Simeon’s Song, a Sermon for Sunday January 22nd, 2023
(Please read, Psalm 25, Psalm 27, Psalm 40; Luke 2: 21-38)
Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord (Psalm 27: 14). Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways (PSALM 37:7).
There was an old Jewish prayer: ‘Lord, may I see in my lifetime, the Consolation of Israel’. Waiting, looking, keeping his watch (when most had given up) we are told an old elderly resident of Jerusalem had been looking for this consolation of Israel. Waiting (in other words) for God’s Anointed One, the Messiah, the Christ to come bring comfort his people, to save and redeem them. Most prayed for an avenging, conquering king; not so the Quiet in the land, the Simeons and Annas of the world; barely-noticed, they waited quietly and patiently, Thy Kingdom come Thy will be done…
Let us look at an often overlooked character in the early biblical account of Jesus.
Simeon’s life: 1. A Description (In the Presence); 2. A Proclamation; 3. A Prediction…
1. A Description:
Some lives challenge us. Simeon’s whole walk with God is described here in just a few words - righteous and devout, looking – seeking, serving God, life spent waiting with, on and for the LORD… in the Presence of God. There is no outward description of a life. Man looks at the outward appearance.
Rarely does scripture (before Pentecost and the pouring out of the Spirit on all flesh) describe a person so indwelt, inspired and led by the Holy Spirit. God had promised him through the Holy Spirit that he would live long enough to see God's own Anointed King.
As the text indicates (v. 27), it was at the Spirit’s prompting (revealing) that Simeon goes to the Temple at that precise moment when the parents brought in the child Jesus to carry out the required ceremonies of verses 21 to 24.
After a lifetime of seeking, of turning up at the Temple, now the wait, for him, is over! Simeon’s life is complete. His whole life’s work and purpose had been realised. His dream has come true at last. He’s ready to go home. If this is the day he should die, he would die a happy man. “Please release me let me go…” is the Song of Simeon! No Bucket List for this man! He didn’t have to go on a world cruise or see the Northern Lights or swim with the dolphins! No. In the face of this baby, Simeon sees the very meaning of life. (Is Jesus the be-all-and end-all of your life?)
Being filled with God’s Spirit, there is no sign (whatsoever) of a fear of death.
“For he that fears dying must always fear; because he has always reason to expect it. And how can that man’s life be comfortable, who lives in continual fear of losing his comforts?” (Richard Baxter, 1649).
The believer whose hope is truly in Christ and not in the things of this world is ready to depart and be with Christ, which is far better (Phil. 1:23). The great hope of Christians is not in this life, but in heaven. Our focus on heaven is to shape our every day in this fleeting life. Indeed, he welcomes death; so much so that he bursts into song, overjoyed, a song known in Latin as “Nunc Dimittus” – now let your servant depart. ‘Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word… (Are you ready, like Simeon?)
2. A Proclamation:
We should stop right here. What has he seen? (A baby!) Literally, My eyes have seen your Jeshua; with my own eyes I see Jesus! As the old man holds the infant in his arms and looks into his eyes, Simeon is proclaiming, “I have seen Jesus! I know who your child is. I know what he will do; I know what he will face!” (And, so, the amazement of Joseph and Mary). What else is there to live for; what could possibly top this?!” What greater reward for his lifetime of waiting! He’d expected it, believed it would happen (because God said it would). But it was still an amazing, life-changing, life-affirming moment – and it needed proclaiming! 30 for my eyes have seen your salvation…
Never were these words more self-evidently true: Blessed are those who listen to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway (PROVERBS 8:34).
This is so very important in what it says to every person, in every age and in every place. We all have to see Jesus. If we want to depart in peace, all of us will have to see Jesus with the Simeon-like eye of faith. Salvation is a person! He said, “I Am the way, the truth and the life!” He didn’t say, follow my example – instead, Jesus said “follow me!” Simeon discerns that this salvation is universal. Sometimes we hear people speak of Christianity as a “western religion”. No, it (He) is for the whole world… prepared (by God) in the presence of all peoples, 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.’
