It often has seemed a shame to me that a large chunk of the church’s most beautiful songs are used but once a year, at Christmas time, and for the rest of the year lie dormant. The birth of Christ has inspired music and lyrics like no other event in history, and even unlike any other single event in Jesus’ life. It seems that it has been this way from the very beginning. Luke records for us a third outburst of praise in response to the birth of Jesus the Messiah, that of Simeon. Like those which preceded it, Mary’s Magnificat and Zacharias’ Benedictus, it is known by its Latin title, the Nunc Dimittis, taken from verse 29, meaning “Now, Lord.” The “now,” as Morris points out, “is important.”[1] It is emphatic, “indicating that the era of salvation has come,” explains Marshall.[2] “Now, at last!” we might paraphrase him. We know nothing about Simeon but what Luke tells us in these few verses. He typically has been regarded as old, but there is no evidence for this “apart from his cheerful readiness to die,” as Morris notes.[3] Yet what Luke does tell us is important in deepening our understanding of those whom God is pleased to bless, and what Jesus has come to do. Luke has two points of emphasis in verses 25-35: Simeon’s piety (vv 25-28), and the Messiah for whom he was longing (vv 29-35).

Simeon’s piety

The emphasis in 2:25-28 clearly is upon Simeon’s character. It is important to Luke that we know that this witness to Christ is a man of deep piety.

And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, (Lk 2:25a)

First, we see Simeon’s piety in his character. Simeon, we are told, was “righteous” (dikaios) which “shows that he behaved well towards man,” and “devout” (eulabēs), meaning, says Morris, he was “careful about religious duties.”[4] He did his duty, he fulfilled his responsibilities towards man and God. He was just and fair towards others; he was obedient and faithful towards God. This doesn’t mean that Simeon was perfect. Yet he was careful, diligent, and faithful in fulfilling his duties on earth and in heaven. Simeon, like all the sons of Adam, was a sinner. Yet he had experienced growth in grace. He had made such significant progress in sanctification that he fairly and accurately can be described as “righteous and devout,” and distinguished from those who are “unrighteous and undevout.” He is not perfectly “righteous and devout.” Still, though, imperfectly such he is truly such. He is, we can say, the kind of person God wants to serve as His witness or agent. The opposite, the unrighteous and undevout would only muddy the waters. They could not serve as credible witnesses, particularly in relation to a religious community like first century Judea.[5] Luke has highlighted persistently the godliness of those whom God uses, whether directly as agents of redemption or indirectly as witnesses. Zacharias and Elizabeth, we will remember, were described as,

righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord. (Lk 1:6)

Mary’s submissive response to God, “be it done to me according to Your word” (Lk 1:38), and her thankful praise (Lk 1:46-55), demonstrated her deep piety. Anna, another witness, “never left the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers” (Lk 2:37). Scan church history. Review the list of those most used of God. Go back to the early church: Tertullian, Athanasius, Jerome, Augustine. Go back to the Middle Ages: Bernard, Francis, Dominic. Go back to the Reformation and our Reformers: Luther, Calvin, Knox, Cranmer. Recall from more modern times the Puritans, Jonathan Edwards, Charles Hodge, Adoniram Judson, Robert Murray McCheynne. What do we find in common? Profound devotion to God.

Second, we see Simeon’s piety in his anticipation of Christ and salvation. We are told, Simeon was

looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him. (Lk 2:25b)

Simeon was “looking for” or “waiting for” (ESV, NIV), in the sense of “expecting” or even “anticipating” the “consolation” or “comfort” of Israel. What would that “consolation” be? The Messiah. “Consolation” was a Messianic title. He was “looking for” the coming of the Christ. Isaiah prophesied, “Comfort, comfort Thy people” in anticipation of the arrival of Messiah (Is 40:1ff; cf. Is 49:13; 57:18; 51:2). Messiah’s arrival would mean comfort, consolation for the people of God. Simeon was “big with expectation of it,” as Henry says.[6] He had been told by the Holy Spirit that he would see the “Lord’s Christ” (2:26). When he does so, he refers to Him as “Thy salvation” (2:30). This seemed to be Simeon’s center of gravity. This was his passion. Simeon longed for the salvation of the people of God through the Christ whom He would send.

