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. 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. 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, he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said:
“Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word; For my eyes have seen Your salvation Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.”
And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him. Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity; and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem. Luke 2:25-38
The Holy Spirit led Simeon to go to the temple to see the Messiah! The Lord had spoken to him about seeing the Savior before he died, and when the spirit led Simeon, he did not hesitate to go to the temple. When he saw the baby, he held the baby, and with the eyes of faith, he recognized Jesus as the Messiah. Simeon prophesied boldly about Him. He even declared that through Him the salvation was going to come to the Jews and the Gentiles. This was the first time that salvation for Jews and Gentiles was mentioned in the New Testament!
Furthermore, Anna who was a devout woman of God and known to be a prophetess also saw Jesus and recognized Him as the Savior. She began to speak about Him to others and told them about the redemption that was going to come.
Both Simeon and Anna were faithful servants of the Lord who were wise and ready for the appearance of the Savior. They had prepared for decades for the arrival of Jesus on the scene. While they did not see the work of Jesus on the Cross, they welcomed it from a distance and spoke boldly about it to others.
Jesus’ birth is the demarkation in history pointing to the fact that everything is different after His birth and His sacrificial work on the Cross. Just as Simeon and Anna were chosen by God to proclaim the Messiah, He has chosen all His sons and daughters to proclaim the Good News of Salvation and Reconciliation with God. Hallelujah!
May His peace, joy, and rest be with you today and always! Merry Christmas!
