Salvation: Light and Glory

by Doy Moyer

Shortly after Jesus’ birth, His parents took Him to the temple “to present Him to the Lord.” There was a righteous and devout man, Simeon, upon whom was the Holy Spirit and who was “waiting for the consolation of Israel.” The Holy Spirit had revealed to him that he would not see death before he had seen the Messiah. When he saw Jesus, he took Him into his arms, blessed God, and said:

“Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel” (Luke 2:22-32).

This is loaded with meaning. Simeon expresses his trust in the faithfulness of God. He sees the Messiah as the salvation and consolation God’s people had been looking for. God’s plans and salvation were meant to be seen by all, “prepared in the presence of all peoples.” The power of this is seen in the next couple of phrases: “a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.” Jesus was the fulfillment of light and glory for both Jews and Gentiles.

Israel was called to be a light to the nations around them. Perhaps this sounds surprising given that they were to enter the land and dispossess the pagan occupants. Those nations were being judged for their own sins. However, God was still working on His plan, and Israel was a big part of it:

“I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations…” (Isaiah 42:6).

“I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth” (Isa 49:6).

These passages were in a context describing what Israel was meant to be. However, while the people often failed in this because of their sins, Isaiah’s message pointed to a greater fulfillment to be found in the Messiah, and Simeon recognized this. Jesus would be the light of revelation to the Gentiles. Jesus is the light of the world (John 8:12; 9:5; 12:35-36). “In him was life, and the life was the light of men” (John 1:4-5). Since light and life stand together, Jesus, as the light, provides life to those who trust in Him.

Jesus is also the “glory to your people Israel.” The prophetic promise was glory for Israel:

“I bring near my righteousness; it is not far off, and my salvation will not delay; I will put salvation in Zion, for Israel my glory” (Isaiah 46:13).

“In the LORD all the offspring of Israel shall be justified and shall glory” (Isaiah 45:25).

Israel, as God’s people, held a special place in the plan of God. As Paul would write even in the face of showing that both Jew and Gentile were equally guilty of sin, “Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God” (Romans 3:1-2). God entrusted Israel with a special mission, and to be a part of the fulfillment of God’s plan in Jesus was a glory to them.

Joseph and Mary marveled at what they heard on this day. Here was a prophet telling them that the promised Messiah was among them in the flesh. Salvation, comfort, and redemption came in the form of this infant to whom they were given stewardship to raise. Now, both Jews and Gentiles were provided the opportunity to take part in the completion of God’s plan in Christ. Jesus would die and be raised again, overcoming death and providing eternal redemption for all who trust Him (Hebrews 2:14).

While Jews and Gentiles come together as one body in Christ (Ephesians 2:11-18), we need to be careful not to minimize how God carried this out through Israel. Sometimes, we hear people say that God “replaced” Israel with the church, but this isn’t quite correct. “Replace” could sound like the plan failed and must be scratched. Rather, God fulfilled Israel’s purpose in Christ and grafted in the Gentiles with faithful Israel so that the Gentiles become part of this new creation (Romans 11). In other words, it’s not replacement but fulfillment. Israel did produce the light by bringing about the Messiah according to God’s purposes. As Jesus said of the Law and Prophets, “I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17). God did not destroy Israel to raise up the church; He grafted Gentiles into the olive tree of faithful Israel to make them one in Christ. The nuance is important, for it speaks to fulfilling a plan that God put into place long before Israel was even a physical nation, as seen in Abraham (Genesis 12; Romans 4). The Messiah is the glory of Israel in God’s purposes, which also means salvation to the Gentiles. Together, both Jew and Gentile become one body in Christ as a testimony to God’s faithfulness and wisdom. God is ever faithful, and Scripture gives powerful testimony to this truth.