Anna is the first in a line of prophetic disciples who will speak about Jesus to all who were looking for the redemption of Israel. Simeon went to the temple and held the Christ Child, and Like the disciples who will follow her, she is driven to bear witness to what she has seen. "A sword will pierce through your own soul also." How old was Simeon when he saw Jesus in the temple? Harold John Ockenga is president of Gordon College and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (Wenham, Massachusetts), positions he assumed after serving as pastor of Park Street Church in Boston for over thirty years. Wouldn't it be awesome if that was our view of life when it comes to the gospel? Verse 26 tells us that God had revealed to him that he would not see death until he had seen the Lord's Christ. 2:25 Now a man named Simeon was in Jerusalem. Anna was the prophetess who saw Jesus when he was presented in the temple by his parents. So Mary and Joseph left Bethlehem, traveled the six miles up to the city of Jerusalem. Simeon thanked God that he was able to see Jesus the savior! December 21, 2008 College Park Church, What Simeon Saw: Lessons From a Satisfied Old Man. What is are the functions of diverse organisms? 19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God (Eph 2:19). Simeon understood the treasure of a godly life. Also see the reading below from verses 29-32 and verses 34-35. According to Luke, Anna never left the Temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day (Luke 2:37). They had dedicated the baby Jesus according to the law of Moses, and they traveled to Jerusalem each year to celebrate Passover. Simeon saw the all-surpassing worth of the Messiah. They likely would have communicated to her the sign they had been given by Simeon, a right living and very devout man of faith, was frequently in the Temple meditating, and in a constant state of anticipation of the most significant foretold event in the Jewish faith the arrival of the Jewish Messiah. 31 which you prepared for all people to see "Oh," I said, "I really don't like Chevy Blazers". It reminds me of this New Testament passage: 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. THE PRESENTATION IN THE TEMPLE. There was a lady named Anna that lived in Jerusalem also. Two kinds of persons were involved; first there were those who would apprehend Christ as the Rock and find in him a spiritual sanctuary; second, those who would reject him and find him a stumbling stone and a rock of offense (cf. God holds our every breath. And Marys Magnificent states her understanding of what is happening within her. He will bring the revelation to non-Jewish people in order to bring Jews and Gentiles to God. www.yourchurch.com. Unlike Simeon, Anna is not just visiting the Temple for the day; she is there all the time. Peace is not linked to an absence of conflict or pain, but to the assurance that God keeps His word. We often picture Jesus taking little children in his arms, and we sing, I would like to have been with him then , but this thought of another receiving Jesus into his arms is much less familiar to us. When expanded it provides a list of search options that will switch the search inputs to match the current . That is enormously comforting, especially if this Christmas is one that is filled with hard providence for you. Read Understanding []. In fact, she is the only woman in the New Testament explicitly described as a prophetess. She then stands in the line of figures like the judge, military leader and prophetess Deborah and the Jerusalem prophetess Huldah, who, in the days of King Josiah, was asked to verify that an ancient scroll (a form of Deuteronomy) discovered during Temple renovations was indeed the word of God (2 Kings 22). Simeon ( Greek: ) at the Temple is the "just and devout" man of Jerusalem who, according to Luke 2:25-35, met Mary, Joseph, and Jesus as they entered the Temple to fulfill the requirements of the Law of Moses on the 40th day from Jesus' birth, i. e. the presentation of Jesus at the Temple . At first glance, Simeon and Anna could be easily overlooked within the narrative. Before this baby was born an angel named Gabriel told Mary what to name Him. she said. Luke's point for Theophilus is that this Christ-child is the one that God-fearing, law-keeping, and faith-filled people looked for. Seems to me like they didnt get it. I like to think it was the shepherds. 