Tag Archives: Simeon

LUKE’S GOSPEL…THE COVENANT – 4a

Bible Study, ,

“When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”), and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”…When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭2‬:‭22‬-‭24‬, ‭39‬-‭40‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I could say a lot about the two old people, Simeon and Anna, who were the only ones to acknowledge Jesus’ birth when Joseph and Mary presented their newborn son to God at the temple. Old, devout, and faithful, they were privileged to be let into God’s secret. 

This bonny, beautiful baby boy was God’s final answer to all the wrongs and ills of the world. The two old “soldiers” in God’s spiritual army rejoiced as they looked into the tiny face, placid and peaceful, in His mother’s arms, and praised God for His faithfulness. They were willing to demobilise, ready to leave this world, content to know that, in this little life was locked up the destiny of humanity. 

Let’s turn our attention to Jesus’ parents. In their hands lay the task of raising this little boy in faithful observance to the terms of God’s covenant. 

Jesus was not exempt from living under the covenant because He was the Son of God. In fact, it was even more imperative that He, as representative of the human race, obey the law perfectly. In Him lay the task of fulfilling the law, both in the letter and spirit, of the Mosaic Covenant. 

Never, before Jesus came, had any person among God’s covenant people perfectly obeyed the law. Everyone was guilty of disobedience. Therefore, the law was in force for every person, and everyone came under judgment for breach of contract. The law had to be enforced until someone perfectly lived in obedience to all its terms and regulations so that it could be abolished and a new covenant take its place. 

Jesus’ parents started Him off on the right track by fulfilling all the regulations concerning childbirth, including the sacrifices required  and the circumcision of the child. All of these provisions guaranteed that He was a member of God’s covenant people. When they had fulfilled all the requirements, they returned to Nazareth to set about the task of raising Him as a true Jew. 

Remembering that Luke’s purpose was to highlight Jesus’ humanity, it is right that he record the story of this God-man from the beginning. From day one, then, before He could make decisions for Himself, Joseph and Mary faithfully instilled into Him the Word of God. 

Did they succeed? The outcome  was a resounding “Yes!” Luke affirmed the child’s progress in one profound observation. 

“When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭2‬:‭39‬-‭40‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Fast forward to the age of twelve. Jesus was ready for the next phase of His nurturing…His first participation in the major celebration of Israel, the feast of Passover, the miracle of redemption from slavery in Egypt. 

This was a milestone event…their firstborn son was to take His first big step into manhood. Did something begin to stir in Him? Passover…redemption…how did He fit into the story? What occupied His mind as He sat with the sages of Israel instead of returning home with His parents? 

“After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.” “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭2‬:‭46‬-‭49‬ ‭NIV‬‬

His response to His mother’s rebuke speaks volumes about what preoccupied Him most…not the temple (His Father’s house, according to many translations) but His Father, (“pater”). At this early age, Jesus already recognised that His connection with the Father took precedence   over all human ties. However, as He continued on into adulthood, He expressed His obedience to His Heavenly Father even more clearly by His submission to His earthly parents. 

“Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭2‬:‭51‬-‭52‬ ‭NIV‬‬

To be continued…

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE – A DARK SHADOW

Bible Study, ,

A DARK SHADOW

“Jesus’ father and mother were speechless with surprise at these words. Simeon went on to bless them, and said to Mary His mother,

‘This child marks both the failure and                                                                                                the recovery of many in Israel,                                                                                                          A figure misunderstood and contradicted –                                                                                      the pain of a sword-thrust through you –                                                                                          But  the rejection will force honesty,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     as as God reveals who they really are.’

Anna the prophetess was also there, a daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher.  She was by now a very old woman. She had been married seven years and a widow for eighty-four. She never left the Temple area, worshipping night and day with her fastings and prayers. At the very time Simeon was praying, she showed up, broke into an anthem of praise to God, and talked about the child to all who were waiting expectantly for the freeing of Jerusalem.” Luke 2:33-38.

A cloud passed over the son!

Simeon was a realist. He had to tell the whole story as it had been revealed to him. He saw only dimly the road ahead for the little angel who slept in Mary’s arms, but he knew that it was a way of pain for mother and son. Jesus would have to endure the hatred and rejection of His own people and the humiliation of Roman torture at the instigation of the religious leaders while His mother looked on helplessly and suffered with Him.

Mary was soaking everything up like a sponge. She had to keep her feet firmly on the ground. The road for the little boy she held in her arms was not going to be strewn with roses. Although He was a perfect child like no other, there would be pain for her and Him as they walked the road of their destiny as mother and son.

Only a mother can identify with Mary. Jesus was her boy, her firstborn. Every emotion a mother feels when she cradles her firstborn in her arms after the agony of childbirth was pulsating through her being. She had such hopes and dreams for her son – fired by the angelic message she had heard nine months before. But there was also a warning from the old man. ‘Mary, stay on the ground. There’s going to be pain before you see the final outcome. Be prepared, but remember – God’s in charge!’

