SIMEON THE MESSAGE (Lk. 2:29-35) 29 Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: 30 For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, 31 Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; 32 A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel. 33 And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him. 34 And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; 35 (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. We began our study by looking at Simeon, the man and putting together a summary of his background, as provided for us by Luke. We are told he Lk. 2:25 was a man in Jerusalem [who] was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. He was a true saint, in the midst of a people who had lost sight of the privileges and promises of God. We then went on to consider Simeon, the messenger, and we saw the qualities that established his reliability as a truly credible witness the person God used for this great event when the Baby Jesus was presented in the temple. Luke recorded, 26 And it was revealed unto him [Simeon] by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ. 27 And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, 28 Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God Simeon the man, Simeon the messenger We come now to study the message Simeon brought, 28 Then took he [Simeon] him [Jesus] up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, 29 Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: 30 For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, 31 Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; 32 A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel. 33 And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him. 34 And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; 35 (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. As Simeon held Jesus in his arms, there was nothing visibly different about the Child but he knew the Baby he was holding was the Saviour, the Messiah, the Anointed One the Christ. And he believed all the promises in the Old Testament concerning Him. This was the climax of Simeon s ministry in his service for God, mine eyes have seen thy salvation. He didn t see the Messiah coming into Jerusalem riding on a horse, at the head of a great army He didn t see Him coming in a victorious chariot, being escorted in through the gate to Jerusalem.
2 No, he did not see the Messiah coming in great glory with pomp and ceremony. No, a young man and a young woman brought a little Child into the temple to him, - Simeon, - and he knew it was Jesus! How did he know? He knew!! Beyond any shadow of a doubt, he knew! He opened his mouth and he declared what the Holy Spirit had confirmed in his heart and he knew this was the moment he had been waiting for, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word. Lord, You have kept Your word I have seen the Christ I m ready to go home to Glory. But take that a stage further He wasn t ready to die simply because he had seen Jesus. Many people would have seen Mary and Joseph bringing their little Boy into the temple, - they would have seen a little face poking out of the shawl that was covering Him Yes, surely many people would have seen the Baby Jesus on His way into the temple but it cannot be said everyone who saw Jesus that day had seen Him as Simeon had seen Him. A little baby is an attraction and many people are attracted to look upon and consider Jesus without it having any lasting effect upon them. They are attracted to Him, but not sufficiently to make the change in their life that is necessary for salvation but Simeon experienced the change in his life. Why? You see, Simeon held Him in his arms he looked into His face but what made the difference was simply this Simeon looked upon Jesus and saw in Jesus his personal Saviour for he said, mine eyes have seen thy salvation. He wasn t simply looking at a baby, for he was looking at Christ and seeing Him as Saviour. This was the Baby he had in his arms and he also had Him as Saviour in his heart. God had done the work of grace in him so as to make this Baby precious. Many people hear about Jesus, but Jesus only becomes real when your eyes and your heart is opened to receive Him by the power of the Holy Spirit. That is what had happened here! That is how Simeon was ready to die, - seeing Jesus had effectuated the change in his life forever. He would not have been with Jesus long, but it was sufficient to prepare him for eternity. There is nothing more important than to know where your destiny after this life ends and it is only when you look to Christ and be saved that you will know for certain you will be with Him. The hymn says, Look! Look! Look and live! There is life at this moment for thee. And God privileged Simeon to look to Christ as his Saviour, and be saved, and be ready to die. That is the only preparation which is necessary, Then take with rejoicing from Jesus at once The life everlasting He gives; And know with assurance thou never canst die, Since Jesus, thy righteousness, lives.
