Simeon Testifies I. Questions A. What did Simeon testify regarding the Christ child? B. How is Jesus the Sword that reveals hearts and minds? II. Base Text: Luke 2:25-35 III. Context A. Galilee and Judea in the waning days of Herod the Great (ca. 6-4 BCE; Luke 1:5) 1. 63 BCE: the dispute between Hyrcanus II and Aristobulus II, sons of Alexander Jannaeus and Alexandra Salome, Hasmonean rulers, led to the intervention of the Roman general Pompey, who besieged Jerusalem, entered into the Most Holy Place, and re-installed Hyrcanus II, but only because he would be controlled by Antipater; the land of Israel loses independent status and becomes part of the Roman Empire 2. Antipater: an Idumean (Edomite), a powerful official under the Hasmoneans, made chief minister of Judea for the Romans; a masterful manipulator, he saw to it that his son Herod was married to Mariamne, granddaughter of Aristobulus II and the last scion of the Hasmoneans 3. Herod was appointed governor of Galilee in 47 BCE; he maintained good relations with the Romans and was able to shift allegiances where necessary to ingratiate himself with the ruler of the moment 4. 37-34 BCE: Herod fought against the Hasmonean Antigonus, ruler of Judea, and defeated him, and was declared the King of Judea by the Roman Senate, a title he would hold until his death in 4 BCE 5. The story of Herod's brutality, paranoia, and extravagance is well told by Josephus in his Antiquities of the Jews; Herod advocated and sponsored all kinds of Greek festivals and buildings in other lands, but in Judea and its environs sought to act like a faithful Jewish person; he oversaw a grandiose expansion and renovation of the Temple in Jerusalem, which would heretofore be known as the Herodian Temple; he was hated by the people for being a half-breed and for his oppressive taxation 6. Thus, in the waning days of Herod the Great, the Israelites lived under the oppression of the Romans and the oppression of Herod, yet maintained the remembrance of independent rule within living memory 7. The Israelites would assemble in the synagogues and visit Jerusalem for the appointed festivals; they knew what God had done for their ancestors and the hope He extended for the Christ, the Son of David to come in the days of the fourth empire (e.g. Isaiah 9:1-8, 11:1-10, Daniel 2:1-44, 7:1-14, etc.) 8. Herod was also well aware of these prophecies and the hope Israel cherished and sustained and was on guard against any threats to his rule (cf. Matthew 2:1-23) 9. Based on Herod's death in 4 BCE, and the way Jesus' age is described in Luke 3:23 in light of Luke 3:1, it is generally believed that Jesus was born sometime around 6-4 BCE; thus these events would have taken place between three and twelve months beforehand B. Zechariah and Elizabeth (Luke 1:5-25) 1. Luke begins his Gospel by introducing us to Zechariah and Elizabeth 2. Zechariah is a priest in the order of Abijah, and Elizabeth was a descendant of Aaron; they served God blamelessly but were without children and in advanced age (Luke 1:5-7) 3. While offering incense in the Holy Place Zechariah is visited by the angel Gabriel who proclaimed his prayers would be answered, for his wife Elizabeth would bear him a son whom he should name John; he should never drink wine, for he would be filled with the Holy Spirit from birth; he would be great in the sight of God, and would be the forerunner of the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah, turning the hearts of the fathers to the children and to prepare a people for the Lord (Luke 1:8-17; cf. Isaiah 40:1-2, Malachi 4:5-6) 4. Zechariah wondered how this was possible on account of his and Elizabeth's age; the angel struck him mute because of his unbelief, and he would not speak again until the child was born (Luke 1:18-22) 5. Elizabeth did get pregnant and secluded herself for five months (Luke 1:23-25) C. The Annunciation (Luke 1:26-38) 1. When Elizabeth was six months pregnant the angel Gabriel was sent to visit a poor peasant girl who was a virgin betrothed to be married in Nazareth of Galilee, a place of no reputation or significance; her name was Mary, and her husband-to-be, a descendant of David, was named Joseph (Luke 1:26-27) 2. The angel greeted her as the favored one, the one with who God was; he told her to not be afraid, for she had received favor with God, and would conceive and bear a son, and she should name Him Jesus (YHWH saves); He would be great, and be called the Son of the Most High, and God would give Him the throne of David, and He would rule over the house of Jacob forever and His Kingdom would have no end (Luke 1:28-33; cf. Psalm 2:1-8, Isaiah 9:1-8, 11:1-10, Daniel 7:13-14) 3. She wondered how this could be since she was a virgin; the angel told her the Holy Spirit would come upon her, and thus her Child would be called the Son of God; Gabriel also testified to her regarding the pregnancy of Elizabeth her relative, since the word of God has great power; Mary consented, calling herself the servant of God, that it would be done according to Gabriel's word (Luke 1:34-38) D. Mary and Elizabeth (Luke 1:42-56) 1. Soon after these events Mary went to visit Elizabeth; she entered Zechariah's house, greeted Elizabeth, and Elizabeth's child leapt in the womb (Luke 1:39-41) 2. