Mary Heard Prophecies About Jesus’ Difficult Path
Daily Scripture
Luke 2:22-38
22 When the time came for their ritual cleansing, in accordance with the Law from Moses, they brought Jesus up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. (23 It’s written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male will be dedicated to the Lord.”) 24 They offered a sacrifice in keeping with what’s stated in the Law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons [Leviticus 12:8].
25 A man named Simeon was in Jerusalem. He was righteous and devout. He eagerly anticipated the restoration of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. 26 The Holy Spirit revealed to him that he wouldn’t die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 Led by the Spirit, he went into the temple area. Meanwhile, Jesus’ parents brought the child to the temple so that they could do what was customary under the Law. 28 Simeon took Jesus in his arms and praised God. He said,
29 “Now, master, let your servant go in peace according to your word,
30 because my eyes have seen your salvation.
31 You prepared this salvation in the presence of all peoples.
32 It’s a light for revelation to the Gentiles
and a glory for your people Israel.”
33 His father and mother were amazed by what was said about him. 34 Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “This boy is assigned to be the cause of the falling and rising of many in Israel and to be a sign that generates opposition 35 so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your innermost being too.”
36 There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, who belonged to the tribe of Asher. She was very old. After she married, she lived with her husband for seven years. 37 She was now an 84-year-old widow. She never left the temple area but worshipped God with fasting and prayer night and day. 38 She approached at that very moment and began to praise God and to speak about Jesus to everyone who was looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.
Daily Reflection & Prayer
Why did Joseph and Mary take Jesus to the Temple for “ritual cleansing”? They were devout Jews. “Childbearing wasn’t a sin, but the ritual impurity resulting from it required an offering (Leviticus 12:6-8). After the 33 days are up, Mary offers a pair of birds, the animal sacrifice the poor could give (Leviticus 12:8).” * Their offering of the alternate sacrifice available for the poor is another detail that reminds us of the humble circumstances surrounding Jesus’ birth.
- Simeon, devout and aged, amazed Joseph and Mary. “Simeon’s prophecy, composed largely of allusions to Isaiah 40-55, is remarkable for two things: it forecasts the universal mission of Jesus (he is to be ‘a light for revelation to the Gentiles’) and it predicts the stormy, uneasy nature of the mission, including the pain that will pierce the soul of Mary herself when Jesus is crucified.” ** Sometimes we want festivity to be all there is to Christmas. Would Simeon’s words spoil that?
- Young parents, baby in arms, met two old people nearing the end of their lives. “We have the old man and woman, waiting their turn to die, worshipping God night and day and praying for the salvation of his people. Luke wants to draw readers of every age and stage of life into his picture. No matter who or where you are, the story of Jesus, from the feeding-trough in Bethlehem to the empty tomb and beyond, can become your story.” *** Are you open to making it your story this Advent?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, Simeon sensed the raw courage you showed in coming into a world that would too often reject and hate you. Thank you for the steely love you had from the moment you entered our broken world. Amen.
GPS Insights
Brandon Gregory
Brandon Gregory is a volunteer for the worship and missions teams at Church of the Resurrection. He helps lead worship at Leawood's modern worship services, as well as at the West and Downtown services, and is involved with the Malawi missions team at home.
Some characters in the story of Jesus’ birth are a little more memorable than others. Numerous Christmas songs have been written about the shepherds and magi, but I can’t think of one about Simeon and Anna. That’s not for lack of importance, though. The shepherds and magi showed how important Jesus was, but this encounter with Simeon and Anna revealed something new: the future of Jesus.
What strikes me about this story isn’t its impact on Jesus’ life but its impact on the lives of Simeon and Anna. Simeon and Anna were elderly and had waited most of their lives for a supernatural promise that may have seemed impossible as the years passed. At 84 years old, it’s easy to think that everything important that could happen in your life is behind you. But God wasn’t done with their lives yet.
Simeon had long believed that he would see the long-awaited Messiah, but it wasn’t just an idle hope; it was an active faith that led him to Jesus. Verse 27 shows this faith: “Led by the Spirit, he went into the temple area.” Simeon didn’t just wait for God to drop into his life—he went out and looked for God, holding onto faith even late into his life that God was not done with him.
Anna was a prophetess in a time when a woman’s importance was, unfortunately, largely dependent on her husband. Anna was only married for seven years. Now, decades after her husband had passed and well past her prime years, she found the ultimate purpose for her prophetic insight: granting religious authority to Jesus and Simeon. Her age confined her to the small temple area, cutting off much of the world around her, but she practiced her faith every day, and God rewarded her faith with a greater purpose.
Christmas is when we celebrate Jesus as an infant, bringing new hope and possibilities into the world; however, the story of Simeon and Anna reminds us that it’s never too late for a new beginning. It wasn’t just despite their age that God worked; God used the experience and wisdom they had gained to give hope to a younger set of believers. Christmas is a time of hope for anyone, regardless of age, ability, circumstance, gender, or social standing. It’s a time of hope for you. It might not be that God has to work around the things that make hope seem so far away—the difficulties you face might be the very thing God needs to give hope to someone else.
© 2024 Resurrection: A United Methodist Church. All Rights Reserved.
Scripture quotations are taken from The Common English Bible ©2011. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
References
* Richard B. Vinson, study note on Luke 2:24 in The CEB Study Bible. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2013, p. 110 NT.
** John Killinger, A Devotional Guide to Luke: The Gospel of Contagious Joy. Word Books, 1981, p. 23.
*** Wright, N. T., Luke for Everyone (New Testament for Everyone Book 4) (p. 27). Westminster John Knox Press. Kindle Edition.
