It had been a week since that glorious night. The shepherds were back at their work and Joseph would soon need to be back at his. But being so close to the big city of Jerusalem, the young couple decided to stay a little longer to avoid a second trip just weeks later, for they were determined to fulfill the Law of Moses in relation to their Son.
Keeping the Law
The first matter involved circumcision and naming. “And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb” (Luk 2:21).1 Joseph proceeded to give their Child the mark of the covenant, thus fulfilling Leviticus 12:3: “And in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.” Christ would fully identify with God’s covenant people, Israel (Heb 2:17). Both Joseph and Mary had been told separately by an angel to name Him Jesus (Mat 1:21; Luk 1:31). Surely they had disclosed these revelations to one another, and now they followed through.
The name Jesus means “Jehovah [or Yahweh] is salvation.” Very soon, Simeon would make the connection between salvation and this Boy placed in his arms (v30). It was Joseph who was told what sort of salvation their Son would bring: “He shall save his people from their sins” (Mat 1:21). Sin is our greatest enemy for it places us under the judgment of God and robs us from the kind of life God wants us to live. But God sent His Son, giving Him a Name which tells us what He came to do. What a glorious Name, the sweetest Name on earth!
There is a Name I love to hear,
I love to speak its worth;
It sounds like music in mine ear,
The sweetest Name on earth.
It tells me of a Saviour’s love
Who died to set me free;
It tells me of His precious blood,
The sinner’s perfect plea.
Jesus! The Name I love so well,
The Name I love to hear;
No saint on earth its worth can tell,
No heart conceive how dear.2
But there was still more for Joseph and Mary to do in relation to the Law. “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” (Luk 2:22 ESV). The plural “their” raises an interesting question. Just who needed to be purified? It is clear from Leviticus 12 that Mary needed purification, but as Joseph may have helped with the delivery and had contact with blood, he too would need to be purified (Lev 15). The ceremony occurred 40 days after birth (since their child was a male) and required that the couple bring an offering to the Lord, typically a lamb. But the Law made provision for the poor, and so Joseph and Mary brought “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons” (Luk 2:25; Lev 12:8), one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering. As Christ was their firstborn, the Law also required that He be officially presented to the Lord (Exo 13), which Joseph and Mary proceeded to do. Interestingly, the Law is mentioned five times in these verses (Luk 2:22,23,24,27,39), demonstrating that Joseph and Mary were devout, obedient parents. Indeed, “they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord” (v39). No wonder Paul could later write that God’s Son was “born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law” (Gal 4:4 ESV).
The young family arrived in Jerusalem and headed for the temple. Thus, activity in the temple bookends Luke’s infancy narrative (1:9ff.). It was there, perhaps in the Court of Women, that they met a very unusual man.
Keeping a Close Watch
“And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ” (2:25-26). We are not told how long before the Holy Spirit had revealed this to him, but for days, months, weeks or perhaps even years, Simeon had been keeping a close watch in the temple for any children to be presented to the Lord. Each time he heard a baby crying in the temple precincts, he would wonder, “Could this be the One?” To the priests serving there, Simeon may have appeared to be an old man3 living under a delusion, believing God had spoken to him, promising him immortality until his eyes beheld their Messiah. Time was running out for the divine message to be fulfilled. And then everything changed.
Keeping a Promise
“And he came by the Spirit4 into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God” (vv27-28 ESV). The phrase “by the Spirit” implies that the Lord revealed to him in that moment just who this Child was. It was clear to Simeon that God had kept His promise to him, and he burst forth in praise. “Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel” (vv29-32). His praise to God is often referred to as the Nunc Dimittis,5 Latin for “now you dismiss.” Simeon tells the Lord he is now ready to be dismissed from his earthly post, since God had been faithful to His promise. The Lord told Simeon he would see the Christ, but he was not only beholding but holding Him in his arms. Notice that Simeon did not say, “Mine eyes have seen the Lord’s Christ,” although they certainly did. He exclaimed, “Mine eyes have seen thy salvation.” He equated Christ with salvation. Salvation is a Person; salvation is Christ. He not only brings salvation, but He Himself is salvation. Therefore, Christ is all we need. And He is available now for “all people” (v31), which Simeon goes on to define as both Gentiles and the people of Israel (v32).
Specifically, the Child will be “a light to lighten the Gentiles,” meaning that He is a revelation to Gentiles, disclosing that God’s plan ultimately includes them, not just Israel. He is also “the glory of thy people Israel,” meaning that all the nation’s hopes will find their fulfillment in the Lord Jesus. But the two are connected and always were in the mind of God. God had revealed Himself to Israel and she was to bear testimony, pointing the nations to Him. Israel was to be “not the terminus of God’s revelation, but the conduit of God’s revelation to all humanity.”6
The young couple listened to all this in amazement. “And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him” (v33). Revelation about their Son just kept coming, first from angels, then from shepherds, and now from an elderly man in the temple. But Simeon had more to say, and some of it was quite sobering.
