Sojourner's Journal

God is a God who remembers obscure people who believe in His promises. He sees into their hearts and fills them with His love.

²⁵ “Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. ²⁶ And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.²⁷ And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, ²⁸ he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,

²⁹ “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,
    according to your word;
³⁰ for my eyes have seen your salvation
³¹  that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
³² a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
    and for glory to your people Israel.”

³³ And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him.³⁴ And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed ³⁵ (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

³⁶ And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, ³⁷ and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. ³⁸ And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.” (Luke 2:25-38, ESV)

One of my favorite Christmas stories is the story of Simeon and Anna meeting baby Jesus at the temple, where Mary and Joseph brought Him to be dedicated to God according to the Law. There’s a lot of meaning infused in this story as God reveals Jesus as the consolation of Israel. But what I love most about this story is how God remembers the faithful ones – how He sees into their hearts, knows their desires, and fills them. Simeon and Anna probably weren’t the most powerful. Both were elderly. Anna was widowed for a long time, and probably bore no children since she was living in the temple day and night, rather than with her family. During that time, widows without children generally lived in poverty. Of all the people in the world, God chose these two ordinary people to show who Jesus is.

Simeon and Anna were living in Advent – waiting faithfully for God to send the Anointed Savior, the Messiah and to fulfill His promises to Israel. They desired to hear from God and see Him save His people. Simeon’s name reminds of the tribe of Simeon, one of the least significant tribes of Israel – disgraced by the actions of Simeon, forefather of that tribe. Jacob rebuked Simeon and Moses didn’t mention this tribe in his prophetic blessings. But finally, with the appearance of a baby, it is a time of God’s grace. Simeon may or may not have been a part of the tribe – but like them, living in the midst of the lands of Judah and receiving blessings, this Simeon is blessed by seeing and recognizing The Lion of Judah, the consolation of Israel. As Simeon awaited the arrival of Messiah, the Holy Spirit revealed to him that he would not die before seeing Jesus. In a spiritual sense, Simeon heard from God – as his name implies. Simeon, having heard from God, gives a prophetic blessing. The baby Jesus was going to grow up to be a light to the Gentiles – causing them to know the true God. He will be a glory to Israel – as He comes from this people, overcome by enemies for thousands of years, and brings God’s blessings to the world. The time of disgrace is gone, and it is a time of consolation and glory.

Who Jesus is and what He came to do – to die on the cross like a criminal – would cause many in Israel to both fall and rise because not all will believe in Him as Messiah. Hanging on a wooden cross as a curse – ridiculed, beaten, shamed, naked, pierced, wearing a crown of thorns with a sign above saying “King of the Jews” – seemed opposed to the image of the Son of David. Yet, God, would show that His weakness is stronger than the might of sin and man. His strength is shown in Jesus’ resurrection – in the power of indestructible life. As man raised Jesus up and hung on the cross, God drew the outcasts, those exiled from Him, those who didn’t know Him, those who were blind and void of life, to Him. The cross, the apex of God’s love, mercy and justice, would show the true thoughts of people. Some would turn their eyes away, offended by such a seemingly weak Savior who didn’t save Himself by getting off the cross. But some would see Jesus, knowing that there’s healing and life by drawing near to Him.

Anna didn’t depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. God does as her name is. He shows her grace. Her father’s name is Penuel meaning “face of God.” When she sees baby Jesus, she is seeing the face of her God. She presumably has no children. Like Hannah, before her, the barren woman now has a Son. The circle is complete as Anna sees the anointed king who Hannah sung about after the birth of her son. The daughter from Asher, who fasted in the temple, is filled with the Bread of Life – and can now feast in the King’s banqueting table. God provides for her in the way only He can. He gives her Jesus, the consolation of Israel. She is filled and as her foot is anointed with oil, this prophetess brings good news to everyone awaiting the Messiah – that He has arrived.

God is painting a picture through these two faithful servants, Simeon and Anna. They recognized Jesus correctly and through the Bible, we see what they saw. This is a scene of their testimony – two witnesses – saying that Jesus is the consolation of Israel. He is a comfort to the disgraced and the impoverished because through Him, God gives grace – the forgiveness of sins and rich heavenly blessings – the Holy Spirit, eternal life, sonship and the Kingdom of God.

And through this story, God’s grace overflows even more. He gives current believers the hope of seeing Jesus – that one day, He will return. There’s the hope that after a long wait, like the generations of saints who eagerly waited for Messiah, Jesus will return to earth to make all things new. There’s the assurance there will be joy and feasting at His return. There will be perfect joy, uncomplicated by sin and complete with a love that never ends.

