When Jesus was born Israel was at a low point in their history. They were dominated by the Roman army. They were ruled by Herod, a corrupt king. And their temple and religion was dominated by the Pharisees. Into this dark situation was born Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
The Jews had been waiting a long time for their Messiah. Ever since the Garden of Eden, when God prophesied that one day the Messiah would come and crush the head of Satan, the Jews had been waiting for their Messiah to come.
When Jesus was a baby, Mary and Joseph took Jesus into the temple to fulfill some religious rituals of the Old Testament (Luke 2:22-39). While there, they saw some priests and other religious leaders. Apparently none of these religious professionals recognized that this baby was the Messiah.
Then Simeon came to meet them. He was different than all the priests. He was a man who heard from God. His name means “hearing.” He had a close relationship with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was upon him.
Simeon had revelations from the Holy Spirit. Once the Holy Spirit told him, “Before you die you will see the Messiah.” Simeon believed this and held onto it.
Maybe he didn’t tell anyone about his revelation. If he had told them, they probably would have thought he was crazy. He must have been a man who was outside the established religious system. They didn’t understand this man. But that system killed Christ, so it was good to be outside of it.
Simeon was led by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit led Simeon to come into the temple at the exact moment he needed to in order to meet baby Jesus. We need to be led by the Holy Spirit. When we are led by the Holy Spirit we will have divine encounters. Simeon was not walking according to his own mind, but according to the Spirit. The Holy Spirit knows more than our mind, and when we walk in the Spirit we tap into infinite wisdom.
The Holy Spirit will help us see what others cannot see. All the priests in the temple had no idea this baby was the Messiah. But one humble man named Simeon knew. He knew Jesus not by natural wisdom, but by spiritual wisdom.
Simeon had been waiting for God’s word to him to come to pass; was waiting to see the Messiah. It often takes time for the word of God to be fulfilled. Maybe Simeon waited a long time. He was old. He may have waited for decades, holding onto the word of God.
Are we willing to wait for the word of God? If Simeon had not believed God’s word and waited for it, he may not have been in the right place at the right time to see its fulfillment. He would have been doing something else. If we want to see God work, we have to be willing to wait.
The baby Jesus may not have been the Messiah that Simeon was expecting. Most Jews thought the Messiah would be a conquering king who would overthrow Rome. This was just a little baby from a poor family. This may have not been according to Simeon’s expectation. It certainly wasn’t according to the expectation of the religious leaders. But Simeon allowed the Holy Spirit to dominate his thoughts, and therefore he recognized the Messiah as a helpless baby.
Sometimes when the word of God happens in a way we don’t expect. It may be smaller than how we thought. But we should not despise the day of small beginnings. Don’t reject the fulfillment of God’s word because it’s not in the package you were expecting. Simeon was flexible, and he didn’t put God in a box.
At the end of the age, there will be many Christians who miss what God is doing. They will have an expectation that things happen in a certain way, and God will work differently than what they expect. Because of this they will miss out. Those who walk with God at the end of the age will be those who are in a close relationship with the Holy Spirit. They will hear from God and follow him. They may be a small number of people. But they will recognize God’s hand because they are close to him.
After seeing baby Jesus, Simeon knew that his life’s work was over. He could leave the world now and go be with God because God’s word had been fulfilled in his life and he had seen the Messiah.
The Christian life is like a race. God has set a course out before each one of us. He has things he wants us to fulfill before we die. Simeon was a man who finished his race. Paul said there was a point in his life when he finished his race (2 Timothy 4:7). This means he had accomplished all that God wanted him to do. And so he could look forward to going to be with Jesus, which is far better than continuing in this broken and painful world (Philippians 1:23). We need to keep running with the Holy Spirit so we can finish our race.
What was Simeon’s life all about? We don’t know. All we know is that he saw a baby and spoke to the parents. But people all over the world are still talking about what Simeon did. This was something that seemed very insignificant. But because it was done in God it was powerful and affected eternity. God is able to take insignificant things and make something powerful out of them.
There is no insignificant life in God. Do what God tells you to do. That’s the main point of life. Don’t care what the world thinks. What does God say? If you are faithful to God, your life will have eternal fruit.
After this, Anna came and met the young family. Anna was a prophetess. She did not become spiritually dull in her old age, but she was like Caleb, who though he was old, was a strong as ever (Joshua 14:11). Anna had an important ministry of serving God through prayer and fasting. This is a powerful ministry that changes the course of lives and nations. Through prayer and fasting, Anna had become close to God. She knew the Holy Spirit and what he was saying. By the Holy Spirit, Anna also knew that this baby was the Messiah.
Anna began speaking about Jesus as the Messiah to all those who would looking for redemption in Jerusalem (Acts 2:38). There was a group of people who were dissatisfied with the religious system, and they were looking for deliverance in Jerusalem. Anna spoke to these people about Jesus. Not everyone is satisfied with the religious status quo. There are a few who know something has to change. They are hungry for God to do something. They want God to work. These are the ones who are open to hearing about the Messiah.
Simeon and Anna knew that baby Jesus was the Messiah because the Holy Spirit revealed it to them. They were walking with God, and therefore they were able to see the Son of God. There was nothing in the natural that would have revealed this to them, it was from the Holy Spirit.
God is raising up a body of people in the earth who will be confined to his will. He will live in them and walk through them. As we learn to live and walk in the Spirit, we will go where God wants us to go and do what God wants us to do. God’s faithful remnant at the end of the age will know the leading of the Holy Spirit. To them God will reveal his Son in a glorious and powerful way, and he will shine through them into the earth.
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