Keeping it Real
“And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed” (vv34-35). Simeon kept it real, telling them there was a dark side to the good news.
He reveals to them first that Christ would divide, causing some to fall and others to rise. Those who reject Him will be headed for a terrifying fall into God’s judgment, while those who receive Him by faith will rise, be vindicated and enjoy God’s many blessings. Second, Christ would be the object of hatred, “a sign which shall be spoken against.” This Child who was indeed God’s salvation would have to endure agonizing conflict and opposition (see 12:51-53). He would be hated without a cause (Psa 69:4). Because of this, Simeon tells them, Christ would reveal “the thoughts of many hearts.” “When people truly encounter Christ, their inner thoughts (that is, their evil thoughts) are seen for what they are. Apart from God’s merciful intervention, people naturally oppose Him.”7 Thus, the Lord Jesus would divide; He would anger; He would expose; He would set on fire all sorts of hostility.
Then Simeon moves from the effect their Child would have on others to the impact on Mary herself: “Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also” (2:35). Trying events were yet ahead for her. They would have to endure the flight to Egypt from the sword of Herod. Mary would witness the heart-piercing rejection of her Son by the nation. She would stand by the foot of His cross as the sword of Jehovah struck Him while soldiers pierced His side.
The gospel we preach indeed has a “dark side.” It is not all sunshine and roses. We are lost, we are sinful, we are headed for eternal punishment because of our sins. Christ was mocked, beaten and crucified. He was forsaken by all, even God, while He hung in darkness on a tree. Yet it was on that tree that “he was wounded for our transgressions; he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isa 53:5-6). We have to keep it real when preaching the gospel, for without emphasizing these dark realities, we could never experience the bright hope that there is in Christ Jesus. It is against the backdrop of the bad news that the gospel shines as good news.
Surely Mary pondered in her heart what Simeon poured into her ears. While she did, another interesting figure approached them.
Keeping the Faith
“And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity; And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. And she, coming in that instant, gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem” (2:36-38).
Anna seemed to have some similarities to Simeon. She was also advanced in years (84), was devoted to the Lord, prophesied (she was a prophetess, and part of Simeon’s praise was prophecy), and was filled with Messianic hope (cf. “waiting for the consolation of Israel” in verse 25 and looking “for redemption” in verse 38). Although Simeon frequented the temple in Jerusalem, Anna never left it. And on this day in particular, she was glad she never did. Interestingly, her father’s name was Phanuel, a variant of Penuel, meaning “face to face with God.” As she approached the Child, she was indeed face to face with God! She gave thanks to the Lord for sending the promised redemption. Well into her ninth decade of life,8 Anna had kept the faith, patiently waiting for the Messiah. At last, He was here!
Thus, Simeon and Anna’s joint witness to Jesus established a valid testimony according to the Law (Deu 19:15). But we must not forget about the testimony of the shepherds just weeks earlier. There was a triad of witnesses here. “They come from the country and from the city; they represent both male and female; they picture the common person of the field along with the pious saints of great devotion.”9 What encouragement this all brought to the young couple from Nazareth. The testimony of Simeon, Anna and the nearby shepherds as they looked upon and held their Son would serve to confirm and encourage the faith of Joseph and Mary. And like them, any others who cradled Him in their arms were beholding and holding God’s salvation!
1 Bible quotations in this article are from the KJV unless otherwise noted.
2 Frederick Whitfield (1829–1904)
3 Though Simeon’s age is not given, the narrative suggests that he, like Anna, was advanced in years, since he was willing to now “depart in peace” (v29).
4 This is the third reference to the Holy Spirit in relation to Simeon (vv25,26,27), and he is the fifth person in Luke upon whom the Spirit comes or fills (1:15 – John; 1:35 – Mary; 1:41 – Elisabeth; 1:67 – Zacharias; 2:25 – Simeon).
5 Simeon’s song is considered the last one of the incarnation. We have heard Mary’s Magnificat (1:46-55), the Benedictus of Zacharias (1:67-79), the angels’ Gloria in Excelsis (2:14), and now hear Simeon’s Nunc Dimittis (2:29-32).
6 James R. Edwards, The Gospel According to Luke (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2015), 86.
7 R. Kent Hughes, Luke Volume One: That You May Know the Truth (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1998), 97.
8 Some take the 84 years as the time of her widowhood (e.g. NIV, NET), thus making her over 100 years old.
9 Darrell L. Bock, Luke: Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 1996), 1:254
