LUKE 2:25-27 New Living Translation
“At that time there was a man in
Jerusalem named Simeon. He was righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for
the Messiah to come and rescue Israel. The Holy Spirit was upon him and had
revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah.”
The thought I would like to convey deals with Joseph & Mary’s trip
to the Temple in Jerusalem to have their child circumcised. It was then that he was given the name
Jesus. Simeon, led by the Holy Spirit of
God, came to the Temple, went up to Joseph & Mary, took the baby in his
arms, praised God and prophesied regarding the child. In verses 34 & 35 Simeon spoke of many in
Israel falling and many rising because of Jesus. There would be no neutral ground. Like today,
people would either joyfully accept him or totally reject him.
Mary would suffer greatly
because of the widespread hatred and rejection her son would face. This causes me to reflect on the many people
who suffer because of harm done to their loved one(s). Too many times they blame
the Lord and turn away from their faith in him.
There is nowhere in scripture that says anyone’s life would be easy;
neither saved nor unsaved. In spite of grief and hardship it is those who cling
to what they have believed that are at some point rewarded for their tenacity
of faith.
The existence of Jesus
Christ is paradoxical in nature in that the results of his life cause two major
differences in emotional response. Love and hate are two diametrically opposed emotions,
which react like oil and water or fire and ice. One cannot coexist with the
other. This is what the birth of the
Christ child caused and still causes, a paradox of major proportions. Men’s
deepest thoughts, buried deep within their hearts, were & will be brought
to light. The coming of Jesus wasn’t just any event in history, but the one
event that makes all other events, with the exception of his death and resurrection,
pale in comparison. Whether he was born in April, October or on December 25th
it matters not. What type of manger or dwelling he was born in doesn’t matter
either. The fact that he WAS born makes
all the difference to mankind in the world.
Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!
Resource:
The Life Application Study Bible.
Paradox – “A statement that seems to
contradict itself but may nonetheless be true.”
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