Manufacturer’s Instruction Manual
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Isaiah 9:6-7
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government will be upon his shoulder, and his name will be called "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David, and over his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and for evermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
Luke 2:25-32
25. Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, looking 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 should not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. 27. And inspired by the Spirit he came 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 lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word; 30. for mine eyes have seen thy salvation 31. which thou hast prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32. a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to thy people Israel."
I can remember when I was expecting each of my children how excited I was! I also recall worrying about whether or not I would be a good mother. I am, admittedly, very hard on myself--some would call it perfectionism--and I occasionally found myself fretting over my certain inability to properly parent my children! After all, they don’t come with instructions or with manufacturers guidelines for optimum performance, do they?! Reading these two passages cause me to reflect upon the tremendous responsibility and sense of importance Mary must have placed upon rearing Jesus properly. After all, he was to be the future king, somehow! In some cosmic plan God had laid in place, he was to be the one who would fulfill the prophecies! He was the Promise Kept. He was the Future Glory. And Simeon confirmed it!
Parallel thoughts running through my mind on these passages. First, as a parent, I wonder what we would do differently if we perceived each of our own children as Mary viewed Jesus. What if we instilled in them their own sense of future greatness? What if we taught them that everything they are learning and experiencing is in preparation for a future life, in fulfillment of God’s perfect plan for them? As my children are preparing to graduate from high school, and beginning a senior year in college respectively, I try to help them imagine the next stage of their journeys. One “problem” they are both facing is that there are so very many choices for their futures! I marvel at the fact that they have both grown to be responsible, spiritually-grounded, serious and humble young adults; idealistic and with a keen sense of social justice. And that was all without the expectation that the future of humanity was on their shoulders!
Jesus was born into a world where tradition and custom told him he had one choice: to become a carpenter. Joseph was a carpenter and Joseph’s father was a carpenter. Jesus would become a carpenter. How did Jesus deal with the dichotomy of divinity and humanity as a child? I read that he was obedient and kind to his earthly parents. The only times he gave them a bit of concern was when he was pursuing God’s plan for him, which was certainly counter to what was expected of a young Jewish child in that day and time. Talk about pressure! Peer pressure. Societal pressure. The pressure of hundreds of years of tradition. Jesus really had it rough, didn’t he? Maybe we should explain Jesus’ life from that perspective the next time our children complain about their lot in life!
What about Simeon? It would appear that his entire life’s purpose was to declare for all to hear, “mine eyes have seen thy salvation which thou hast prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to thy people Israel.” The world would be so different if we could be different parents; different seekers of God’s will for our lives; different students and teachers of how to live.
My prayer today is that you offer up your children and your life to God. And that you rejoice in knowing there
is a “manufacturer’s instruction guide” on how to live.
Mary
