Thursday, January 6, 2011

January 1, 1 A.D.

If, granting that Jesus was born on December 25, you went into the temple in Jerusalem on January 1 in the year 1 A.D.,  you would have gotten to be a part of one of my favorite Bibles stories.  The Bible story I am speaking of is the story of Simeon.  Instead of me telling it, why don't I let the Word speak for itself.

 22 When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”), 24 and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”
 25 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 on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 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, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
 29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
   you may now dismiss your servant in peace.
30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,
 31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
   and the glory of your people Israel.”
 33 The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
                                                                        Luke 2:22-33

The pinnacle of Simeon's life: seeing the face of Jesus.  What a guy Simeon must have been.  Keeping a promise just like He still does today, what a God He still is.

Posted by at

2 comments:

  1. Ed GoodmanJanuary 7, 2011 at 10:15 AM

    Great post, Andrew. God is still the Promise Keeper! What I like about Simeon is the figurative lesson we learn from him: once you've seen Jesus face-to-face, then you're ready to die.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Andrew DittyJanuary 7, 2011 at 9:14 PM

    Thanks Dudeman. Going along with this theme of death--to-life, it is interesting to note that one of the coolest things about Christians is how they die. Not in fear, but in hope of eternity with Jesus.

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)