Anything New Happen?

Luke 2:25-35

(Nunc Dimittis: The Song of Simeon)

25Now there was a man named Simeon who lived in Jerusalem. He was a righteous man and very devout. He was filled with the Holy Spirit, and he eagerly expected the Messiah to come and rescue Israel. 26The Holy Spirit had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27That 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, 28Simeon was there. He took the child in his arms and praised God, saying,

29“Lord, now I can die in peace!

As you promised me,

30I have seen the Savior

31you have given to all people.

32He is a light to reveal God to the nations,

and he is the glory of your people Israel!”

33Joseph and Mary were amazed at what was being said about Jesus. 34Then Simeon blessed them, and he said to Mary, “This child will be rejected by many in Israel, and it will be their undoing. But he will be the greatest joy to many others. 35Thus, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul.”

Psalm Link

Psalm 62:5

I wait quietly before God,

for my hope is in him.

According to an old story, a traveler walked into a country store in the hills of Kentucky one wintry day in 1809 and asked, “Anything new happen around here lately?” The proprietor almost laughed. “Around here, stranger? Nothing happens around here. A baby was born in the Lincoln cabin last night; that’s all.”

Who knows the eventual impact of a life? Simeon knew.

Mary and Joseph brought the baby Jesus to the Temple when he was eight days old, fulfilling the requirements of the law of Moses. Simeon was there with a prophecy of good news and bad news from the Lord. The good news was that this baby Messiah would save not just the Jews; he would be a light for all people. The bad news was that many of his own people would reject him, and Mary would experience great sorrow as a result.

Simeon’s words could serve as an outline for the rest of the New Testament. Jesus’ ministry glorified God within Israel at first. He was accepted by some and rejected by others. The message of his death and resurrection spread like lightning throughout the world. So Simeon was standing at the turning point of all history, and he knew it.

Don’t let the significance of Jesus’ birth pass you by. Celebrate this season of his entry into the world, and remember the day you first met him. Because of Jesus, nothing else will ever be the same.

Thou didst leave thy throne and thy kingly crown

When thou camest to earth for me;

But in Bethlehem’s home there was found no room

For thy holy nativity:

O come to my heart, Lord Jesus,

There is room in my heart for thee.

EMILY E. S. ELLIOTT

Bible Networking

To hear more of what would pierce Mary’s heart, read the messianic Psalm 22.

Notable Quotable

“[For Simeon] to hold that baby in his arms was to have death revealed to him, not as dissolution, but as emancipation. The great and glorious fact that would emerge was that Christ has abolished death.”

G. CAMPBELL MORGAN