"The thoughts of many hearts will be revealed." In John 21, Jesus is asking Peter if he really loves Him. For these people, whether in Jerusalem or in other cities of the Holy Land, the sacrificial system of the Old Testament and the spiritual teachings of the prophets were adequate preparation for the coming of Christ. How did the 2nd February come to be called Candlemas ? 2023 Words of Life Ministries - an independent evangelical Registered Charitable Trust (no.269381) Cookie Policy | Privacy Policy Website by: TEKOA Creative, Study 4 JUDAS ISCARIOT: HIS TERRIBLE BETRAYAL, Verse 26 tells us it had been revealed to him. "Yeah, I know that you are going to kill me, but I won't recant on my belief in Christ.". A little Child who was conceived by the Holy Ghost and born of a virgin was to be the means of the deliverance of Gods people. He was waiting for the one who would comfort Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. Simeon meets the baby Jesus (Luke 2:21-32) - easyenglish.bible 22 And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, "Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord") 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, "a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons" (Luke 2:22-24). Simeon does not know that years later Paul will write these words: "11 Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called "the uncircumcision" by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands- 12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. Your email address will not be published. So, I'd like to call you to be like Simeon - a man supremely satisfied with a costly gospel. When at last they find him listening to and asking questions of the teachers in the Temple, Mary asks, Child, why have you treated us like this? This was Simeons one opportunity to see the Lords Christ. i was searching for private visions by people who have had additional explanations, suvh as the annunciation. Acts 4:11; 1 Pet. For such a learned scholar he does not read throughly all of Luke. 2 Nangyari, nang mga araw na iyon, na lumabas ang isang batas mula kay Augusto Cesar na nag-uutos na dapat magpatala ang buong sanlibutan. Hey, if the Holy Spirit tells Simeon he will not die till he sees the Messiah, and if hes been waiting his entire life perhaps, and hes faithful and in the temple and he comes and serves as that second witness ~ that may be Gods total will for his lifes ending, different from Annas, but just as powerful. To unlock this article for your friends, use any of the social share buttons on our site, or simply copy the link below. It was Mary and Josephs job to bring up Jesus the Son of Man, as Jesus often referred to himself, in the nurture and admonition of the Lord to be a responsible adult in the Jewish culture. He shall be great, and men will know him for the Son of the most High; the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he shall reign over the house of Jacob eternally; his kingdom shall never have an end., 2. But Mary is also puzzled by the divine message; she is perplexed when the angel greets her and must ponder the meaning of his words (Luke 1:29; see also 2:19). Simeon: He Is the Christ | Open the Bible The picture presents the contrast of age and of youth, of one nearing the end of the journey of life and one at the beginning. This is a stand that is very difficult for me to follow how one gets there, since Mary was told by Gabriel, John (to be the Baptist) at 6 mos responded, Elizabeth told her, again all the torment when she rtnd from Elizabeths, the shepards and the wise men the woman would have had to of had amnesia not to know. Simeon lived in Jerusalem. The late New Testament scholar Raymond Brown wrote: Lukes idea is that complete acceptance of the word of God, complete understanding of who Jesus is, and complete discipleship is not yet possible. According to Luke, Anna never left the Temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day (Luke 2:37). He had been told by God, as a much younger man, that he would definitely see the Jewish Messiah before he died. Simeon, believed to be an old man, was waiting for the redemption of Israel, and the Holy Spirit told him that he would not die until he had see the redemption in the infant body of Christ, in the Anointed One of God. Jesus, the adolecent, wasnt sining or lying here he was jumping the gun. 19 Feb, 2021 Wiki User. She didnt understand why he husband passed away seven years after her wedding. He was "waiting for the consolation of Israel." He took the prophets at their word and was looking for the coming Messiah. Simeon praised God. Anna was 84 years old, and she stayed in the temple serving God. Bauxite mining would threaten birds, plants, and clean water. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and told Mary, his mother, This infant is destined to cause many in Israel to fall and rise. He saw the gospel clearly, and he was a satisfied man. i have a tremendous teachin about the physiologic process a body experiences, during crucifixion. How old was Simeon when he introduced Jesus? . 43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? At the Temple scene, Mary definatly shows she knows this by how she address him after looking for him for three days. In Hebrew Simeon means: hearing or listening. We learn (vs 25) that he lived in Jerusalem. Anna then approaches the Holy Family. Simeon suggested to Mary, A sword shall pierce through thy own soul also. He did not leave the parents upon the mount of elevation but included a drop of bitterness through the prophecy that this helpless Baby was to be the suffering and dying Messiah. He proclaims its rising, and he asks to be relieved from the post he has occupied so long. 7. Central to the beauty of what Simeon sees is the breadth of what all of this means: "that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples." Simeon saw Jesus there, and he picked Jesus up in his arms. Luke wants to show that both of these people have been patiently waiting for the Messiah. 