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and cried out how Mary was blessed among women and the fruit of her womb was blessed, and asked why the mother of her Lord had come to her; when she had heard the greeting of Mary, her child had leapt for joy; blessed is Mary for her belief, and there would be a fulfillment of what God had spoken to her (Luke 1:42-45) 3. Mary, having received Elizabeth's second witness, sang praise to God in the Magnificat, glorifying God for what He was accomplishing in her, recognizing the grand reversal at work in humbling the mighty and elevating the lowly; Mary would return home after three months (Luke 1:46-56) E. John is Born (Luke 1:57-66) 1. Elizabeth gave birth to a son; all rejoiced for her, and when it came time to circumcise and name him, all insisted he should be named after Zechariah (Luke 1:57-59) 2. Elizabeth said his name would be John; many protested, for none in the family bore that name; they asked Zechariah what he thought, and he wrote on a tablet that his name should be John, and all were amazed (Luke 1:60-63) 3. At that very moment Zechariah's mouth was opened and he blessed God; his neighbors were fearful, and the hill country of Judah spoke of it; they wondered what the child would be like (Luke 1:64-66) F. The Spirit would then fill Zechariah to prophesy regarding his child and the Lord (Luke 1:67-79) G. Jesus is Born (Luke 2:1-21) 1. Luke recorded how a census was decreed at that time, and thus Joseph went from Nazareth to Bethlehem to enroll himself with Mary; while they were there she gave birth to Jesus; He was wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger, for there was no room in the inn (Luke 2:1-7) 2. Shepherds in the field saw the glory of the Lord and an angel appeared to them: he brought them good tidings of great joy, that in the city of David a Savior, Christ the Lord, was born that day, a baby in swaddling clothes lying in a manger; a multitude of the heavenly host appeared and praised God; the shepherds visited Bethlehem, saw Mary, Joseph, and the Child, and made known what had been revealed to them (Luke 2:8-20) 3. When He was circumcised on the eighth day He was given the name Jesus as Gabriel had decreed (Luke 2:21) H. After the forty days of purification had ended (cf. Leviticus 12:1-8), Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord based on Exodus 13:2, etc., and to offer a sacrifice; that Luke cites the turtledoves from Leviticus 12:8 demonstrates how poor Joseph and Mary were, for it is the "alternative" sacrifice allowed for the poorest of the land (Luke 2:22-24) I. Thus Mary, Joseph, and Jesus were about to meet Simeon (Luke 2:25-35) IV. Interpretation A. Simeon's testimony in Luke 2:25-35 is often called the Nunc Dimittis, from the Latin for "now let depart" in Luke 2:29 B. Luke began by introducing us to Simeon: a man of Jerusalem, righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; the Holy Spirit was upon him and revealed to him he would not see death before he would see the Lord's Christ (Luke 2:25-26) 1. Such is all we know of Simeon; attempts to associate him with any particular Simeon from Second Temple Jewish traditions are purely speculative 2. The "consolation" of Israel: the paraklesis, the comfort, deliverance for Israel, a common desire and request for many in Israel; many considered the Messiah to be the comfort for Israel, the restoration of Israel's fortunes, according to all the promises made through the prophets 3. Luke makes it known how the Spirit had become active earlier, preparing the way for the prophet and the Christ: we are not told how old Simeon is, but have every reason to expect him to be older; regardless, Luke would soon speak of Anna, a prophetess, whom Luke seems to suggest lived as a widow for 84 years, and therefore at least 96 years old (cf. Luke 2:37) C. The Blessing (Luke 2:27-33) 1. The Spirit thus directed Simeon to enter the temple courts; when Mary and Joseph brought the Child to do the customary things under the Law, Simeon approached them and took the Child in his arms (Luke 2:27-28) a. One custom involved the sacrifice, which Luke has noted was two turtledoves or pigeons (Luke 2:24; cf. Leviticus 12:8) b. They would have also offered the five shekel payment to