Simeon's Song

Simeon’s Song

Scripture

25 And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the [p]comfort of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the [q]Lord’s [r]Christ. 27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus [s]to carry out for Him the custom of the Law, 28 then he took Him into his arms and blessed God, and said,

29 “Now Master, You are releasing Your slave in peace,
According to Your word.
30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation,
31 Which You prepared in the presence of all peoples,
32 A Light for revelation to the Gentiles,
And for the glory of Your people Israel.”

33 And His father and mother were marveling at the things which were being said about Him. 34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and [t]rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed— 35 and a sword will pierce through your own soul as well—that the thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

36 And there was a prophetess, [u]Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in [v]years having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, 37 and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers. 38 And at that very [w]moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.

How many of you are glad that Hallmark has gone back to smultzy romances because the season of smultzy Christmas romances is over. I tell you, it seems like this year they were really stretching trying to turn everything into a Christmas romance. I mean, we didn’t watch these but I saw ads for, “the Christmas Alpaca farm, Christmas at the Catnip Café. The one that Denise and I did watch, I kid you not was about cocoa. It was entitled “A Hot Chocolate Holiday.” It was about a woman with a coffee shop who was famous for her family’s cocoa recipe, and she meets a man who had a cocoa recipe that tasted just like hers. And they fought the whole movie over “did you steal my cocoa recipe.” Of course they fell in love. It kept us on the edge of our seats. We decided to make it interesting, we would drink a shot of eggnog every time someone said the word cocoa. That last part isn’t true. But it is fascinating how far some are willing to go to capitalize on Christmas Spirit, so in that respect, I am glad to see the season ending. But we are finishing today with the last of the series of messages around the true and meaningful Christmas story; And we have been considering the songs of Christmas. In particular, the songs that came out of Scripture. Traditionally,

· Zechariah’s Benedictus — Benedictus is the Latin words that begins his song, “Blessed be the Lord” I’m calling it, “The Song of the New Covenant”

· Mary’s Magnificat — “My soul magnifies the Lord” I’m calling it, “the song of salvation of the humble”

· The Angels’ Gloria in Excelsis Deo — “Glory to God in the Highest” I’m calling it “the song of Godly Ecstasy”

· Simeon’s Nunc Dimittis — “Now let Your servant depart in peace” I’m calling it “the song of peace beyond reason.”

We will be looking at Simeon’s song today. I mentioned last time that the songs tell a story about a person coming to faith. Zechariah’s tells the story of grappling with the Scripture, Mary’s tells the story of making faith personal, the angel’s tell the story of bearing witness to your faith, and today Simeon’s tells the story of coming to the end of life with an inner peace. And the theme of our study concerns Simeon’s peace. How can I get to the place where I to can depart in peace like Simeon. Before we begin, let’s go to the Lord in prayer.

Prayer

Gracious Father, as we turn now to the song of Simeon, we come as people who long for the kind of peace that does not fade with years or circumstances—a peace that rests in Your promises fulfilled. You guided Zechariah to trust Your Word, You led Mary to embrace faith personally, You sent angels to proclaim good news, and now You invite us, through Simeon, to see what it means to finish well and to rest our hearts in You. Quiet our anxieties, steady our fears, and open our eyes to behold Your salvation, just as Simeon did when he held the Christ in his arms. Teach us, by Your Spirit, how to live faithfully and how, when our time comes, to depart in peace, confident that You have kept every promise. We ask this in the name of Jesus, our Savior and our peace. Amen.

Well, our message today can be divided into six parts. In the first part I just need to remind you of the setting of our story. Then the other points we answer the question, “How could Simeon depart in peace?” And each point is drawn from Scripture; God’s Sovereignty, the consolation has come, the validation of Simeon’s life, the salvation message to all people, the warning has been given.

I. Setting

And this also gives us background to the question, “How could Simeon depart in peace?” We don’t know much about Simeon’s background except what Luke tells us. Simeon was righteous and devout, a man shaped by Scripture, not speculation, and he was waiting for the consolation of Israel. He belonged to a very small minority of Jewish people who were not merely religious, but genuinely hopeful—looking for God to keep His promises exactly as He said He would. He was likely an old man, having waited decades through silence, disappointment, and delay, and yet God had revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Messiah with his own eyes. Still, you have to wonder how Simeon could die in peace in the world he was living in—a world marked by corruption, spiritual confusion, and national suffering.

