“And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”” – Luke 2:34-35
Scripture reading: Luke 2:25-35
Simeon now pivots from praise to prophecy. He turns from blessing God to blessing Joseph and Mary. Then he speaks directly to Mary.
Not everyone will receive her Son and His salvation as Simeon did. Not everyone will rejoice at His coming. Many will stumble over Jesus and His message, as over a stone. “And many shall stumble on it. They shall fall and be broken” (Isaiah 8:15aS).
Her Son will be “for a sign that is opposed… so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.” As Jesus advanced God’s kingdom mission, Satan stirred up opposition to Him. Face to face with Jesus, the hearts of many religious people in Israel would be revealed. Was trust and love for God truly at the heart of their religious life? This would become clear when they met Jesus and recognized and received God in Him. Were their hearts far from God, even as they worshiped outwardly? This would become clear when they met Jesus and rejected God in Him. That was true then. It is still true today.
Simeon warns Mary that a sword will pierce her soul also. It will pierce her soul to see how people treat her Son. It will pierce her soul to see members of her home church become a violent mob that tries to throw Him over a cliff. It will pierce her soul to see Him suffer, bleed, and die on a cross. Her Son’s path to the crown is through the cross.
Suggestions for prayer
Praise God that Christ willingly faced deadly opposition to save us. Pray for grace to move beyond outward religion to receive and rest in Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord.
Rev. Richard Zekveld is the pastor of Covenant Fellowship Church (PCA) in South Holland, Illinois, a Chicagoland suburb. Rev. Zekveld, his wife Nancy, and their five children have lived in the community of South Holland for seventeen years. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com.
