“This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, and many others to rise. He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose him. As a result, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul.” Luke 2:35-36 NLT
This prophecy of Simeon to Mary has an ominous tone, especially after his praise to God for having let him see the Messiah. Most of the prophecies of the Messiah in the Old Testament have a joyous tone (like that in Psalm 96:12-13: Let the fields and their crops burst out with joy! Let the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord, for he is coming! He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with justice, and the nations with his truth. [To “judge” in the Old Testament is to set everything to rights.] So what’s with Simeon?
Notice three interlocked emphases, all aspects of Jesus’ ministry that were powerfully fulfilled. First he will cause many to fall and many to rise. Who would fall? Those who had succeeded in making themselves very righteous with no help from anybody else, thank you very much. And who would rise? Those who despaired of ever becoming good enough for God but received the word of divine grace to those who will cast themselves on him.
Then Jesus will be a sign. A sign of what? That the kingdom of God, his rule in human hearts, was just about to break in through that coming of the Holy Spirit which the Cross and Resurrection would make possible. But that will prompt opposition. What opposition? The opposition of those whose deepest thoughts are pride: pride in their religious achievements, pride in the position they have managed to achieve, pride in being better than others.
This is what they really think, and Jesus, coming as a poor country man, an itinerant preacher and miracle worker, and finally dying an ignominious death, would show the folly of all that pride. What are your deepest thoughts and mine? Are they really – honestly – pride? Or do we know that apart from his grace, we would be the lowest of the low. Yes, he is coming to set the world to rights, and that is good news. But only if your thoughts and mine are like his.
Called To Be Transformed 