Lives of Scripture

Simeon is introduced simply as 'righteous and devout,' a man 'looking for the consolation of Israel,' with the Holy Spirit resting on him and having revealed to him personally that he would not see death before seeing the Lord's Christ (Luke 2:25-26). Moved by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple at the exact moment Mary and Joseph brought the infant Jesus in for the customary presentation and offering under the law (2:27-24). Taking the child into his arms, Simeon blessed God with words that became one of the church's most enduring prayers, the Nunc Dimittis: 'Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace, according to Your word; for my eyes have seen Your salvation... a light of revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel' (2:29-32). Mary and Joseph marveled at what was being said about their son (2:33). Simeon then blessed the parents directly and turned to Mary with a more sobering prophecy: this child was appointed for 'the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed,' revealing the thoughts of many hearts -- and Mary herself would have 'a sword' pierce her own soul, a foreshadowing of the grief she would carry watching her son's rejection and crucifixion (2:34-35). Simeon's decades of patient, Spirit-led waiting were rewarded in a single encounter that framed the entirety of Jesus' coming mission, from salvation for the nations to the cost His own mother would bear.