Luke 2:34
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; 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;
About forty days after the birth of Christ, Joseph and Mary took Him to Jerusalem to the Temple for His dedication, to present Him to the Lord and to offer sacrifice according to the Jewish law. As man's substitute Christ was conforming to the law in every particular, having already been subjected to the rite of circumcision as a pledge of His obedience to the law. The dedication was the presentation of the infant Jesus at the Temple in Jerusalem by Mary and Joseph.
The setting stands within the circumcision and presentation of Jesus in Jerusalem, when the law for a mother required a lamb for a burnt offering and a dove for a sin offering, or two doves if the parents were poor. Those unblemished offerings represented Christ. They show that Jesus Himself was free from physical deformity, strong and healthy in body, living in conformity to nature's laws as well as spiritually, as the lamb without blemish and without spot and the example of what obedience makes humanity to be.
It was spoken into the hope of pious Jews who believed the appointed time for the Messiah had come. They expected Him to reveal God's will clearly, to free their faith from human traditions and needless ceremonies, and to dispel ignorance and bigotry. Simeon, enlightened and guided by the Holy Spirit to understand Christ's mission, took the infant Jesus in his arms and blessed Joseph and Mary. He spoke the prophecy to Mary during the presentation in the temple, and Anna confirmed his testimony about Christ, with their temple testimony declaring Jesus' divinity.
The child is set to divide many in Israel, bringing a fall to some and a rising again to others. He is to be a sign that will be opposed. That opposition will reveal the thoughts of many hearts.
Those willing to receive divine light are led toward truth, while those who resist it fall into deeper darkness. The priests and rulers who rejected Christ through resistance illustrate this falling, in contrast to Simeon who represents those who revere God, listen for His guidance, and accept instruction. People must fall upon Christ the Rock and be broken, letting go of self and pride, before they can be raised up in Him. The Jews rejected the honor that comes through humiliation and therefore rejected their Redeemer.
The revealing of hearts came at the crucifixion in the persecutors, the revilers, and the murderers, whose character-defining attributes were developed, while unbelieving Israel took sides with the first great apostate. Mary realized the truth of the prophecy as she stood by the cross where Jesus hung. This shows the general truth that circumstances under God's providence reveal character that might otherwise remain concealed. The sword that would pierce Mary's own soul so that thoughts would be revealed means suffering and sorrow borne for Christ's sake, coming even to the mother of Jesus. Yet it cannot separate from the love of God and cannot kill the soul because the life is hid with Christ in God.