ransom the firstborn of the womb (cf. Numbers 18:15-16) c. It is worth noting how this is the moment in which God entered the Second Temple ostensibly for the first time, and as a baby! 2. Holding the Child and seeing in Him the fulfillment of all the Spirit had promised him and to Israel through the prophets, Simeon blessed God: he asked God to let him depart in peace according to His word, because his eyes saw His salvation prepared before all the people, a light of revelation to Gentiles, and the glory of Israel (Luke 2:29-32) a. One can hardly overstate the emotional and visceral power of this moment b. In blessing God Simeon testified regarding the Child as the salvation of God prepared for all people c. A light of revelation for Gentiles evokes Isaiah 42:6, one of Isaiah's "Servant Songs" which Jesus would indeed embody; in all of the proclamations surrounding the birth of the Christ it is Simeon who made the connection between what the prophets foretold about the Christ as the light of revelation not only to Israel but also to the nations, which would be seen in glimpses during His life but most fully in the welcoming of Gentiles to salvation and repentance after the events of Acts 10 d. The Christ child is the glory of Israel: in Isaiah 60:19 it was prophesied that YHWH would be Israel's glory; we cannot know how well Simeon understood the divinity of the Child, but he was certainly more accurate than perhaps he could have imagined 3. Joseph and Mary continued to marvel at what was said about their Child (Luke 2:33) D. The Warning (Luke 2:34-35) 1. Simeon then blessed Mary and Joseph and spoke to Mary his mother (Luke 2:34-35) 2. Simeon informed Mary how her Child was set for the falling and rising of many in Israel, a sign spoken against a. A message consistent with Mary's own Magnificat (Luke 1:47-55) b. Another testimony regarding the Grand Reversal Jesus embodied (Matthew 23:12) c. Jesus would be a "sign of contradiction," rooted in Isaiah 8:14-15, 28:13-16, etc., and very much manifest in the opposition and hostility He would engender unto His death 3. Simeon emphasized that the Child would be a sword which pierce her own soul, and all to the end that many hearts would be revealed (Luke 2:35) a. Revelation: Greek apokaluphthosin, "apocalypse," an unveiling or revealing b. The revealing of many hearts is on account of all of what Simeon has said, not just regarding Mary; when confronted with who Jesus is and what He is about people expose who they really are (cf. Hebrews 4:12) c. In this way Jesus is an "apocalyptic" judgment on the people: He will reveal the zeal of Israel not according to knowledge; they will reject Him as their Messiah, will take for themselves a "Messiah" of their own image, desires, and imagination, according to how they think God should fulfill His purposes, and endure the devastating judgment against them in 70 (cf. Luke 21:5-38, 23:28-31) d. Yet Simeon well described the Christ as a sword to pierce Mary's own soul: while it may include the confusion she experienced regarding what her Son was doing at times, he primarily referred to the death Jesus would endure and how Mary would experience it (cf. Luke 23:26-49) e. Mary herself would need to find salvation through her Son; she would have to have her own soul and intentions of her heart exposed and challenged in what God would accomplish through her Son! E. Thus Simeon testified regarding the Christ child V. Application A. Continuing the Drama 1. As Luke introduced his Gospel, he did not rush right into the story of Jesus' birth; he instead slowed the narrative down significantly and welcomed us into the drama of expectations of hope fulfilled 2. The people would have heard stories regarding what it meant to live under Herod (Luke 1:5) 3. The words of the angel Gabriel to both Zechariah and Mary are pregnant with meaning: for those saturated in the Hebrew Bible his words drip with the promises of Isaiah, Daniel, and Malachi, bringing the message Israel desperately needed to hear: what the prophets had foreseen happening "in the latter days" was now coming soon (Luke 1:13-17, 30-33) 4. Luke did not race through these matters; he sets them out fully 5. We have Elizabeth, Zechariah, and now Simeon speaking from the Holy Spirit: the people of Israel recognized that no prophet had arisen among the people for just over four hundred years; that the Holy Spirit would now fill people to speak testified to now living "in the latter days" (Luke 1:41-45, 67-79, 2:35-36) 6. Luke recorded Mary singing what has every indication to be a psalm (Luke 1:46-55) 7. Zechariah's prophecy is given, and it would not be out of place in Isaiah or Malachi, and such was its point (Luke 1:67-79)! 