Never in the history of man has Someone’s birth been so intimately tied with His death. You can’t think on Jesus’ birth without Jesus’ death. He was born to die for others.

³³ “And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour^.34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” ³⁵ And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.” ³⁶ And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” ³⁷ And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. ³⁸ And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. ³⁹ And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”” (Mark 15:33-39, ESV)

After seeing how Jesus died, a Roman centurion comes to the realization that Jesus is the Son of God. God’s plan is taking form, and He is drawing people to Himself through Jesus. How was the man able to see Jesus when Jesus was rejected by even His own people? It is by God’s grace that the blind can see. This centurion who was probably worshipping faux gods or goddesses is acknowledging both God, and Jesus – His Son. The Old Testament stories of Gentiles coming to know God by God’s grace, even in the most dire circumstances, come to mind. There’s the story of the widow of Sidon with a son who was ready to die from lack of food, but lives because Elijah multiplies ingredients for bread. (1 Kings 17). Another is the one of Naaman the Syrian, who is cleansed of leprosy by Elisha’s command to wash in the Jordan. (2 Kings 5). What each did to live and not die was see and believe the prophet sent by God. The widow recognized Elijah as a man of God and listened to him, while Naaman recognized Elisha as a man of God and listened to him. Through the prophets, those who were far from the true living God, came to believe in Him. In the face of Jesus, on the cross, the centurion recognizes the ultimate Man of God and Prophet, the ultimate life Giver and Healer – the very Son of God. You can hear the awe as the centurion exclaims who Jesus is.

And through this story, I felt awe too. It struck me that’s what Christmas is about. To recognize who Jesus is and to rejoice that the ultimate Man of God came into this world to give eternal life and heal our darkness.

God gave us the Bible so that we can exclaim with the centurion “Truly this man was the Son of God.” Apostle John, when describing many of the miraculous signs Jesus did during His lifetime, including multiplying bread, resurrecting the dead, and healing lepers, said “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; ³¹ but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” (John 20:30, ESV).

Christmas has passed, but I don’t want to lose that sense of awe in who Jesus is. Charles Spurgeon suggested that Christmas can be celebrated every day since “in a spiritual sense he is born every day of every year in some men’s hearts.”

As the New Year approaches, I want to see Jesus with the awe I first felt when He was born in my heart. It’s not enough to note with our heads the true fact that Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah, was born in Bethlehem. That fact must come alive in our hearts.

“The Bible is shallow enough for a child not to drown, yet deep enough for an elephant to swim.”
(St. Augustine)

The place where high-brow and low-brow meet perfectly – where profound truth is revealed – the most educated may not understand, while Tyndale’s ploughboy can – when taught by God Himself.

Eternity written down

Weaving of all the important stories in the past, present and future into one true and transforming meta-narrative

A Father’s love letter to His children

The ultimate dictionary with authority to define the essence of things – rather than simply a list of to-dos

Infallible truth

Portrait of Jesus

Shining light

—-I am convinced that the most uncomfortable, piercing and unpopular parts of the Bible are the most necessary for believers’ spiritual growth.

1 Q: “What is your only comfort in life and death?”

A: “That I am not my own, but belong body and soul, in life and in death to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ.”

(Heidelberg Catechism)

“After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” ² He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” ³ So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. ⁴ On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. ⁵ Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.” ⁶ And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. ⁷ And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” ⁸ Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together.

⁹ When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. ¹⁰ Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son.”

¹¹ But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”

^12″He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” ¹³ And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. ¹⁴ So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.””(Genesis 22:1-14, ESV)

It’s sometimes hard to imagine how God the Father loves, even as He is love – the source of love. I think it’s because God is Spirit and you can’t see Him. But you can know His love in how He rescues man through Jesus.

God’s love shines in the story of Abraham sacrificing his beloved son Isaac. Abraham had two sons, Ishmael and Isaac. God promised that He would bless the whole world through Abraham’s offspring. As Sarah was barren, she decided to take matters into her own hands. She gave Abraham her servant Hagar as concubine to bear a physical heir. Hagar bears Ishmael. This creates family chaos and division. By God’s promise, Sarah herself bears a son when she is very old and it is physically impossible for her to bear children. God works a miracle and Sarah gives birth to Isaac. God says His promises will be fulfilled through Isaac, the child born from God’s promise to elderly Abraham and Sarah. (Genesis 21:12)

The Bible doesn’t say how Abraham felt when he obeyed God’s command to sacrifice Isaac as a burnt offering. Did Abraham feel fear, hesitation or heartache as he obeyed God? We can only imagine the heart of this father, who waited so long for his beloved wife, Sarah, to bear him a son – and for the fulfillment of God’s promises. We do know that Abraham loved his son, and God counted Isaac as Abraham’s only son in regards to His promises.