32 a light that will reveal salvation to unbelievers and bring glory to your people Israel., 33 Jesus father and mother kept wondering at the things being said about him. She may have been able to undertake this role in the Temple because she was no longer in periodic states of ritual impurity caused by menstruation. God is testing us everyday and has given us the right to make our own choices. My soul magnifies the Lord; my spirit has found joy in God, who is my Saviour, because he has looked graciously upon the lowliness of his handmaid. Verse 28 gives us a beautiful picture. Your email address will not be published. Youre on the money. Messiah. The telemarketer called and asked me if I had received my car keys in the mail last week. Scoffers might pour ridicule upon him for his belief, but they could not rob him of his hope, for the grounds of his confidence were sure. Surely youll recall how the unborn John the Baptist leaped in his mothers womb at the presence of Mary and the unborn baby Jesus? Simeon must have understood that Israels conversion would be realized only after the enlightenment of the heathen and the calling out of the Church. The religious signs, moral signs, commercial signs, political signs, Jewish signsthese all proclaim the truth declared in James 5:8! The Spirit had prepared him to meet Jesus at the correct moment and had providentially brought them together. Brown adds, however, that Luke does not leave Mary on the negative note of misunderstanding. Elizabeth proclaims How is it that the mother of our Lord should come to me? My bet is even if Mary, as you infer, had no idea who Jesus was, then Elizabeth was the first to notify her of the significance of Jesus. So what? Good Stuff Ben and I love preaching on Simeon and Anna over the years, thanks. 2023 Words of Life Ministries - an independent evangelical Registered Charitable Trust (no.269381) Cookie Policy | Privacy Policy Website by: TEKOA Creative, Study 4 JUDAS ISCARIOT: HIS TERRIBLE BETRAYAL, Verse 26 tells us it had been revealed to him. Let us begin each day, as Simeon must have begun each day, by saying, I wonder if my Lord will come today!. He is a godly man who is satisfied with a gospel that is a beautiful and costly treasure. Simeon made a prophetic and powerful predictive statement about Jesus and the purpose of His life. No wonder they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, (luke 2:17). When Scripture uses blameless or just to describe a man like Zacharias or Simeon, the word means more than just conformity to the Law, to all the commandments and ordinances; it implies the spiritual perception of the purpose of God in the Law and the Prophets. Shes pondering all right, shes pondering just how hard shes gonna tan his little hide when she gets him home. Why does Gary Soto's work seem autobiographical? The Bible does not mention his age at all , but it does say he Combine a one-year tablet and print subscription to BAR with membership in the BAS Library to start your journey into the ancient past today! Godly people are supremely satisfied and they celebrate a costly gospel. together regarding her first born. The presentations by all, are excellent and non-controversial. Simon is one Latinised version of the name, the others being Simeon or Symeon. Of course, in the end, Luke portrays Mary as successfully making the spiritual journey into the family of faith; in Acts 1:14, when the apostles gather in the upper room after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, Mary is with them. The gospel is rooted in God's faithfulness. Simeon told Mary & Joseph that Jesus would be a helper for people. He knew Jesus was the Son of God. Who were the models in Van Halen's finish what you started video? The scene that Luke wants to highlight is more than just historical fulfillment. Mary and Joseph bring Jesus into the temple to dedicate Him forty days after his birth. Healing the paralytic at Bethesda in John 5:1-15. Simeon appears to be a normal Jewish man. Verse 26 makes this clear! It was the day of the year when all the candles, that were used in the church during the coming year, were brought into church and a blessing was said over them so it was the Festival Day (or mass) of the Candles. I was wondering if you ever thought of changing the structure of your No doubt they related to the officiating priest some of the things that had happened in connection with the birth of the Child, and Simeon, an old man who was awaiting the advent of the Messiah, overheard them. Put all of that together and what you have is a very costly gospel. 2. That is also why she stood at the cross and did not kneel. . This man was righteous and devout. What are the Physical devices used to construct memories? They were given a sign a baby swaddled, laying in a manger. If (as some scholars claim) this band of shepherds were those caring for the temple flocks, they would recognize this treatment. 1. 