So what was happening in the world of Simeon at the birth of Jesus? As MacArthur points out, Simeon lived as a member of an oppressed people—the Jews—under Roman domination, but even within that oppressed nation he was a minority among minorities. He did not belong to any of the dominant movements of his day. He was not a Pharisee, trusting in self-righteous legalism and man-made traditions. He was not a Sadducee, denying the supernatural, the resurrection, and the promises of God. He was not an Essene, withdrawing from society in separatist despair. And he was not a Zealot, hoping for political revolution and national deliverance by force. Simeon was waiting for the Messiah—not a political liberator, not a reformer of Judaism, but God’s salvation in human flesh. That is why he could depart in peace. While others were chasing power, position, or control, Simeon waited quietly, faithfully, and patiently for Christ—and when he saw Him, he knew that everything God had promised had finally come.

the meeting of Simeon, Mary, and Joseph in the temple was not accidental, but the quiet convergence of ordinary obedience and extraordinary providence. Mary and Joseph came to Jerusalem simply to do what the Law required—Mary to complete the days of her purification and Joseph to present the child to the Lord with the appropriate offering, the actions of humble, faithful Jews rather than prominent religious figures. At the same time, Simeon, an old man who had spent his life waiting for the consolation of Israel, was moved by the Holy Spirit to come into the temple that very day. There is no indication that Simeon held any office, position, or status; he was not a priest, not a ruler, not a recognized leader—just a faithful man responding to the Spirit’s prompting. In the midst of the bustle of temple activity, sacrifices, and crowds, God quietly orchestrated this meeting so that the long-awaited Messiah, brought in by obscure parents in simple obedience, would be placed directly into the arms of a man who had been promised he would see God’s salvation before he died.

And we know that he and Mary and Joseph somehow meet and that after they exchange words; Simeon says to God.

29 “Now Master, You are releasing Your slave in peace, According to Your word.
30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation, 31 Which You prepared in the presence of all peoples,
32 A Light for revelation to the Gentiles, And for the glory of Your people Israel.”

Now we come to our question; How could Simeon depart in peace? I want to give you four reasons why he could depart in peace, and they are also five reasons that you can come to the end of your life and have peace.

II. He knew it was in God’s hands

The first reason Simeon could depart in peace is that he understood God’s sovereign control over history. Simeon knew—because Scripture had taught him—that no earthly power, no matter how dominant it appeared, was ever ultimate. Empires rise and fall at God’s command. He would have known passages like Daniel 2:21: “It is He who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings,” and Daniel 4:17: “The Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whom He wishes.” Living under Roman occupation, it may have felt as though Rome was unconquerable, permanent, and absolute—but Simeon knew better. He had learned from the Scriptures that God humbled Pharaoh, brought down Assyria, judged Babylon, and would one day overthrow every proud power. Rome was not sovereign—God was. That confidence alone would steady a man’s heart at the end of life, because history was not spinning out of control; it was unfolding exactly according to God’s plan.

But Simeon did not know God’s sovereignty only from the pages of Scripture—he knew it from personal experience. Luke tells us that the Holy Spirit was upon him, that the Spirit had revealed truth to him, and that the Spirit led him into the temple that very day. Simeon had lived a life directed by God, marked by moments when the quiet prompting of the Lord proved faithful and true—much like Elijah learned when God spoke in the still, small voice (1 Kings 19:12). God had promised Simeon that he would not die before seeing the Lord’s Christ, and now, on this ordinary day, something compelled him to go to the temple. There he encountered Mary and Joseph—faithful, obedient parents who surely recounted all that God had done in the months leading up to Jesus’ birth. Simeon could see it plainly: God had been orchestrating events on a global scale and on a personal one at the same time. God was in control—and Simeon had lived long enough to know it. And that knowledge, grounded in Scripture and confirmed by experience, gave him peace. In the same way, we too can depart in peace—whatever season of life we are in—when we come to understand and trust God’s sovereign control over this world and over our lives.

Why else could he depart in peace?

III. The consolation had come

25 And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the [p]comfort of Israel,

29 “Now Master, You are releasing Your slave in peace, According to Your word. 30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation,

A second reason Simeon could depart in peace is that the very thing he had been waiting for all his life had finally arrived—the consolation of Israel. That phrase is rich with Old Testament meaning. “Consolation” speaks of comfort, encouragement, relief, and the end of sorrow, and it reaches back to passages Simeon would have known well, such as Isaiah 40:1: “Comfort, O comfort My people, says your God.” For centuries Israel had lived under discipline, foreign domination, spiritual dryness, and prophetic silence, yet God had promised that comfort would come through His Messiah. Simeon was not waiting for political freedom or national dominance; he was waiting for God’s salvation, the One who would deal with sin, bring light to darkness, and fulfill every covenant promise. When Simeon saw the child Jesus, he knew the waiting was over. The consolation was no longer a promise—it was a person, standing before him in human flesh.