8. Where else do we have angels appearing to shepherds, or a man who was promised to see the Lord's Christ come and testify in blessing (Luke 2:8-38)? 9. How many passages seem as "Old Testament-y" as Luke 1:5-2:38? 10. Luke did not preserve things just for the sake of preserving them; instead, he invited his audience to immerse themselves in Second Temple Judaism and to experience for themselves, for just a moment, the drama unfolding in the waning days of Herod the Great 11. They were dark days: Israel again under pagan oppression, ruled over by a half-breed Edomite who taxed and oppressed them to make a name for himself 12. Israel had been restored to their land for longer than kings had ruled over them; the Second Temple had endured longer than the First Temple, and yet there was no Davidic descendant on the throne; the people of Israel had barely survived existential threat after existential threat; the abomination that makes desolate had already plagued them twice 13. The Israelites knew their story; they knew who they were; they trusted in the righteousness and covenant loyalty of their God; but the plea of Psalm 89 was still very much alive 14. And in this dark times, hope: the Holy Spirit testified to Anna and Simeon; the angel Gabriel visits Zechariah and Mary; every indication has come that "the latter days" were dawning 15. And yet the promise was still in the future: John and Jesus were born, but it would take another 30 to 35 years to see the work accomplished 16. Thus Luke has saturated us in the drama, typified in Simeon: looking for the consolation of Israel, bearing the burden of the frustrations, pain, and oppression of the people, and now the promised moment had come; he was holding the Christ child, the fulfillment of all of what God had promised to His people! 17. While there is no Scriptural basis on which to bind or impose the Advent season, the way Luke has told his story invites us to experience the Advent season: less about the four weeks leading up to Christmas, and more about sitting in that moment in which the promises are being fulfilled, where hope has broken in, the light of the dawn has arisen, and the people of God worn down with grief, distress, and pain are reminded of God's promise 18. After all, Jesus has since lived, died, ascended, and reigns as Lord, but we also abide in this space and time of hope: we trust in God's covenant loyalty and how He is rescuing us in Christ while confessing that He has not yet returned; death has not yet been defeated; we have not received the glory of the Father in the resurrection; we do not yet see face to face (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:1-58, 1 Peter 1:3-9) 20. And so we continue to find ourselves within the drama, and can take great hope, comfort, and assurance in our lives of faith: God is faithful, and we are seeing the fulfillment of His promises as assuredly as did Simeon, Joseph, and Mary B. Simeon's Prayer 1. Simeon's prayer in Luke 2:29-32 is a beautiful moment: we can sense the relief, joy, exhilaration, and importance of the experience 2. We do well to point out how Simeon saw in the baby Jesus salvation, not only for Israel, but for everyone; the glory of Israel indeed, but also a light for revelation to Gentiles 3. Yet we also do well to consider the prayer for devotional purposes: granted, we cannot "see" Jesus in the way Simeon saw Him, but we still "see" Jesus in the proclamation of the Gospel and in His body, the church 4. Should we not see salvation in Jesus which God prepared before everyone? Is Jesus any less the light for revelation to the nations? Is He not still the glory of the people of God? 5. We do well to meditate upon and even appropriate Simeon's prayer blessing God for ourselves, for as true as it was for Simeon, it is all the more so for us in Christ! C. The Sword Revealing Hearts 1. The most haunting testimony Simeon provided regarding Jesus is in Luke 2:35: a sword to pierce Mary's own soul, and as the sign spoken against, the cause for many rising and falling in Israel, that hearts would be revealed 2. Jesus confessed in Matthew 10:34-39 that He came to bring that sword; the Hebrews author speaks of the Word of God as such a sword in Hebrews 4:12 to the end of piercing the innermost parts of the body and soul, discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart 3. How did Jesus accomplish this? By embodying God's character in the world: He did not respect persons; He showed love, grace, and compassion; He upheld justice and righteousness; He went about doing good 4. His light exposed the darkness in the souls of those opposing Him; His embodiment of God's truth offended the sensibilities and traditions of many; His singleminded focus on God's true mission was not aligned with the expectations of the people 5. In these ways Jesus' life, death, and