A little more about the events following the Christmas story.
Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
"Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel."
Luke 2:25-34
(find these or any other passages at www.Biblegateway.org)
What an interesting passage! One of the first things that jumps out to me from this story is the presence of the Holy Spirit. There was a unique event chronicled in Acts 2 concerning the Spirit, but that was not His first Earthly appearance, or His first contact with man. (Earlier we read that Elizabeth was filled with the Spirit when Mary came to visit.)
The next thing is this wonderful promise that Simeon had received, that he would not die before seeing the Messiah. I wonder if he had shared that with anyone?
Finally, there is this great statement, for which I am so grateful: "...my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.
As a non-Jew, how thankful I am that God's intentions included me!
Jesus was coming to bring Gory to the Chosen Ones and as a light reveal God's plan to everyone. The Hebrews were intitally set aside in order to do this very thing. The story of the Old Testament shows that they did not succeed very well as evangelists. Yet through them, that success would come, from a son, the Son of Israel.
The Magi asked, "Where is He who is born King of the Jews?" And yes, He was born King of the Jews, but He's my King too, praise God.
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Questions:
1. We seem to have the idea that Jesus' birth was a secret to everyone but Mary and Joseph, but Simeon knew it would happen before he died. Do you think he told others? What impact might that have had?
2. Have you ever considered the role of the Holy Spirit before Pentecost? Considering Simeon and Elizabeth, do you think a role, or maybe the role of the Spirit is to help individuals recognize Jesus?
3. How does it impact you that Jesus came as "a light for revelation to the Gentiles"?
INTERESTING THOUGHTS:
"There is no better evangelist in the world than the Holy Spirit."
D.L. Moody
"A church in the land without the Spirit is rather a curse than a blessing.
If you have not the Spirit of God, Christian worker,
remember that you stand in somebody else's way;
you are a fruitless tree standing where a fruitful tree might grow."
Charles Spurgeon
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