Simeon, a nobody; Anna, a somebody – they were in it together. Simeon was just Simeon. Anna had a name, an office, a pedigree. God was not about any earthly “who’s who”. Both of them qualified to be in on the secret by other criteria: they lived for God. He was their source, their life, their focus. That was all that mattered.

Anna was not a mother, so it seems, but she vicariously celebrated motherhood through the little scene she entered that morning. But it was motherhood far above the ordinary – a privileged mother and a unique child – Israel’s Messiah at last! Like Simeon, she had been worshipping and waiting and now, at last, He was here.

The wizened old woman, well over a hundred years old, was so invigorated by what she had just encountered that she couldn’t keep her mouth shut. She had to tell everyone she met that she had seen the Messiah. At last, her final chapter had also been written.

There were two funerals in Jerusalem shortly afterwards – Simeon and Anna, laid to rest, complete, satisfied, content because their beloved Israel was in good hands.

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE – IN ON THE SECRET!

Bible Study, ,

IN ON THE SECRET!

“In Jerusalem at the time, there was a man, Simeon by name, a good man, who lived in the prayerful expectancy of help for Israel. And the Holy Spirit was on him. The Holy Spirit had shown him that he would see the Messiah of God before he died. Led by the Spirit, he entered the Temple. As the parents of the child Jesus brought Him in to carry out the rituals of the Law, Simeon took Him into his arms and blessed God.

“God, you can now release your servant;                                                                                        release me in peace as you promised.                                                                                                  With my own eyes I’ve seen your salvation;                                                                                      it’s now open for everyone to see:                                                                                                      A God-revealing light to the non-Jewish nations,                                                                            and of the glory of your people, Israel.”  Luke 2:25-32.

Who was Simeon? Was he a Pharisee? A member of the Sanhedrin? The royal family? A religious boffin? Apparently none of these!

What was his claim to fame? From God’s perspective (and He was the one guiding Luke’s writing), he was “a good man, who lived in prayerful expectancy of help for Israel”. It’s natural, don’t you think, that God would choose someone like him with whom to share His good news?

I can imagine that the Father was brimming over with excitement when the most important phase of His recovery plan was in place – centred in a small baby who had just been born. Like any human being, He was bursting to share the news with someone, especially someone who was eagerly looking forward to the announcement.

Years before, the Holy Spirit had whispered in Simeon’s spirit that he would still be around when it happened. That morning when he woke up, he felt that gentle prompting again. ‘Simeon, go to the Temple. I have something to show you.’ Obedient to the impression, he shuffled through the streets of Jerusalem towards the gleaming white building on the hill. His old legs needed pampering as he slowly climbed the steps of his favourite place in the city.

Stopping to rest after the steep climb, he noticed a young couple entering the courtyard through the massive door. The mother looked so young, hardly more than a child. She was cradling a baby in her arms and the father was carrying a cage with two pigeons in it… Again he heard the voice in his spirit, ‘That’s Him, Simeon.’ Simeon’s heart leapt for joy. ‘God’s Messiah!’ He could hardly believe his eyes.

Stepping forward as they approached him, he held out his arms for the baby. Without hesitation Mary placed her beloved little one in the arms of the old man. Simeon gazed with wonder into the face of the sleeping child. He was actually holding the One of whom the ancient prophets has spoken over centuries of interaction with God.

Simeon began to speak, softly at first but with rising confidence as the full impact of this moment dawned on his spirit. ‘Lord, I can go to my fathers in peace now because my eyes have seen your promised Messiah. Your rescue plan is on track, not only for Israel but for the whole world. It’s here for everyone to see if they have the eyes of faith to believe.’

Simeon was uniquely privileged to be one of the few, a nobody according the world, like the shepherds, to be in on God’s secret. Why did Luke choose these incidents, shepherds, old man, told by no other New Testament writer, to include in his story? Luke’s gospel is a message to the world. Himself a Gentile, he wanted his reader, Theophilus, and, through him, the whole world to know that this Jesus, a Jewish Messiah, was God’s gift to everyone, Jew and Gentile, rich and poor, male and female, somebody and nobody; He came to restore everyone and everything to God’s original plan.

A Dark Shadow

Bible Study, , ,

A DARK SHADOW

“Jesus’ father and mother were speechless with surprise at these words. Simeon went on to bless them, and said to Mary His mother,

‘This child marks both the failure and

the recovery of many in Israel,

A figure misunderstood and contradicted —

the pain of a sword-thrust through you —

But the rejection will force honesty,

as God reveals who they really are.’

Anna the prophetess was also there, a daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher.  She was by now a very old woman. She had been married seven years and a widow for eighty-four. She never left the Temple area, worshipping night and day with her fastings and prayers. At the very time Simeon was praying, she showed up, broke into an anthem of praise to God, and talked about the child to all who were waiting expectantly for the freeing of Jerusalem.” Luke 2:33-38 (The Message).

A cloud passed over the son!

