Luke 2:22-38 (NASB)
22 And when the days for their purification according to the Law of Moses were completed, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord: “Every firstborn male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”), 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what has been stated in the Law of the Lord: “A pair of turtledoves or two young doves.”
25 And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and
devout, looking forward to 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 by the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to carry out for Him the custom of the Law, 28 then he took Him in his arms, and blessed God, and said,
29 “Now, Lord, You are letting Your bond-servant depart in peace, According to Your word; 30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation, 31 Which You have prepared in the presence of all the peoples: 32 A light for revelation for the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.”
33 And His father and mother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him. 34 And Simeon blessed them and said to His mother Mary, “Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and as a sign to be opposed—35 and a sword will pierce your own soul—to the end 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 and had lived with her husband for seven years after her marriage, 37 and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She did not leave the temple grounds, serving night and day with fasts and prayers. 38 And at that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak about Him to all those who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.
This account of Jesus being taken to the temple, “to carry out for Him the custom of law” is only recorded in Luke. It is a brief story, but there is much we can glean from it. In reading this text multiple times in preparation for writing this sermon, I made an observation I had never realized before. Maybe it has always been clear to you, but I had not realized before that the text does not say that Simeon is a priest. Verse 36 states that Anna was a prophetess, but Simeon is not given the title of prophet nor of priest anywhere in the text. It simply says that he was “a man in Jerusalem.” Wouldn’t Luke have called him a priest if he was one? I’m pretty sure that most Sunday School lessons even have Simeon drawn in clothing like a priest. I know I have always assumed that Simeon was the priest who was going to carry out the custom of the law. After all, the text tells us he took Jesus in his arms and gave a blessing. He prophesied to Mary. Yet nowhere in the text does it call him a prophet or priest. Rather, it says that “by the Spirit” he went to the temple. That tells us he was not already at the temple, but he was led to the temple by the Holy Spirit.
How does the text describe Simeon? It states that he was three things: righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. Let’s look at what those three things mean.
Simeon was righteous and devout. That means that he was a man of good character. He was a faithful follower of God. If someone is righteous, it means he or she is moral, honest, respectable, an upstanding person. Devout tells us he was religious. He was devoted to God’s law and I think we can assume he kept careful observance of Jewish customs. The text doesn’t give us any other information about him. I already mentioned that he wasn’t at the temple, but that the Holy Spirit led him to that temple that day. Regardless if he was a priest or not, he must have been well acquainted with the temple and the customs of the day.
Second, Simeon was looking forward to the consolation of Israel. That tells us he was Jewish, for that was a Jewish phrase that was used to describe the promised Messiah. I had to look up the origin of this term and according to Easton’s Bible Dictionary, the Consolation of Israel is “a name for the Messiah in common use among the Jews, probably suggested by Isaiah 12:1; 49:13. The Greek word thus rendered (Luke 2:25, paraklesis) is kindred to that translated ‘Comforter’ in John 14:16, etc., parakletos” (https://biblehub.com/topical/c/consolation.htm). In other words, Simeon was waiting for the One who would comfort Israel.
That name for Jesus, consolation of Israel, is not one I hear very often. In fact, I’ve never really given it much consideration before. In English, the word consolation is sometimes pejorative. If you are given a consolation prize, that is because you didn’t win. We have to put off that connotation, and look at what the Greek word actually means. Like Easton’s pointed out, the Greek word is paraklesis. That word according to Strong’s Concordance means, “a calling to one’s aid, i.e. encouragement, comfort.” As Easton’s also points out, that is similar to John 14:16, but I noticed it is also used in John 16:7 when Jesus describes the Holy Spirit. He says, “But I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I am leaving; for if I do not leave, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.” That Greek word for helper is paraklétos and it means, “called to one’s aid, an advocate, intercessor, a consoler, comforter, helper” (Strong’s Concordance). That is a very different meaning than a prize to the runner-up.
