Lk.2:25-30 – And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 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. So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said:
“Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace,
According to Your word;
For my eyes have seen Your salvation.”
Simeon is a great picture of all of those who are waiting for the coming of Jesus Christ. Simeon was a rare specimen in his day. No one had experienced the prophetic anointing from the time of Malachi until Mary had sung her famous songs just nine months before this. Simeon was waiting by the influence of the Spirit on the coming of the Messiah. Luke said that Simeon was waiting for the consolation of Israel. This word consolation is closely associated with the word paracletos which we all know refers to the blessed Holy Spirit. Simeon received what he had been waiting for when the infant Jesus suddenly appeared in the temple. Here is how Martin Luther explained this.
“Now Simeon’s heart became young again. His heart was prepared: “I have the child in my arms!” It would have been no surprise if he had died in his joy, because he did not only see the child, but took him in his arms. Therefore he sings this happy song of praise: “I will die now with joy in my heart, and death will seem sweet to me, for my eyes have seen your Savior.”
This is the joy of the Holy Spirit that all of us experience when we take Christ into our hearts. Just as Simeon experienced the “Consolation” when he embraced Christ, we too experience the consolation of the Spirit when He comes into our lives. We now taste the edge of the coming kingdom, but like Simeon we are all waiting. We are waiting for the full manifestation of His glory at His soon approaching Second Advent.
1 thought on “THE HOPE OF HIS FIRST APPEARING – WAITING FOR THE CONSOLATION”
As I’m finishing this reading, I hear a train horn in the distance, it’s always been one of those unexplained comforting sounds for me. It makes me think of the trumpet announcement that Jesus has returned, but not yet setting foot here but calling the wise ready ones up in the clouds to meet and be taken where He resides. Being ready the Word say’s involves being wise and actively being filled with His Spirit, our Oil! Ready or not…