The Messiah Simeon Waited For

Luke 2:34b: And told His mother Mary, “Indeed, this child is destined to cause the fall and rise of many in Israel and to be a sign that will be opposed—“

Oh how charged with prophecy and foreshadowing is this half of the verse! It’s almost a line we could see in a cozy mystery when the detective starts piecing the details together. Simeon crammed a lot of information into these few words. So what do we learn here?

1. Joseph will not live long enough to see Jesus’ ultimate destiny. This is why Simeon gave this information for Mary to remember.
2. Jesus will become a sign that many will fight against. They won’t just not like what he stands for, they will be vehemently opposed to what he offers and represents. Look at the last 2000 plus years of history and you will see that proven true time and again. How many wars have been fought that had differences in understanding of who Jesus was at their core?
3. He would change the destination of many in Israel. Jesus himself said that the last would be first and the first would be last.

• Or as Peter quotes from Isaiah and Psalms, Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone,” and “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.” They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.
• Those who thought themselves righteous and holy would be proven anything but. Those who recognized their depravity and repented had hope and a future glory.

4. Jesus’ destiny would turn the world on its head. He would undo the curse of Adam’s sin and offer a future and a hope to all who would believe.