Simeon Holds the Baby Jesus in the Templeby CBPepper
2:26Luke 2:26
And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.
The Holy Spirit revealed to Simeon, a just and devout man in Jerusalem waiting for the consolation of Israel, that he would not die before he had seen the Messiah and Saviour. The promise was fulfilled about forty days after Christ's birth when the Spirit led Simeon into the temple at the presentation of Jesus according to the law, where he took the Child in his arms and blessed God for seeing salvation prepared for all people. He recognized the infant by spiritual discernment, seeing heavenly light upon Him and knowing Him at once as the long-awaited One, while the priest saw only an ordinary child of a poor family. Simeon lived under the daily influence of the Holy Spirit, revering God and listening for His voice, so that the hope of Israel became to him a personal living reality and he received divine illumination of Christ's mission. His testimony with Anna came at the close of the Jewish dispensation to testify to Jesus' divinity and usher in the Messiah, reflecting the faith of pious aged Jews who prayed to see the Saviour and trusted the prophets that the appointed time had come.
Setting and Fulfillment
About forty days after Christ's birth Joseph and Mary took Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord and to offer sacrifice according to the Jewish law, for as man's substitute He had to conform to the law in every particular, having already been subjected to the rite of circumcision as a pledge of His obedience to the law.
In Jerusalem was Simeon, just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, with the Holy Ghost upon him. By the Holy Ghost it was revealed to him that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ, the Messiah and Saviour and Anointed One of Israel. The same Spirit that gave this promise also testified to others who resisted, yet to Simeon it made the hope of Israel's consolation a personal living hope.
The promise was fulfilled when the Spirit led him into the temple at the presentation, where he took the child Jesus in his arms and blessed God, seeing God's salvation prepared before the face of all people, a light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of Israel, so that he could depart in peace according to God's word. Led by the Spirit he prophesied of Jesus as the One through whom God opened great things of the future, especially the first advent of Christ to suffer for sinners. He saw and blessed Jesus and prophesied about Him, recognizing in the infant the long-awaited Consolation of Israel and Saviour.
While the priest looked on Christ as any other child and saw nothing unusual in a poor family presenting their firstborn son, Simeon discerned spiritual things spiritually, understood the warnings of the Spirit, and was deeply impressed that this infant was the One he had longed to see. As soon as he saw Jesus he knew He was the Promised One, seeing a soft, heavenly light on His face, and that recognition filled him with a joy he had never felt before as he took the swaddled infant in his arms and presented Him to God and praised God for salvation prepared for all people, with Mary and Joseph bringing the child and the aged Anna looking on. While the proud and selfish priests could not know who Jesus was, God showed hidden things to His true servant.
God preserved Simeon's life until Jesus was presented so he could receive Him as Saviour and have the joyful privilege of testifying that He was the promised Messiah, a preservation also given to Anna for the same testimony, they being two true servants grown old in God's service. Their temple testimony testified to Jesus' divinity and came at the close of the Jewish dispensation to help usher in the Messiah. At that time the spirit of prophecy reappeared after nearly disappearing for centuries because of corruptions in the Jewish church.
Faith and Spiritual Discernment
Simeon was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, because the Spirit of the Lord was upon him and he lived under the influence of the Holy Spirit. He lived in daily need of receiving the Holy Spirit and the righteousness of Christ, habitually laying hold by faith of the cleansing, converting power and renewing grace that makes a person one with God. He received communication from God that revealed divine secrets to him, including that he would not die before seeing the Lord's Christ. That promise made the hope of the consolation of Israel to him a personal hope and a living reality.
Because he revered God, listened for His voice, and was willing to be taught, he received divine illumination and understood Christ's mission. Those who wait on the Lord and accept the Spirit's light are likewise led toward truth, while those who refuse that light come more deeply under darkness and the influence of darkness.
God shows hidden things to His true servants, while the proud and selfish priests could not know who Jesus was. As Simeon entered the temple and saw a poor family presenting their firstborn son, the priest looked on Christ as any other child and saw nothing unusual, but Simeon discerned spiritual things spiritually. He understood the warnings of the Spirit and was deeply impressed that this infant was the Consolation of Israel, the One he had longed to see, seeing a soft, heavenly light on His face and knowing at once He was the Promised One. That recognition filled him with a joy he had never felt before as he took the child in his arms and presented Him to God and praised God for salvation prepared for all people. The same Holy Spirit that revealed Jesus as the Lord's Christ and Israel's Anointed One likewise testified to the Pharisees and urged them to acknowledge Him, but they resisted that light.
The promise reflects the faith of the pious, aged Jews who waited day and night for the coming Messiah and prayed that they might see the Saviour before they died. They believed God would not leave His people in bondage and reproach to the heathen. From the predictions of the prophets they trusted that the appointed time for Messiah's coming had arrived and was near at hand. They trusted that through Him they would have a clear revelation of the divine will, that their doctrines would be freed from the traditions and needless ceremonies which had confused their faith, and they longed to see the cloud of ignorance and bigotry dispelled from the minds of the people.