Simeon was a realist. He had to tell the whole story as it had been revealed to him. He saw only dimly the road ahead for the little angel who slept in Mary’s arms, but he knew that it was a way of pain for mother and son. Jesus would have to endure the hatred and rejection of His own people and the humiliation of Roman torture at the instigation of the religious leaders while His mother looked on helplessly and suffered with Him.

Mary was soaking everything up like a sponge. She had to keep her feet firmly on the ground. The road for the little boy she held in her arms was not going to be strewn with roses. Although He was a perfect child like no other, there would be pain for her and Him as they walked the road of their destiny as mother and son.

Only a mother can identify with Mary. Jesus was her boy, her firstborn. Every emotion a mother feels when she cradles her firstborn in her arms after the agony of childbirth was pulsating through her being. She had such hopes and dreams for her son — fired by the angelic message she had heard nine months before. But there was also a warning from the old man. ‘Mary, stay on the ground. There’s going to be pain before you see the final outcome. Be prepared, but remember — God’s in charge!’

Simeon, a nobody; Anna, a somebody — they were in it together. Simeon was just Simeon. Anna had a name, an office, a pedigree. God was not about any earthly who’s who. Both of them qualified to be in on the secret by other criteria: they lived God. He was their source, their life, their focus. That was all that mattered.

Anna was not a mother, so it seems, but she vicariously celebrated motherhood through the little scene she entered that morning. But it was motherhood far above the ordinary — a privileged mother and a unique child — Israel’s Messiah at last! Like Simeon, she had been worshipping and waiting and now, at last, He was here.

The wizened old woman, well over a hundred years old, was so invigorated by what she had just encountered that she couldn’t keep her mouth shut. She had to tell everyone she met that she had seen the Messiah. At last, her final chapter had also been written.

There were two funerals in Jerusalem shortly afterwards — Simeon and Anna, laid to rest, complete, satisfied, content because their beloved Israel was in good hands!

In On The Secret!

Bible Study, , ,

IN ON THE SECRET!

“In Jerusalem at the time, there was a man, Simeon by name, a good man, who lived in the prayerful expectancy of help for Israel. And the Holy Spirit was on him. The Holy Spirit had shown him that he would see the Messiah of God before he died. Led by the Spirit, he entered the Temple. As the parents of the child Jesus brought Him in to carry out the rituals of the Law, Simeon took Him into his arms and blessed God.

“God, you can now release your servant;

release me in peace as you promised.

With my own eyes I’ve seen your salvation;

it’s now open for everyone to see:

A God-revealing light to the non-Jewish nations,

and of the glory of your people, Israel.”  Luke2:25-32 (The Message).

Who was Simeon? Was he a Pharisee? A member of the Sanhedrin? The royal family? A religious boffin? Apparently none of these!

What was his claim to fame? From God’s perspective (and He was the one guiding Luke’s writing), he was “a good man, who lived in prayerful expectancy of help for Israel”. It’s natural, don’t you think, that God would choose someone like him with whom to share His good news?

I can imagine that the Father was brimming over with excitement when the most important phase of His recovery plan was in place – centred in a small baby who had just been born. Like any human being, He was bursting to share the news with someone, especially someone who was eagerly looking forward to the announcement.

Years before, the Holy Spirit had whispered in Simeon’s spirit that he would still be around when it happened. That morning when he woke up, he felt that gentle prompting again. ‘Simeon, go to the Temple. I have something to show you.’ Obedient to the impression, he shuffled through the streets of Jerusalem towards the gleaming white building on the hill. His old legs needed pampering as he slowly climbed the steps of his favourite place in the city.

Stopping to rest after the steep climb, he noticed a young couple entering the courtyard through the massive door. The mother looked so young, hardly more than a child. She was cradling a baby in her arms and the father was carrying a cage with two pigeons in it… Again he heard the voice in his spirit, ‘That’s Him, Simeon.’ Simeon’s heart leapt for joy. ‘God’s Messiah!’ He could hardly believe his eyes.

Stepping forward as they approached him, he held out his arms for the baby. Without hesitation Mary placed her beloved little one in the arms of the old man. Simeon gazed with wonder into the face of the sleeping child. He was actually holding the One of whom the ancients prophets has spoken over centuries of interaction with God.

Simeon began to speak, softly at first but with rising confidence as the full impact of this moment dawned on his spirit. ‘Lord, I can go to my fathers in peace now because my eyes have seen your promised Messiah. Your rescue plan is on track, not only for Israel but for the whole world. It’s here for everyone to see if they have the eyes of faith to believe.’

Simeon was uniquely privileged to be one of the few, a nobody in the world like the shepherds, to be in on God’s secret. Why did Luke choose these incidents, shepherds, old man, told by no other New Testament writer, to include in his story? Luke’s gospel is a message to the world. Himself a Gentile, he wanted his reader, Theophilus, and, through him, the whole world to know that this Jesus, a Jewish Messiah, was God’s gift to everyone, Jew and Gentile, rich and poor, male and female, somebody and nobody; He came to restore everyone and everything to God’s original plan.