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Scripture: Luke 2:25-35

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Bio:

• Simeon is righteous and devout.
• He takes the infant Jesus in his arms—suggesting he may have been a priest at the temple. (Jesus was taken there on his 40th day and his parents made the required offering—see Lev 12:1-8.)
• Having recognized the Messiah, Simeon is now ready to die. (This implies that he is advanced in years.)
• He served the Lord faithfully, even though he had grown old.

Simeon's insight:

• He realized that the good news was not for Israel only, but for the entire world. This was no narrow nationalism, but a universal vision. (Recall that in early Christianity, it was a struggle for many Jewish Christians to welcome Gentile Christians as full partners in the gospel.)
• Simeon's perspective is deeply scriptural.
• Although one might have expected everything about the message of the Messiah to be positive (happy news), Simeon realizes there is a dark, doleful aspect to the dawning Messianic age. Not everyone will happy accept the Messiah and his message.
• He foresaw that a sword would pierce Mary's soul, tool (probably referring to the agony of watching her son's crucifixion, when she's approximately 50 years old).
• He rejoiced in and was content with God’s will

Application:

• Are we like Simeon? If we are older Christians, do we still have passion for the Lord?
• Do we have a truly scriptural perspective, or is it only a patchwork of loosely connected ideas?
• Are we content in accepting God’s will for my life, for his people, and for the world?