Jesus is the One called to Israel’s aid. He is the comforter, helper and intercessor of Israel. Simeon was waiting for the one who was foretold about who would come and console Israel. Used in that form, if someone consoles someone else, what does that bring to mind? I picture a person who is sad and mourning, sitting on a couch. Next to that person is another person, saying that everything will be ok in a soothing, calming voice. If you try to console someone, you are trying to soothe their hurt, offer them comfort, give them peace. Think of some of the other words that are used to describe Jesus. He is the Prince of Peace, our wonderful counselor, our ever present help in trouble. There are so many Bible verses that describe Jesus in these ways. It seems like this term, consolation of Israel, is a summation of all of those attributes of Jesus.
Third, we see that the Holy Spirit was upon Simeon. I think it’s worth noting that the text states the Holy Spirit was upon Simeon. It doesn’t state that the Holy Spirit was within Simeon. I think that’s important, for most Bible verses in the Old Testament that mention the Holy Spirit describe Him being upon someone. It is not until later in the New Testament that we see the language consistently change to the Holy Spirit filling someone or dwelling within someone. Just like Jesus says in John 16:7, the Holy Spirit would be coming to us after Jesus died and was resurrected. Now, the Holy Spirit indwells in every believer. He no longer rests upon us, but has filled us.
The Holy Spirit was upon Simeon and the Holy Spirit was who had revealed to him that “he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.” The text doesn’t tell us how that revelation came to Simeon. Maybe it was during a time of prayer. Maybe Simeon was reading the prophecies about the Messiah in Isaiah and the Holy Spirit spoke that idea into his mind. We don’t know how the Holy Spirit told him, only that He did. It was also the Holy Spirit who led Simeon to go to the Temple that day. And even though the text doesn’t tell us this, we can be certain that was the Holy Spirit who gave Simeon a prophecy to speak to Mary when he said, “Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and as a sign to be opposed—and a sword will pierce your own soul—to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”
Whether Simeon was the priest, that is not clear, but he operated in a priestly role. Yet, unlike the Jewish priests who would seek to have Jesus silenced and ultimately killed, he recognized who Jesus truly was: the Messiah. Not only did he recognize Jesus, but his words to Mary carry deep importance. Simeon, through the prompting of the Holy Spirit, stated that Jesus was appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel. This reminds me of 1 Corinthians 1:22, which tells us that Jesus was a stumbling block to the Jews. Many Jews did not recognize Him as the Messiah. And because of that, they wanted Him to be crucified. Which is why Mary would suffer as if her soul was pierced with a sword.
On this same day in the temple, we see another person was there who also recognized Jesus as the Messiah. Anna, the prophetess, who lived at the temple grounds. Her husband had died after only seven years of marriage, and from that point on, she served God. She was at least 84 years old. She saw Simeon praising God and holding up Jesus and then she too, “at that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God.” Unfortunately, what she said is not recorded, but I think it’s important to note that Anna’s first response to recognizing Jesus is one of thanksgiving. Like Simeon, she had been waiting for the Messiah to come. Now, here He was! We know she was actively waiting for the Messiah, for the text tells us she “continued to speak about Him to all those who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.” In other words, she continued to be an evangelist. Now her message would be even stronger. Now she had a testimony to share. She had personally met the Messiah, the “consolation of Israel.”
Simeon and Anna lived their lives, waiting for the promise to be fulfilled. They were old now, their lives at their end, and yet they did not abandon hope. They kept the promises of God always at the front of their minds. Now they had seen him with their own eyes. How blessed were they to see the fulfillment of all the years brought forth in this baby Jesus.
How did Simeon and Anna recognize who Jesus was and yet so many people, whether they were the Jewish religious leaders or just people who saw His miracles, fail to see who He was? How many people were in that temple that day and walked right by this little family? How many people maybe even looked at them but didn’t see anything special about them? How many people completely missed out on what God did that day? I think the reason Simeon and the prophetess Anna recognized Jesus as the Messiah is because they were actively looking for Him.
