St. Luke 2:22–40
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
One little Christmas symbol that’s not too flashy, but you see it just about everywhere, is holly. Those rich green leaves and bright red berries embellish everything from plates to greeting cards to fireplace mantles. Maybe you noticed, it adorns the cross on one of our new Christmas banners. But did you know the meaning behind holly as a Christmas symbol? For people in England and Germany at this time of year, the green leaves, like other evergreens, were a reminder of eternal life. The prickly leaves were also reminiscent of the crown of thorns. And the red berries that ripened in late fall or early winter, and were still there at Christmastime, served as a symbol for Christ’s blood. A little English Christmas Carol, called The Holly and the Ivy, contemplates the plant’s connection to the festival:
The holly bears a berry,
As red as any blood,
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
To do poor sinners good…
The holly bears a prickle,
As sharp as any thorn,
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
On Christmas day in the morn…
The holly bears a bark,
As bitter as any gall,
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
For to redeem us all… (Christmas Poems, p.208–9).
Maybe you thought the cross adorned with holly was just a pretty decoration. But there’s more to it. Maybe you just like the sweet baby Jesus, and don’t want to think of the Man and His cross. But the holly is a reminder of who this Child is and what He was born for. The cross is there, even at Christmas.
We love old Simeon’s Song, the Nunc Dimittis, and well we should. Not only because we sing it after receiving our Lord’s body and blood and at the deathbeds of our loved ones, but also because like Zechariah’s song, the Benedictus, and Mary’s song, the Magnificat, and the Christmas angels’ song, the Gloria in Excelsis, Simeon’s song is also a promise of salvation in the holy Child born in Bethlehem. But with such a beautiful song of salvation, we might be surprised to hear old Simeon’s prophecy following his song. I bet the new parents were surprised when he told Mary what was in store for her Son and for her: opposition, conflict, suffering, and death.
But Christmas is nothing if not surprising. God becomes a Man! Who would have dreamed such a thing? And then the signs that accompany Jesus are even more surprising. The first sign to recognize Jesus was given by the angels to the Bethlehem shepherds: This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger (Luke 2:12)—a sign of humility if ever there was one. Not the usual sign for a newborn King. But then the second sign is even stranger, given by Simeon to Mary: Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed. Not so much a sign of humility, but a sign of judgment, division, and opposition.
When this Child is grown and begins His public ministry—teaching, preaching, rebuking sins and forgiving sins—He does not meet human expectations. He is not the kind of Savior or King that sinful men really want. He is too demanding and yet He does not fix the world’s troubles. He is too forgiving and yet He will not let you ignore Him (to ignore Him is to reject Him and that means you will be judged guilty by Him). He is praised and worshiped, He is spoken against and lied about. He attracts some and repels others. He causes some to rejoice and He causes others to grind their teeth.
This Child of Mary, the Savior, Christ the Lord, He causes division. He causes some to fall and some to rise, in Israel and in the whole world. Some people will take offense at Him—they are offended by His Words, they are unimpressed by His work, and they are scandalized by His death. He causes them to stumble and they fall. But some people will love Him—they hang on His every Word, they marvel at His work, and they love His death. He causes them to rise, in faith now and in the body on the Last Day. And this is the chief reason He was sent into the world. The reason this Child was born was to be a Light to lighten the Gentiles and to be the glory of God’s people Israel.
So, Jesus will bring division, some rejecting Him and falling, others trusting in Him and rising. And this division does not come without pain. Simeon tells the new mother that her Son will be a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed. The sword that pierces Mary’s soul is certainly the pain this blessed mother will suffer. Imagine the pain of a mother when she sees her Son spoken against, mocked, and rejected. Then there’s also the pain when He says uncomfortable things, things sinners don’t want to hear, and so she, even His loving mother, is tempted to reject Him. And finally, the pain, the tears, the stab of anguish that feels like it will never end, as she sees Him whipped, crucified, and laid into a tomb. Think of how terrifying it must’ve been to love your Child, and yet know that He’s not completely yours. She won’t be able to protect Him. He came to do the will of His Father in heaven.
But just as Jesus does not belong only to Mary, Mary also represents something bigger than herself. She is a representative of Israel, the people from whom the Savior was to come. And so also, the sword that pierced Mary’s soul is also the sword that pierces Israel and divides the people. The prophet Isaiah saw what the Lord planned for His Servant, the Messiah: It is too light a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make You as a light for the nations, that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth (Is. 49:6). And Simeon echoed that in his song. But Isaiah also proclaimed these words of the promised Savior: He made My mouth like a sharp sword (Is. 49:2). Or as we heard today, He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He shall kill the wicked (Is. 11:4). And so, Simeon reflected that in his pronouncement.
All of this predicts what Jesus Himself said later about the sword He brings to Israel: “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person's enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it (Matthew 10:34–39).
The Christmas angels sang “peace on earth,” and they were right. Jesus brings peace to earth from heaven by reconciling us back to God by His blood that forgives our sins. But Jesus is also a divider. He brings a sword and He even divides families. Even Mary and the other blood relatives would have to decide whether they would receive the Savior who had come to bring them God’s peace, or would they rebel against Him and deny His Word. Even Mary had to become a part of her Son’s family. She had to become one of the heavenly Father’s children, the same way everyone else is—by faith in her Son’s Word and in His atoning death. The death of Jesus was the greatest of God’s signs, far greater than the swaddling clothes and manger. The cross of Jesus makes it clear who this Child is and what He came to do. And so His preaching and His death and resurrection will be the center of dispute for the rest of history. You can’t get over or get around Jesus’ Word and Jesus’ cross. And how you take that, determines whether you fall or rise.
That divides people. It divided Israel, and it still divides families today. No one is untouched by this sad reality. A sword pierces our souls also. Christmas brings the cross, and so Christmas brings this sword too. People we love don’t come to church, or things get awkward when discussion turns to religion. No one has it easy with this, and we’ve all thought it would be better if we could just ignore these divisions and pretend like everything is fine. But you’re a Christian, so you can’t. The love of God compels you to care. So pray for your divided loved ones. Be good to them. And confess Christ. In words and deeds, show the new life you have in your Savior. Yes, invite them to church. And then, be there for them, ready, when they need comfort and hope. You are a Christian, so you can share what no one else can give.
And what’s more, dear Christian, the pain and suffering you feel from this piercing sword is just preparing you for the glory that’s coming. The suffering and joy, the cross and crown are joined together for our Lord Jesus Christ, and so they are also joined together for His followers. Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for My sake and for the Gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life (Mark 10:29–31). Suffer for the sake of Jesus and for the sake of His Gospel, and you will receive a new family now in this time, the holy Church, the family of God. And although being a member of this family will bring with it persecution and pain, you will receive eternal life on the Last Day. So, what kind of suffering can possibly compare with or outweigh the joy of God’s truth and the glory of salvation? None. Be faithful unto death, said Jesus, and I will give you the crown of life, (Rev. 2:10). By suffering as a Christian, you bear the mark of Jesus. So, surely you belong to Him.
Christmas does bring a sword. Like the holly, it has a prickle that can cause pain and sadness. Jesus and His cross bring division: some fall and some rise. But Christmas also gives us the message of forgiveness, peace, and hope. Christmas points us to the cross and resurrection of Jesus where we find these gifts from God. So, when you see the holly, be reminded of your Savior’s great love for you:
The holly bears a berry,
As red as any blood,
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
To do poor sinners good.
In the Holy + Name of Jesus. Amen.
