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It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. He came in the Spirit into the temple. When the parents brought in the child, Jesus, that they might do concerning him according to the custom of the law,
then he received him into his arms, and blessed God, and said,
“Now you are releasing your servant, Master, according to your word, in peace;
Luke 2:26-29 sits inside this longer paragraph.
Behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. He came in the Spirit into the temple. When the parents brought in the child, Jesus, that they might do concerning him according to the custom of the law,
then he received him into his arms, and blessed God, and said,
“Now you are releasing your servant, Master, according to your word, in peace;
It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.
He came in the Spirit into the temple. When the parents brought in the child, Jesus, that they might do concerning him according to the custom of the law,
then he received him into his arms, and blessed God, and said,
“Now you are releasing your servant, Master, according to your word, in peace;
And an answer was geven him of the holy goost that he shulde not se deethe before he had sene the lordes Christ.
And he came by inspiracion into the temple. And when the father and mother brought in the chylde Iesus to do for him after the custome of the lawe
then toke he him vp in his armes and sayde.
Lorde Now lettest thou thy seruaut departe in peace accordinge to thy promes.
And it was declared to him from God by the holy Ghost, that he shoulde not see death, before he had seene that Anointed of the Lord.
And he came by the motion of the spirit into the Temple, and when the parents brought in the babe Iesus, to do for him after the custome of the Lawe,
Then hee tooke him in his armes, and praised God, and sayd,
Lord, nowe lettest thou thy seruaunt depart in peace, according to thy woorde,
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv27, 29 Joseph and Mary: and so he speaketh, as it…
Joseph and Mary: and so he speaketh, as it was commonly taken.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv26–29 26 And it was revealed unto him by the…
26 And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.
Ver. 26. It was revealed unto him] By an immediate oracle, κεχρηματισμενον. The idolatrous, heathen made use of this word to signify their impious and diabolical oracles. The abuse of a word taketh not away the use of it.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On v29 The song consists of an eulogium of Christ, whom…
The song consists of an eulogium of Christ, whom Simeon here calls:
1. The Lord’s salvation;
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2. A light to lighten the Gentiles;
3. The glory of Israel;
and a petition, that now the Lord would let him depart in peace. But I shall take the words in order.
Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word. He desireth to die, having now lived to see what alone he desired life for. It is a speech much like Jacob’s, Gen 46:30, when he had seen Joseph, whom he thought lost, but spoken here upon a much more weighty consideration. The word translated
depart, signifies to absolve, and forgive, Luk 6:37; to dismiss, and to deliver as from bondage and misery. It is used to express the death of good men, by the Septuagint, Gen 15:15; Num 20:29; and the noun from it is used so by the apostle, 2Pe 1:15. Simeon owns God to be the Lord of his life, who had the power of it, and could alone dismiss him; and signifieth himself to be an old man, satisfied with days, willing to be at rest from the miseries of this life; but he begs to be dismissed, and to die in peace, that is, happily: see Gen 15:15; 2Ki 22:20; Psa 4:8.
According to thy word, that is, thy promise, mentioned Luk 2:26. But the putting of these words in before those words
in peace, seems to import that he could not die in peace before he had seen God’s word fulfilled to him, in which he had made him to hope.
For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, that is, thy Christ, according to the revelation I had from thee. Simeon had a special revelation of a corporeal sight of Christ; he could not die happily till he had had that. None of us can die in peace, till we have seen the Lord’s salvation with a spiritual eye, and made application of the promises of the gospel, in the more general revelation of his word.
Thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; that is, the author of salvation, for there is no salvation in any other, Act 4:12. Simeon declares that this salvation was prepared for all people. Isa 11:10, he was prophesied of as an ensign for the people, to it shall the Gentiles seek. So Isa 52:10, The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God. So Psa 98:2. Simeon speaks the same thing more particularly, Luk 2:32,
A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel. All the people mentioned Luk 2:32 were either Gentiles or Jews. Simeon here prophesieth, that Christ should lighten the Gentiles. The state of the Gentiles (by whom were understood all the people in the world except the Jews) is often in Scripture expressed under the notion of darkness, both in respect of the ignorance of the true God which was amongst them, and of their idolatry and superstition, and their lewd and wicked lives, much proportioned to their religion. Hence Paul is said to be sent to the Gentiles, to turn them from darkness to light, Act 26:18. Christ is called light; Joh 8:12, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. So Joh 9:5. Conformable to the old prophecies: Isa 60:1-3, Arise, shine, for thy light is come. Behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people; but the Lord shall arise upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light. And speaking of Christ, Isa 49:6, I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth. So Isa 42:6, And give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles. See Psa 98:3; Act 13:47.