2 Chronicles 15:1-4 says: Now the Spirit of God came on Azariah the son of Oded, and he went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Listen to me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: the Lord is with you when you are with Him. And if you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you abandon Him, He will abandon you. For many days Israel was without the true God and without a teaching priest and without the Law. But in their distress they turned to the Lord God of Israel, and they sought Him, and He let them find Him.”
Jeremiah 29:13 also says, “And you will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.”
Matthew 7:7&8 shows us that Jesus echoed those words when He said, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.”
Simeon and Anna dedicated their whole lives to seeking the Messiah. They didn’t just spend an hour or two one day a week in a service. Simeon was devout. He was devoted to God. He was being led by the Holy Spirit every day. Anna literally lived at the temple, fasting and praying. She even had the title of prophetess. If we don’t want to miss out on what God is doing today, all around us, we need to be looking for Him. He is all around us, waiting to speak to us and lead us. We just have to be on the lookout, reading His word, being in prayer, and be open to what He might show us.
We see from Scripture that anyone who is actively looking for Him will find Him. That is a promise. So many people today are seeking comfort. They are looking for anyone or anything that will give them peace or relief from their pain and hurt. Instead of turning to the Savior, they turn to escapism, drugs, material things, therapists or other people. None of those things can give them anything that isn’t temporary.
I want to end this sermon with the words of Simeon as he held the baby Jesus in his arms. Because I grew up in a Lutheran church, these words are very familiar to me, for we sung them after communion. It is called the Nunc Dimittis, which is Latin and means, “now release.” Why would those words be sung then? At its foundation, communion is a time of remembering what Jesus did for us by dying on the cross. We eat the bread and wine and remember how He suffered and died to provide salvation for us. Every time we take communion, we can say as Simeon did, “my eyes have seen Your salvation.” Then Simeon says that salvation is “a light for revelation for the Gentiles and for the glory of God’s people Israel.” Simeon was stating that God’s salvation would be for all people. Rather profound, yes? Simeon started by stating that now he was ready to depart in peace, meaning now that he had seen the promised One, he was ready to die. He was old and had waited, trusting in the word he received from the Holy Spirit that he wouldn’t die until he saw Him. Now he’d seen Him, he was ready to go.
If we have met the Savior, we have a message to share. We, too, can tell others the same message that Simeon shared. The message that Jesus has come into the world to comfort us. He is the Prince of Peace, our help, our comforter, our redeemer, our Savior. We too can share with others who are seeking a savior that we know who the Savior is. The Savior is Christ our Lord. Not only can we share that comfort with others, but we can share the somber truth that without Jesus as savior, we are destined for hell. The only hope of eternal life is found in believing in the Savior Jesus. Simeon could say with confidence that now that he had seen the Savior, he was ready to depart this earth and be with God.
Because we have been entrusted with such a vital message, we need the Holy Spirit to help us to share it. I recognize we are prone to do a terrible job of it if we try to witness to people in our own power. That is another reason why it is so important that we are spending time in prayer and in the word. We need the Holy Spirit to speak to us and direct our steps and words so we can be effective evangelists for Him.
The truth is the same for all people: until we’ve seen God’s salvation, until we believe in the salvation of the Lord, we are not ready to die. Once we have “seen” His salvation, then we too can say, as Simeon did, that we are ready to depart in peace whenever that time comes. For us believers, we do not have to fear death. We can go in peace, knowing we depart to be with our Savior. And every time we worship the Lord, whether in communion or whenever we read from Scripture, we can say, we can now depart in peace to go and do what the Lord has given us to do, knowing that we go in the power of His salvation. Let us say with Simeon:
29 “Now, Lord, You are letting Your bond-servant depart in peace, According to Your word; 30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation, 31 Which You have prepared in the presence of all the peoples: 32 A light for revelation for the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.”
Amen.
Pray: Heavenly Father, we thank You for preparing for us the way of salvation. Thank You for sending Jesus to die on the cross for us. Thank You for the forgiveness, hope and peace that faith in Jesus brings. Help us, by Your Holy Spirit, to be led by You. Please open our ears and hearts to hear You when You speak. We love You and praise Your name forever. Amen.
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