A Promise Fulfilled

“And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon: and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.”  Luke 2:25

When God created His covenant with Abraham, He commanded that all males be circumcised on the eighth day of birth (Genesis 17:10-12).  Because Jesus was born into a Jewish family, He also was subject to the law at His birth, and thus was required to be circumcised when He was eight days old (Galatians 4:4).  Mary and Joseph, being obedient to the LORD, took Baby Jesus to the temple on the eighth day after He came into this world to have the rite of circumcision administered by the priest.  (Nowadays, circumcision is performed on most male babies by a doctor usually in the hospital of the baby’s birth.  I can remember years ago when I took my son to the emergency room because he had fallen and hit his head, and on the other side of the curtain was a baby who was being circumcised by a doctor.  I had never heard such painful crying in my life.  It reminded me that being obedient to the Lord sometimes requires hardship and pain.  No one ever claimed that being a Christian was an easy life.  Remember that Jesus said to “count the cost” of following Him (Luke 14:28-33).

Mary and Joseph brought the required sacrifices to the temple: either a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.  There was a man in Jerusalem at that time whose name was Simeon.  He was an honorable man who loved God and was looking for the Messiah to come to Israel.  He was also filled with the Holy Spirit who had revealed to him that he would see the Lord’s Christ before he passed away.  The Spirit led him to the temple that same day.  I can only imagine how he felt when he saw Mary, Joseph, and Jesus coming into the temple.  I doubt that he was surprised because he believed what the Spirit had made known to him, but I am sure he was very excited and full of joy.

Mary placed Jesus into Simeon’s arms, and he blessed God, saying that he was now ready to depart for heaven for he had seen the Messiah, had actually held Him in his arms, and had proclaimed Jesus to be the Savior that God had sent to all people.  What he said next was a hint at the mystery that wasn’t revealed until the apostle Paul began his ministry some years later:  salvation is not only for the Jews, but for the Gentiles, as well.  Simeon described Jesus as “a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people Israel (verse 32), indicating that the gospel would go also to Gentiles, and Israel would be blessed with the honor of Christ’s birth, life, death, and resurrection.

After Simeon spoke, Mary and Joseph marveled at the things that he had said to them.  They were aware that their newborn Baby was God’s Son who would “reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of His kingdom there would be no end” (Luke 1:32-33), but there were many other future events to which they were not privy.  Simeon blessed the two of them but gave Mary a somber foretelling of Jesus’ future.  He said that Jesus was “set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against” (verse 34).  What did he mean?  Simeon was prophesying that Jesus would be rejected by many of Israel, but there would be those who would receive Him as Lord and Savior.  Jesus would reveal the thoughts, intentions, and motives of sinners (verse 35) and thus suffer for it.  Simeon then warned Mary that “a sword shall pierce through her own soul” (verse 35).  (When my son was killed in an accident at the age of 31, the pain was nearly unbearable.  I can’t imagine the excruciating pain she experienced as Mary watched her Son die on the cross for the sins of the world).  Simeon’s words must have troubled Mary and Joseph, but it was a blessing to them at this time to not know the specific details of Jesus’ adult life and the anguish that He would suffer.

There was one other person in the temple that day, a prophetess named Anna.  She was an older lady, a widow, who spent her days fasting and praying.  She, too, looked for the coming of the Messiah.  When she discovered that He had been born, she thanked God and began to tell all those who were also looking for redemption that the Messiah had come.  We learn from this that in ancient Israel there were people who were aware that the law could not save them and thus believed in the promise of a Savior.  That promise was fulfilled with the birth, life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ who will return one day to claim His church, all those who are born again.