“At that time there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was
righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue
Israel… He took the child in his arms and praised God, saying, ‘Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in
peace, as you have promised. I have seen your salvation, which you have prepared
for all people. He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and he is the glory
of your people Israel!’” (Luke
2:25, 28-32, NLT).
As Mary and
Joseph entered the Temple, an old man, a stranger, took Jesus in his arms and
began to praise God. Luke, the writer of this gospel, doesn’t tell us much
about Simeon except that he was “righteous and devout”
and that he was “eagerly waiting for”
the arrival of God’s promised Messiah, the one foretold by the prophets in the
Hebrew Scriptures. The Messiah would deliver God’s people and establish God’s
Kingdom. All Jews hoped for the coming of their Deliverer, but God had told
Simeon that he would see the Messiah in his lifetime. It must be a surprised
for him. Simeon, nonetheless, held on to this promise, so he had his eyes wide
open, anticipating his Messiah’s arrival.
Simeon many not
have known what age the Messiah would be at their meeting. So he may have been
surprised, amazed and thrilled upon learning that this infant was God’s Son. Just
imagine how many babies Simeon had seen during this time, but he kept looking and
trusting. And when Simeon saw Jesus, he
knew this was the One. (I remember reading how John the Baptist responded
when he saw Jesus. He said, "Look! The Lamb of
God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29) I wonder how do
they know who Jesus really is? God’s Holy Spirit might prompt their hearts and
said, ‘Look, Jesus is here.’ Maybe
this was why when I first read the Bible and my heart gladdens by God’s Word, I
knew that this Jesus is the One.)
After meeting
Simeon, Mary and Joseph also encountered Anna. “Anna, a prophet, was also there in the Temple” (Luke
2:36). This elderly Jewish woman spent most of her days worshipping and praying
in the Temple. Seeing Jesus, Anna burst into praise, confirming what Simeon had
said about the baby. “She talked about
the child to everyone who had been waiting expectantly for God to rescue
Jerusalem” (Luke 2:38). As we can certainly understand, “Jesus’ parents were amazed at what was being said about him”
(2:33) both by Simeon and Anna.
Think about
this: We probably won’t find Simeon or Anna in any list of major Bible
characters. Yet more than two millennia after this incident in the Temple, we
know about them and their faith in God’s promises. God’s Word contains many
promises, including God’s continual presence, his sovereignty over world
events, his Holy Spirit, his daily care, and his promise of eternal life. During
times of conflict, meager resources, loneliness, and suffering, God can seem
distant. That’s when we need to cling to the truth that God loves us so much
that he sent Jesus Christ, which is, Himself.
THINK
BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.
Reference: Life
Application Study Bible Devotional: Daily Wisdom from the Life of Jesus
(Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2011)
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