He Was Her Baby Whom She Swaddled and Her Savior Whom She Worshipped
Simeon knew immediately that the babe he took in his arms was the Christ child. The One for whom he had waited a long, long time. He took Jesus in his arms and blessed Him.
Luke 2:34-35 says, “And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, “Behold this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed – and a sword will pierce even your own soul – to the end, that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”
Simeon was promised by God that he would not see death before he had seen the Christ child. And then, one day, Jesus appeared in the temple with Mary and Joseph. Simeon's words are a prophecy for Mary, a little note to prepare her for being the mother of Christ, which would involve not just joy, but also pain. A sword would pierce her soul. Because of her human, motherly affection, Mary would suffer.
The task of rearing children will involve suffering to some degree. Yes, it is joyful, but it also involves the piercing of our mama (and daddy’s) hearts. We struggle, doubt ourselves, and feel as though we are insufficient or alone on a hard journey. Can you imagine how Mary felt…and Joseph?
Especially during this Christmas season, may we turn our hearts toward Jesus’s earthly mother as our example for how to walk this journey well. Scripture teaches us that Mary was obedient, submissive and humble. She stayed the course and finished well, even to the point of watching her Son die on a Roman cross.
As we look at our own lives, our sin, and earthly struggles, we realize our need for a Savior, just as Mary did – her baby was also her Savior. Where we feel insufficient, He is sufficient. Where we see a heap of ashes because of our mistakes, our failures, and misspeaking, God offers us forgiveness through Jesus. One of my favorite songs at Christmastime is “Mary Did You Know.” The lyrics are profound!
For those of you who have new babies in your homes or can look back to the time when your toddler was weeks old, do you recall the feeling? As you tend to or recall tending to your infant’s needs, I want you to ponder the fact that Mary tended to the needs of the Lord of all creation. How is it that Jesus allowed Himself to be in need, vulnerable, messy and helpless as is the state of every newborn? Perhaps it is because He wanted to relate to us as being needy, helpless, vulnerable and without hope…unless a spotless Lamb was born to die; to save us from sin. Moreover, it was God’s perfect plan, and Jesus’s complete obedience.
Let me close with a quote from Corrie Ten Boom: “Who can add to Christmas? The perfect motive is that God so loved the world. The perfect Gift is that He gave His only Son. The only requirement is to believe in Him. The reward of faith is that you shall have everlasting life.”
May this Christmas be a sweet celebration of the birth of Immanuel, God with us. Merry Christmas!
