Read This: Luke 2:25-28 

Picture Mary and Joseph as a young couple leaving town for the big city. It’s time to dedicate their baby at the Temple.

As they make their way through the crowds, an elderly man approaches them and reaches out to hold their Baby. The man is Simeon, and he has a reputation.

Simeon is known to everyone as righteous and devout. He doesn’t just keep the law — he understands its meaning. Simeon has weighed God’s claims and believes in Him.

Simeon is also a man of action. He’s spent his life searching the Scriptures, scrutinizing every prophecy pointing to the promised One. He isn’t just waiting for the Messiah, he’s watching for Him.

Luke tells us the Holy Spirit is on Simeon. No wonder — the man is alive for God. One day, the Spirit reveals to Simeon that he will not die until he has met the Messiah. The language used in this passage implies interaction. Simeon is seeking God, and this is God’s response.

That’s why Simeon is in the Temple on this day reaching for Mary’s Baby. God told him now is the time and this is the One. Jesus is the Messiah.