Tuesday, February 04, 2014
Luke 2:25-35: Simeon in the Temple - a sermon for Candlemas
Luke 2:25-35 (English Standard Version, Anglicised)
Now there was a
man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous 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. And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and
when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the
custom of the Law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,
“Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in
peace,
according to
your word;
for my eyes have seen your salvation
that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and for
glory to your people Israel.”
And his father and
his mother marveled at what was said about him. And Simeon blessed them and
said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and
rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will
pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be
revealed.”
Simeon
was living in expectation of seeing ‘the Lord’s Christ’, the Messiah, the
‘consolation of Israel’. In contrast to the politically focused hopes of so
many Jews under the Roman occupation, the consolation Simeon desired: ‘was not
the fulfillment of Jewish political hopes involving deliverance from their
enemies and restoration of David’s throne but rather to the salvation Jesus
brought.’ (New American Commentary, p. 115.) Simeon looked for to the
sort of consolation Jesus pronounces in Luke 19:10: ‘Today salvation has come
to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man
came to seek and to save what was lost.’ As the apostle Paul emphasised in his
letter to the Christians in Rome, true salvation is a relationship with God
embraced by faith and not earned by works. Moreover, this salvation surpasses
the ethnic boundaries of descent from Abraham: ‘That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on
grace and be guaranteed to all
his offspring - not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who
shares the faith of Abraham, who
is the father of us all…’ (Romans 4:16) This salvation is ‘prepared in
the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for
glory to your people Israel.’ (Luke 2:31-32)
The Holy Spirit told Simeon that he wouldn’t die
before seeing the Lord’s anointed, and moved by the Spirit he went to the
Temple court just as Mary and Joseph arrived with the baby Jesus. Taking Jesus
into his arms, Simeon praises God, blesses Joseph and Mary and gives Mary a
word of knowledge.
Simeon can be understood to contrast one group of
people, ‘that falls (humbles itself) and rises (is lifted up by God)’ (New American Commentary, p. 117.) with another group of people, who ‘speak against’ God’s
signpost to salvation. Thus Simeon echoes Mary’s own hymn of praise earlier in
Luke’s gospel, which speaks of how God ‘has scattered those who are proud in
their inmost thoughts… but has lifted up the humble.’ (Luke 1:51-52)
Simeon
says that by their response to Jesus the ‘thoughts from many hearts may be
revealed.’ The Greek word translated
here as ‘thoughts’ (dialogismoi)
means antagonistic or evil thoughts. The use of this term continues Simeon’s presentation
of Jesus as a sign that will be rejected. Again, the Greek word translated as ‘hearts’
(kardia) encompasses a person’s
intellect as well as their emotions. In other words, as some people come to understand
Jesus as God’s revelation so Jesus reveals their inner antagonism to God’s
light. Some of these people may allow themselves to be brought low by the encounter,
joining those humble souls who hunger for the good things of God’s kingdom
(Luke 1:53). As Mary says, God’s mercy ‘extends to those who fear him’ (Luke
1:50)
Paul likewise holds out hope that although Jesus
was a ‘stumbling stone’ to the Jews, Israel did not ‘stumble so as to fall
beyond recovery’ (Romans 11:11):
‘Not at
all! Rather, because of their
transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. But if their
transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the
Gentiles, how much greater riches
will their full inclusion bring! … For God has
consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.’ (Romans 11:11-12
& 32)
In this light, what are we to make of Simeon’s
parenthetical comment to Mary that ‘a sword will pierce through your own soul also’? Of course, ‘The most common
interpretation is that it refers to the sorrow Mary would experience in seeing
her son rejected and crucified.’ (New American Commentary, p. 117.) However, this comment likely alludes to ‘the fact that Mary would also
stumble and experience difficulty in her son’s mission’ (New American Commentary, p. 117.), as recorded later in Luke’s
gospel. Thus William C. Nicholas Jr. explains that ‘Family ties will not render
[Mary] exempt from making a conscious choice to follow or reject Jesus’
teaching.’ (‘The
Oracles of Simeon: Luke 2:28-35’) As Jesus says in Matthew 10:34: ‘I did not come to bring
peace, but a sword.’
As would appear from the Marian perspective of the early
chapters of Luke, and John’s record of the crucifixion, Mary chose to follow
Jesus. Each of us faces the same choice on a daily basis, for as C.S. Lewis said:
‘The one thing Christianity can’t be is moderately
important: either it’s untrue, in which case it’s of no importance at all, or
it’s true, in which case it demands your whole life.’
Audio of Sermon: http://www.damaris.org/cm/podcasts/896
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