For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.
Scripture: Luke 2:25-35
.
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?