resurrection is an "apocalypse": it led to the revealing of the hearts and minds of many as they were confronted with God in the flesh, and He wasn't exactly what they were expecting or really wanted 6. So it goes with every confrontation with the Gospel message: whenever a person hears it, there is an "apocalypse," a revealing of whether they will submit to God in Christ or turn aside in the darkness because He wasn't exactly what they were expecting or really wanted 7. And it is all the more important for the people of God to heed this concern, since it was to the people of God that Jesus was sent: do the people of God really want to follow the ways of the Christ, or does He reveal the darkness in them because He isn't exactly what they were expecting or really wanted? 8. Judgment begins at the house of God according to 1 Peter 4:17-19, and it rarely comes in the dramatic scenes imagined in an apocalypse; it comes from greater pressure from the world and the work of the Evil One, and it exposes the thoughts and hearts of the people of God 9. As Christians we ought to continually feel that piercing from the Word of God; we must be open to the painful but necessary exposures of what is in our hearts and minds, and we must repent and turn toward the Christ 10. Yes, it will involve pain and suffering; such is the way of the cross 11. We must not arrogantly presume that "we" are always in the right and those around us are in the wrong; history is replete with examples of the people of God behaving badly, oftentimes as badly, or even worse, than the worldly around them 12. We thus do well to internalize Simeon's testimony: Jesus is a Savior who will pierce our own souls also, the catalyst for the revealing of the heart; how will we respond? D. We thus do well to affirm and internalize Simeon's testimony: Jesus the Christ is God's salvation prepared before all people, a light of revelation to Gentiles, the glory of Israel, a sign for the rising and falling of many in Israel, a sword to pierce the soul, revealing our hearts E. May we follow the Christ in faith and obtain life in Him! F. Invitation Scripture, Meditation, and Application 1: Then he received him into his arms, and blessed God, and said, "Now lettest thou thy servant depart, Lord, According to thy word, in peace; for mine eyes have seen thy salvation" (Luke 2:28-29). Simeon was an Israelite living in the first century BCE. He was upright, holy, and he looked forward to the consolation of Israel in the Christ. The Holy Spirit promised him he would not die before he saw the Lord's Christ. When Joseph and Mary brought the baby Jesus into the Temple complex to offer sacrifice and the five shekel ransom for the firstborn, the Spirit led Simeon to them. Simeon blessed God while he held the Christ child, for he had seen the salvation God promised Israel. When we consider Jesus, we ought to see God's salvation for us. What did Simeon testify regarding the Christ child? 2: "For mine eyes have seen thy salvation / Which thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples A light for revelation to the Gentiles / And the glory of thy people Israel" (Luke 2:30-32). In the Christ child Simeon saw the means by which God would save His people. He would accomplish this salvation for all to see. Jesus would provide a means by which Gentiles could come to know God. Jesus was the glory of Israel. This would become apparent in the work and ministry of Jesus, and it remains true for all today. How can we meditate upon and consider Simeon's testimony for ourselves in our own lives? 3: And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, "Behold, this child is set for the falling and the rising of many in Israel; and for a sign which is spoken against" (Luke 2:34). Simeon's blessing came with a warning: Jesus would lead to many rising and falling in Israel. His testimony was consistent with Mary's song, yet exposes the dark side: He would experience great resistance. And so it would be in His life, and to this day. Is Jesus a sign for rising or falling in our lives? Do we speak for or against Him in our words and deeds? 4: "Yea, and a sword shall pierce through thine own soul; that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed" (Luke 2:35). Simeon's final message is haunting: a sword would pierce Mary's own soul. She would experience the great pain and suffering of watching her Child be crucified. Yet she also would need to be saved by her Son; her expectations and desires would have to be modified based on who He is and what He is about. In this way the Christ is an "apocalypse" for all who are confronted by Him, exposing their hearts and minds. Will we allow what Jesus exposes to humble us toward repentance, or will it lead us to remain or turn to the darkness?