27 Led by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. news about the Christ Child to everyone in Jerusalem looking for Simeon told Mary & Joseph that Jesus would be a helper for people. thus the feast of Sukkoth is a symbol for God dwellling among us in Jesus . Many, many years before Jesus came to earth as a baby, God had given Moses laws for His people to obey. The angel had said, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased." Now Simeon, a man of great faith in God's consolation, sees Jesus and is ready to die in peace. The women are not only more receptive to the message, they are more willing to act upon it, with Elizabeth realizing that her cousin is carrying the messiah and praising God for this blessing and Anna spreading the good news. They likely would have communicated to her the sign they had been given by Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying, Simeon had been 40, then 50, then 60 years old. Now we turn briefly to Simeon's farewell to the world (2:29-35). Verse 28 gives us a beautiful picture. anyones radar, so I think Mary indeed had a lot to mull over as she put all the extraordinary information The Eastern Orthodox Church considers Anna and Simeon the God-Receiver as the last prophets of Old Testament and observes their feast on February 3/February 16 as the synaxis (afterfeast) following the Presentation of Christ, which Orthodox tradition calls The Meeting of Our Lord and God and Savior, Jesus Christ. He kept the law inwardly and outwardly, looked for the Messiah, and the very presence of God was in his life. how old was simeon when he saw jesus - casessss.com Verse 25 tells us this, and it means that while he was honest and upright in the sight of men, he was holy (as the word really means) in the sight of God. Jesus Brings Revelation to the Nations. Plus, even before Mary was with the Apostles during Christs ressurecction, she also (quite a few years before) told Jesus friends (Apostles) to do what he tells them at the wedding in Cana! Mary startles when Gabriel and God the Father appear in her home and interrupt her prayers. Doesnt it say that they thought he had gone mad? To have the kind of eyesight that Simeon had we need to see three things: 1) The treasure of a godly life, 2) The beauty of the gospel, and 3) The cost of following Christ. Another assumption that is often made is that Simeon was a priest. 3 Ang lahat ay pumunta upang makapagpatala, bawat isa sa kaniyang sariling lungsod. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility" (Eph 2:11-14). It's interesting to compare Mary's 40 days of . \\"Kindness Therapy\\" and Our Lady of Guadalupe Mary and Jesus. It will not make sense to them, and honestly it shouldn't. about the historical past and tradition of historical Egypt. Luke 2:26 The Holy Spirit had revealed to him that he would not see It was the day of the year when all the candles, that were used in the church during the coming year, were brought into church and a blessing was said over them so it was the Festival Day (or mass) of the Candles. After Pushing for UMC Unity, Former Bishop Joins New Denomination, I Was the Proverbial, Drug-Fueled Rock and Roller, Jesus Revolution Director: Were at the Forefront of a Return to God, Christian Conservationists Sue to Protect Ghana Forest, Complete access to articles on ChristianityToday.com, Over 120 years of magazine archives plus full access to all of CTs online archives. This is the gospel - full of hope, rooted in God's faithfulness, spread to all people, and the most glorious news in all the world! Notice also that the Holy Spirit always leads to and glorifies the Lord Jesus - compare verse 27 with John 16:13-14. The Holy Ghost was upon Simeon. This describes a special experience of anointing known to a noble company of Gods people in all ages. Interestingly, in both, the woman is portrayed as the more positive example of discipleship. Verse 26 tells us that God had revealed to him that he would not see death until he had seen the Lord's Christ. It reminds me of this New Testament passage: 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Required fields are marked *. disciple. Anna, also old in years, had been faithfully worshiping God through fasting and prayer in the temple for 84 years. Now, as Simeon lived just prior to the first advent and anticipated the first coming of the Lord Jesus, so you and I today live just prior to His second advent and should be anticipating His return. Jesus was approximately 40/41 days old at the time His mother, Mary, Simeon or Anna by Ben Witherington III originally appeared in Bible Review, Winter 2005. In the biblical Joseph narrative, when Joseph, having settled in Egypt, asks his brothers to bring Benjamin to him, he takes Simeon hostage to ensure that they return. Praised God and spoke of Jesus' future. How old was Jesus when simeon and Anna saw him. He saw this baby as the reason for his godliness. God is being gracious to Israel, but Simeon knows that God's grace is going to overflow the borders of this small nation. This. I want to add: each jewish month has exactly 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes, 3 1/3 seconds. The flame of hope must have been fanned by the report spread abroad by the shepherds of the events at Bethlehem just forty days before. "For the fall and rising of many." According to Matthew and Luke, however, Joseph was only legally his father. "For a sign that is opposed." Want to learn some-more about his research? Keeping them wrapped prevented them from becoming blemished later on. Mary was the first to have the good news announced to her, but Anna is the first woman to understand fully and proclaim the good news. We must make this observation, for in verse 29 there are three words which indicate this. The story of Jesus birth is framed by two such storiesthat of Elizabeth and Zechariah in Luke 1 and Anna and Simeon in Luke 2. How old was Simeon when he saw Jesus? - Answers It wasnt that Mary had forgotten that Jesus was also the Son of God that she didnt understand. Adding to what David said, Two important points, to say the least: 1. Here is the picture of a surrendered life - a life which recognises Jesus as the Lord, which takes the place of a bond-servant under His authority and which is completely submissive to His word. Of course, in the end, Luke portrays Mary as successfully making the spiritual journey into the family of faith; in Acts 1:14, when the apostles gather in the upper room after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, Mary is with them. I see this in Simeon's personal statement, "For my eyes have seen your salvation" (2:30), and from Luke's account of Anna's actions, "And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for the redemption of Israel" (2:38). It was attacked by Porphyry and Celsus and other ancients, and many unbelievers center their attacks upon it today. A suffering messiah was not yet on That Lord Jesus Christ has come not only for Jews but also for the Gentiles is seen here in Luke Chapter 2:21-35 where description of one named Simeon is given. Like Simeon, let us believe the word of the Lord and rejoice in this as our ground of confidence. When Simeon saw Him for whom his soul had been longing, he took Him in his arms. They had dedicated the baby Jesus according to the law of Moses, and they traveled to Jerusalem each year to celebrate Passover. Ben Witherington III is Amos Professor of New Testament for Doctoral Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary and on the doctoral faculty at St. Andrews University in Scotland. 2. This is the time Simeon and Anna saw Jesus. Simeon declared the Child to be the glory of thy people Israel. That an Israelite should first mention Christ as the means of enlightening the heathen and then emphasize the glory of Israel was an unusual order in pre-Christian times and thinking.