The Holy Spirit revealed to Simeon, a just and devout man in Jerusalem waiting for the consolation of Israel, that he would not die before he had seen the Messiah and Saviour. The promise was fulfilled about forty days after Christ's birth when the Spirit led Simeon into the temple at the presentation of Jesus according to the law, where he took the Child in his arms and blessed God for seeing salvation prepared for all people. He recognized the infant by spiritual discernment, seeing heavenly light upon Him and knowing Him at once as the long-awaited One, while the priest saw only an ordinary child of a poor family. Simeon lived under the daily influence of the Holy Spirit, revering God and listening for His voice, so that the hope of Israel became to him a personal living reality and he received divine illumination of Christ's mission. His testimony with Anna came at the close of the Jewish dispensation to testify to Jesus' divinity and usher in the Messiah, reflecting the faith of pious aged Jews who prayed to see the Saviour and trusted the prophets that the appointed time had come.
Setting and Fulfillment
About forty days after Christ's birth Joseph and Mary took Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord and to offer sacrifice according to the Jewish law, for as man's substitute He had to conform to the law in every particular, having already been subjected to the rite of circumcision as a pledge of His obedience to the law.
In Jerusalem was Simeon, just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, with the Holy Ghost upon him. By the Holy Ghost it was revealed to him that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ, the Messiah and Saviour and Anointed One of Israel. The same Spirit that gave this promise also testified to others who resisted, yet to Simeon it made the hope of Israel's consolation a personal living hope.
The promise was fulfilled when the Spirit led him into the temple at the presentation, where he took the child Jesus in his arms and blessed God, seeing God's salvation prepared before the face of all people, a light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of Israel, so that he could depart in peace according to God's word. Led by the Spirit he prophesied of Jesus as the One through whom God opened great things of the future, especially the first advent of Christ to suffer for sinners. He saw and blessed Jesus and prophesied about Him, recognizing in the infant the long-awaited Consolation of Israel and Saviour.
While the priest looked on Christ as any other child and saw nothing unusual in a poor family presenting their firstborn son, Simeon discerned spiritual things spiritually, understood the warnings of the Spirit, and was deeply impressed that this infant was the One he had longed to see. As soon as he saw Jesus he knew He was the Promised One, seeing a soft, heavenly light on His face, and that recognition filled him with a joy he had never felt before as he took the swaddled infant in his arms and presented Him to God and praised God for salvation prepared for all people, with Mary and Joseph bringing the child and the aged Anna looking on. While the proud and selfish priests could not know who Jesus was, God showed hidden things to His true servant.
God preserved Simeon's life until Jesus was presented so he could receive Him as Saviour and have the joyful privilege of testifying that He was the promised Messiah, a preservation also given to Anna for the same testimony, they being two true servants grown old in God's service. Their temple testimony testified to Jesus' divinity and came at the close of the Jewish dispensation to help usher in the Messiah. At that time the spirit of prophecy reappeared after nearly disappearing for centuries because of corruptions in the Jewish church.
Faith and Spiritual Discernment
Simeon was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, because the Spirit of the Lord was upon him and he lived under the influence of the Holy Spirit. He lived in daily need of receiving the Holy Spirit and the righteousness of Christ, habitually laying hold by faith of the cleansing, converting power and renewing grace that makes a person one with God. He received communication from God that revealed divine secrets to him, including that he would not die before seeing the Lord's Christ. That promise made the hope of the consolation of Israel to him a personal hope and a living reality.
Because he revered God, listened for His voice, and was willing to be taught, he received divine illumination and understood Christ's mission. Those who wait on the Lord and accept the Spirit's light are likewise led toward truth, while those who refuse that light come more deeply under darkness and the influence of darkness.
God shows hidden things to His true servants, while the proud and selfish priests could not know who Jesus was. As Simeon entered the temple and saw a poor family presenting their firstborn son, the priest looked on Christ as any other child and saw nothing unusual, but Simeon discerned spiritual things spiritually. He understood the warnings of the Spirit and was deeply impressed that this infant was the Consolation of Israel, the One he had longed to see, seeing a soft, heavenly light on His face and knowing at once He was the Promised One. That recognition filled him with a joy he had never felt before as he took the child in his arms and presented Him to God and praised God for salvation prepared for all people. The same Holy Spirit that revealed Jesus as the Lord's Christ and Israel's Anointed One likewise testified to the Pharisees and urged them to acknowledge Him, but they resisted that light.
The promise reflects the faith of the pious, aged Jews who waited day and night for the coming Messiah and prayed that they might see the Saviour before they died. They believed God would not leave His people in bondage and reproach to the heathen. From the predictions of the prophets they trusted that the appointed time for Messiah's coming had arrived and was near at hand. They trusted that through Him they would have a clear revelation of the divine will, that their doctrines would be freed from the traditions and needless ceremonies which had confused their faith, and they longed to see the cloud of ignorance and bigotry dispelled from the minds of the people.