And the glory of thy people Israel. All the earth is the Lord’s, but Israel is called his son, his first born, Exo 4:22. Christ was the minister of the circumcision, Rom 15:8. To them it was that he was promised, of them it was that he was born, Rom 9:5. Amongst them it was that he preached and wrought miracles: He came unto his own, Joh 1:11. It was said of old, I will place salvation in Zion for Israel my glory, Isa 46:13. Christ is the glory of any people; the preaching of Christ, the owning and professing of Christ, a living up to his rules, this is a people’s glory. And as some do this more and better than others, so in God’s account they differ from others in what is true glory.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
William Burkitt 1703 · Public Domain On v29 These words are a sweet canticle, or swan-like song,…
These words are a sweet canticle, or swan-like song, of old Simeon, a little before his dissolution. He had seen the Messiah before by faith, now by sight, and wishes to have his eyes closed, that he might see nothing after this desirable sight. It is said of some Turks, that after they have seen Mahomet’s tomb, they put out their eyes, that they may never defile them after they have seen so glorious an object. Thus did old Simeon desire to see no more of this world, after he had seen Christ the Saviour of the world, but sues for his dismission; Lord, let thy servant depart.
Note here, 1. That a good man having served his generation, and God in his generation, faithfully, is weary of the world, and willing to be dismissed from it.
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2. That the death of a good man is nothing else but a quiet and peaceable departure; it is a departure in peace to the God of peace.
3. That it is only a spiritual sight of Christ by faith that can welcome the approach of death, and render it an object desirable to the Christian’s choice; he only that can say, My eyes have seen thy salvation, will be able to say, Lord, let thy servant depart.
Observe, farther, Holy Simeon having declared the faithfulness of God to himself in the gift of Christ, next he celebrates the mercy of God in bestowing this invaluable gift of a Saviour upon the whole world.
The world consists of Jews and Gentiles; Christ is a light to the one, and the glory of the other. A light to the blind and dark Gentiles, and the glory of the renowned church of the Jews; the Messiah being promised to them, born and bred up with them, living amongst them, preaching his doctrine to them, and working his miracles before them: and thus was Christ the glory of his people Israel.
William Burkitt's Expository Notes on the New Testament (1700–1703) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv26–29 And it was revealed unto him by the Holy…
And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost,.... Not in a dream, as the wise men were warned, nor by an angel, as Joseph, nor by a voice from heaven, which the Jews call "Bath Kol", but by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, enlightening his understanding, and impressing on his mind:
that he should not see death; an Hebraism, see it in Psa 89:48 the same with the phrase, "to taste death", elsewhere used; and the sense is, as the Ethiopic version renders it, "that he should not die"; or as the Persic version, "that his death should not be"; as yet: he should live some time longer; nor should that messenger be sent to remove him, though a man in years, out of time into eternity,
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before he had seen the Lord's Christ: with his bodily eyes: for he had seen him with an eye of faith already, and in the promise, as Abraham had; and in the types and sacrifices of the law, as the rest of believers under the Old Testament. The Messiah is called the Lord's Christ, referring to Psa 2:2 because he was anointed by Jehovah, the Father, and with Jehovah, the Spirit; with the Holy Ghost, the oil of gladness, to be prophet, priest, and king, in the Lord's house. So the Messiah is by the Targumist called, the Messiah of Jehovah, or Jehovah's Messiah; that is as here, the Lord's Christ: thus in the Targum on Isa 4:2 it is said,
"in that time, , "Jehovah's Messiah", shall be for joy and for glory.
And on Isa 28:5 the paraphrase is,
"at that time, , "the Messiah of the Lord" of hosts shall be for a crown of joy, and for a diadem of praise to the rest of his people.
Compare these paraphrases with what is said of Christ, in Luk 2:32. "The glory of thy people Israel"; Simeon's language exactly agrees with the Targumist. The Persic version adds, "and with this hope he passed his time, or age, and became very old and decrepit."
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On v27 By the Spirit - By a particular Revelation or…
By the Spirit - By a particular Revelation or impulse from him.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv26–29 Verse 26. It was revealed unto him] He was…
Verse 26. It was revealed unto him] He was divinely informed, κεχρηματισμενον - he had an express communication from God concerning the subject. The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him. The soul of a righteous and devout man is a proper habitation for the Holy Spirit.
He should not see death] They that seek shall find: it is impossible that a man who is earnestly seeking the salvation of God, should be permitted to die without finding it.
