Sunday School Lesson Summary for December 30, 2007
Released on December 26, 2007
“Called to Witness”
Devotional
Background Scripture:
Luke 2:22–38.
Printed Text: Luke
2:22–35.
Luke 2:22–35
22 And when the days
of her purification according to the law of Moses were
accomplished, they brought him to
23 (As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;)
24 And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said
in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.
25 And, behold, there was a man in
26 And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he
should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.
27 And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents
brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law,
28 Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and
said,
29 Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:
30 For mine eyes have seen thy
salvation,
31 Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;
32 A light to lighten the Gentiles,
and the glory of thy people
33 And Joseph and his mother marveled at those things which were
spoken of him.
34 And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold,
this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a
sign which shall be spoken against;
35 (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also;) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.
Introduction
To Witness
When a crime is committed, the police always look for witnesses.
When a disaster hits a community, the reporters for the evening news always
want to interview a witness on the site. Many times people on the scene can
hardly wait to tell what they know. This is a reminder that the verb witness
has at least two meanings: “to see something” and “to testify about something.”
People see and testify not only to crimes and disasters, but also
to good things. People who are getting married choose good friends to sign the
marriage license in witness. They invite family and friends to witness the
happy event. Life has many special moments that are good to witness.
In this lesson we will
be introduced to a man who witnessed a great event of history. He was told long
in advance of the great day; he spent his life waiting for the moment. The
event was the arrival of the Messiah at the temple; the eyewitness was a man
named Simeon.
Lesson Background
A striking element of
Luke’s account of Jesus’ birth is the mention of the man Simeon. While he bore
the noble name of one of the tribes of
While the presence of
the Holy Spirit was not a common experience in the lives of the people of
As the Gospel accounts begin, it had been more than 400 years since
the last Holy Spirit–inspired Scripture was penned (the book of Malachi). Today
we will see that Simeon had received, at some point in his life, Holy
Spirit–inspired knowledge of the coming of the Messiah. He had a firsthand
privilege of seeing the infant Savior.
Witness by Obeying (Luke 2:22–24)
Our opening verses show several of the ways in which God calls
people to be witnesses to their faith. The first is by obedience to His Word.
Joseph and Mary demonstrate their respect for God by doing what He says. The
purification of the mother and the redemption of the firstborn son are acts of
submission to God’s law.
1. Why was Jesus taken to the temple early in His life
(Luke 2:22-23)?
The events in this lesson occurred during the second month of Jesus' earthly life. Joseph and Mary had had Jesus circumcised on the eighth day in
strict adherence to the law (v. 21).
All firstborn males in
When Joseph and Mary took Jesus
to
2. Why did Mary have to present herself in the temple (v.
24)?
A mother was considered unclean
for forty days after the birth of
a son and eighty days after the birth of a daughter (Lev. 12:1-5). During
this time, she could not enter the sanctuary or
touch holy things. After this time expired, she brought a sacrifice of both a burnt offering and a sin offering. The sin offering was always a turtledove or a
young pigeon; the burnt offering was
a lamb or, for the poor, a turtledove
or a young pigeon (vs. 6-8).
This, then, was the second reason for Joseph
and Mary's trip to
3. What inspiration can we gain from the fact that Joseph
and Mary faithfully fulfilled their obligations under the Old Testament law,
despite having been shown special, miraculous attention by God?
People who feel that God has shown them special favor sometimes
think that it is not that important for them to serve in some basic and
ordinary ways in the church. The earthly parents of Jesus seem to have been
just as eager to fulfill humbly their responsibilities as they were before.
They believed they now had far more reason to praise and honor God because of
the ways He had worked in their lives.
The same should be
true for us. The more we are blessed, the greater should be our desire to serve
God and fulfill our responsibilities to Him.
Witness by Believing
(Luke 2:25–29)
4. What kind of person was Simeon? For what was he waiting
(v. 25)?
Simeon is the name borne by a man who encounters Jesus’ family in
the temple. This is a famous name, the name of the second son of Jacob by Leah;
it is thus the name of 1 of the 12 tribes of
According to the way the world looks at people, there is little
that is noteworthy about Simeon. In God’s sight, however, Simeon has an
important role in identifying the infant Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah.
Simeon is just, or righteous. He is devout in the practice of his faith, living
according to the standards of God. He was also devout, or reverent and cautious
in his walk with God. He was thus God-fearing
and spiritually sensitive to the leading of the Lord. He must have been
intimately acquainted with the Scriptures.
