There sure is a lot to see at Christmas time. There are lights, trees, TV specials, and all sorts of decorations. When I was a kid, however, there was one main thing that I wanted to see – lots of presents underneath the tree.
On the very first Christmas, there was a man named Simeon who longed to see something as well. The book of Luke says, “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” (Luke 2:25-26).
Simeon was waiting for the consolation of Israel. This was a phrase used to speak of God’s promise to bring relief and deliverance to his people Israel. God had promised to send one that would end their oppression and bring them hope and comfort. Simeon saw his people in need of God’s help. Many were rebellious and separated from God. Simeon was looking for God’s help, God’s hope, and God’s forgiveness. He was a man of spiritual passion with a hunger for God.
Simeon wanted to see God – and he did in the face of the baby Jesus. Simeon was a priest in the temple when Jesus’ parents brought him to be dedicated to the Lord forty days after his birth. We are used to referring to Jesus as God’s Son, but there was no precedent during Simeon’s time for God to come in flesh as a baby. And yet he had eyes to see what God was doing even in the form of an infant. The passage makes clear that he was a man who was in tune with what God was doing. Simeon was moved by the Spirit to enter the temple as Mary and Joseph came in with their child. As Simeon took Jesus into his arms, he held the baby in his arms and praised God saying “your salvation has finally come.” Simeon had waited for many years, and now he was staring the salvation of God in the eyes. And the Savior of the world was in his arms, wearing a diaper.
Can you imagine how he felt? He had waited a long time for this moment. The Lord had actually promised Simeon that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And now He has come. Can you picture him taking the child, pulling him close, kissing his tender face, looking upon him in delight and thinking, “God is faithful. God has kept his promise. He has come.”
According to Simeon, Jesus was an absolute “must see.” Holding the Christ child in his arms, he proclaimed to God: “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, your servant may now depart 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 2:29-32).
Simeon could now depart in peace because he had met the Lord’s salvation face to face in the person of Jesus. This baby did not come to live. This baby came to die, and to give his life for the sins of the world. Jesus did not come so we could have warm fuzzy feelings at Christmas. He came on a rescue mission. He came because we couldn’t get to heaven without him.
Have your eyes seen the Lord’s salvation? Have you met Jesus Christ? Have you received his forgiveness? You cannot depart in peace without him. And that’s the Word.
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