01-15-2023 – “Simeon and Anna Testify About Jesus”
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January 15, 2023
“Simeon and Anna Testify About Jesus”
Luke 2:25-38
Last week we studied
Luke 2:22-24,
22 And when the days for their purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord
23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “EVERY firstborn MALE THAT OPENS THE WOMB SHALL BE CALLED HOLY TO THE LORD”),
24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what was said in the Law of the Lord, “A PAIR OF TURTLEDOVES OR TWO YOUNG PIGEONS.”
where we learned how Mary and Joseph had brought Jesus to the temple to pay the required five-shekel redemption price for Jesus and to dedicate Him to God, since he was their first born son. They had also come to offer the proper sacrifice since Mary’s 40 days of purification was completed, i.e., it had been 40 days since Jesus’ birth.
Read Luke 2:25-32…
25 And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
26 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.
27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to carry out for Him the custom of the Law,
28 then he took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said,
29 “Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace,
According to Your word;
30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation,
31 Which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
32 A LIGHT OF REVELATION TO THE GENTILES,
And the glory of Your people Israel.”
Simeon is not spoken of anywhere else in the Scriptures, only here; but we know that his name means “God has heard.” We are told that Simeon, a righteous and devout man, has come to the temple, led by the Spirit of God, in order to see the consolation of Israel [the One who would console and bring comfort to Israel = the Messiah, God’s Son, Savior and Lord].
Simeon who was elderly, is told that he would not die until He sees the Messiah, the Savior, the One who would fulfill the Abrahamic and David covenants given to Israel.
Jeremiah 29:11-13,
“For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.’”
Jeremiah 31:31-34,
“‘Behold, days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,’ declares the Lord. ‘>>>>>>>>>>
“But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,’ declares the Lord, ‘I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the Lord, ‘or I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.’”
Hebrews 10:10,
“We have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”
Hebrews 10:14-18,
“For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us; for after saying, ‘This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws upon their heart, and on their mind I will write them,’ He then says, ‘And their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.’ Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin.”
In Jesus’ first synagogue appearance in Nazareth
(cf. Luke 4:16-19)
16 And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read.
17 And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written,
18 “THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME,
BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR.
HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES,
AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND,
TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED,
19 TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD.”
He stood up and read from
Isaiah 11:1-2,
1 Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse,
And a branch from his roots will bear fruit.
2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him,
The spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The spirit of counsel and strength,
The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.
which is a Messianic passage that foretells the fulfillment of the Messiah’s coming, saying, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn.”
When Simeon came into the temple and saw Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus, moved by the Spirit of God, he knew Jesus was
(cf. Luke 2:25-26)
25 And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
26 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.
“the consolation of Israel,” “the Lord’s Christ”[Messiah].
Taking Jesus into his arms he proclaims that he has now seen the fulfillment of God's Salvation [Immanuel] who has come to earth, Simeon could now die in peace
(cf. Luke 2:29-30).
29 “Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace,
According to Your word;
30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation,
Read Luke 2:33-35…
33 And His father and mother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him.
34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed--
35 and a sword will pierce even your own soul--to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”
Joseph and Mary are amazed at Simeon’s words, especially considering all that has happened prior to this meeting at the temple.
Joseph and Mary had been personally selected by God, to care for His Son. God’s angel had independently told Mary, and also Joseph, that Mary was to conceive and give birth to God’s Son, and Joseph was to take Mary as his wife, and to raise God’s Son, as his very own.
Mary was in her ninth month of pregnancy when they traveled from Nazareth to Bethlehem (4-day journey) to register in a census, in the hometown of their ancestors.
In Bethlehem they find no suitable lodging and are forced to shelter at a place where animals are feed, when the time came for Jesus to be born. Some shepherds soon show up with a fantastic story of how they were watching over their sheep when an angel of God proclaimed to them that the Savior, who is Christ the Lord, had been born in Bethlehem, and they were to go find and worship Him.
The shepherds return to their sheep, telling everyone they see what has happened, that the Savior, who is Christ the Lord has been born, and God’s peace has now come to all those who will believe in Him.
