Scripture: St. Luke 2:25-32 (NKJV)
25 And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man
was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit
was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he
would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 So he came by the
Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do
for Him according to the custom of the law, 28 he took Him up in his arms and
blessed God and said: 29 “Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in
peace, according to Your word; 30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation 31 which
You have prepared before the face of all peoples, 32 a light to bring
revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.”
Devotion
We read that Simeon was a “righteous” Israelite, meaning he was “judged
righteous” or “justified” in the eyes of God. It also says that Simeon was
“devout,” meaning that he truly lived out his faith in devotion to his Lord. So
we see in these two descriptions the sum total of the Christian existence:
justification (being judged righteous) and sanctification (the living out of
our justified state).
But what’s more remarkable about Simeon is not who he is, but what’s done to
and for Simeon. Three times in the first three verses of our text the Holy
Spirit is the actor. The Holy Spirit made Simeon long for his salvation. The
Holy Spirit made him devout, and revealed to him that he would get to see his
salvation with his own earthly eyes. The Holy Spirit guided Simeon into the
temple, giving him eyes of faith to recognize his salvation. And finally, it
was the Holy Spirit who primed Simeon to prophesy with such foresight, clarity,
and truth.
Then Simeon’s big day came, right there in the Jerusalem temple. His conception
of salvation took on clarity and substance. He took the Child in his arms, and
literally beheld his Savior. As he did so, Simeon made the profound confession
and prophecy that described Who this child really is. One might wonder if
Simeon was thinking, “I wonder Who is really holding whom?” For it was the
Christ, Who would bring us to the Father.
The Lutheran Herald is a publication of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of
North America. These daily devotions are authored by the bishop, pastors, and
deacons of the diocese. Daily posts are provided by The Reverend Jeffrey A.
Ahonen.
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