Was Simeon Wrong? The Aftermath of Another Massacre
...for my eyes have seen your salvation (Luke 2:30)
When Simeon, who was very old man, recognized and announced that the child Jesus was the Messiah, he knew his hopes had finally come true. He had been "looking forward to the consolation of Israel" (Luke 2:25). In other words, Simeon was longing for the day when God would finally make things right for his people, Israel, and the world. In Simeon's mind, when Jesus arrived - that time had come. Here is the story:
Luke 2:25–32 Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying, 29 “Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; 30 for my eyes have seen your salvation, 31 which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.”
For Simeon, the pain of watching his people and the world suffer in agony under the principalities and powers of this present age was more than he could bear. His anguish was so great that he did not want to pass into death before salvation and relief would come.
In a real way, many people are feeling a similar heart's cry today - when will this end? . In the aftermath of yesterday's horrific elementary school massacre in Texas, many are continuing to ask - "Lord, how long?" The reality is that the powers that exist in the empires of this present age have always developed legal systems that benefit those that are in power - extracting wealth, property, and freedom from the vulnerable and giving them to the powerful. And, there have always been voices that have challenged this power, but again - in this present age - these heroes are generally marginalized and silenced - often killed. Principalities and powers give lip service to their victims, feigning compassion and at the same time, claiming that there is nothing they can truly do to stop the violence. The inaction by those in power follow a logic that is like an abuser that says to his child, "If you didn't do these things I wouldn't get so mad that I lose control and beat you." To them, it's never their fault - it's what happens when people don't behave. The fact that guns have become idols speaks volumes about our current situation. Yes, they are idols. To them, guns must be protected at all costs! Meanwhile, children are being murdered. Reasonable discussion cannot happen because the people in power (and have built their wealth maintaining the status quo) refuse to back down, and historically speaking, usually won't.
If this is the case and nothing can really change - was Simeon wrong? Was Simeon's rejoicing at seeing "salvation" a false hope? The gospel of the kingdom says, emphatically, NO! Simeon was right.
Simeon recognized that with the coming of Jesus, the Messiah, the future age was breaking into this present evil age to serve as a light for people to follow. In Jesus, we saw the anti-empire kingdom of God - that stood opposed to the principalities and powers that are in the driver's seat of this present evil age. Hope could blossom because in spite of the fact that the empires had all the swords and chariots, the Lord had come and would make things right. In the middle of the darkness, light had broken into this age and salvation had truly come. THIS is why I still have hope, and Simeon's rejoicing was not in vain.
History has also shown us that there have been seasons when people, claiming to serve Christ, have rejected the armor of God and the fruit of the Spirit, have taken up the weapons and tactics of the principalities and powers of this present age - using the sword, that Jesus had told Peter to drop, to coerce people to accept Christianity...or do whatever else they wanted them to do. This is horrifyingly evil...and exactly the kind of things that the father of lies - the one who came to steal, kill, and destroy - would do. Yet, also history has proven, time and time again, that there can also be healing, there can transformational change by people who reject the ways of this present evil age and embrace the ways and tools of the kingdom of God. Courageous and loving women and men have bravely stood up and have opposed the principalities and powers in order to bring light into the darkness - to make this world more like heaven and less like hell. Many of these brave heroes, as history has shown, have died for their courage. Yet, as Tertullian observed, the blood of those martyrs are the seed of God's church - God's people, family, kingdom community - placed here to foster the forces of light in this world.
I make no claim to have an easy solution for the gun-violence situation in the United States. I'll be honest, I'm angry and frustrated, yet - as I've been sharing - I remain hopeful. Not passively hopeful, sitting on my hands, but sharing thoughts in a write-up like this, seasoning the conversation with salt. Of course, this also impacts how I choose to exercise my right to vote. I also have some strong opinions on what should be done. For example, there is no way the founders of the United States would have approved that an ordinary citizen should carry around a weapon capable of mowing down entire classrooms. Protect children made in the image of God, not the guns that have become idols to replace God. If this angers you, I make no apology. My commitment to sound and responsible theology outweighs any emotional or cultural attachments that I may feel strongly about. Kingdom theology understands that the rule of God - the future age - has broken into this present age. Here is a prophecy that describes one aspect of the in-breaking kingdom of God:
Isaiah 2:4 (NRSV) He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
A PRAYER OF LAMENT:Lord, in our shock and confusion, we come before you.In our grief and despair in the midst of hate,in our sense of helplessness in the face of violence,we lean on you.For the families of those who have been killed we pray.For the communities that have lost members—their anger, grief, fear—we pray.For the churches striving to be your light in darkness beyond our comprehension, we pray.In the face of hatred, may we claim love, Lord.May we love those far off and those near.May we love those who are strangers and those who are friends.May we love those who we agree with and understand,and even more so, Lord, those who we consider to be our enemies.Kyrie Eleison. Lord, have mercy.Heal our sin-sick souls.Make these wounds whole, Lord.(Prayer adapted from the Christian Reformed Church Office of Social Justice)
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