Eight days after Christ’s birth, Mary and Joseph have Him circumcised and give Him the name Jesus [God’s Salvation], as they were told to do. According to the Law, they paid five-shekels to redeem Jesus, and made the appropriate sacrifice
(Leviticus 12:8)
8 But if she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take two turtledoves or two young pigeons, the one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement for her, and she will be clean.’”
so that, “the priest shall make atonement for her, and she will be clean.”
About 40 days after Jesus had been born, with everything else that had happened, Mary is now being told by Simeon that her son is
(Luke 2:32),
“A Light of revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.”
(Luke 2:34-35)
“Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed— and a sword will pierce even your own soul—to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”
Wow! Simeon
(cf. Luke 2:34)
34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed—
prophecies that many Gentiles will come to be saved through their belief in God’s Son, and many Jews will stumble over Him, rejecting Him, bringing judgement upon themselves.
1Corinthians 1:21-24,
“For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”
Ephesians 2:11-22,
“Remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision,” which is performed in the flesh by human hands— remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the common-wealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off [non-Jews] have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups [Jews and non-Jews] into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near; for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.”
Galatians 3:26-29,
“For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.”
Most of Israel would reject Mary’s Son, opposing Him to the point of crying out for Him to be crucified
(Luke 2:35a),
“and a sword will pierce even your own soul.”
How painful it would be for Mary when Jesus began to distance Himself from her, in order to fulfill the purpose of His coming.
Matthew 12:48-50
48 But Jesus answered the one who was telling Him and said, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?”
49 And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, “Behold My mother and My brothers!
50 For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother.”
(Jesus was speaking to the crowds when someone told Him that His mother and brothers had come to see Him, and He responded) “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?’ And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, ‘Behold My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother.’’
Mary would witness most of the Jewish world turn against her beloved Son, rejecting the very Salvation He provided
(Luke 2:35b),
“to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”
In John 19:25-30,
25 Therefore the soldiers did these things.
But standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.
26 When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold, your son!”
27 Then He said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” From that hour the disciple took her into his own household.
28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, to fulfill the Scripture, said, “I am thirsty.”
29 A jar full of sour wine was standing there; so they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop and brought it up to His mouth.
30 Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.
it is recorded that Mary was standing by the cross when Jesus said, “It is finished!” Then He bowed His head and gave up His spirit..
Early in the Gospel of John we learn the reason for Christ coming into the world; but also, that most people will reject Him
(John 3:16-19),
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.”
Read Luke 2:36-38…
36 And there was a prophetess, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years and had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage,
37 and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers.
38 At that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.
Just as Simeon finishes giving testimony about Jesus as the Messiah, Anna, a woman in her 80’s, from the tribe of Asher, comes up to Mary, Joseph, and Jesus; and she begins giving thanks to God for Jesus, the Savior. We are told that she continued to speak to all those “who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.”
It is possible that Simeon and Anna knew each other, for Simeon, being a righteous man, frequently came to the temple; and we are told that Anna most likely lived in the temple complex (there were rooms in the outer courts, where priests stayed while fulfilling their two weeks of annual service in the temple); Anna may have been allowed to stay in one of these rooms, since she was a godly elderly widowed woman who served at the temple day and night with “fasting and prayers.”
At the moment Anna came up to Mary, Joseph, Jesus, and Simeon, she began to give thanks to God for baby Jesus. All her years of fasting and praying at the temple gave way to an outburst of praise, which she continued to proclaim to everyone who was waiting for God’s Salvation to come, through Whom the Abrahamic, Davidic, and Final Covenant (through the death and resurrection of this Child), was made effectual
(cf. Hebrews 1:1-3).
1 God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways,
2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.
3 And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
Both Simeon and Anna testified that Jesus was indeed God’s Son, the Savior.
How about you?
Do you believe in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and eternal life?
Are you proclaiming the marvelous message of God to others, like Simeon and Anna did at the temple?
If not, why not?
Eyewitnesses give testimony and history confirms all this to be true
(Romans 3:10-12,
10 as it is written,
“THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE;
11 THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS,
THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD;
12 ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS;
THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD,
THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE.”
Romans 3:23;
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Romans 5:8;
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 6:23;
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:1;
1 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Romans 10:9-10,
9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;
10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.
Romans 10:13)
13 for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.”
Everyone is guilty of sin, but anyone who asks God to forgive their sin, believing in Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord, will be saved.
Pastor Mike Hale