And because the consolation of Israel had come, Simeon could die at peace—not in despair, not in uncertainty, but in settled confidence. Simeon understood that everything God had promised to comfort His people had now begun in Christ. And here is where Simeon’s peace connects directly to ours. Simeon waited for the Messiah to come; we live on this side of the cross and the resurrection, where that Messiah has finished His work and promised something more. Before He left, Jesus told His followers that He would send another Comforter, the Holy Spirit, who would dwell within them forever (John 14:16–18). By that Comforter, we have the assurance of Christ’s living presence in us—even as we walk through the valley of the shadow of death (Psalm 23:4). The comfort Simeon waited for has come, and it has not left. And because the comfort of God abides with us through His Spirit, we too can face the end of life not with fear, but with the same deep, unshakable peace that allowed Simeon to depart in peace.

The third reason that he could depart in peace.

IV. Validation of his life

28 then he took Him into his arms and blessed God, and said, 29 “Now Master, You are releasing Your slave in peace, According to Your word. 30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation,

A third reason Simeon could depart in peace was the validation of his life of faithful service. When he prayed, “Now Your servant…,” he was acknowledging that his entire life had been lived in submission to God, not to public opinion, religious trends, or worldly success. It had likely been a quiet, obscure, and often lonely life—marked by waiting, believing, and trusting while others dismissed his hope as naïve or outdated. Like so many of God’s saints before him, Simeon’s faithfulness may have brought rejection rather than affirmation, and there were surely moments when discouragement crept in and the question arose, Have I misunderstood God? Have I waited in vain? But in this final moment, God silenced every doubt. Through a sovereign convergence of events, the Lord placed the long-awaited Messiah into Simeon’s arms, confirming that every year of patient obedience had been well spent. As he held that child, the voices of scoffers and naysayers faded into nothing, replaced by the unmistakable testimony of God Himself: You were right to trust Me. And in the same way, we too can depart in peace, not because our service was seen or applauded by others, but because we have the assurance that a life lived faithfully in Christ has been pleasing to the only One who ultimately matters—God Himself.

Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus

“Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus” was written in 1744 by Charles Wesley, and it was inspired directly by the biblical themes found in Luke’s infancy narrative—especially the hope embodied by Simeon. Wesley wrote the hymn during a season of widespread social unrest in England, marked by poverty, political anxiety, and spiritual complacency. Many expected salvation to come through reform, revolution, or renewed moral effort, but Wesley deliberately turned hearts away from those hopes and back to Scripture. Drawing language from Haggai, Isaiah, and Luke, he portrayed Jesus not as a political liberator, but as the fulfillment of God’s long-promised consolation—the One who brings rest to weary souls and freedom from the tyranny of sin.

What makes this hymn especially fitting for Simeon’s story is its theology of waiting fulfilled. Lines like “Israel’s strength and consolation, hope of all the earth Thou art” echo Luke’s description of Simeon as a man waiting for the consolation of Israel. Wesley captures the tension of centuries of longing and resolves it not with national triumph, but with personal peace: “Born to reign in us forever, now Thy gracious kingdom bring.” Simeon could depart in peace because the long-expected One had finally come, and Wesley invites every believer to share that same peace—not by looking for salvation in the world’s power structures, but by resting in Christ, who fulfills God’s promises and reigns quietly, sovereignly, and eternally in the hearts of His people.

There’s a fourth reason that Simeon could depart in peace.

V. To all peoples

29 “Now Master, You are releasing Your slave in peace, According to Your word.
30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation, 31 Which You prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32 A Light for revelation to the Gentiles, And for the glory of Your people Israel.”

Another reason Simeon could depart in peace is that he understood the Savior he was holding was not only for Israel, but for all peoples. Simeon’s words in Luke 2:30–32 reveal a remarkably broad and biblically grounded theology of salvation: “For my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for the glory of Your people Israel.” This was not sentimental language—it was radical conviction. Most Jews of Simeon’s day viewed the Gentiles as outsiders, often as enemies, certainly as those beyond the covenant promises. Yet Simeon understood, from the Scriptures, that God’s redemptive plan had always included the nations. He would have known passages like Isaiah 42:6 and Isaiah 49:6, where the Servant of the Lord is called “a light to the nations,” and Genesis 12:3, where God promised Abraham that “all the families of the earth” would be blessed through him. Simeon rightly understood that the Messiah would bring revelation to those in darkness—not by Jewish privilege, but by divine grace.

