Learning from Simeon - Timothy Keller

Little Jesus was presented at the Temple.....From Luke 2:34-35


Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: 'This child is destined to cause the rising and falling of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul, too.'


Jesus said He came to bring a sword. Simeon said so, too. Do we see what that means? It means we will get hostility for Jesus' sake.

It means we will have many painful struggles in the Christian life. Christmas, then, teaches us that Christians should not give in to self-pity. Nor should they be shortsighted, because the ultimate results of these conflicts are deeper peace and joy.

The word of Simeon is that Christians should expect and be ready for trouble. They should expect conflict as a way to get to peace. We can see it in Jesus, in how He brought peace through the agony of the cross. We should not be surprised, then, when conflicts come upon us.

How can we resolve to face the "sword" of trials and difficulties? Only by seeing how Jesus got the resolve to face the ultimate sword for us. Genesis 3 describes how God exiled humanity from His presence and from the tree of life. When He did that, we are told that "a flaming sword" was put in place to guard the way back to eternal life (Genesis 3:24).

That was another way to say that "the wages of sin is death"(Romans 6:23). The entire Old Testament bears witness to this, because every time sin is atoned for in the tabernacle or temple, a substitute animal goes under the knife and dies.

What was Jesus doing, then, when He went to the cross? He was paying the penalty for sin; He was going under the sword. It came down on Him. "He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished" (Isaiah 53:8).

Let's not give in to self-pity or cowardice. The sword that passed through Jesus, the battle that He fought for us, was infinitely greater than anything He asks us to endure. And when He faced His final moment, and the sword was descending, He was utterly alone and forsaken, even by the Father. (Matthew 27:46).

When we walk through our difficulties, however, we are never alone. He always walked there with us. "I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless and sanctity to thee thy deepest distress" (From the hymn How Firm a Foundation).

When Simeon said to Mary, "There'll be a sword through your soul, what if Mary had said, "I don't want a sword in my soul"? What if Jesus had said, "I don't want a sword in my soul! I don't want to bring peace that way," and then where would you be? Where would I be? 

Don't shrink back. Follow Him to  peace.

          -- From Hidden Christmas, by Timothy Keller, Chapter 7.