well, child or adult, born or unborn, or brown, red, yellow, black or white.”
Broken Believers 