Simeon’s testimony
Luke’s gospel records this incident when Jesus as a new born was taken by his parents to the temple to be dedicated to God. Luke writes,
"Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ.
Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required,
Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
"Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace.
For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel."Luke 2:25-32.
Here, as Luke puts it, Simeon a devout man of God a man who had been promised by God that he would not see death until he had seen the “Lord’s Christ”, proclaims Jesus to be the Lord’s Christ.
I have always contended that if this is a false statement why is it included in Luke’s gospel? Saying anything false about Jesus at anytime would push people away. Especially saying as Luke records,
“It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ”.
Such a statement could seem outrageous.
Thus from my point of view I can only conclude that Luke believed it to be true.
For us in the twenty-first century we have a choice. We can believe Luke or not believe him. There is no middle ground.
Not only that when it comes to the whole New Testament we have the same choice. We can believe what the writers of the New Testament wrote and believed or we cannot.
The choice is yours.
Please think carefully about it.
Luke’s gospel records this incident when Jesus as a new born was taken by his parents to the temple to be dedicated to God. Luke writes,
"Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ.
Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required,
Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
"Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace.
For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel."Luke 2:25-32.
Here, as Luke puts it, Simeon a devout man of God a man who had been promised by God that he would not see death until he had seen the “Lord’s Christ”, proclaims Jesus to be the Lord’s Christ.
I have always contended that if this is a false statement why is it included in Luke’s gospel? Saying anything false about Jesus at anytime would push people away. Especially saying as Luke records,
“It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ”.
Such a statement could seem outrageous.
Thus from my point of view I can only conclude that Luke believed it to be true.
For us in the twenty-first century we have a choice. We can believe Luke or not believe him. There is no middle ground.
Not only that when it comes to the whole New Testament we have the same choice. We can believe what the writers of the New Testament wrote and believed or we cannot.
The choice is yours.
Please think carefully about it.
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