Abraham faced many dangers as a traveling sojourner. Time and time again, God helped him to overcome trials. God helped rescue his nephew, Lot, from kidnappers, helped him win a battle with kings, and rescued Sarah from an Egyptian pharoah’s harem. It’s clear from how Abraham acted on Mt. Moriah, he believed and trusted God. He believed that God’s promises would come true and would be fulfilled through Isaac. He acted – to the point of almost piercing his son with a knife – until stopped by an angel of the Lord. Just at the right time, an angel appears and tells him to stop – that God provided a ram as a sacrifice.

Though Abraham offered up his son, Isaac, he didn’t sacrifice him. Isaac lived because God provided another sacrifice. When questioned by Isaac about why they didn’t bring a sacrificial animal to the mountain, Abraham told him God would provide a lamb for sacrifice. On that day, God didn’t. He gave a ram but not a lamb. But thousands of years later, He would provide a sinless Lamb. God, sent His Son, Jesus, to be born in a manger. The shepherds were the first ones to visit Jesus, not because it makes for an idyllic scene. They were there because the Lamb of God – would take away the sins of the world – finally arrived. This Lamb, born to die, prophesied by Isaiah so long ago, would show how much God loved His fallen creatures and creation. It’s God, the Father, who sends His Son, to be born in Isaac’s line, to ride on a donkey into Jerusalem and eventually die on a hill. It’s God who binds His Son to a wooden cross, and pierces Him to forgive man’s sins and give eternal life – and bless the whole world. It’s God who sees and oversees His Son being whipped, spit on, rejected, ridiculed, disbelieved, and tortured. It’s God who hears His Son cry out “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” before dying. (Matthew 27:46, ESV). What God asked of Abraham on Mount Moriah, is what God actually did by sacrificing His own Son. His Son dies so that man, cut off from Him by sin, may be forgiven and have life.

We were not born friends of God. Born with a sinful nature, we were born enemies of God – denying His authority over our lives. God provided His Son as a Lamb for sacrifice so that by believing in Jesus, we can become His children. He transforms us from His enemies to His beloved sons and daughters. And God pays the cost. Jesus becomes the scapegoat and we, the true goats, are freed from sin, judgment, Satan and death. Through Jesus, an offspring of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, many children are born – spanning many cultures, languages, countries and time periods. It’s astounding to think that God can create all things, even people – out of nothing. Yet, Jesus is uncreated. He was with God before the creation of the world. God still gives up His utterly unique, sinless Son, to bring us into His family by faith and receive His love and grace. If ordinary fathers can love their sons, albeit imperfectly, the perfectly good God loves His Son even more completely and profoundly. His sacrifice was all the greater because His love for His Son is perfect.

Since God is omniscient, He knew that Abraham would obey. Having been tested and proven obedient, it was Abraham who became more aware that he truly believed and trusted God. The image of a father, Abraham, offering up his son, Isaac gives a glimpse into how far God would go to save us. That is God’s love. No one has ever loved like that. The one verse that believers and unbelievers seem to know is ^“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16, ESV). That verse truly encapsulates the entire history of mankind. Out of love, God provided Jesus, the Lamb. At just the right time, the Lamb of God finally arrived – and because of His birth, death and resurrection, we have something to celebrate this Christmas.

We make a list of things we want in this life – especially during Christmas. But what more can be given to us? Jesus, the Son of God, died to give us forgiveness of all sins and eternal life. What more can God the Father give us? For “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?^“ (Romans 8:32, ESV). No matter how wonderful or miserable this Christmas day or season is – we can celebrate. We can celebrate because God made a way for us to have peace with Him and have eternal life. He didn’t just give us physical life, but the assurance of unending life – where one day, we will resurrect from death and live forever in a fully good, righteous, whole and tear-free world with Him.

People’s perception of fathers largely depend on the kinds of fathers they grew up with. Some fathers were absent, some were wonderful, some terrible – with most falling somewhere in between. But on Christmas, we are reminded that in Jesus, God is our Heavenly Father – who loves us with a unending love.

Merry Christmas!