This man is waiting for the “consolation,” or “comforting,” of
5. What did the Holy Ghost reveal to Simeon (v. 26)?
The Holy Ghost has
brought consolation into Simeon’s life by revealing a wonderful truth: before
Simeon dies, he will see the Lord’s Christ. The Lord God has promised to
send His Christ, His Messiah—His Anointed One. Jesus is the one anointed by God
to bring deliverance to humankind. Many thousands of God-fearing Jews have
lived and died without seeing the coming of the Messiah. But the Spirit has
assured Simeon that he will see this event. How blessed Simeon is!
This should encourage those who await Jesus'
return. The Spirit does not give us
the assurance that He will come in our
lifetime; indeed, it is unwise to speculate on God's timing. Yet we can trust His Word that the long wait will eventually end (Hebrews 9:28).
6. What role did the Holy Spirit have in Simeon's presence
in the temple (v. 27)?
The Holy Spirit, having previously assured Simeon that he would see Messiah, led him to the temple the very day
Jesus was brought in. The One who made the
promise also fulfilled it. Here is another reminder to us that God is active in our lives both to assure us of His promises and to fulfill them as
we walk by faith. As Joseph and Mary were
about to present the baby, Simeon met them.
7. Simeon received specific communication from the Holy
Spirit. How does the Spirit’s leading in our own lives compare and contrast
with that of Simeon’s?
The New Testament shows us many instances of people being guided
or led by the Holy Spirit (Luke 4:1; Acts 13:2, 4; 15:28; 16:6; 20:23).
Figuring out how that leading occurred and if such leadings are
to be expected today are the hard parts! But we must try, since the ongoing
walk of a Christian revolves around discerning God’s direction for life.
We should frankly admit that sometimes what we think is the Holy
Spirit’s leading may at times be nothing more than our own desires and whims at
work. This is called subjectivism. What we think to be the Holy Spirit’s
leading should always be tested against Scripture. Will the contemplated action
make us more like Jesus? Will the action help the church fulfill the Great
Commission (Matthew 28:19, 20)? Will the result be to create more fruit of the
Spirit according to Galatians 5:22, 23? If the result of our action will create
divisions with others, will it be the godly or the ungodly kind of division
(Matthew 10:34; Luke 14:26; Romans 16:17, 18; 1 Corinthians 5; 2 Corinthians
6:14–18; Titus 3:10)?
Asking such questions is an important part of distinguishing the
Spirit’s leading from the impulses of the flesh.
8. What was ironic about Simeon holding Jesus in his arms
(vs. 28-30)?
Prompted
by the Holy Spirit, Simeon took the child in his arms. Let us not miss the fleeting
irony of this event. The great Deliverer for
whom Simeon had waited now lay helpless in his arms! This demonstrates the extent to which God would go to bring salvation to mankind. His Son took His
place among us in true human form (cf. John
1:14; Phil. 2:7).
Cradling the holy
child, Simeon "blessed God" (Luke 2:28).
The word "blessed" means
that he spoke well of Him or that he gave Him praise. He praised God for
the fulfillment of His promises to him, to
Simeon
first praised God that his service had been successfully completed
(v. 29). "Now lettest thou
thy servant depart in peace" is not a prayer
for permission to depart. It is a statement. God was now
letting His servant depart in peace. The word for
"Lord" emphasizes God's absolute authority over him,
and the word for "servant" refers to a bondslave totally committed to his master.
That is how Simeon saw his relationship to God.
He
recognized that his appointed task of watching for the Messiah was now completed
and that his Master was releasing him from that service. He could "depart
in peace, according to thy word" (v. 29). The Christ child has
come during Simeon’s lifetime, according to God’s word.
Everything is just as God said it would be.
Witness by Proclaiming (Luke 2:30–35)
As a faithful witness,
Simeon is eager to proclaim what he knows. With his own eyes he has seen
the Lord’s salvation (v. 30). He has seen the child through whom
deliverance will come. Indeed, his eyes have seen the glory of the coming of
the Lord (Isaiah 40:5; 52:10)!
Still, it must be
admitted that Simeon has seen only a baby. There is nothing remarkable in the
appearance of this infant. There is no golden halo over His head. But Simeon
sees the baby Jesus through the eyes of faith. He believes what God has
revealed through His Spirit. It is in this sense that Simeon can say he had
seen the Lord’s salvation.
This
is a truth we must never forget. The
core of the Christian faith is not a pattern
of worship, a code of ethics, or a
system of theology. It is a Person in
whom salvation resides, ready to be dispensed to all who trust Him (John 14:6;
Acts 4:12). Thus, He must always be the focus of every
Christian's faith and message (cf. Acts 8:35; 1 Cor.
1:23-24; Col. 1:27-28).