And because Simeon understood the global scope of God’s salvation, he could depart in peace knowing that God’s plan was bigger than Israel’s present suffering, bigger than Roman oppression, and bigger than the religious confusion of his day. God was not losing control of the world—He was illuminating it. The Messiah would be rejected by many, but He would not fail in His mission. He would shine light into every nation, every culture, every corner of human darkness. That same truth gives us peace today. Even when the world seems chaotic, divided, and spiraling, we can face the end of life without fear, knowing that God is still at work—still saving, still calling, still shining the light of Christ into the hearts of people from every tribe, tongue, and nation. Simeon rested in that confidence, and so can we: God’s salvation is moving forward, and nothing in this world can stop it.

There’s a fifth reason that Simeon could depart in peace.

VI. Warning is delivered

34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and [t]rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed— 35 and a sword will pierce through your own soul as well—that the thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

In Luke 2:34–35, Simeon—moved and inspired by the Holy Spirit, delivers a sober and prophetic word that stands in sharp contrast to the joy surrounding Jesus’ birth. This child, Simeon declares, is appointed by God for a decisive purpose: the fall and rise of many in Israel, and as a sign to be opposed. Salvation will not be neutral. Christ will expose hearts, divide responses, and provoke opposition. Simeon’s words echo truths long embedded in Scripture—truths he would have known well—such as Isaiah 8:14–15, where the Messiah is described as both a sanctuary and a stone of stumbling, and Psalm 118:22, where the rejected stone becomes the cornerstone. Simeon also foretells personal sorrow for Mary: “a sword will pierce through your own soul as well.” This was not sentimental optimism but Spirit-given realism. Simeon understood that redemption would come through suffering, rejection, and pain, and that even the mother of the Messiah would not be spared grief.

You remember the moment where those words had their greatest fulfillment. The mother of Jesus stood at the foot of the cross where Jesus was crucified. And Jesus, looking down on her and the disciple that He loved standing there, said, “Woman, behold your son” and to the disciple, “Behold your mother.” Jesus passing the responsibility for the care of his mother to a trusted disciple.

And Simeon here let’s her know that this Messiah she is holding will not only mend hearts, but His calling will break hearts; hers especially. Yet he speaks these words calmly, faithfully, and without hesitation—because they were God’s words, entrusted to him in that moment.

And remarkably, this hard message is part of why Simeon could depart in peace. For years, he may have known these truths, believed them, and even tried to speak them—only to find deaf ears and hardened hearts. Scripture itself prepared him for this reality: Isaiah 6:9–10 speaks of truth being heard but not understood, and Jeremiah 7:27 laments that God’s messengers spoke but were not listened to. But now, at the end of his life, God gives Simeon the extraordinary gift of speaking truth where it truly matters—to Mary, to Joseph, and ultimately to all who would hear this account. He is no longer casting seed blindly; he is delivering God’s message directly into lives that will be forever shaped by it. The burden of unspoken warning, of truth unheard, is lifted. Simeon has faithfully proclaimed both the good news—salvation has come—and the hard news—there will be rejection and judgment. And that faithfulness brings peace. In the same way, we too can face death without fear when we know we have spoken the truth in love, proclaimed Christ clearly, warned of judgment honestly, and trusted God with the results—confident that there is reward for the faithful and righteous judgment for those who reject the Lord.

Gracious and faithful God, we thank You for the testimony of Simeon—a man who waited, trusted, served, and departed in peace because he saw Your salvation with his own eyes. As we leave this message, seal these truths in our hearts. Teach us to rest in Your sovereign control, to rejoice that Your comfort has come, to serve You faithfully even when the road is lonely, and to speak Your truth with courage—both the good news of salvation and the sobering warning of judgment. Give us hearts that trust You in a world that feels unsettled, eyes that see Your hand at work among all peoples, and lives that reflect obedience and hope. And when our time comes, grant us the same peace You gave Simeon—not because of our strength, but because Christ is faithful, Your promises are sure, and Your Spirit abides with us. We commit ourselves to You, now and forever, in the name of Jesus, our Savior and our peace. Amen.