Luke 2:25-35 - Looking for Jesus.
Luke 2:29-31 (NLT) Sovereign Lord, now
let your servant die in peace, as you have
promised. I have seen your salvation, which you have
prepared for all people.
CONTEXT
Luke 2:25-35 (NLT) At that time there was a
man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was righteous
and devout and was eagerly waiting for the
Messiah to come and rescue Israel. The Holy Spirit
was upon him 26 and had revealed to him that he
would not die until he had seen the Lords
Messiah. 27 That day the Spirit led him to the
Temple. So when Mary and Joseph came to present the
baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required, 28
Simeon was there. He took the child in his arms and
praised God, saying, 29 Sovereign Lord, now let
your servant die in peace, as you have promised.
30 I have seen your salvation, 31 which you
have prepared for all people. 32 He is a light to
reveal God to the nations, and he is the glory of
your people Israel! 33 Jesus parents were
amazed at what was being said about him. 34 Then
Simeon blessed them, and he said to Mary, the
babys mother, This child is destined to cause
many in Israel to fall, but he will be a joy to
many others. He has been sent as a sign from God,
but many will oppose him. 35 As a result, the
deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed.
And a sword will pierce your very soul.
COMMENTARY PEARL
I dont know about you, but waiting is
not something that I like to do. I am, by
nature, an impatient person. My wife (who is very
patient, by the way) can attest to this.
Were all waiting for Christmas, but
for children especially, its really difficult
to wait. Theyre filled with anticipation.
The Bible tells the story about someone who was
waiting for the first Christmas. His name was
Simeon, and he was living a godly life at a time
when the people of Israel had turned from the
Lord in many ways.
They hadnt heard from the Lord for
hundreds of years. Not a single prophet had spoken in
the name of the Lord. Not one miracle had been
performed. There hadnt been any angelic appearances.
But suddenly the time was right. Everything was
set in place.
The Lord had revealed to Simeon that he
wouldnt die until he saw the Messiah, and Simeon
held on to the promises of God. Then one day,
Simeon saw Mary and Joseph walking into the temple
with the baby Jesus, and he knew who they were.
How did he know? Its because Simeon spent
time in prayer, and God reveals things to those
who seek Him.
The Bible tells us that he took the child
in his arms and praised God, saying,
Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace, as
you have promised. I have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared for all people. He is a
light to reveal God to the nations, and he is the
glory of your people Israel! (Luke 2:28-32
NLT).
Just as godly Simeon was eagerly waiting
for Jesus to come the first time, we should be
eagerly waiting for Jesus to come the second time,
because the Bible says that He is coming back again
to this earth. The first time, Jesus came to
this earth in a manger. But the second time, He
will come in glory. [Greg Laurie from Harvest
Ministries; https://www.harvestdaily.com]
COMMENTARY
Waiting Forwardly: A Day to Anticipate
Let's take a look at Simeon, the man who
knew how to wait for the arrival of Christ. The
way he waited for the first coming is a model
for how we should wait for the Second Coming.
"The Holy Spirit had revealed to him that
he would not die until he had seen him - God's
anointed King" (v. 26 TLB).
You've got to wonder what a message like
that would do to a person. What does it do to you
if you know you will someday see God? We know
what it did to Simeon.
He was "constantly expecting the Messiah"
(v. 25 TLB).
He was "living in expectation of the
salvation of Israel" (v. 25 PHILLIPS).
He "watched and waited for the
restoration of Israel" (v. 25 NEB).
Simeon is a man on tiptoe, wide-eyed and
watching for the one who will come to save Israel.
Studying each passing face. Staring into the eyes of
strangers. He's looking for someone. He was waiting
forwardly. Patiently vigilant. Calmly expectant. Eyes
open. Arms extended. Searching the crowd for the
right face, and hoping the face appears today.
Such was the lifestyle of Simeon, and
such can be ours. Haven't we, like Simeon, been
told of the coming Christ? Aren't we, like
Simeon, heirs of a promise? Are we not prompted by
the same Spirit? Are we not longing to see the
same face?
First, we must wait. Paul says "we are
hoping for something we do not have yet, and we are
waiting for it patiently" (Rom. 8:25). Simeon is our
model. He was not so consumed with the "not yet"
that he ignored the "right now." Luke says Simeon
was a "good man and godly" (2:25). Peter urges
us to follow suit. Hope of the future is not a
license for irresponsibility in the present. Let us
wait forwardly, but let us wait.
But for most of us, waiting is not our
problem. Or, maybe I should state, waiting is our
problem. We are so good at waiting that we don't wait
forwardly. We forget to look. We are so patient that we
become complacent. We are too content. We seldom
search the skies. We rarely run to the temple. We
seldom, if ever, allow the Holy Spirit to interrupt
our plans and lead us to worship so that we
might see Jesus.
It is to those of us who are strong in
waiting and weak in watching that our Lord was
speaking when he said, "No one knows when that day or
time will be, not the angels in heaven, not even
the Son. Only the Father knows So always be
ready, because you don't know the day your Lord
will come The Son of Man will come at a time
you don't expect him" (Matt. 24:36, 42, 44).
Simeon reminds us to "wait forwardly."
Patiently vigilant. But not so patient that we lose
our vigilance. Nor so vigilant that we lose our
patience.
In the end, the prayer of Simeon was
answered. "Simeon took the baby in his arms and
thanked God; Now, Lord, you can let me, your
servant, die in peace, as you said'" (Luke 2:28-29).
One look into the face of Jesus, and
Simeon knew it was time to go home. And one look
into the face of our Savior, and we will know the
same. [Max Lucado Daily Devotional at
maxlucado.com]
LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE
Luke 2:25-35 - Encouragement for the Young
and Old.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2010/20100321-0943.html
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0
A Man without Equal by Bill Bright:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo
Steps to Peace by Billy Graham:
https://stepstopeace.org/
Seeking God Made Real:
http://vimeo.com/31489782
Prayer Made Real:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES
Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies:
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/
Amazing Facts Bible Studies:
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx
Voice of Prophecy Discover Bible Study
Guides:
https://www.voiceofprophecy.com/study/discover
Glow Tract Video Bible Studies:
http://www.bibleresearch.info/
LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS
Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of
Adventist World Radio: https://www.awr.org/bible
Panorama of Prophecy with Pastor Doug
Batchelor: https://www.panoramaofprophecy.com/
Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW:
https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens
Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657
Islam and Christianity in Prophecy, The
Third and Final Conflict by Tim Roosenberg:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHSJB-fuHLU&list=PLWhQIHGTHlkaGg5Cwe3NDzWtFX8vNSpsE