We, all of us, will have to see Jesus. To repeat, if we want to depart in peace, all of us will have to see Jesus. If, like Anna and Simeon, we are looking for redemption or consolation (comfort), it will only be found in one place, in the Presence of God. “Know Jesus know peace. No Jesus, no peace…”
(What about your life; is this your proclamation; do you speak out for Jesus?)
3. A Prediction:
Simeon’s song of joy now sounds more somber notes, like the suddenly disturbing music in a movie which usually tells us something worrying is about to happen. We picture aged Simeon looking directly at Mary and saying some of the most difficult and enigmatic words ever spoken. A joyful proclamation (of Christmas) becomes a dark prophecy or prediction of Gethsemane and the Cross of Calvary. In Luke 2:34 Simeon gives a kind of summary of the work and fate of Jesus.
33 And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, ‘This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed 35 so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too.’
Simeon has an insight which points to the reality that (in the sovereign will of God) the world is essentially divided into two camps. There are two kinds of people. There are only two… believers and non-believers. Some will fall and some will rise. What people decide about Jesus will ultimately determine their eternal fate, whether they will enter his kingdom (depart in peace) or whether they will be excluded. A rock of refuge (a sanctuary) for some, a stumbling block for others, just as the Hebrew scriptures had stated:
16 therefore thus says the Lord God, see, I am laying in Zion a foundation stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation. (The) one who trusts will not panic (ISAIAH 28:16).
13 But the Lord of hosts, him you shall regard as holy; let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. 14 He will become a sanctuary, a stone one strikes against; for both houses of Israel he will become a rock one stumbles over—a trap and a snare for the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 15 And many among them shall stumble; they shall fall and be broken; they shall be snared and taken.
7 To you then who believe, he is precious; but for those who do not believe, ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the very head of the corner ’8 and ‘A stone that makes them stumble, and a rock that makes them fall. They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do (2 PETER 2: 7-8).
There are two kinds of people in the world, those who accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour or those who do not, those who reject him, whether directly or indirectly. Christ is a rock of refuge for some, a stumbling block for others.
To paraphrase William Barclay, it is not so much God who judges the person; a man or woman brings judgment upon themselves; and their judgment will be their reaction to Jesus Christ. If, when they are confronted with that goodness and that loveliness, their hearts run out in answering love, they are within the Kingdom. If, when so confronted, a person remains coldly unmoved or actively hostile, the result will be condemnation. There is a great refusal just as there is a great acceptance. (Which group do you belong to; what do you think about Jesus?)
Simeon was right; his Spirit-derived prophecy would come to pass, in his time and in later generations. Christ is either loved or he is loathed. His Name either invokes admiration or hatred. His words will either draw people near to God or they will harden their hearts of men and women and repel them. He is either the swear word or he is the word of God. He’s either mad, bad or a liar. How often he is a sign that is spoken against. There is no neutral ground. We either surrender to him or we are at war with him! A joyful proclamation (of Christmas) becomes a dark prophecy or prediction of Gethsemane and the Cross of Calvary when a sword did indeed pierce a mother’s soul…
Simeon and Anna are great examples to us all, to those who are tempted to give in to apathy (or give up) - as the long wait goes on. They speak to our culture (and our church) which is one of convenience and impatience. The church would do well to recall Simeon and the devotion, proclamation, and the (sure and certain) hope of his life in the Spirit: he waited patiently; he waited expectantly; he waited faithfully… he waited and was richly rewarded.
(How does your life stack up when compared to Simeon’s?)
“The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong…” (Ecc 9:11) The race is to those who persevere, to those who will not listen to the scoffers; the race (THE VICTORY) is to those who will wait on God…
“THEY THAT WAIT UPON THE LORD SHALL RENEW THEIR STRENGTH; THEY SHALL MOUNT UP WITH WINGS AS EAGLES; THEY SHALL RUN AND NOT BE WEARY, AND THEY SHALL WALK AND NOT FAINT…and may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation, say continually…Great is the Lord! YOU are my help and Deliverer!”
MFR 21/01/23