Beyond The Glitter To The Glory

Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace, as you have promised. I have seen your salvation, which you have prepared for all people.

Luke 2:29-31

These are the words of a man named Simeon, who had been gestating a promise in his life. Luke tells us little about Simeon except that he was old, that he was righteous and devout, and that God had made him a promise. God had promised Simeon that his eyes would see the Savior.

When Mary and Joseph brought their little baby to the Temple courts, they had come to offer the customary sacrifices at the customary time in the customary way—an ordinary scene. Nothing outstanding or unusual was happening; nothing occurred to draw Simeon’s attention to the family from Nazareth.

At Simeon’s age, it is likely that his eyesight had faded. He probably could not see as clearly as many of those at the Temple that day. Yet Simeon saw and recognized in the flesh what his heart had been seeing in the Spirit for years—the fulfillment of God’s promise. There it was, cloaked in the ordinary. Those who were focused on rites and ceremonies, those who were evaluating position and prestige, missed it. Though the fulfilled promise was right in their midst, they were blind to the presence. But Simeon, whose spiritual sight was sharp, saw clearly.

When he saw the Promised One, he proclaimed himself at peace. Simeon took Jesus up in his arms—and looked into the face of his Savior. What a moment that must have been. I imagine that tears flooded his eyes and tumbled down his craggy cheeks. He had to have felt that divine and eternal moment with his whole being. Simeon held his own salvation in his embrace and felt the Master’s touch. He had gestated a promise and now saw it revealed on the earth. He could now say, “As you have promised.”

Lord Jesus, let me see you in the ordinary. Let me recognize you in the comings and goings. Let me look beyond the glitter of the moments and see the glory of your presence. And I, too, will be at peace.

We must make the invisible kingdom visible in our midst.

John Calvin(1509–1564), French theologian and pastor