Christmas through the Eyes of Simeon

What do you see at Christmastime? Lovely decorations? Festive celebrations with friends and family? Presents? A hectic rush of things to do, buy and send?

Mark D. Mathewson, Ph.D. While Christmas is a wonderful time of celebration, it can also be a distraction from what is truly important. Perhaps a person who experienced the first Christmas can provide perspective on what we should be seeing at this time of year. In Luke's birth narrative (2:21-35), we discover an often forgotten player in the Christmas story. Forty days after Jesus was born, His parents took Him to the Temple where He was dedicated. The Temple was a place of great activity - not much unlike a mall the day after Thanksgiving. Amid the joy and excitement of this baby's dedication and the chaos of this busy place, we find Simeon. Simeon, we are told, was a righteous and devout person (one of the faithful remnant) who was looking for Messiah. The Holy Spirit was upon Simeon and promised him that he would not die until he saw Messiah. On the day baby Jesus was brought to the Temple for dedication, the Spirit led Simeon to this inconspicuous couple among the throng of people. It would have been easy for Simeon to be distracted by the hustle and bustle of the Temple or the joy and excitement of these new parents and their baby. But, as Simeon held Jesus in his arms, he saw past the busyness and excitement and saw what was of utmost importance. What did Simeon see? First, Simeon saw salvation (v. 30). As he looked on this tiny child, Simeon not only saw the one who would provide salvation, he saw salvation itself. This child fully embodied the meaning of His name - Jesus, or Yeshua, which means "Yahweh saves." Second, Simeon saw the nature of salvation (vs. 31-32). Salvation was not something secretive only for a select few people. The redemptive story was to be enacted on the world's stage for all to see and was to be offered to all people, Jew and Gentile alike. Finally, Simeon saw the suffering which would secure salvation (vs. 34-35). This tiny baby would grow to be a man and suffer great opposition which would ultimately culminate in His death and which Mary would personally experience. Neither the busyness of the Temple nor the joy of a newborn blinded Simeon from seeing that this child was born for the purpose of dying. How much are you like Simeon in what you see at Christmas? In the midst of the Christmas rush and the excitement and joy over the celebration of Christmas, do you see God's salvation? Do you see salvation as something offered to all people and are you willing to proclaim that good news to all people? As difficult as it may be, do you see the suffering which brought salvation for us? As we traverse backwards through time to that manger scene in Bethlehem, let's not forget to stop some thirty years before we get there and reflect for a moment at the foot of the cross - our stop there along the way will make our visit to the manger more meaningful and precious. Perhaps our characters have something to do with what we see at Christmas. A righteous, devout believer named Simeon saw God's salvation. Maybe those not of Simeon's likeness are distracted by the activity and celebration and never get around to focusing on the meaning of the birth of our Savior. I hope you are more like Simeon this Christmas. Then Simeon took Yeshua into his arms and blessed God and said, "For my eyes have seen your salvation."