3 And then Simeon continued, 30 For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, 31 Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; 32 A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel. Here is an ordinary man, - a priest, - but yet an ordinary man, and he is making such an astounding announcement! Imagine if what he had been saying had gone through a loud-speaker all over the temple! Listen to its echoes reverberating in that holy place He and his people believed the Messiah would come and establish His Kingdom among them, and that He and they would rule over the Gentiles. They didn t have any time for the Gentiles. The Gentiles had caused them nothing but grief and trouble. Besides, God had chosen the Jews, - the descendants of Abraham through Isaac and Jacob, - and set them apart but lo and behold, old Simeon was speaking as a prophet in the temple with Jesus in his arms and he is prophesying that this Jesus is the fulfilment of the ancient covenants and promises and that even the Gentiles are included in God s plan of salvation! That is not something they had paid attention to before. Isaiah had mentioned it though. He had spoken about it, - God the Father had said concerning His Son, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations. Is. 9:2 The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined Galilee, that is where Jesus came from! And then Simeon quoted specifically, Is. 42:1 Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth 6 I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles 49:6 I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth. Many of the people in the temple would not have wanted to hear about God including the Gentiles in His plan of salvation! But that was the message Simeon simply and quietly gave to Mary and Joseph. It is understandable the Jews forgetting any good plans God would have for the Gentiles The Gentiles who invaded the land of Israel were vicious and cruel pagan idolaters. They brought in their idols and corrupted the temple. They violated God s people and the Jews would have had very few good words to say about them. It s the same today, though. There is a class of the Jew that has very little good things to say about the Gentiles and to a degree, you can understand it. Their history records how wicked the Catholic Crusaders were to their ancestors (1095-1291). They remember how the Protestant Martin Luther castigated the Jews. As far as they are concerned, Adolf Hitler was a protégé of the Christian Church. And regarding our own nation, they remember how the
4 British soldiers kept them on ships out in the Mediterranean Sea and hindered them from returning to their own land in 1947. The Jews are renowned for having long memories and Simeon s announcement would have gone against the grain, 32 A light to lighten the Gentiles. Such an amazing statement though. If we had the time, we could turn to Romans 9-11 and examine further how God would bring this to pass, 11:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. 26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: 27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. 28 As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes. To the Jew first (Rom. 1:16; 2:10), but in God s wonderful and eternal grace, He also included the salvation of Gentiles. And when Simeon prayed and blessed God (v.28), he was lifting before the Lord the plan that would bring about our salvation as well as the salvation of his own people. He believed the prophets for he believed God s Word! Simeon would have been amongst that number John saw in Heaven who were redeemed by the blood of Christ out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation (Rev. 5:9) Gentiles, as well as Jews. Just before Jesus left, He said to His disciples, Mk. 16:15 Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. And when Jesus returns and Is. 2:2 the mountain of the LORD'S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills 3 out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem... 52:7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings And the consequence of their preaching will be this, Is. 60:2 For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee [i.e. the Jews], and his glory shall be seen upon thee. 3 And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising Is. 52:10 The LORD hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God That is what Simeon was praying! He believed God had prepared salvation for both the Jew and the Gentile. He was an old man, but he was away ahead of his time because he trusted in the literal word of God! That is how we can make sense of all that is going on around us. It was the same for Simeon in his day. It was so dark spiritually. A Godless government was in charge. A Godless religion was polluting society. Godlessness was in control and yet God had kept His remnant, as He always does.
5 Yes, it is dark but not so dark that the light of God s glory has lost its effectiveness, Is. 11:9 the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea. Do you believe that? Or, do you believe those who say the Church is just about finished?! No, it is far from finished! Take God at His Word as He says it! Don t be afraid to believe. Don t take away from it, or try to make it say something it s not! God s Word is perfect the way it is! Old Simeon had impeccable vision for he saw the Child in his arms as the Saviour, the Messiah, and the King! Lk. 2:33 And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him. Doesn t it make you marvel that our Saviour is coming back and He will rule as King over this earth?! But, before that, something heart-breaking had to happen, 34 And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; 35 (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. He tells Mary, - for Joseph will be removed through death, - there is going to be suffering, and conflict, and pain. There s going to be a falling of many in Israel. It will usher in a time of separation, and they will be separated from their land, and they will wander further away from God. They will be taken out of their own country, and they will flee into the nations. However, while some in Israel will inevitably fall, there will also be others who will surely rise. Simeon prophesied there would be Jews who will enjoy what Christ will bring, and they will rise. Those who arise will experience His peace and prosperity and righteousness. Another dimension to this is that there are even going to be Gentiles saved. And then Simeon developed it a little further Not only will there be separation, there s also going to be opposition, and that is exactly what Jesus faced, for He shall be spoken against. He would become despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows (Is. 53:3) 2 there is no beauty that we should desire him. 3 and we esteemed him not. But why would they hate Him? Why would they despise and reject Him? Why would some fall because of Him? They would fall because they would reject Him and Simeon went on to tell Mary, - this young mother, - that what they would do to her Son would ultimately break her heart, 35 Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also and this was being told to her when she presented her son in the temple on what ought to have been a great day of joy. Yet, behind it all was God s wonderful plan of salvation. Never did a more perfect individual live, and neither was ever a greater travesty of justice done!
