Joel Kilpatrick
Luke 2:33-35 NLT
Jesus’ parents were amazed at what was being said about him. Then Simeon blessed them, and he said to Mary, the baby’s mother, “This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, and many others to rise. He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose him. As a result, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul.”
Reflection
Of all the strange and wonderful things to happen around Christ’s birth, one of the strangest is the glimpse of a Spirit-led man living in Jerusalem — seemingly outside of his spiritual era.
Like all Israel, Simeon was living under the old covenant. Yet:
—“the Holy Spirit was upon him”
—a personal promise “had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit”
— he was moved “in the Spirit” to go to the temple
— he prophesied to strangers
— he spoke a condensed version of the gospel story while the Messiah was still an infant.
Who was this guy?! We don’t know much. What we know is that Simeon was living in the Spirit to a greater degree than many Christians do today.
When was the last time you or I were moved by the Spirit to go someplace unexpected? When was the last time we prophesied? What personal promises has God given us before we die? Is the Holy Spirit “upon” us such that others can tell?
Thirty years later, in that same Temple, people watched Jesus’ miracles yet struggled to grasp who He was. Simeon saw only a baby but somehow perceived and prophesied an accurate unfolding of Jesus’ first coming. If Simeon, an obscure man living in Old Testament Jerusalem, had such a relationship with the Holy Spirit, how much more should we?
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