The Prophecy of Simeon

Luke 2:34-35

34  Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, “This child is destined for the falling and the

rising of many in Israel and to be a sign that will be opposed  35  so that the inner thoughts of many will

be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul, too.” (NSRVue)

Who was Simeon? The Gospel of Luke gives us many people not found in the other Gospels, and Simeon

is one of them. He gets 11 verses, quite a few for an otherwise unknown person. Reading these verses

tells us these things about Simeon.

• He had a good Jewish name, almost a patriotic name. Simeon (or Simon) was the second son of

Jacob, the patriarch of the tribe of Simeon.

• He was “righteous and devout,” meaning he kept the law of Moses scrupulously and prayed

faithfully. He was a regular at the temple in Jerusalem as part of the practice of his faith.

• He was in tune with God’s Holy Spirit and therefore looked forward to the “consolation of

Israel.” In other words, he had divine insights that caused him to believe the Lord would send a

deliverer to Israel.

• He had been assured by the Holy Spirit that he would personally witness this coming Messiah

before his death.

Simeon represents a significant number of people in Jerusalem who were longing for the Messiah to

come. The Romans ruled with a heavy hand. Worship at the temple continued as it had for centuries,

but always under the shadow of the Roman overlords. In fact, the temple was being rebuilt on a grand

scale by Herod, a man the Romans allowed to be called King of the Jews. But Herod was not a Jew and

his cruelty and complicity with the Romans terrorized the Jewish population of Palestine.

Simeon had lived many years hoping that the Messiah would come. I think he would have given up and

moved on with his life except he was convinced that God’s Holy Spirit had promised him the Messiah

would come before he died. And this was the big day.

Simeon does two important things. First, he celebrates that this baby, Jesus, has been revealed to him to

be the Christ. Second, he gives a prophecy to Mary and Joseph about the future of this child. Even more,

he gives a specific prophecy to Mary: “a sword shall pierce your own soul, too.” This is incredibly vivid

imagery, a spiritual sword thrusting into hearts.

This is the first of the “Seven Sorrows of Mary.”

How many parents have had their hearts crushed by the actions of their children!

We can imagine what Mary’s hopes were for her first son. Grow up in her hometown of Nazareth. Learn

the law of Moses and keep the commandments. Find a wife and settle down. Take over Joseph’s

business. Be a respected man in the synagogue. Give her grandchildren. Take care of her in her old age.

But things turned out differently for Jesus and for Mary. While Jesus did not cause Mary unnecessary

grief, surely the way he was treated by others caused his mother’s heart to be sorrowful. Parents, we

cannot fight all our children’s battles and sometimes we must just suffer alongside them. And so it was

with Mary of Nazareth.

Journaling Questions

1. Think of a time when the mean or cruel actions of others against you caused grief for your

mother or father. How did they handle that? If you are a parent, how have you handled this sort

of treatment?

2. Imagine how the rejection of the Son (Jesus) by Israel must have disappointed the Father (God).

How would you have reacted?

Graphic:

CHAMPAIGNE, Philippe de

The Presentation of the Temple

1648

Oil on canvas, 257 x 197 cm

Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts, Brussels