NT Characters: Simeon

<p>For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ <a href="https://www.douglasjacoby.com/nt-character-podcast-43-simeon/">website</a>.</p><p><strong>Scripture</strong>: Luke 2:25-35</p><p>.</p><p><strong>Bio</strong>:</p><ul><li>Simeon is righteous and devout.</li><li>He takes the infant Jesus in his arms—suggesting he may have been a priest at the temple. (Jesus was taken there on his 40th day and his parents made the required offering—see Lev 12:1-8.)</li><li>Having recognized the Messiah, Simeon is now ready to die. (This implies that he is advanced in years.)</li><li>He served the Lord faithfully, even though he had grown old.</li></ul><p><strong>Simeon's insight</strong>:</p><ul><li>He realized that the good news was not for Israel only, but for the entire world. This was no narrow nationalism, but a universal vision. (Recall that in early Christianity, it was a struggle for many Jewish Christians to welcome Gentile Christians as full partners in the gospel.)</li><li>Simeon's perspective is deeply <i>scriptural</i>.</li><li>Although one might have expected everything about the message of the Messiah to be positive (happy news), Simeon realizes there is a dark, doleful aspect to the dawning Messianic age. Not everyone will happy accept the Messiah and his message.</li><li>He foresaw that a sword would pierce Mary's soul, tool (probably referring to the agony of watching her son's crucifixion, when she's approximately 50 years old).</li><li>He rejoiced in and was content with God’s will</li></ul><p><strong>Application</strong>:</p><ul><li>Are we like Simeon? If we are older Christians, do we still have passion for the Lord?</li><li>Do we have a truly scriptural perspective, or is it only a patchwork of loosely connected ideas?</li><li>Are we content in accepting God’s will for my life, for his people, and for the world?</li></ul><p><br /> </p>