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The Lord's Christ.] Rather, the Lord's anointed. That prophet, priest, and king, who was typified by so many anointed persons under the old covenant; and who was appointed to come in the fulness of time, to accomplish all that was written in the law, in the prophets, and in the Psalms, concerning him. See Clarke on Lu 2:11.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv26–29 And it was revealed unto him - In what…
And it was revealed unto him - In what way this was done we are not informed. Sometimes a revelation was made by a dream, at others by a voice, and at others by silent suggestion. All we know of this is that it was by the Holy Spirit.
Not see death - Should not die. To “see” death and to “taste” of death, was a common way among the Hebrews of expressing death itself. Compare Psa 89:48.
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The Lord’s Christ - Rather “the Lord’s Anointed.” The word “Christ” means “anointed,” and it would have been better to use that word here. To an aged man who had been long waiting for the Messiah, how grateful must have been this revelation - this solemn assurance that the Messiah was near! But this revelation is now given to every man, that he need not taste of death until, by the eye of faith, he may see the Christ of God. He is offered freely. He has come. He waits to manifest himself to the world, and he is not willing that any should die forever. To us also it will be as great a privilege in our dying hours to have seen Christ by faith as it was to Simeon. It will be the only thing that can support us then - the only thing that will enable us to depart in peace.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv26–27 And he had received an answer, ... that he…
And he had received an answer, ... that he should not see death; i.e. die. (Witham)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv26–29 revealed by the Holy Ghost--implying, beyond all doubt, the…
revealed by the Holy Ghost--implying, beyond all doubt, the personality of the Spirit.
should see not death till he had seen--"sweet antithesis!" [BENGEL]. How would the one sight gild the gloom of the other! He was, probably, by this time, advanced in years.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv27, 29 27. Came by the Spirit—The Spirit, which was attested…
27. Came by the Spirit—The Spirit, which was attested by its own self-evidence beyond mistake, led the holy man into the temple at the time that Jesus was being brought. The mature saint and the young Messiah met, and the venerable representative of the old law did profound homage to the infant and divine founder of the new Gospel.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv26–29 26. it was revealed unto him] Christian legend says…
26. it was revealed unto him] Christian legend says that he had stumbled at Isa_7:14, “Behold, a virgin shall conceive,” and had received a divine intimation that he should not die till he had seen it fulfilled (Nicephorus, a. d. 1450). The notion of his extreme age is not derived from Scripture but from the ‘Gospel of the Nativity of Mary,’ which says that he was 113.
the Lord’s Christ] The Anointed of Jehovah.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv26, 27, 29 (26) It was revealed unto him.—The Greek word is…
(26) It was revealed unto him.—The Greek word is the same as that rendered “warned” in Mat_2:12. It implies a divine oracular communication, but rests on a different idea from the “unveiling,” which lies at the root of the word “reveal.” The message in this case came clearly as an answer to prayers and yearnings.
The Lord’s Christ.—The word retains all the fulness of its meaning—the Messiah, the Anointed of Jehovah.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv26, 27, 29 That he should not see death. The idea of…
That he should not see death. The idea of the aged Simeon comes from a notice in the apocryphal "Gospel of the Nativity," which speaks of him as a hundred and thirteen years old. These legendary "Gospels" are totally devoid of all authority; here and there possibly a true "memory" not preserved in any of the "four" may exist, but in general they are extravagant and improbable. The Arabic "Gospel of the Infancy" here speaks of Simeon seeing the Babe shining like a pillar of light in his mother"s arms. There is an old and striking legend which speaks of this devout Jew being long puzzled and disturbed by the Messianic prophecy, (Isa_7:14) "A virgin shall conceive;" at length he received a supernatural intimation that he should not see dearth until he had seen the fulfillment of the strange prophecy, the menacing of which he had so long failed to see.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On vv26, 27, 29 And it was revealed unto him by the Holy…
Luk_2:26
And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost
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The leading of the Spirit
Observe that Simeon found Christ in the temple, being conducted thither by the Holy Ghost.
There was an ancient promise, The Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to His Temple, and this probably drew the holy man to the courts of the Lord. But the Lord might have come, and Simeon might not have been there, or the good old man might have been occupied in some other court of the holy place; but being led of the Spirit he came to the appointed spot at the very time when the mother of Christ was bringing the Babe in her arms to do for Him according to the law. In this Simeon is an instance of the truth that they find Christ who are led by the Spirit, and they alone. No man ever comes to Christ by his own wit and wisdom, nor by his own unprompted will: he alone who is drawn of the Spirit comes to Christ. We must submit ourselves to Divine teaching and Divine drawing, or else Christ may come to His temple, but we shall not perceive Him. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Simeons felicity
How highly favoured was Simeon! A glorious anticipation truly for a pious Israelite to entertain! A stupendous assurance to carry about with him! How must it have stirred his inmost soul at times to think upon it! At one time, joy--at another, alarm--must have filled his heart; joy at the thought that God was about to visit and redeem His people; alarm, for who might abide the day of His coming, and who should stand when He appeared? Every rumour which reached him must have made his pulse throb and his heart beat; for he knew that he was destined to look upon Him to whom all type and all prophecy for four thousand years had been steadily pointing His words of recognition, the inspired hymn which bears his name, must doubtless have flowed from his burning lips like words of fire. His embrace must surely have been an act of unspeakable gratitude, wonder, and joy! (Dean Burgon.)
