Written by Rev. Dr. Norman Broadbent
First Congregational Church of Fresno
Luke 2:25-33
Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying, “Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.” And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him.
The narrative begins eight days after the birth of Jesus and the visit from the shepherds. The baby is named and circumcised — a rite that marks Jesus as Jewish, as part of the people that God has called. Jesus is firmly located within the people with whom God has kept covenant for hundreds of years. In Luke 2:21 we also have the fulfillment of the angel’s instruction in 1:31 to name the baby “Jesus,” a name that means “God saves.”
Simeon is a man under the influence of the Holy Spirit, and it is the Holy Spirit who brings Simeon to the temple at the right time. This continues an emphasis on the role of the Holy Spirit that began in Luke 1 and continues throughout. It will be the Holy Spirit that rests on Jesus and enables his ministry (4:1-18) and who will give power for witness and growth to the church (Acts 1:8). When Simeon lifts up Jesus, he makes an amazing declaration about this baby.
This baby is the one who will be the salvation of the whole world — not just Jews but also Gentiles. But immediately after this declaration of salvation, Simeon turns to Mary and tells her that this salvation will not come easy. Jesus will be the source of rising and falling for people in Israel. Joel Green notes that “we gain sight of an ominous cloud, the first explicit manifestation of the reality that God’s purpose will not be universally supported, and the first candid portent that the narrative to follow will be a story of conflict.”
Yet this segment offers a startling sense of peace- perhaps in the hope of an old man cradling an infant, each now in the capture of the Holy Spirit.
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