Simeon knew where the Lord was to be found

“Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word…” Luke 2:29

Shortly after our Lord was born, Joseph and Mary presented him to God at the temple in Jerusalem. This was something that all first-time Jewish parents did if they had a son (Luk 2:23). Simeon, a Godly man, seeing them, took up our Lord in his arms and praised God saying:

“Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; Luk 2:29

Simeon’s praise demonstrates that he knew that this was, and would forever be, the best moment of his life. Holding our Lord (Isa 7:14, 9:6) in his arms (Luk 2:28) was the ultimate experience for him and the only thing that could trump this was to be face-to-face with our heavenly Father forevermore.

Whilst we cannot have the same type of encounter as Simeon did, that is to physically see and handle our Lord (Luk 2:28), we can have a personal bond with him that surpasses every earthly relationship. There are seven Simeon-like attributes that are necessary to do this, the first one is explored below:

Attribute 1: Meet with like-minded people (Heb 10:25) because God will be found among them (Mat 18:20)

Simeon was in Jerusalem (Luk 2:25), God’s city (Zec 8:3), close to the temple (Luk 2:27). I believe Simeon knew that the Lord would appear in Jerusalem (Zec 14:4) and that he had a responsibility to God (because of God’s promise to him Luk 2:26) to wait for him there. So it is with us, the Lord has promised that where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them (Mat 18:20). I believe this promise is to individuals who have been led by God to come together regularly in the Lord’s name to worship and praise Him as well as conduct activities in his will (Acts 2:42), these may be called assemblies. Assemblies like these are identified throughout the New Testament as “churches”, noting that the word church is a translation of the Greek word “ekklēsia” which simply means “a group (or assembly) of citizens” i.e., the churches that met in the houses of Nympha and Philemon (Col 4:15, Phm 1:2) or those addressed in Revelation 2 and 3.

In conclusion, to experience the beauty and wonder of that unique personal bond that we can all have with our Lord Jesus Christ we must

… hold fast the profession of [our] faith without wavering; … Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, … as ye see the day approaching. Hebrews 10:23-25

Simeon’s seven attributes

Meet with like-minded people (Heb 10:25) because God will be found among them (Mat 18:20)
Listen and be a doer of God’s word (Jam 1:25)
Righteous, and lived accordingly (1 Jo 3:7)
Devout 1 Cor 10:31
Waited Faithfully (1 Th 1:10)
Lived in the Holy Spirit (Eph 4:30)
Led by the Holy spirit (Rom 8:14)

Simeon, our Lord and the temple

And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.” Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous 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. And he came in 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 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.” And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.” Luk 2:22-35

Simeon knew where the Lord was to be found

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