Blessedness found in the path of duty
Let us put ourselves in his position from the day that he received the promise, and consider, as far as may be, not merely what we should have felt, but how we should have acted, had we been in his place. It may be thought that we should have adopted one of the most probable opinions as to the manner in which Messiah would appear, and have anxiously expected His manifestation. We might perhaps have gone out of our way in this pursuit; and when the time grew long, we might have fancied that we were called upon to take some step in order to meet the Divine condescension half way. But what was the course adopted by devout Simeon? We find him frequenting the Temple faithfully, as aforetime; until, on a certain day, which was like every other day except in its results to him, the desire of his soul was gratified. A humble pair enter, and the mother bears in her arms a little Babe. There is nothing to distinguish that group from ordinary worshippers. Nay, their attire and their offering bespeak great poverty. Simeon is made aware by a sudden revelation of the Spirit, that in that helpless Child he beholds the Lords Christ: whereupon he takes Him up in his arms, and blesses God, and pours out his soul in solemn thankfulness. Surely the lesson to be derived from this incident is the same which is taught us by many a page of Holy Scripture besides; namely, that blessedness is to be found in the path of duty. This lesson we dare not overlook, or neglect. Every one is apt to think that there is something in his own position, peculiarly uncongenial to holiness; that his own path of life is peculiarly difficult and embarrassing. Especially are men prone to think that the common round of daily duties affords but little time, and presents yet fewer opportunities, for the service of God. The daily task is so humble, or so uncongenial; so simply worldly, or so extremely private, that many who desire a closer walk with God are apt to wish that they were not exactly what and where they are; but, indeed, almost anything besides. It is our own infirmity, if we thus think. God requires at our hand good things, not great things. He can do without us; and it is He who does in us all that we ever seem to do well. Moreover, if He does but find in us a perfect willingness to serve Him, let us be well assured that He will minister to us occasions of holiness; or rather, that we shall find ample room for the execution of our best designs and desires, in those same daily duties, that same lowly round of perhaps distasteful task, which we half dislike and half despise. (Ibid.)
Simeons character
1. The Holy Ghost, his Leader.
2. Faith, his consolation.
3. Piety, his life.
4. The Saviour, his joy.
5. To depart for heaven, his desire. (Van Doren.)
In the huge Temple, deckd by Herods pride, Who fain would bribe a God he neer believed, Kneels a meek woman, that hath once conceived, Tho she was never like an earthly bride. And yet the stainless would be purified, And wash away the stain that yet was none, And for the birth of her immaculate Son, With the stern rigour of the law complied: The duty paid received its due reward When Simeon blessd the Baby in her arm; And though he plainly told her that a sword Must pierce her soul, she felt no weak alarm, For that for which a prophet thanked the Lord Once to have seen, could never end in harm. (Hartley Coleridge.)
The fear of death destroyed by a sight of Christ
Our text is a joyful exclamation of a venerable old saint upon seeing the Lords Christ. It seems that when his eyes once looked upon Jesus, he never wished them to gaze on aught more on earth. Hence he exclaimed, Now, Lord, lettest Thou Thy servant depart inpeace. We remark--
I. THAT GOD ALWAYS HONOURS PRE-EMINENTLY DEVOTED MEN. Them that honour Me, saith the Lord, will I honour. Undevout minds are too worldly, too apathetic, too dull to hear the secret whispering of heaven. Tis the spiritual ear alone that can hear the still small voice that comes across the universe from the spirit-world; tis the spiritual eye alone that reads the secrets of eternity, that sees passing in review before it the realities of the hidden state. Some simple-hearted Christians were once returning from chapel; they had been to hear the holy Bramwell preach. One of them said to the other, How is it that Mr. Bramwell has always something new to tell us? Ah! said the other, I can tell you how it is; he lives very much nearer the gates of heaven than many of us, and God tells him things He does not tell other people. And so it was with Simeon. He lived very much nearer the gates of heaven than many of his day; and God honoured him by telling him this great fact. It was revealed unto Simeon that he should not see death till he had seen the Lords Christ.