42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! In John 21, Jesus is asking Peter if he really loves Him. Nisan till the begnning of the service of the house of Abija, which gives us end June as the earliest possible conception date for John, when his father Zacharia went home after his templeservice and went to his wife. The Spirit gave Simeon divine revelationit was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lords Christ. The word translated revealed is actually a divine response. In the active tense the word means to transact business, to make an answer to those who seek advice. The use of the word in the passive bespeaks revelation made by God in response to the seeking of man. An old man called Simeon lived in Jerusalem. Thus, Simeon was speaking not of the Saviour but of the apparatus fitted to bring salvation. He expresses this so well in verse 32, "a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.". Luke adds that she treasures the words the angel Gabriel speaks to her. He saw the gospel clearly, and he was a satisfied man. However, given such information, Simeon could not have been more than 55 years old, perhaps an age considered advanced at that time. Simeon took the baby Jesus into his arms. God is going global! Never has there been a sign more spoken against than that of the Virgin Birth and its attestation to the deity of Jesus Christ, namely, that he is God with us, or Emmanuel. Copyright 2023 College Park Church. The prophet Anna was a widow who never left the temple after her He could not be as he did not fulfill the requirements, i.e. Mary and Joseph marvel at what Simeon says about him (v 33) and then he says something stunning to Mary: "This child is appointed" Simeon knew and Mary and Joseph were only beginning to fully understand that this little baby was part of massive plan determined even before the foundations of the earth (Eph 3:11, Heb 4:3, Rev 13:8). was saying and revelling himself at this age God had her back on this one! When he heard the account given by Mary and Joseph to the priest, he interrupted the process of dedication by taking the Child in his arms and making a great spiritual prophecy under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, if you could see Simeon in the temple courtyard holding the baby Jesus with his eyes lifted to the vast sky of Jerusalem you would see a satisfied old man! And that is what we are going to examine today: what did Simeon see when he looked into the face of the Messiah. Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to Simeon. Additionally he was not a direct descendant of David. 13 But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. According to Luke 2:2224, [Joseph and Mary] brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord [quoting Exodus 13:2, 12]) and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons [based on Leviticus 12:28].. 27 Led by the Spirit, he went into the Temple. We must make this observation, for in verse 29 there are three words which indicate this. Jesus is the one that they have been longing and looking for. She became a widow after seven years of marriage to her husband. Simeon asked God to allow him to "depart in peace, according to Your word" (verse 29). Copyright College Park Church - Indianapolis, Indiana. She was very old, around 84 years old when she saw Jesus in the temple.Refer also to Luke 2:36-38. In the Bible , Simeon was the old man who recognized Jesus as the Messiah. One issue does provide some hesitation for me though. See something we missed? The neuter gender is used for the word salvation. He held him and knew that one day this baby would call people to choose between God and themselves. In referring to Alfred Plummers Commentary on Luke, (along with your proposal that Lukes women were more positive examples of discipleship) you write, Yes, a messiah has arrived, as Simeon recognizes, but, as the prophetess Anna suggests, a new era, with a new and living voice of prophecy, has at the same time dawned. That is quite a leap as Luke offers only a one-line summation of her input after he quotes Simeon at length. This is because in addition to being a proselytizer, Anna is a prophetess (Luke 2:36). Under the impulse of the Spirit, he had come to the Temple and was performing his devotions when Jesus arrived. They were devout in their worship and righteous in their dealings with their fellow men. Required fields are marked *. MY SHOPPING CART. Treasuring God at one level gave him eyesight to see something at another level. If you ever want to read something that fills in the blanks an,d plays out like a movie, read MYSTICAL CITY OF GOD by SISTER MARY of AGREEDA. Youve got an awful lot of text for only having 1 or 2 images. How did the 2nd February come to be called Candlemas ? Simeon Sees Jesus. Want to learn some-more about his research? The reason we assume him to be old is that when he holds Jesus in his arms, he says to God, "Now you are letting your servant depart in peace." He may have been old, but not necessarily so. She didnt understand why he Dig into the illuminating world of the Bible with a BAS All-Access membership. to say. Of course, no one knows how old Simeon was when God gave him this assurance. We have a drawing for $15,000 cash!" Instead of the adolecents response, Jesus said this time, my time has not yet come. Followed immediatly by changing the water into wine. Simeon, who saw the baby Jesus, was neither an apostle or Elizabeth was the first to call Mary the mother of my Lord! Some of the biggest misunderstandings come from people who are related to Jesus. Simeon praised God. Global Relief Fund | Earthquake Relief Efforts in Turkey and Syria. May we be as ready to welcome the Lord Jesus when He comes the second time as Simeon