This, too, is an element of his piety. We know what it is to long for something. We might long for a person, or an accomplishment, or recognition, or a thing. We pine away, wishing, hoping, striving, dreaming of its arrival. Simeon understands that what counts, ultimately, is the eternal, not the temporal. His treasure and heart are in heaven (Mt 6:20). He knows (whatever his age) that he is not long for this world. He is focused on the unseen and eternal, not the seen and temporal (2 Cor 4:18). He is seeking first the kingdom of God and its righteousness (Mt 6:33). More specifically, he is seeking salvation through the Messiah, the Christ. He is not seeking salvation through his own righteousness and devotion. He is not seeking salvation through his good works. He is looking longingly for the Messiah to save him and his countrymen. This Christ-dependence is at the foundation of all true piety. Only when we learn to look not to ourselves but to the one who alone is “the way, the truth, and the life” (Jn 14:6), who is the true vine apart from whom we can do nothing (Jn 15:1-5), have we looked at life aright.

Third, we see Simeon’s piety in that the Holy Spirit “was upon him.” This, notes Morris, “seems to mean on him continually.”[7] The continuing presence of the Holy Spirit was rare in the Old Testament, further underscoring the uniquely deep piety of Simeon. Luke has laid emphasis on the Holy Spirit as the key to both piety and service. Those who are great for God are great not in their own strength and wisdom, but by the filling and controlling and empowering of the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist, we are told, would “be filled with the Holy Spirit, while yet in his mother’s womb” (1:15). The Holy Spirit “came upon” Mary as she was anointed for her role as mother of Jesus (1:35). Elizabeth was “filled with the Holy Spirit” when she cried out to Mary, “Blessed among women are you, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!” (Lk 1:41,42). Zacharias was “filled with the Holy Spirit” as he prophesied the Benedictus (1:57). At the end of his gospel Luke will tell us that the disciples will not be ready to proclaim Christ until they are “clothed with power from on high” (Lk 24:49). A fruitful, devoted Christian life is only possible as we “walk by the Spirit” and are “led by the Spirit” and “filled with the Spirit” (Gal 5:16,25; Rom 8:14; Eph 5:18). An outsider, an onlooker to the Christian life, should not say, “I could never be a Christian. I’m too weak. I’m too lazy. I’m too undisciplined. I give in to my desires too easily, or my pride, or my anger.” We are all too weak. We all cave in to our pride and selfishness and covetousness. We are commanded to “be strong in the Lord and the strength of His might,” not our own (Eph 6:10). It is only when we are weak, when we realize that we are weak, that we turn to Christ and become strong. God’s power is perfected in our very weakness (2 Cor 12:9,10)! By the Holy Spirit we are born again and by the Holy Spirit we are cleansed, and by the Holy Spirit we grow and are sanctified (Jn 3:55ff; Gal 5:22,23). The Holy Spirit is the key to the piety of Simeon.

Fourth, we see Simeon’s piety in his purpose in life.

And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. (Luke 2:26)

The Holy Spirit in some manner had revealed to Simeon that he would not die before the Messiah came.

And he came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to carry out for Him the custom of the Law, (Lk 2:27)

Simeon “came in the Spirit,” or “moved by the Spirit” (NIV) into the temple at the same time that Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to be dedicated. The phrase clearly suggests “that he came into the temple by the guidance of the Spirit,” as Marshall explains.[8] The “custom of the Law” referred to would be the offering of five shekels “for Him,” that is, on behalf of the Child, continuing the emphasis on the piety of Mary and Joseph that we’ve seen in Luke’s second chapter (2:22,24,27,39). They fulfilled what was required by the law of God, as would any devout Jew (Num 18:15ff).

then he took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said, "Now Lord, Thou dost let Thy bond-servant depart in peace, according to Thy word;” (Lk 2:28,29)

The taking of the Child into his arms indicates an affectionate encounter, an emotional encounter. He “blessed” or thanked God. Moreover, he is deeply satisfied, content. He is ready now to die, “to depart in peace.” For Simeon, says Ryle, “the grave has lost its terrors, and the world its charms.”[9] Simeon, Luke would have us understand, is the picture of piety. He is a model of Christian devotion. He is “righteous.” He is “devout.” He is longing to see the Messiah. He is filled with the Holy Spirit. The world, in comparison with the eternal, is as nothing to him. He is ready to leave. Having seen Christ, he has seen it all. Are you not afraid to die, Simeon? No, I’ve seen the Resurrection and the Life (Jn 11:25) Are you not concerned about what you might miss out on in leaving this world? No, the form of this world is passing away (1 Jn 2:17). For me “to live is Christ,” and so it follows “to die is gain,” for in dying we go to Him, which is “far better” (Phil 1:21-23). “The things of earth (have grown) strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace,” as the old hymn puts it.