II. SIMEON WAS A MAN OF PRE-EMINENT DEVOTEDNESS TO GOD. And, behold, say the Scriptures, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. Observes an eminent divine, No doubt there were many persons in Jerusalem named Simeon besides this man, but there was none of the name who merited the attention of God so much as he in the text. There are four things said about him in the text, every one of which is an evidence of his great devotedness. It is said of him that he was just, devout, that he waited for the Consolation of Israel, and that the Holy Ghost was upon him. You cannot dispense with one of these elements from eminent piety, reconciliation, devoutness, a waiting upon God, and the possession of the Holy Ghost. A virtuous man said, a philosopher is the noblest work of God; but we would rather say a Christian, a devout man, is the noblest work of God. Such a man is Gods jewel, His friend; tis with him God delights to dwell; tis to him God will tell His secrets; on him confer His richest houours. Simeon was such a man; God honoured him by telling him the great fact, that before death should close his eyes, he should see the Lords Christ.
III. THAT THOUGH SIMEON WAS AN EMINENTLY DEVOTED MAN, HE HAD GREAT DISCOURAGEMENT IN OBTAINING A SIGHT OF THE OBJECT HE SO EXTREMELY DESIRED. What Simeon wanted was to see the Lords Christ. Unbelief would suggest to him, Simeon, you are an old man, your day is almost ended, the snow of age is upon your head,, your eyes are growing dim, your brow is wrinkled, your limbs totter, and death cannot be at a great distance; and where are the signs of His coming? You are resting, Simeon, on a phantom of the imagination--it is all a delusion. No, replies Simeon, I shall not see death till I have seen the Lords Christ. Yes, I shall see Him before I die. But unbelief would again suggest, But remember, Simeon, many holy men have desired to see the Lords Christ, but have died without the sight. Yes, says Simeon, I shall see the Lords Christ. I imagine I see Simeon walking out on a fine morning along one of the lovely vales of Palestine, meditating on the great subject that filled his mind. He is met by one of his friends--Peace be with you: have you heard the strange news? What news? replied Simeon. Do you not know Zacharias, the priest? Yes, well. According to the custom of the priests office, his lot was to burn incense in the temple of the Lord, and the whole multitude of the people were praying without. It was the time of incense, and there appeared unto him aa angel standing on the right side of the altar of incense, and told him that he should have a son, whose name should be called John: one who should be great in the sight of the Lord, who should neither drink wine nor strong drink, and he should be filled with the Holy Ghost from his infancy, and that he should go before the Messiah in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord, and make ready a people prepared for the Lord. The angel was Gabriel, that stands in the presence of God, and because he believed not the angel, he was struck dumb. Ah! says Simeon, that is an exact fulfilment of the prophecy of Mal_4:5-6. This is the messenger of the Lord, to prepare the way; this is the forerunner; this is the morning star; the day dawn is not far off; the great Messiah is on His way--is nigh at hand. I shall not see death till I have seen the Lords Christ.Hallelujah! the Lord shall suddenly come to His Temple. Simeon ponders these things in his heart, and time rolls on. I imagine I see Simeon again on his morning meditative walk. He is again accosted by one of his neighbours: Well, Simeon, have you heard the news? What news? Why, theres a wry singular story almost in everybodys mouth. A company of shepherds on the plains of Bethlehem were watching their flocks; it was the still hour of night, and the mantle of darkness covered the world; a bright light shone around the shepherds, a light above the brightness of the midday sun; they looked up, and just above them appeared an angel glowing in all the lovely hues of heaven; the shepherds became greatly terrified, and the angel said to them, Fear not, behold I bring you glad tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. This is the Lords Christ. I shall not see death till I have seen the Lords Christ. Simeon said to himself, They will bring Him to the Temple to circumcise Him. Away went Simeon, morning after morning, to see if he could get a glimpse of Jesus. Perhaps unbelief suggested to Simeon, You had better stop at home this wet morning; you have been so many mornings and have not seen Him, you may venture to be absent this once. No, says the Spirit, you must go to the Temple. Away went Simeon to the Temple. He would no doubt select a good post of observation. Look at him there, leaning his back against one of the pillars of the Temple; how intently he watches the door! He sees one mother after another bringing her infant to the Temple to be circumcised; he surveys the face of every child. No, says he, as his eye scans the countenance, that is not He, and that is not; but at length he sees the Virgin appear, and the Spirit told him that that was the long-expected Saviour. He grasped the Child in his arms, and pressed Him to his heart, and exclaimed, Now, Lord, lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy word, for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation. Between Simeon and an awakened sinner there is one point of agreement: they both desire to see one object--the Lords Christ. What must I do? I want help: to whom must I look? Behold, a ray of light breaks in upon him--one single, but bright ray; it keeps him from utter despair, it gives him a faint hope, it enables him tremblingly to say, Before I see death, I shall see the Lords Christ.