was to welcome Him when He came the first time - look up Revelation 22:20! The very order of Simeons prophecy foretold that Israel would believe in this Child. The story of Jesus birth is framed by two such storiesthat of Elizabeth and Zechariah in Luke 1 and Anna and Simeon in Luke 2. He was a satisfied old man. He would not die until he had seen Jesus. degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. from the University of Durham in England. He knew that although He had come to His own people they would reject Him, and the gospel would be preached to the Gentiles (John 1:11; Acts 28:28). A suffering messiah was not yet on In fact, people may even laugh at your Christ-centered satisfaction. In this beautiful scene, the aged Simeon takes the Baby Jesus up in his arms and expresses his delight and joy to God in a brief prayer. 2. And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call him Jesus. By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Out of their poverty, Joseph and Mary presented a pair of turtledoves and the price of redemption. Godly people are supremely satisfied with a costly gospel. Jesus, the adolecent, wasnt sining or lying here he was jumping the gun. That Lord Jesus Christ has come not only for Jews but also for the Gentiles is seen here in Luke Chapter 2:21-35 where description of one named Simeon is given. Zacharias the father of John the baptist was from the house of Abija, we read in Luke 1.5. If Mary were first to know, then surely Elizabeth was second, or if Mary did not realize, then Eizabeth was first to know. There are critical moments in life when everything depends upon immediate submission to the impulse of the Spirit. I want to add: each jewish month has exactly 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes, 3 1/3 seconds. The story of Simeon is a reminder that this Christmas season is essentially about the far-surpassing joy that a personal relationship with Christ brings. And she wont for several years. The nunc dimittis of Simeon emphasizes the end of a long vigil of waiting. Mary and Jesus. He shall be great, and men will know him for the Son of the most High; the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he shall reign over the house of Jacob eternally; his kingdom shall never have an end., 2. When Simeon saw the Lords Christ, he took him up in his arms and blessed God, saying, Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word. This taking Jesus into his arms was an act of the will by Simeon. The Holy Spirit allowed Simeon to recognize Jesus as the Messiah. And at the outset of a long chain of such prophetic insights stand Simeon and Anna, one satisfied that prophecy has been fulfilled and the other pointing to the future, a future as bright as the promises of God. We know far more of Jesus through the New Testament revelation than Simeon ever could have known from the Old Testament prophecy, but do we embrace him in the arms of faith as the Lords Christ as Simeon did? The thoughts of men's hearts will be revealed by what they do with Christ. learn []. Please include the following statement on any distributed copy: by Mark Vroegop. Mary and Joseph were so amazed at the things Simeon was saying about Jesus! As Paul put it in Ephesians 2:19 - no longer strangers or foreigners, but fellow citizens! Oh to have the world know this about the followers of Christ. At that circumcision ceremony babies were given their name. This required the presentation of a lamb, or for those who were poor, of two pigeons. And that was when we both started laughing. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility" (Eph 2:11-14). He was waiting for the time when God would help Israel. I like the stress on Mary and Joseph as good parents who nevertheless dont get it. Luke portrays the rise of a form of Judaism that would rely on the testimony of women as well as men, and that would empower them once again to fulfill roles like Miriam of old. Amen! Wiki User. Simeon does not domesticate the gospel or the Messiah. Because that is what Simon said. Simeon's righteous faith qualified him to see something incredibly special. It is surely significant that his name means Hearing with alacrity. He was waiting for eschatological . This phrase either means that many will be humbled and spiritually raised up because of him (like the story of the publican in Luke 18:9ff), or it means that Jesus will be a stone over which some will fall and perish while others are spiritual "risen up" by God's power (see Luke 1:51-53). The Law also allowed, in the cases of poverty, for two pigeons or turtledoves to be offered instead of a lamb. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. Mary, for example, does not fully understand what Anna immediately recognizes. As in Simeons day, the message needed is, Comfort ye, comfort ye my people.. There were many details concerning the incarnation about which he was not at all clear, but of the fact that the Lord would come he was positive.
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