Tuesday, June 23
Read: Luke 2
It’s easy to overlook the story of Simeon. He was told that he would not die until he had seen Christ, the messiah. How many years had Simeon waited to see Jesus Christ? How old in his age did he get waiting? How long did it take for God’s promise to him to be fulfilled? Luke 2:25-29 says that Simeon was a righteous man and it was the Holy Spirit that led him into the temple where he first saw baby Jesus. The interesting thing here is that there is no mention of anyone telling Simeon that Jesus was born of a virgin birth, or that this child was the messiah. As soon as he held the child he knew that this was the Christ. What a revelation of the Spirit! And what faith Simeon must have had for such glory be revealed to by the Holy Spirit and not by man.
It is important to note that Simeon’s first reaction was to praise God! Simeon praises God to “dismiss his servant in peace.” Simeon can now entrust himself with death knowing that life and immortality have come into reality through Jesus. The Greek word used here for dismiss, kataluo, has a number of other meanings, the most common being “to release” or “set free.” Even though Simeon was able to die now that God’s promise was fulfilled, he was also “set free” from death for the savior of mankind had now entered the world. Just like Simeon, we have been set free from death, and because of our faith in Christ Jesus, we have the gift of eternal life in the kingdom of God!
We get a glimpse of an interesting characteristic of a young Jesus in versus 41-48. Jesus so desires to learn the about father in heaven that he spends three days just sitting among the Jewish teachers. Not only that, but he is asking questions and his understanding was amazing those who heard him. You all are blessed to have time set apart each day to learn about God and his character. Utilize this time to grow in wisdom and have no fear of asking questions. We are given a model of how even Jesus Christ, our savior, went through life educating himself about God.
Although it is the first part of the chapter, the last thing to point out is Jesus being born in a manger and not having space in an inn. This inn may even be referred to as just a room, or guest room, that Mary was denied of to give birth. She was deprived of normal social comfort, and instead had to go to a stable for labor. Part of Mary’s calling was to give birth to the Savior, yet the Father placed her in a very uncomfortable setting for his will to be done. However, throughout the chapter there is rejoicing being done (the angels and the heavens, the shepherds). You are now on day two of you month long journey. For some of you this may be an unfamiliar setting and you might have already experienced being well out of you comfort zone. By God’s will, you were all called to be at BOS to learn and to grow closer to God. I urge you not to dwell on discomfort, but to find the Joy in God’s purpose for you in this place. To rejoice in what God has in store for you, just as Mary had the strength to “treasure up all these things and ponder(ed) them in her heart” (v. 19). And above all else, give God the glory for these things he has in store for you.
Process:
– V. 29 says, “…now dismiss your servant in peace.” Simeon knew he was going to die, yet had peace over that, and he asked God for that peace. Knowing death may bring fear of what is to come, Simeon knew the peace of death. There are times when we hit moments of discouragement, times of hurt and mourning, and even times of fear. Take some time praying with and for one another, asking Jesus to allow his peace to rule in your hearts. Pray for specifics if needed and build each other up in community. “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body, you were called to peace.” (Colossians 3:15).
– Mary still had the heart to praise God despite her discomfort of giving birth in a stable. Through the past two chapters we constantly see praises given out to God. Take some time to think of some of the blessings God has given to you with the past two days, and praise him for them. Feel free to sing, pray as a group, dance, whatever! Give the glory to God!