Indifference is Unlikely

Focus Scripture: Luke 2:22-40

December 31, 2023 – 1^st Sunday after Christmas

Indifference is Unlikely

Some things we encounter in life elicit strong responses, some good, some bad. A song, a movie, an actor, an author, even a sports team: all can generate a response.

I like the Eagles – the band, not the football team – but my wife can’t stand them. Why, I don’t know, but it is true. (How can you not sing along with “Desperado”? I don’t understand.) And the Dallas Cowboys, “America’s Team”: no thanks. But I know people who love them. Maybe that someone is you.

Whatever your tastes, having these things to bicker and banter about can be good fun and a source of laughs as we stake out our positions. But sometimes, topics can generate much more serious responses.

The being of Jesus Christ was and continues to be one of these more serious topics. As Christians, we should consider it the most consequential.

In the Biblical narrative we just read (Gospel of Luke 2:22-40), we have the scene of Mary and Joseph bringing the baby Jesus to the temple to be presented as the first-born male. The presentation of the baby and the sacrifices probably seemed like just another day at the office for the priests. We know that it was much more.

Simeon, who had felt the Holy Spirit in his life as he awaited the savior, is moved to go to the temple. Note that the text does not say that he is a priest or religious official, just a devout and righteous man living in Jerusalem. But he knows exactly who this Jesus child is. Jesus is “salvation” for all, Jews and gentiles alike (v. 32).  Of course, there is also Anna, a person who has spent at least half a century waiting for their redeemer. Finally, her expectation is fulfilled, too.

In short, and put way too simply, it was a special day at the temple. Simeon was fulfilled, Anna was excited, and Mary and Joseph were amazed. Despite all they had already experienced and been told, they were still in awe.

But there is tension introduced here, too. It is not all good news, at least not for some. Simeon is explicit: the hearts of some will be revealed and Mary’s soul will be pierced. Let’s consider the first point.

What, exactly, is Simeon talking about when he says that the hearts of some will be revealed? I am no student of Greek, but just a little research tells us that the Greek word used in this text has a dark edge to it. The same word is used Luke 5:22, Matthew 15:19, and Romans 1:21, according to the Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges. It implies evil, sin, and impurity, not a neutral thought like, “I prefer chocolate to vanilla.”

As we know, Jesus and his ministry provoked widely varying responses. From those with disabilities and illnesses, Jesus was a source of joy. For those who felt unworthy due to their lifestyles and past actions, he offered forgiveness and hope. But to those entrenched in their positions or power and prestige, those who leveraged legalism for personal gain and stature, Jesus was a threat. To the rich, he was a stumbling block. Reactions to Jesus were strong, one way or the other.

This same trouble confronts us today. For those who do not know Christ, they might be repulsed by what they view as moralistic, rules-bound, rigid people and institutions that offer nothing they want to be a part of. In our age of relativism, independent searches for and self-determination of our individual truths, it can be repellent to hear someone speak of “the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” As Simeon prophesied, the dark thoughts of some are revealed when confronted with a worldview that does not align with their own.

In Jesus’s time, we know how this played out. Jesus Christ attracted massive crowds of regular people who were just trying to find their way in life by complying with the law and trying to stay out of trouble. Jesus also attracted the invisible people, the outcasts, those rejected as near-dead: the leper outside the city limits, the prostitutes, the tax collectors, and all the other “sinners” we see described in scripture. He even glorified the foreigner, the good Samaritan.

What? How could that be? Grace was central to Jesus’s mission.

Jesus Christ came as God incarnate, here to examine our hearts, forgive those who asked for it, and present a path forward that was free from slavery under the law to allow them and us to become free, children and heirs of God. Countless people experienced God’s grace then and through the millennia. This, more than a billion people call themselves Christian today.

What about the future? It’s a topic worth considering as we are just hours away from a new year. Our mission is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world, so we need to figure it out and act quickly to help people understand that whatever negative thoughts they are having concerning our Lord and Savior are worth examining and reconsidering. But this will only happen if we, ourselves, are filled with the Holy Spirit and are tireless in our efforts to show others the love, compassion, and forgiveness that Christ showed us in his saving work on the cross.

Our actions make a vital difference. As Francis of Assisi is believed to have said, “Preach the gospel always. When necessary, use words.” Is our silent preaching, our works of service and compassion, showing the love of Christ, love that will attract others, or is it something else? Are our revealed hearts Christlike?

In everything we do and say as Christians, we should be examining ourselves, not others, and comparing ourselves to our role model, Jesus Christ. Ours is not to judge others, comparing their lives to some standard we have created. That’s what the Pharisees did and what religious through the ages have done, action that has created animosity in some, dismissal of the church in others, hurt for many who have been rejected and ostracized, and outright indifference by so many.

When we and others hear the name of Jesus Christ, what are the inner thoughts that are revealed, exposed as Simeon said they would be? Does the name and image of Christ, the image we reflect, demonstrate love, compassion, and inclusion?

Let’s enter the new year by recommitting to evangelism, a contemporary evangelism grounded in ancient truth, grounded in divine love, the love that transcends time. Let’s be sure to include everyone, not just those who are like ourselves.

As God has and continues to show us grace, we are to do the same. As we are forgiven, we must forgive. As we are counted as heirs, we must open doors for others to be heirs. Ultimately, it’s about all being saved and brought into the light of eternal life in Christ. And woe to those who act as a stumbling block.

Indifference is unlikely. When people hear the name of Christ, let us do everything on our power to ensure the sound Jesus’s name evokes images love and light, salvation and life. Amen.