1. Unbelief suggests, How do you suppose that you will be permitted to see the Lords Christ? Do you think the great Jehovah, whose majesty almost confounds the cherubim and seraphim--at least compels them to cover over their bright faces with their wings, and fall before His throne in deep adoration--whose temple is all space, whose arm is around all worlds, who inhabits eternity, at whose bidding the sun lights up his fire, whose empire is so vast that were an angel, with the lightnings swiftness, to fly in a direct line from the centre, he would not in millions of years sweep the outskirts of His creation, who sits upon the highest heavens, and sees worlds infinite dance beneath Him as atoms in the sunbeam, you an atom, a shade, a moth, a worm, a flower of the field to-day, and not tomorrow, in the morning, and not to-night, not master of a moment, not a match for a breeze, a dream, a vapour, a shadow, a sinner born to die--how do you suppose He will show you the Lords Christ? Replies the awakened sinner, One thing I know: I dare not die till I have seen the Lords Christ. He cares for my body: will He be less concerned about my soul? Will He arrange all nature to minister to my bodily wants, and leave my soul to perish? No; that is unlike Him.
2. Unbelief again suggests: Are not your sins too great in magnitude and multitude to be forgiven?
3. But unbelief again suggests, Do you suppose that the sins of an age can be pardoned in a moment of time--sins that have spread over years of your life? When we have seen Christ, the sting of death is gone. Simeon pressed the Lords Christ to his heart, and then he never wished his eyes to gaze on aught more of earth; and when the believing penitent has Christ in his heart, the hope of glory, then he is not afraid of death. A fact will bear out this statement. Some time since, a minister of the gospel was called upon to visit a dying woman. He ascended a flight of stairs that led into a miserable-looking garret; for, though clean and neat, there was scarcely an article of furniture to give an air of comfort to the chamber of death. In one corner of the room there was a bed--a bed of straw! On it lay a dying female, pale, and worn to a skeleton; she was near the verge, the trembling verge, of eternity. The minister drew nigh and said to her, Well, my friend, how do you feel? What are your prospects for the eternity which is just about to open upon you? She looked up in the ministers face with a countenance bright with heavenly radiance, and beaming with a brightness she had caught gazing on the visions of God, and said, Oh I sir,
Tis Jesus, the first and the last,
Whose Spirit shall guide me safe home.
Ill praise Him for all that is past,
And trust Him for what is to come.
Christianity can make a bed of straw into a bed of down--can convert a gloomy sick chamber into the vestibule of heaven, a chamber where the soul unrobes and plumes herself for her flight. (J. Caughey.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
B. W. Johnson 1891 · Public Domain On vv27–28 27. Came in the Spirit into the temple. Directed…
27. Came in the Spirit into the temple. Directed by and filled with the Spirit. After the custom of the law. Offered the required sacrifices. The law was strictly observed, because Jesus was “born under the law.”
B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.
Alexander MacLaren 1905 · Public Domain On v29 Luk 2:29 - Luk 2:30.
Luke
SIMEON’S SWAN-SONG
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Luk 2:29 - Luk 2:30.
That scene, when the old man took the Infant in his withered arms, is one of the most picturesque and striking in the Gospel narrative. Simeon’s whole life appears, in its later years, to have been under the immediate direction of the Spirit of God. It is very remarkable to notice how, in the course of three consecutive verses, the operation of that divine Spirit upon him is noted. ‘It was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.’ ‘And he came by the Spirit into the Temple.’ I suppose that means that some inward monition, which he recognised to be of God, sent him there, in the expectation that at last he was to ‘see the Lord’s Christ.’ He was there before the Child was brought by His parents, for we read ‘He came by the Spirit into the Temple, and when the parents brought in the Child Jesus . . . he took Him in his arms.’ Think of the old man, waiting there in the Sanctuary, told by God that he was thus about to have the fulfilment of his life-long desire, and yet probably not knowing what kind of a shape the fulfilment would take. There is no reason to believe that he knew he was to see an infant; and he waits. And presently a peasant woman comes in with a child in her arms, and there arises in his soul the voice ‘Anoint Him! for this is He!’ And so, whether he expected such a vision or no, he takes the Child in his arms, and says, ‘Lord! Now, now !-after all these years of waiting-lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace.’
