Old Man

Simeon knew the time must be near.  He felt his age.  He had lived for this moment.  He knew he had to keep going so that he could see this Child. 

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 (NASB)

And there, the moment arrived, the Child was there.  So much more than a child.

then he took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said, Luke 2:28 (NASB)

For my eyes have seen Your salvation, Luke 2:30 (NASB)

Talk about an eye opening experience. Simeon had waited for this moment his whole life. Anticipation. Expectance. Preparation. Advent.

The salvation of the world. The promise fulfilled in flesh. The babe Messiah in his arms. 

This passage doesn’t reveal emotion in Simeon. Was it because the writer found it unimportant in such a reverential moment? I have emotion reading this passage. Makes me want to fall on my face but stand up and cheer all at the same time. Perhaps Simeon felt the reverence and moved gently and quietly, feeling fully the magnificence in his midst.

Was it because the old man just didn’t possess an emotional reaction because to him this was highly expected and the next right thing to happen in his life? He had prepared. He knew the role he had to play in this moment. His life and death depended on the arrival of the Child. And here He was.

The weight of the Babe in his arms. The weight too great to bear. Did the Babe hold Simeon more than Simeon held the Babe?

The words spoken over the Child amazed His parents. They both knew who He was but others did too? Why wouldn’t they? Shouldn’t the whole world know?

Word became flesh. Simeon could depart in peace.