'Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace,
according to Thy word: 30. For mine eyes have seen Thy
salvation.'--LUKE ii. 29,30.
That scene, when the old man took the Infant in his withered arms,
is one of the most picturesque and striking in the Gospel narrative.
Simeon's whole life appears, in its later years, to have been under
the immediate direction of the Spirit of God. It is very remarkable
to notice how, in the course of three consecutive verses, the
operation of that divine Spirit upon him is noted. 'It was revealed
unto him by the Holy Ghost that he should not see death before he
had seen the Lord's Christ.' 'And he came by the Spirit into the
Temple.' I suppose that means that some inward monition, which he
recognised to be of God, sent him there, in the expectation that at
last he was to 'see the Lord's Christ.' He was there before the
Child was brought by His parents, for we read 'He came by the Spirit
into the Temple, and when the parents brought in the Child Jesus ...
he took Him in his arms.' Think of the old man, waiting there in the
Sanctuary, told by God that he was thus about to have the fulfilment
of his life-long desire, and yet probably not knowing what kind of a
shape the fulfilment would take. There is no reason to believe that
he knew he was to see an infant; and he waits. And presently a
peasant woman comes in with a child in her arms, and there arises in
his soul the voice 'Anoint Him! for this is He!' And so, whether he
expected such a vision or no, he takes the Child in his arms, and
says, 'Lord! Now, now !--after all these years of waiting--lettest
Thou Thy servant depart in peace.'
Now, it seems to me that there are two or three very interesting
thoughts deducible from this incident, and from these words. I take
three of them. Here we have the Old recognising and embracing the
New; the slave recognising and submitting to his Owner; and the
saint recognising and welcoming the approach of death.