“The Case for Christ - His Importance” - (part 4)

How important is Jesus Christ?

Simeon - when he identified and honored the sacred Presence of the Almighty God in Christ - made some startling statements to emphasize the importance of Christ’s appearing in the world.

As he held Jesus in his arms, he said: ‘This Child is the Light to the Gentiles and is the Glory of Your people, Israel.’

‘He is Salvation - in the form of Light for revelation to the Gentiles and in the form of Glory to God’s people’.

This was the first part of his shocking and extraordinary announcement of the importance of Christ to the world.

Then he went on to prophesy more of Him by saying, ‘...this Child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against...that the thoughts of many would be revealed.’

Let me explain, before we go on, the ‘falling and rising again’ does not mean one follows the other.

It refers to the only two reactions possible to Christ’s coming.

Christ would be the occasion for the fall of many - refusal to accept His light would judge and condemn to further darkness.

Christ would be the occasion for the rising of many - receiving Him would be Light.

And Christ would be a ‘sign spoken against...that the thoughts of many hearts would be revealed’ - He would bring to light the innermost heart of man. 

He was the One, Who had been ‘set’, by the counsels of God, in Jewish history, and in the history of mankind, for the ‘fall and rising again of many...’. 

What was implied when this was said?

Simeon could see that this Child was not going to just naturally attract the Israelites into following Him. 

Oh no! the ‘fall and rise of many’ meant that He was not going to have the same effect on everyone at all!

In short, it would be Christ Who would be the focal point for faith in God, and there would be only two ways to look at Him: either resist Him or receive Him.

Isaiah predicted one of the major reactions in Isa 8:14, and the Psalmist, the other, in Ps 118:22.

Christ would be resisted and be ‘...a Stone of stumbling and a Rock of offense to both houses of Israel...’ in Isa 8:14.

Or - He would be the ‘...Stone rejected by the builders that proved to be the keystone’ in Ps 118:22. (Jerusalem Bible)

Christ would be the Cornerstone, the Keystone, for the ‘rising’ of many.

But - He would be the Stone of stumbling, of judgment, for the ‘fall of many...’.

Jesus repeated this warning in Mt 21:42-44 in a challenge to the chief priests and Pharisees.

Mt 21:42-44: He said ‘...Did you never read in the Scriptures, ‘The stone which the builders rejected the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes?

Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.

And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.’

What did Jesus say of Himself later in Mt 10:34?

Did He not say: ‘Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.’?

He explained how His coming would be ‘the fall of many’, even to make a person’s enemies those of his own household, in v 36.

Yes - the light of His coming brings a sword - and - the effects of that sword vary.        
 
Simeon was right in predicting He would be for the ‘fall and rising of many...’ - His coming would bring varied results in
people.

Let us look quickly at the results of His coming to His own countrymen.

How did they welcome Him?

The Gospels certainly proved that His coming impacted   the existing religious order.  

The New Testament bears that out and it is still seen in our world today.

The nation’s worst failings were because of their misuse of the knowledge God had given them of Himself, - knowledge they would gain in their acceptance of His ways, His ways to the life of glory in Him.

But - they despised, they ignored, they persecuted God’s prophets from the outset, actually calling them ‘empty windbags’, in Jer 5:13.

In Scriptures, such as Jer 20:1-2, 37:15, 1 Kings 19:10 and 22:24, and in 2 Chron 24:21, you can see how much importance they placed upon their prophets.

If you follow those Scriptures through, you will see how the prophets were imprisioned, put into muddy, filthy dungeons without water, how they were pursued, beaten, and stoned!

And these were divinely-sent emissaries, God’s own prophets, through Whom God had communicated with them.

The people stumbled more and more in disregarding the law, giving themselves over to unrighteousness.

They committed abominations - and - they were not even ashamed nor could they even blush with embarrassment over their vulgar and gross ways! 

But these were all steps downward - a falling into self- centeredness, into self-indulgence, into gross sin against their God.

And - when God gave them the Ultimate Gift of His Son,
what did they do?

‘...Surely they will reverence My Son...’, Jesus signaled in His parable. (Mt 21:37) 

No - they did not reverence Him either - they gave Him the same shameful treatment they had given to God’s prophets!

‘...He came unto His own, and His own received Him not...’. (Jn 1:11)

He ‘...was despised - He was sinfully, cruelly, obscenely despised, hated, and rejected of men’.

And Jesus was very much aware that they were going to do this.

In Mt 17:12, He spoke of the shabby treatment the prophet Elijah got from their hands and then followed it with: ‘Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them.’

The religious leaders would have nothing to do with Him. 

In fact, they sought to lay hands on Him...because...’ - why?
‘...they looked on Him as a prophet.’ (Mt 21:46)

And, at first, although the general populace flocked around Him, in the end, the majority of them cried: ‘Crucify Him! Away with Him! We want another in His place!’

Paul saw how the nation had reacted to Jesus exactly as Isaiah had prophesied.

It had come to pass by the time Paul was preaching the Good News in the New Testament.

He rehearsed the whole scenario for them in Romans 9:31-33 and in 10:21.

Israel, as a whole, ‘...pursued righteousness which is based on the law but did not succeed in fulfilling that law.

Why? because their principle [of life] was not based on faith...’.

They stumbled against the Stone of stumbling which God had placed in Zion - a Rock that proved a hindrance.’ 

That was a translation taken mostly from the NEB.

Take some time this week to read it for yourself in Romans 9:31-33; 10:21 again in the light of this study tonight, if you like.

