Hope Awakening: Simeon

“Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, awaiting the consolation of Israel, and the holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Messiah of the Lord. He came in the Spirit to the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to perform the custom of the law in regard to him, he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying ‘Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in sight of all the peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and glory for your people Israel.'”
Luke 2:25-32

Mary and Joseph have an eventful trip to the temple! We read that this encounter occurs while the couple is visiting to complete Mary’s purification offering and the dedication of Jesus to the Lord (oh, the irony – dedicating God to God). Luke introduces us to another righteous and devout Jewish man, Simeon. We’ve read in our time together of a few righteous people: Zechariah, Elizabeth and Joseph. Lest you begin to think this is common . . . I assure you, it’s not. In the Old Testament, only Noah is described using the Hebrew word for righteous, tsaddiyq (in Greek the word is dikaios). Other variations of this word include perfect and just. One scholar suggests there are only 13 people in the entire Bible given this honored description! (You can see the list for yourself here.)

Simeon, like other faithful Jewish persons of this time, awaited the “consolation of Israel.” The Greek word for consolation is paraklesin, which also means encouragement or comfort. Having endured years of silence from God, His people were eager for Him to return, comfort them, and redeem them. The Holy Spirit was upon Simeon (another characteristic that was uncommon in these times!) and revealed to him that he would live to see the Messiah. We don’t know his age or how long in advance he was told he’d see Jesus, but we do know by his actions that he wholly trusted and believed this revelation from God.

God’s Spirit led Simeon to the temple on this fateful day. It doesn’t sound to me as though Simeon had plans to go to the temple, which is an encouragement for obedience. Simeon perhaps had other plans for that day, but when he felt the nudge from God, he went! And what a blessing God had in store for him. Picture Simeon entering the temple and glancing around. He’s praying for God to open his eyes and reveal the Messiah to him. Then he sees them: a young woman with her husband and child. Without hesitation, he walks over to the small family that no one else seems to notice.

What happens next brings to mind a scene from The Lion King. Every time I read about Simeon taking Jesus into his arms and blessing him, I hear the song from Lion King play in my head: “Nants ingonyama bagithi baba” (I had to look up the lyrics because I actually had no idea what the words are, but if you know you know). I envision Simeon taking hold of little baby Jesus and holding him up, just as Rafiki did to Simba when he blessed him and presented him to the Pride Lands as the new king.

You’re welcome.

There’s not a lot of rejoicing going on in the temple at the sight of Jesus. In fact, no one seems to notice him at all. Simeon, however, heads toward them. We aren’t privy to any conversation between Simeon, Mary and Joseph but I imagine words are exchanged before Simeon takes hold of Jesus. Simeon praises God for allowing him to meet the Messiah, this most anticipated person, the Redeemer of all humanity!

Here’s the part of Simeon’s blessing that speaks to us. Simeon proclaims that this infant child will be a light for revelation to the Gentiles. That’s us! Gentiles were non-Israelites. Generally, Gentiles were considered unclean enemies of the Jewish people. Jesus, though, came to reconcile all people to God! Simeon’s words echo Isaiah’s prophecy: “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned” (9:2). Jesus fulfilled this prophecy by bringing eternal life (light) to all who lived under the shadow of death (darkness).

Reflection: Simeon provides another example of a faithful follower of God who obeys when prompted. This is a personal struggle of mine, if I’m being honest. I will feel a nudge, but then reason it away as not from God. The few times that I have been obedient brought great blessing, even if just the feeling of peace that washed over me. As we head toward a new year and many of us are thinking about resolutions, may we all resolve to be obedient like Simeon and allow God’s Spirit to lead us.