Written ~ 12-28-2023
Luke 2:25-32
25 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. The Holy Spirit was upon him 26 and had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 That day the Spirit led him to the Temple. So when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required, 28 Simeon was there. He took the child in his arms and praised God, saying,
29 “Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace,
as you have promised.
30 I have seen your salvation,
31 which you have prepared for all people.
32 He is a light to reveal God to the nations,
and He is the glory of your people Israel!”
When Jesus was eight days old Joseph and Mary brought Him to the Temple to be circumcised and dedicated to the Lord. It was then they confirmed His name was to be Jesus, this being the name He was given even before He was conceived. (See verses 2:21-24)
Simeon was a devout servant of the Lord, he was one of the few that still heard from the Lord and longed for the day that the Messiah would come. It was revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that “he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah” (verse 2:26). Simeon was led by the Holy Spirit to go to the Temple that very day, so it was Simeon who Joseph and Mary walked up to when dedicating their baby to the Lord. As they approached, his prayer had been answered. When he took Jesus into his arms, he knew he was holding the Messiah.
I can visualize Simeon lifting Jesus up over his head and praising God for His promised Son. And what I absolutely love is in verse 2:32, Simeon describes Jesus as a Light. And that He is, from the moment of His birth until now and to every generation to come, He is the Light. Joseph and Mary were amazed by the things that were being said about their baby (verse 2:33). Jesus was to be a man who revealed the deepest thoughts of every heart. He would cause people to fall, but also to rise, though many would follow Him, many would oppose Him (verses 2:34-35).
Can you imagine what Mary must have been thinking? Though wonderous things had been told to her by the angel Gabriel before she conceived… it must have really hit home when even Simeon, someone she may have never met before was saying these magnificent things about her son. But there’s a very poignant statement told to Mary, “…a sword will pierce your very soul…” (verse 2:35b) Though Mary would see all the wonderous things her son would do, she would also be witness to the hatred of those who would not believe in who He was, a sword to her soul. She would stand by and watch as her son’s body was torn and bloodied, then nailed to a cross, a sword to her soul. So that statement given to her by Simeon that day would have been tucked away deep within her heart and as the mother to that precious child, I’m sure she thought of it often.
While Joseph and Mary were having this intimate moment with Simeon, along came Anna. Anna was a known prophetess who served in the Temple every day, she never left. When she came up to them she began praising God and talked to everyone around them, telling them that this child was the promise of God, the One they had been waiting for (verses 2:36-38).
What do you think that walk home would have been like? Do you think Joseph and Mary were silent the whole way home? Or were they in constant chatter about all that had happened in the past few days! Remember Jesus was only eight days old! After the shepherds came to worship Jesus, I’m sure the word started to spread that something very special had happened. Curiosity would have gotten the best of anyone hearing about the Messiah being born.
Sometime later, possibly, nearly two years later, Joseph and Mary were visited by wise men (these men were considered royal astrologers), they were following the stars and one particular star led them to Jesus. They came to worship the new King, they presented Jesus with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. The Bible doesn’t record what Joseph and Mary were doing between the time of Jesus’ dedication with Simeon to the day the wise men showed up. But I’m thinking it was just life as usual! Joseph was a carpenter, so he would have been busy working, while Mary tended to her children and the household duties. Then these wise men show up at their doorstep. Who knows! Maybe it all came flooding back that, truly, their son Jesus was really quite special!
You can read the story about the wise men here in Matthew 2:1-11…
1 Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, 2 “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.”
3 King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. 4 He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?”
5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote:
6 ‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah,
are not least among the ruling cities of Judah,
for a ruler will come from you
who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’”
7 Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. 8 Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!”
9 After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! 11 They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
What a spectacular moment this must have been. Mary could’ve been sweeping the floor or she could’ve been preparing to feed Jesus, then she hears a knock at the door. Can you just picture how wide her eyes must have gotten when she saw this huge entourage at her front door. I’m sure she had someone go fetch Joseph from his workshop right away!
Yes, the realization that Christ Jesus, the Messiah was indeed there, the King of the Jews had been born and the wise men found him. They honored him with glorious gifts and worshiped him.
Let us rejoice! Just as Simeon and Anna did at the discovery that they beheld the Son of God, the Messiah! Let us worship as the wise men did as they bowed before the King above all kings. Let us praise the Lord God Almighty for giving us His Son as our Savior. Our Redeemer. Our Light.
~AMEN~