Were they given ‘...eyes to see and ears to hear’? 

No - Why not? What was it that they were missing?

Their traditions and thinking were fine just as they were - for they had Abraham for their father, along with the other patriarchs, to draw from.

They had the law for their rule of life.

They had the temple for worship.

So - what was the problem?

Defiant in their own self-righteousness and self-centeredness, they could not see the reason of Christ’s coming - the defiance blocked their vision of Him.

They failed to take seriously the whole message of the coming Messiah that God gave them through His prophets, - a message they should have received by faith in its fullness.

And, so, they could not see that He was the true reason of life, to bring life and immortality to light.

They could not see that His coming was for the full explanation of the knowledge of God in their religious history.   

And - that without Him, they would not have the complete knowledge of God.

That is what they missed! 

This is the light that had no way of penetrating!

Had they been without some light before this?

No - everything in their history had pointed to Christ and they could not see it.

He was the subject of that first prophecy ever declared in Genesis.

He was the subject of the promises to Abraham and the other Jewish patriarchs.

He was the subject of all the rituals and rites they followed.

He was the subject of the Law - the Governor in the Ideal of Righteousness.

But - they missed the light He was to bring into their hearts to understand it all!

Here was the Stone of their prophetic Scripture, the sure foundation of faith in God, of life and immortality.

And, they fell headlong over the Stone and were dashed to pieces by Him. (Mt 21:44)

By their own religious narrowness, they would not listen to what Christ had to say and what Christ had to offer to them.

And, so, they failed to accept the Light coming from their own God in Whom they could gain the more comprehensive knowledge of Him.

The ‘form of godliness’ was there - it continued as though nothing had ever happened.

It looked good on the outside - even gathered greatness numerically and politically. 

But - when the Divine call to go onward in Christ came, it was knowingly and willingly set aside.

For, like the life of a tree where the ‘...axe is laid unto its roots...’ (Lu 3:9), their foundation lost its reason for even being in existence - judgment fell upon it!

The vital principle - the Light of Christ within - for faith’s inward, advancing growth was not there!

Everything we have considered so far was on a national basis: last week we looked at the Gentiles, and tonight at the Jews.  

Now - let us focus in on ‘the reaction’ on an individual basis: first, the ‘fall...of many...’.

There is a good example, in Lu 18:18-23, of the rich, young ruler who came to Jesus.

He had everything he could possibly have wanted since he had the means to acquire it.

And, he was apparently a religious man.

He had followed all the commandments, did not steal, did not murder, did not bear false witness, honored his father and mother, kept the Sabbath, and everything else required of religious life.

He laid up treasures for himself, and - in spite of having done all to keep all the commandments, he still was not ‘rich toward God.’ (Lu 12:21)

‘What do I yet lack?’, he inquired of Jesus when he met Him face to face one day.

[‘What do I yet lack?’ Have you ever heard yourself asking that of the Lord?  ‘What do I yet lack?’]

Jesus did not look on his past, of what he did or didn’t do in his religious life, what he had or didn’t have.

Jesus saw the one thing this man could not see for himself - there was a void in that heart. 

There was a chasm in the full understanding and in the seeing of God’s purpose of Christ’s coming.

He stumbled, not because he did not want to follow Christ for that is why he came in the first place.

He stumbled because what he was holding on to was a religiously-based satisfaction that blocked enlightenment in his spiritual progress!

His material richness was not the problem.

It was the investment he was making of his life that was the problem.

The investment was not in the Light of the Eternal Life!

And when the call to follow on in Christ came, he stumbled. 

And you notice that Jesus just let him go on in his own way.

On the other hand, there was Nathanael, an Israelite.

He, one of the many, was set for the ‘rising again’.

Yes - his first impulse was to doubt that anyone good could come from Nazareth.

But he, too, as Simeon, was among those awaiting the coming of the Messiah.

When ‘Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, He said to him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!’ (Jn 1:47)

In contrast to the rich young ruler, Jesus saw no void in him - He read his heart immediately!

And - when Christ spoke, Nathanael was convinced and joined the many set to the ‘arising again in Israel’.

Yes - the light of the full knowledge of God can only act upon a person with good results in so far as that person is willing for it to do so.

We are never forced into following Christ and responding to Him just as we are never forced into sin and unrighteousness.

Those are free choices and the Lord does not violate this liberty of freedom He has given us - we are free to do what we please with Christ.

This exercise of our free wills explains why the coming of Christ has such different effects on people.

Simeon was right when he prophesied of the ‘rising and falling of many’ because of Christ having come!

This Christ was a controversial figure then - and - He is just as much a controversial figure now! 

Nothing has changed in that regard.

Yes - ‘...[He] is set for the fall and rising again of many...’.

Yes - Christ is ‘...to set many...on the downward or upward path...many shall stand or fall because of Him...’.

For - He is the focal point to faith, to a full, to a comprehensive, to a complete knowledge of God - there is no doubt about that!

And Simeon went on in this same vein by concluding his prediction with: ‘...and [He is] a sign which shall be spoken against...that the thoughts of many hearts shall be revealed.’

Lord willing, we shall look at that part of his prophecy next week.

Take these things before the Lord and, by faith strongly anchored in Him, ‘rise’ higher into Him every one of your days this week. 

May the Lord bless you in that way!     
 
Let us close in prayer tonight, seeking Him earnestly to bring to fruition all that He desires of each one of us and of us as His Church. 

Let us pray. 

Amen - so be it!