Again, we know what it is to anticipate a big game. We may spend a week nervously eager for it to begin. We may know what it is to long for the arrival of a vacation trip, or to anticipate the consummation of a big business deal. Simeon seems to understand already that Jesus is the “pearl of great price” for which one sells all that one has in order to attain (Mt 13:44-46). He hungers and thirsts for righteousness (Mt 5:6). When Patrick Henry reached the crescendo of his famous, “Give me liberty or give me death” speech, a man in the audience cried out, “Let me die here!” He had heard the ultimate speech. Henry had taken him to the pinnacle of his life and he didn’t want to descend from that mountain top. The ultimate experience of life is not being elected President, or awarded the Nobel Prize, or winning the National Championship. The ultimate experience is to see God, and Simeon knows that in seeing the infant Christ he has seen God. He’s been to the pinnacle. He’s been to the mountain top. Aspire to the same. Aim at the same.

Simeon models a comprehensive orientation to life. Luke highlights it in order to commend it to us. He is devout like Zacharias and Elizabeth. He is “righteous,” like Mary and Joseph, keeping the law of God. Together they are examples of the people God chooses to serve as witnesses. Because they have been “sanctified,” they are “useful to the Master,” and “ready for every good work” (2 Tim 2:21). He and they are also led by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit who authored the law of God also leads the people of God (cf. Rom 8:14). The laws of God and the blessings of God are not contrary to each other. “Here,” observes Green, “the law functions in concert with the Holy Spirit.”[10] The just requirements of the law are fulfilled in those “who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit” (Rom 8:4). Simeon lives in the world; but the world is not his life. He is devout. He loves God. He lives to see Christ.

Simeon’s Messiah

For all this that Luke tells us about Simeon, we must not miss the point that the whole narrative is built around Jesus. “The child does nothing but all words and deeds are oriented around him,” notes Green.[11] Jesus is the Savior.

"Now Lord, Thou dost let Thy bond-servant depart in peace, according to Thy word; for my eyes have seen Thy salvation,” (Lk 2:29,30)

What will Jesus do?

First, Jesus will bring salvation. We have touched on this theme already. Simeon provides us with further details. “Now,” or “finally,” “at last,” “Lord” or “Master,” he says, “Thou dost let Thy bond-servant,” Your “slave” (doulos), “depart in peace.” [12]  

Now that he has seen God’s “salvation” (v 30) or “instrument of salvation,” as Green understands Simeon’s meaning, he is ready to die in peace.[13] He has seen the Messiah, the Savior, who brings salvation. “Simeon can entrust himself to death,” says Marshall, “knowing that life and immortality have been brought to light through the gospel.”[14]

Which Thou hast prepared in the presence of all peoples, (Lk 2:31)

However, the salvation which overcomes death, does so not merely for Simeon. It was designed for or prepared “in the face” (lit.) or “in the presence” of “all peoples.”

A light of revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people Israel.” (Lk 2:32)

Simeon’s song/prayer now cites Isaiah 42:6 and 49:6, which speaks of Messiah as “a light of revelation to the Gentiles” (also Is 60:3). Jesus is the light of the world (Jn 8:12). He is the light which illumines the darkness and brings knowledge of the way of salvation.

He then adds his own expression, “and the glory of the people Israel.” “Israel will see glory in its truest and fullest sense,” explains Morris, “when it sees the Son of God.”[15] Marshall notes that “Israel will share in the glory of the Messiah” as the nations come to a son of Israel to be saved.[16]

Imagine the scene. Simeon holds an infant in his arms. He sees in Him He who will be the Savior of “all peoples.” What a privilege for Israel that through them the Savior of the world should come into the world. One of their sons shall be the most important Man who ever lived and will be the most honored Man who ever lived, every knee bowing and every tongue confessing His Lordship (Phil 2:9-11). Even pagan, idolatrous, decadent Gentiles may be saved through His light. Simeon sees all this in the infant.

What is their salvation that he sees? It is not political salvation, which many in Judea were wrongly anticipating. It is not worldly salvation. It is salvation from our destruction on judgment day. It is the forgiveness of our sins that condemn us; it is pardon through the atoning sacrifice of the cross; it is reconciliation and peace with God.

