| Luke 2: 22-40 |
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Jesus Presented at the Temple
22 And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.” 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[a] depart in peace, 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.[b] 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. The Return to Nazareth 39 And when they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. 40 And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him. |
What Simeon saw
The thing that struck me when reading this passage was the immediacy with which Simeon recognised Jesus as the Messiah. Despite Jesus’ outward appearance, with one look Simeon could see that this was no ordinary baby and was in fact the promised Saviour he had been waiting for.
Throughout His time on Earth, there were some people, like Simeon, for whom Jesus’ identity was obvious, but there were many people who did not recognise Him and instead rejected Him. The same is true today. This Christmas, as we share the story of the nativity, some will hear it and see Jesus for who He is, yet much of the world still does not recognise Him.
Our challenge this Christmas is to use this time of festivities to share the Good News of Jesus with our friends and family members who do not yet recognise Him so that they might see what Simeon saw; so that they might have hope.
Edward