9. What did Simeon saw being offered through Jesus (vs. 31,32)?
Simeon knows that the arrival of Jesus somehow advances God’s plan
of salvation before the face of all people. There is important doctrinal
truth here: God’s salvation is not just for
Simeon gets more specific in verse 32. This child will be a
light that will penetrate the pagan darkness of the Gentiles, as
Isaiah 42:6 and 49:6 promise. This light will also be the shining glory
of God’s chosen people. For
Christ does not come, therefore, to cast aside either Jews or
Gentiles or to set them against one another. When this light penetrates the
darkness, there will be illumination for all. In Christ there is neither Greek
nor Jew (Colossians 3:11).
10. Simeon’s delight comes from knowing something about who
Jesus is. How did you first react when you realized who Jesus is and what He
has done for you?
Allow your students—all who are willing—time to relate their
experiences in encountering Jesus (what some call testimonies). It is
important that we share our joy with others in this regard. Not every believer
is called to be a preacher, but we can all share about how we came to know
Jesus as Savior.
Taking time to let students answer this question with other
believers present may make it easier for them to share later with unbelievers
as opportunity arises. Also, we can pray specifically for God to grant us what
may be called “divine appointments” when we can share the good news (compare 1
Peter 3:15).
11. How did Joseph and Mary react to Simeon's pronouncement
(v. 33)?
Simeon has spoken of
the child in such glowing terms that Joseph and the baby’s mother
are frankly amazed. While they themselves know special truth about Jesus, they
are startled by words spoken by a total stranger. How can he know who this
child is? How can he know about the salvation God would bring through Him? But
Simeon has even more to say!
12. What sober prophecies did Simeon make about Jesus and
Mary (v. 34)?
Simeon now blesses Mary
and Joseph (v. 34), following with a special message for Mary personally. The
coming of Jesus is set for both bad news and good. It is the
determination of God that it shall be so.
The bad news and good
news are expressed in terms of the fall and rising again of many in
Simeon has yet one
more thing to say to Mary (Luke 2:35). There will be dark moments in her future
because of Jesus. The height of her joy at the birth of her son will be matched
by the depth of her anguish at the cross. As the nails pierce His hands and
feet, and as the spear pierces His side, it will be as if a sword were
piercing the soul of Mary. She will stand at the foot of the cross,
staying by Jesus as He dies (see John 19:25).
When Jesus goes to the
cross to die, He creates a great moral crossroad. When people see His
sacrificial death, the thoughts of their hearts are revealed
(Matthew 27:38–43). The idea of the cross is still outright foolishness to many
(see 1 Corinthians 1:23). It has been wisely said, “Jesus is the touchstone of
human hearts.”
CONCLUSION
To Witness Is to See
“I was there! I saw it
with my own eyes!” Such are the words of a witness. To see, to hear, to feel
firsthand—this is what makes a witness. Often a person will take special pride
in the fact that he or she was present when some significant event took place. The greater the event, the more important the witness.
The birth of Jesus had
been awaited with great anticipation. After so many centuries of preparation,
God fulfilled the prophecies and promises. The miracle of the ages came to
people who were faithful members of God’s community. God chose them for their
special roles; they became witnesses of what He had done.
Luke demonstrated how
the shepherds were called to witness the newborn Messiah. Then he added Simeon,
who had waited much of his life to see God’s anointed one. In the verses that
follow today’s text, Luke also related how Anna, an aged prophetess, gave
thanks when the holy family came into the temple.
Other people witnessed
Jesus at age 12; still more witnessed Him in His ministry. Near the end of the
first century, the apostle John would look back and recall Christ, “which we
have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and
our hands have handled” (1 John 1:1).
To Witness Is to Tell
When people are
witnesses to a big event, they are nearly always eager to tell someone about
it. To witness is not only to see; to witness is also to tell.
Joseph, Mary, Simeon—all in their own way became witnesses to the greatness of
God. They believed what God said, obeyed what God commanded, and gladly
proclaimed what God had done.
At the end of Jesus’
life on earth He told His disciples, “Ye shall be witnesses unto me.” The apostles
had been eyewitnesses to all He did, so they could testify to what they had
seen. Even in the face of persecution they said, “We cannot but speak the
things which we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20). In the words of the apostle
John, “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you” (1 John 1:3).
Christians are also
called to be witnesses today. While we are not eyewitnesses to the life of
Jesus, we have experienced firsthand the power of His Word in our lives.
Witnessing is a vital part of faith, and the world desperately needs to know
what we know about Jesus.
PRAYER
Our Father, we praise You for making salvation available to all people. Help us to
be as eager as Simeon to tell others that we have met Christ. In the name of
Him who is our light and our glory we pray, amen.
THOUGHT TO REMEMBER
No silent witnesses!
ANTICIPATING THE NEXT LESSON
Study Luke 2:41–52
“Inspired
to Inquire” in anticipation of next week’s lesson.