What Are You Waiting For? The Story of Simeon

Luke 2:25-35
Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: 29 "Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. 30 For my eyes have seen your salvation, 31 which you have prepared in the sight of all people, 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel." 33 The child's father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too."

This past Sunday I challenged everybody to honestly ask themselves, "What am I waiting for?" We wait in lines, we wait for phone calls and emails, we wait for people to change, and we wait for God to answer us. But, do we wait like Simeon waited...after God had spoken a word into his life? Do we truly take and embrace that word and COMPLETELY TRUST God to deliver?

Notice the following from verse 25:
There was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. The name means "Hearing". Some think that it was Rabbi Simeon, the son of the great teacher Hillel; but the context forbids such an idea.

This man was righteous and devout. Right in outward and devout in his inward life. The first prophet to tell the world that its Messiah had come was a thoroughly good man. Looking. Waiting like Jacob and Joseph of Arimathea he realized the truth of God's promise. The Jews waited for a coming Prince, local, carnal, finite, temporal; we wait for a KING universal, spiritual, infinite, eternal, the Son of God.

For the consolation of Israel. A common name for the era of the Messiah, which was so called because the advent of the Christ would bring comfort to his people. Jews swore by the consolation of Israel, and the phrase, "May I see the consolation of Israel", was common among them. A prayer for the coming of the Messiah was daily used by them.

And the Holy Spirit was upon him. Not the indwelling that was to come, but the random "comings" of the Holy Spirit as illustrated all throughout the Old Testament period.

Simeon's Prophecy to Mary-The STONE, The SIGN & The SWORD

Simeon now blesses the Holy Family. In verse 34 we see the Greek verb eulogeo that appeared in verse 28 as "to praise, extol." Here, directed toward humans, it means, "to ask for bestowal of special favor, especially of calling down God's gracious power, bless."

Simeon's prophecy to Mary has four elements:

1) "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel." How people respond to Jesus and his message will determine their destiny. Many of Jesus' contemporaries receive his message and are saved, but the religious community, by and large, can't bring themselves to believe that Jesus can be God's Messiah. Jesus becomes "a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall" (Isaiah 8:14; 28:16; Luke 20:17-18; Romans 9:33; 1 Peter 2:6-8).

2) "and to be a sign that will be spoken against." Jesus is God's sign to his people, but he is rejected. "Spoken against" is the Greek verb antilego, "speak against, contradict someone, oppose, refuse."

3) "so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed." "Thoughts" is the Greek verb dialogismos, "content of reasoning or conclusion reached through use of reason, thought, opinion, reasoning, design." Here it seems to be used in a negative sense. Those who stumble at Jesus, who reject him and oppose his message, will finally be shown up for what they are. "Revealed" is the Greek verb apokolupto (from which we get our English word "apocalypse"). It means, "to cause something to be fully known, reveal, disclose, bring to light, make fully known" (appearing here and at Matthew 10:26 with a judicial connotation. Jesus himself is to be the judge, sitting on the judgment seat of the Messiah: "This will take place on the day when God will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ" (Romans 2:16; cf. Acts 17:31; 2 Corinthians 5:10).

4) "And a sword will pierce your own soul too." Though the Holy Spirit, Simeon can see the deep anguish that Mary will feel as her son is rejected by the nation's leaders and ultimately crucified.

Questions for Discussion:
1. Who was Simeon? (2:25) What special significance did Christ’s arrival have for him? (2:26-32)
2. What of Simeon’s prophecy is still true today?
3. Who was Anna? (2:36-37) What was her response to finding Mary, Joseph, and Christ in the temple? (2:38)
4. In what ways do you see God working behind the scenes in the events of Christ’s childhood?
5. In what ways are Simeon and Anna examples to us? What roles can other Christians have in our life of faith? As a Christian, what role can you have in another Christian’s life of faith?
6. What kind of model were Mary and Joseph setting for Jesus in their family traditions? (2:41)