6 What they did to Jesus to sentence Him guilty of a false charge, - a crime He never committed, - and crucify Him on the cross, bearing shame and scoffing rude. That is what lay ahead for this little Child, and His loving mother. Just over thirty years later, she would be standing at the foot of the cross upon which He would be nailed, - and it doesn t matter what age Jesus was, He was always her Child. She would see His agony. She would experience His anguish. The sword would pierce through her soul as her people would reject her Son God s Son, and God s salvation! And so, in these final words of Simeon, we see prophesied separation, and opposition, and affliction but we also see revelation because the old man of God told her, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. You see, ultimately, - at the cross, - Jesus was not on trial but every soul. Jesus is raised up, and the words of Pontius Pilate, - even though he didn t mean it to be, - are so apt, for the question for everyone continues to be, Mt. 27:22 What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? Behind it all, - as far as God was concerned, - Pilate wasn t so much judging Jesus but Pilate himself was being judged by what he did with Jesus. Pilate s soul was on trial in the court of Divine justice God Himself being seated in judgment and so the soul of every person is on trial, and the only means of procuring liberty from the punishment that awaits the sinner is by looking to Jesus, repenting of your sin, and trusting in what He did on the cross to be sufficient to make you righteous in His Father s sight. Through Jesus there is either condemnation or salvation, - falling or rising - no in-between. Either you look at Him, receive Him and be saved or you look at Him, reject Him, and be lost and that is how the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. But, you know the problem with the thoughts of the heart? The thoughts of your heart are evil continually (Gen. 6:5), - that is what sin has done to us. That is the terrible mark it has made, - for there is none that is righteous, no not one (Rom. 3:10) Jer. 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. So, to be saved, God has to do an extraordinary work in you, Ezek. 11:19 I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh: 20 That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God. He takes the old heart out, and He gives you a new heart That is salvation, and that is why Jesus came because His Name means salvation...
7 In fact, Acts 4:12 there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. This is the message Mary, in particular, was given. Jesus came to a people full of sin... and His coming would herald the fall and rising again of many in Israel. Some would receive Him, and some would reject Him. But Simeon was there, and Anna, and Mary and Joseph and soon all their friends would be told those waiting for the consolation of Israel. He is the Messiah. He is their salvation. He is the hope of Israel, and the hope of all people, both Jew and Gentile. Aren t you glad you are saved? Aren t you thankful to the Lord He has shown you these things, and He has done the work of redemption and salvation in your life? Wouldn t you have loved to have been there standing alongside Simeon? Well, if you do know Him as Saviour, there is a day approaching when He will either be coming back for you, or He will be coming back with you. But sadly, on that day, there will be many who will be overcome with such a terrible fear the fear that comes as the consequence of having rejected God s Son as Saviour. And instead of rising, they will fall even further! If you are not saved, you re facing such rejection falling even further you are looking out into a lonely and lost and frightening eternity. And the only way to escape it is to come to Jesus in believing faith, and accept Him as your Saviour and Lord today. May God speak through this great old servant who lived so long ago Simeon, the man, the messenger, and the message! Amen.