Now, it seems to me that there are two or three very interesting thoughts deducible from this incident, and from these words. I take three of them. Here we have the Old recognising and embracing the New; the slave recognising and submitting to his Owner; and the saint recognising and welcoming the approach of death.
I. The Old recognising and embracing the New.
It is striking to observe how the description of Simeon’s character expresses the aim of the whole Old Testament Revelation. All that was meant by the preceding long series of manifestations through all these years was accomplished in this man. For hearken how he is described-’just and devout,’ that is the perfection of moral character, stated in the terms of the Old Testament; ‘waiting for the Consolation of Israel,’ that is the ideal attitude which the whole of the gradual manifestation of God’s increasing purpose running through the ages was intended to make the attitude of every true Israelite-an expectant, eager look forwards, and in the present, the discharge of all duties to God and man. ‘And the Holy Ghost was upon him’; that, too, in a measure, was the ultimate aim of the whole Revelation of Israel. So this man stands as a bright, consummate flower which had at last effloresced from the roots; and in his own person, an embodiment of the very results which God had patiently sought through millenniums of providential dealing and inspiration. Therefore in this man’s arms was laid the Christ for whom he had so long been waiting.
And he exhibits, still further, what God intended to secure by the whole previous processes of Revelation, in that he recognises that they were transcended and done with, that all that they pointed to was accomplished when a devout Israelite took into his arms the Incarnate Messiah, that all the past had now answered its purpose, and like the scaffolding when the top stone of a building is brought forth with shouting, might be swept away and the world be none the poorer. And so he rejoices in the Christ that he receives, and sings the swan-song of the departing Israel, the Israel according to the Spirit. And that is what Judaism was meant to do, and how it was meant to end, in an euthanasia, in a passing into the nobler form of the Christian Church and the Christian citizenship.
I do not need to remind you how terribly unlike this ideal the reality was, but I may, though only in a sentence or two, point out that that relation of the New to the Old is one that recurs, though in lees sharp and decisive forms, in every generation, and in our generation in a very special manner. It is well for the New when it consents to be taken in the arms of the Old, and it is ill for the Old when, instead of welcoming, it frowns upon the New, and instead of playing the part of Simeon, and embracing and blessing the Infant, plays the part of a Herod, and seeks to destroy the Child that seems to threaten its sovereignty. We old people who are conservative, if not by nature, by years, and you young people who are revolutionary and innovating by reason of your youth, may both find a lesson in that picture in the Temple, of Simeon with the Infant Christ in his arms.
II. Further, we have here the slave recognising and submitting to his Owner.
Now the word which is here employed for ‘Lord’ is one that very seldom occurs in the New Testament in reference to God; only some four or five times in all. And it is the harshest and hardest word that can be picked out. If you clip the Greek termination off it, it is the English word ‘despot,’ and it conveys all that that word conveys to us, not only a lord in the sense of a constitutional monarch, not only a lord in the polite sense of a superior in dignity, but a despot in the sense of being the absolute owner of a man who has no rights against the owner, and is a slave. For the word ‘slave’ is what logicians call the correlative of this word ‘despot,’ and as the latter asserts absolute ownership and authority, the former declares abject submission. So Simeon takes these two words to express his relation and feeling towards God. ‘Thou art the Owner, the Despot, and I am Thy slave.’ That relation of owner and slave, wicked as it is, when subsisting between two men-an atrocious crime, ‘the sum of all villainies,’ as the good old English emancipators used to call it-is the sum of all blessings when regarded as existing between man and God. For what does it imply? The right to command and the duty to obey, the sovereign will that is supreme over all, and the blessed attitude of yielding up one’s will wholly, without reserve, without reluctance, to that infinitely mighty, and-blessed be God!-infinitely loving Will Absolute authority calls for abject submission.
And again, the despot has the unquestioned right of life and death over his slave, and if he chooses, can smite him down where he stands, and no man have a word to say. Thus, absolutely, we hang upon God, and because He has the power of life and death, every moment of our lives is a gift from His hands, and we should not subsist for an instant unless, by continual effluence from Him, and influx into us, of the life which flows from Him, the Fountain of life.
Again, the slave-owner has entire possession of all the slave’s possessions, and can take them and do what he likes with them. And so, all that I call mine is His. It was His before it became mine; it remains His whilst it is mine, because I am His, and so what seems to belong to me belongs to Him, no less truly. What, then, do you do with your possessions? Use them for yourselves? Dispute His ownership? Forget His claims? Grudge that He should take them away sometimes, and grudge still more to yield them to Him in daily obedience, and when necessary, surrender them? Is such a temper what becomes the slave? What reason has he to grumble if the master comes to him and says, ‘This little bit of ground that I have given you to grow a few sugar-canes and melons on, I am going to take back again.’ What reason have we to set up our puny wills against Him, if He exercises His authority over us and demands that we should regard ourselves not only as sons but also as slaves to whom the owner of it and us has given a talent to be used for Him?
