“Simeon’s Prophecy”

Scripture: Luke 2:25-35

The child Jesus had been born, and the thrill of the birth moment had passed, but wonder over the words that came from the angel and the shepherds was still with the new Mom and Dad. After all, the child had developed just as any baby would have, he had been born just as any child would have, and he looked and acted just like any newborn baby would. So when would he begin to look and act like God?

Surely, the Son of God would have divine characteristics and attributes about him. But this child – he was about as ordinary as any baby could be! Was this really God’s plan – that the Holy Child, the Lord’s Anointed, the Savior of all the earth, could be mistaken for any other human being?

If so, that meant that there were things that must be done. There was the circumcision and the naming; there was the ritual purification for the mother; as this was the couple’s first child, he would have to be presented at the temple and consecrated to the Lord’s work; and the temple offering could not be overlooked. The law required all of this, in addition to the normal, everyday things that a newly born baby needed. But when was the great God Jehovah going to begin working in his life?

Read Luke 2:25-28a

A righteous and devote man, waiting for the consolation, or redemption, of Israel (Psalm 130). It had been a long time of waiting for Israel – even Isaiah had prophesied about the day when Jehovah would come to save the people from oppression (Isaiah 27). It had been hundreds of years at least, and still the day had not yet arrived. The people still struggled in their subjugation to others, and yet, some continued to trust that God’s promise was true, and that one day, their salvation would be complete. Simeon was one of them, and the Lord had promised him that the day would come in his lifetime.

This was a man who was committed to his God, even though he knew that many, many years had passed without the long awaited promise being fulfilled. He had never given up hope, and now, in this additional promise to him, he knew that he would, one day, see the Lord for himself. And then the Holy Spirit touched his life, and he knew that this would be the day. He was led to the temple, and led to the new parents who were holding a baby. And he knew! He just knew that this had to be the promise of God, his redemption and the redemption of all of Israel, the redemption of all the earth!

Now, we have to remember that Luke, the author of this gospel, was a Gentile, and was, very possibly, writing to a Gentile audience. His emphasis isn’t on the law, it isn’t even on the actual promise that God had given to Israel, but rather on the promise fulfilled for all who will believe. This Simeon was, in all likelihood, a simple man. He wasn’t important, he held no position of authority, he wasn’t wealthy – he was the type of person who you could pass on the street and hardly even notice. But in keeping with God Almighty’s style, this is the very person who the Spirit would reveal the Christ Child to – he would be unimportant to all except God Himself.

And Simeon takes this precious Savior into his arms, unafraid to hold the God of the Universe close to his breast, to stare right into that gentile and loving face, to hear the voice that had spoken creation into being, and to touch the means of his salvation. Do you think he trembled? Luke doesn’t say that he did, but how could he not have? As soon as he saw the tiny baby, he instantly knew that this was God’s blessing to him. And he would pray a prayer of joy unlike anything the people in the temple had ever heard!

And how had this meeting occurred? Was it a joy filled accident? Certainly not. Simeon was there because the Holy Spirit inspired him to be there. Joseph and Mary were there because of their obligation to adhere to the law of Israel. The coming of Jesus into the lives of all humanity would fulfill both the Spirit of God and the Law of God, and he would amaze some and irritate the rest.

Read Luke 2:28b-32

His prayer of overwhelming joy is reminiscent of Isaiah 52:8-10 (Read). God had come into the midst of the earth, and this humble, ordinary, faithful man called Simeon, would proclaim that this Child, this gift of God, had been given, not only for Israel’s benefit, but for all of humanity.
This was the long awaited Messiah, the Anointed One of God, the Salvation and Hope for all the earth. And even though Simeon is now prepared and willing to be taken from the earth, Luke never mentions whether he dropped dead on the spot or not. We can only guess what may have come next for this newest of prophets. But I want to believe that, like the shepherds, he could never keep this incredible news to himself.

Isn’t it interesting that God choses the most unexpected and most unusual people to proclaim his word? Prophets from many walks of life and throughout the ages past who would never see the culmination of their prophecies, a teenaged and pregnant girl who had probably never been more than a mile from her home, a bunch of dirty, unkempt and lowly shepherds, wealthy Eastern gentiles, an everyday man of faith, unclean fishermen, men and women who had been freed from the power of demons, a Pharisee who was persecuting the early Church, and on and on. They would all become willing to spread his word, but none had ever expressed an interest in doing so, or at least not in the way that the Lord intended them to.
But that’s the way God works! Isaiah 55:9-11 tells us that we may never understand the way God works in this world, but that his way is far better than ours, and that unlike ours, his way will never fail.

Read Luke 2:33-35

When the shepherds revealed to Mary and Joseph what the angels had told them, they were amazed (Luke 2:16-19). When Simeon told the couple what their child would mean to the people of earth, again, they were amazed. These new parents knew who this child was, but they had taken on the incredible responsibility of caring for the Son of God without ever knowing what his life would be about and what it would mean to them.

Mark Lowery wrote a song some time ago called “Mary Did You Know”. The song itself consists of question upon question, asking Mary if she ever fully understood what Jesus’ coming to earth in human form was really about. It appears that even though she carried God within her own body for 9 months while he was becoming fully human, even though she would care for his every need as an infant and then a child, and would raise him to adulthood, she would be faithful to God’s call, knowing very little of what would come from her faithfulness.

Mary didn’t have the Gospel and epistle writings to study and learn from. She didn’t have the benefit of 2 millennia of scholarly works and studies and learning to teach her. We not only have the most incredible collection of 1st century writings to learn from, but we also have the supporting evidence of 39 books from the Hebrew texts that point to Christ’s coming and works. And yet, with all the writings and explanations that we have at our disposal, are we as faithful as Mary was to all that God called her to do?

We can listen to the lyrics of “Mary Did You Know”, and say yes, he did all of that, and more.
“Mary did you know that your Baby Boy is Lord of all creation?
Mary did you know that your Baby Boy would one day rule the nations?
Did you know that your Baby Boy is heaven’s perfect lamb?
This sleeping Child you’re holding is the Great I Am?”
(Verse 3)

We know all of this, but how often do we share this message with the people of the world? Are any of us less capable than shepherds or fishermen or persecutors of the Church? The truth is that it doesn’t matter who we are when the Lord calls us to share his message of hope with others. Today is the day we call Epiphany – this is the day the word of God came to the Gentiles. The truth of God was given directly to the Magi, but they had to go and see for themselves before they could tell others what they had seen. The truth of God was given directly to Simeon, but he had to see Jesus for himself before he could tell others what he then knew. The truth of God was given directly to Mary, but would she understand just what she was being asked to do?
The Lord speaks to some people to give them his word, but it isn’t for their edification – it is so they can then go and spread his word to others. He called Peter, James, John, and the others to carry his word to the nations. He called Stephen and Paul and Barnabas and Timothy and Silas and millions of others like them to share his word with those who had yet to receive it. And he calls you and me to do the same right here and now.

Are you as willing, as Simeon was, to answer God’s call on your life? It’s not so difficult – it only takes a commitment and love of Jesus to go wherever the Spirit leads you. The Lord will do everything else, he will show us and give us whatever we may need, and what an experience it will be!