JEWELS
FROM SUNDAY SCHOOL
Explore
the Bible curriculum, p.41
Evaluate Your Emotional Response to Luke 2:29
Bonus: Simeon and Anna’s reactions compared
Luke 2:29-30 Lord, now lettest
thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: For mine eyes have
seen thy salvation . . .
Susan: Simeon
felt amazement, wonderment, and pure joy as he held his Savior.
Susie: There
may be a feeling of relief as well. We do not know his age, but Simeon had been
waiting to see the Messiah as the Lord had promised him for a long time.
Susan: Simeon
could be content because everything he had ever been taught about and dreamed
of was encapsulated in that human baby. He was holding the fulfilment of every
dream and desire he had had for the nation of Israel in his arms. He could move
on to the next chapter of living because he saw and held in his arms the living
reality of everything he had been taught as a Jew.
Susie: By the
power of the Holy Spirit, Simeon knew deep in his soul that this particular
baby was the promised Messiah. After four hundred years, God broke His silence
with the cry of His only begotten Son.
Susan: For
me, realizing that God wanted me to be His child and Himself to be my parent,
was humbling. I was speechless at the reality that Jesus was more interested in
a relationship with me than His other titles as King of kings and Lord of lords.
Having a Lord who desires what is best for me is beyond amazing. I felt
wonderment and awe that the God of the Universe could love me that much.
Susie: Overwhelmed
is the best description of how I felt when I realized I could come to Jesus
just as I was, no need to “fake it till you make it.” As the baby Jesus rested
in the arms of Simeon, the elderly man realized that he could truly rest in
Jesus. Joyful, energetic, but relaxed in trusting Him would describe my
emotions when I first came to know Jesus.
Luke
2:38 And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and
spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.
Susie: Simeon
was at complete peace and ready to leave this earth for his heavenly home, but
Anna had a different reaction.
Susan: Anna
had the same attitude of complete thanksgiving that Simeon had expressed.
However, she was not ready to graduate to Heaven. Instead, she went and told
everyone who would listen that the Messiah had finally come. The prophetess
became an evangelist. She had a new zeal.
Susie: At the
age of at least 84 years (maybe more), Anna found renewed strength when she
realized the Messiah, the Son of God, had arrived.
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