• 

²⁵ “And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.” (Genesis 2:25, ESV)

⁶ “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. ⁷ Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. ⁸ And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.” (Genesis 3:6-8, ESV)

²¹ “And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.” (Genesis 3:21, ESV)

¹² “On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry.¹³ And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. ¹⁴ And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it.” (Mark 11:12-14, ESV)

Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Eve trusted the words of an evil being, Satan, instead of trusting God’s words not to eat from the tree. Adam trusted Eve’s words instead of God’s words. Once they ate, their eyes were open. They weren’t wiser. Instead, sin distorted their perceptions. As sin entered their hearts and the Holy Spirit left, they felt shame for the first time. There was now a deadness in their hearts – continual darkness. They not only felt shame in each other’s presence, but wanted to hide from a good and loving God. By sewing fig leaves, they tried to cover or fix that deadness.

The good news is that Adam and Eve were not driven out of Eden clothed in fig leaves. God signalled the hope of Christmas by clothing them with skins from a sacrificed animal. He gave them a better covering.

Since Adam and Eve’s fall, man has been busy sewing fig leaves. There’s an endless array of fig leaves to choose from. There’s fame, beauty, relationships, money, knowledge, likes, promotions, sex, entertainment, fitness, food, drugs, humanitarian acts, man’s praise, and artistic or athletic abilities, ( ). We sense that we need to create purpose and meaning in life – to make us feel valuable and worthy. We cover ourselves with things that cannot fix our spiritual deadness. There’s a reason why even after achieving great things, it’s never enough. We never have enough money, or likes, or instagrammable experiences, or new gadgets, or relationships. These do not satiate because they are temporary things. What we actually need is an eternal covering – encompassing a cleanse of sins and true life (union with God).

The Christmas story is how God sent Jesus to cover us. As Adam and Eve was covered by God with skins from an innocent animal’s death, forgiveness and life would come to man through Jesus’ death.

There’s a strange scene in the Bible where Jesus curses a fig tree, which shows what He came to do. He is in a village called Bethany, which means “house of figs.” He is hungry and sees a fig tree with leaves, which should have fruit. Finding none, He curses it and said that no one should eat from it. This tree is deceptive – it looks fruitful, but is not. It did not bear fruit, which is what it’s supposed to do. It’s similar to how Adam and Eve looked alive and well on the outside, but inside they were dead with sin. After Jesus’ curse, His disciples notice that the fig tree had withered away to its roots. Physical appearances now match the truth. Jesus judges and condemns that state of being – alive on the outside, but spiritually dead on the inside.

The great Christmas hope is this – that Jesus came to give us Himself – to destroy the fig leaves (as He did the fig tree) and give a better covering. When we believe in Jesus, He covers us with His robes of righteousness, and gives us new hearts with the Holy Spirit, who is life. Either we will stand in front of God with fig leaves or covered in Jesus’ robes of righteousness. Fig leaves lead to judgment and condemnation, while covering with Jesus’ robes lead to forgiveness of sins and eternal life.

The greatest human problems are not global warming, world hunger, racism, sexism, hatred, physical illness and mental illness. Those are symptoms of a sinful, fallen world. The greatest human problems are spiritual deadness and enmity with God. This is what Jesus came to solve. We don’t have to put on our futile fig leaves, deluding ourselves that we are alive in the most important way. Jesus died and paid for our sins so that by faith, we could be cleansed within, made righteous, and given life. We no longer have to hide from God who loves us. With the Holy Spirit living in our hearts, we can finally bear fruit – of “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23, ESV). We can show signs of life because we are truly alive.

Jesus is the eternal covering for those who believe in Him. He endured nakedness, shame and death to clothe us. Providentially, in Bethany, the house of figs, Jesus also performs the miracle of resurrecting Lazarus from death. What happened in that village thousands of years ago is a reminder that man suffers from a universal curse, but is offered an invaluable cure. It is a wonder that because of what Jesus did on the cross, we – who are but dust, will resurrect one day to a perfect life with God – matching the truth that by faith, our hearts were raised from death.

union with God

As we put our COVID-19 masks on,
hatred, anger, impatience, divisions, and enmity
were unmasked.
We preserved physical life,
but saw evidence of spiritual deadness all around.

¹⁸ “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18, ESV)

Sin makes us look less and less like the God in whose image we were created. But being transformed into Jesus’ image, through the Holy Spirit’s work in us, makes us look more and more like the God who created us.

Jesus was sinless and evil had no authority over Him. He was the freest Person in the world. Becoming more like Him – embodying holy love – is true freedom. What is holy love? “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7, ESV)