Now, all that sounds very harsh, does it not? Let in one thought into it, and it all becomes very gracious. The Apostle Peter, who also once uses this word ‘despot,’ does so in a very remarkable connection. He speaks about men’s ‘denying the despot that bought them.’ Ah, Peter! you were getting on very thin ice when you talked about denial. Perhaps it was just because he remembered his sin in the judgment hall that he used that word to express the very utmost degree of degeneration and departure from Jesus. But be that as it may, he bases the slave-owner’s right on purchase. And Jesus Christ has bought us by His own precious blood; and so all that sounds harsh in the metaphor, worked out as I have been trying to do, changes its aspect when we think of the method by which He has acquired His rights and the purpose for which He exercises them. As the Psalmist said, ‘Oh, Lord! truly I am Thy slave. Thou hast loosed my bonds.’
III. So, lastly, we have here the saint recognising and welcoming the approach of death.
Now, it is a very singular thing, but I suppose it is true, that somehow or other, most people read these words, ‘Lord! now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace,’ as being a petition; ‘Lord! now let Thy servant depart.’ But they are not that at all. We have here not a petition or an aspiration, but a statement of the fact that Simeon recognises the appointed token that his days were drawing to an end, and it is the glad recognition of that fact. ‘Lord! I see now that the time has come when I may put aside all this coil of weary waiting and burdened mortality, and go to rest.’ Look how he regards approaching death. ‘Thou lettest Thy servant depart’ is but a feeble translation of the original, which is better given in the version that has become very familiar to us all by its use in a musical service, the Nunc Dimittis; ‘Now Thou dost send away’ It is the technical word for relieving a sentry from his post. It conveys the idea of the hour having come when the slave who has been on the watch through all the long, weary night, or toiling through all the hot, dusty day, may extinguish his lantern, or fling down his mattock, and go home to his little hut. ‘Lord! Thou dost dismiss me now, and I take the dismission as the end of the long watch, as the end of the long toil.’
But notice, still further, how Simeon not only recognises, but welcomes the approach of death. ‘Thou lettest Thy servant depart in peace.’ Yes, there speaks a calm voice tranquilly accepting the permission. He feels no agitation, no fluster of any kind, but quietly slips away from his post. And the reason for that peaceful welcome of the end is ‘for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation.’ That sight is the reason, first of all, for his being sure that the curfew had rung for him, and that the day’s work was done. But it is also the reason for the peacefulness of his departure. He went ‘in peace,’ because of what? Because the weary, blurred, old eyes had seen all that any man needs to see to be satisfied and blessed. Life could yield nothing more, though its length were doubled to this old man, than the sight of God’s salvation.
Can it yield anything more to us, brethren? And may we not say, if we have seen that sight, what an unbelieving author said, with a touch of self-complacency not admirable, ‘I have warmed both hands at the fire of life, and I am ready to depart.’ We may go in peace, if our eyes have seen Him who satisfies our vision, whose bright presence will go with us into the darkness, and whom we shall see more perfectly when we have passed from the sentry-box to the home above, and have ceased to be slaves in the far-off plantation, and are taken to be sons in the Father’s house. ‘Thou lettest Thy servant depart in peace.’
Alexander MacLaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture (1904–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v27 Led by the Spirit
Led by the Spirit
This can be stated in active form. AT: "As the Holy Spirit directed him" (See: Active or Passive)
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came
Some languages may say "went."
into the temple
"into the temple courtyard." Only priests could enter the temple building. (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
the parents
"Jesus' parents"
the custom of the law
"the custom of the law of God"
he took him into his arms
"Simeon took the infant Jesus into his arms" or "Simeon held Jesus in his arms"
Now let your servant depart in peace
"I am your servant; let me depart in peace." Simeon was referring to himself.
depart
This is a euphemism meaning "die" (See: Euphemism)
according to your word
"Word" here is a metonym for "promise." AT: "as you have promised" (See: Metonymy)
translationWords
temple
law
praise
servant
peace
word of God
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv26, 27, 29 2:26 the Lord’s Messiah (or the Lord’s Anointed): This…
2:26 the Lord’s Messiah (or the Lord’s Anointed): This title, often used of David, came to refer to the Messiah, who would come from David’s line.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.