Is it all pie-in-the-sky? No, but mostly it is. We must learn to see that spiritual and eternal issues are the big issues in life. What matters ultimately is not success, prosperity, comfort or fun in this world, but well-being in the next. What matters is not having wealth, fame, or power in this world, but peace with God and “no condemnation” in the next (Rom 5:1; 8:1). What matters is not gaining the whole world but saving one’s soul (Mt 16:26). Knowing his salvation has the two-sided effect that we touched on above. First, Simeon no longer clings to this world. “Let Thy bond-servant depart,” he says. Nothing holds him here. He can see that “to depart and be with Christ . . . is very much better” (Phil 2:23). Second, he is not afraid of death. He can depart “in peace.” Death has lost its “sting” (1 Cor 15:55). “To die is gain” (Phil 2:21).

Afraid of dying? Clinging to this world? One need neither fear nor cling if one is saved. Jesus promises we will not perish (Jn 3:16). He has gone to prepare a place for us that where He is there we may be also (Jn 14:1-6). He is the “resurrection and the life.” He promises that whoever believes in Him “shall live even if he dies.” Indeed, He has so transformed death that he says, “everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die” (Jn 11:25).

There is a natural abhorrence of death that is common to us all. Death is unnatural. It is a result of the fall and God’s curse upon sin. It was never meant to be. It brings much sadness, separating our souls from our bodies and us from our loved ones. However in Christ, to be “absent from the body” is “to be at home with the Lord” (2 Cor 5:6-8). Death becomes for us merely a change of address. Consciousness passes from this world into the next, into the presence of God, where

He shall wipe away every tear from (our) eyes; and there shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away. (Rev 21:4)

We neither cling nor fear because Jesus promises a better world and a better life. When we cross over our Jordan we enter into His Promised Land, a land flowing with milk and honey.

                        When I tread the verge of Jordan,

                        Bid my anxious fears subside;

                        Death of death, and hell’s Destruction,

                        Land me safe on Canaan’s side;

                        Songs of praises, songs of praises

                        I will ever give to thee,

                        I will ever give to thee.

Second, besides salvation, Jesus will bring conflict.

And His father and mother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him. And Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, "Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed-- (Lk 2:33,34)

Jesus will be the occasion of the “fall and rise of many in Israel.” Those who reject Him will fall. Those who embrace Him will rise. The background to the statement is the Messianic stone laid by God which causes many to stumble but which is the cornerstone or foundation stone in the building which God is constructing (Is 8:14; 28:16; Ps 118:22). Jesus said he who “falls on this stone will be broken to pieces” (Mt 21:42-44; cf. Rom 9:32,33). The Apostle Peter employs the same metaphor, saying of Christ that He is a “living stone, rejected of men” (1 Pet 2:4-8). He will be “for a sign to be opposed,” or literally, “spoken against.”[17] The emphasis is upon the opposition.

This division in Israel will reach even into Mary’s heart.

and a sword will pierce even your own soul-- to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed." (Lk 2:35)

A “sword,” says Simeon, will pierce even Mary’s “soul.”[18] What will pierce her soul? The pain she will experience because of the rejection, suffering, and death of her son Jesus that will result from the division in Israel. She will experience not just the grief of the disciples that was common to all who followed Jesus, but the compounded grief that only a mother could know, that only Jesus’ mother would experience. She who carried, bore, and nursed Him, would suffer as no one else would or could. Further, “thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.” Marshall points out that both “thoughts” (dialogismos) and “revealed” (apokaluptō) have a pejorative sense, the former may mean “disputations,” and the latter carries a judicial nuance (as in 1 Cor 3:20).[19]

Whatever may be the exact meaning, the overall picture is clear enough. Jesus will divide people. Honest people will have trouble being indifferent. Informed people will rarely remain neutral. Of course, if one never gives Jesus an honest look, or just treats the gospel superficially, one may remain detached. However, anyone who cares about religious matters or eternal things will not be able to do so. This was the case in first century Palestine. It’s the case in Muslim lands today. It’s the case in the most secularized areas of the USA today. Jesus divides, He warned,

"Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; (Mt 10:34,35)  

For some He’s the aroma of death, for others, He’s the aroma of life (2 Cor 2:14-16). This means division; conflict. Jesus said we will have “tribulation” in this world (Jn 16:33). Yet, as we can “depart” in peace, we can live in peace. We live as we die, we die as we live. If we face death with peace, we live with peace. Why? Because of the Child who is salvation, and who says,

Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. (Jn 14:27)

We have His peace, a peace that passes comprehension, that guards us from fear, anxiety, despair, and discontent, in all the vicissitudes of life (Phil 4:7). Do you want that peace? There is only one place to get it, that is, from the One who is called the “Prince of Peace,” our Lord Jesus Christ (Is 9:6).