EVEN though Mary and Joseph had been given so much understanding concerning the baby born to Mary by the operation of the Holy Spirit, yet they did not seem able to take it in. Mary had been told by the angel that her baby would be great and would be called the Son of the Most High; also that he would be given the throne of his father David, and that he would reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and that his kingdom would never end. She was also told that her baby would be the Holy One and called the Son of God. Through Zechariah she had heard her son to be declared a horn of salvation in the house of his servant David. Yet in spite of all this, and the fact that Joseph had been told that Mary's Son would save his people from their sins, yet Simeon's prophetic words caused them to marvel.

It is a fact that even those who seek to walk with God, and heed his word, are slow to learn and understand the truth, and need constant repetition of the truths concerning Christ. It takes most of us a life time to find the glory of Christ in all his offices of prophet, priest and king; of Saviour, Lord, of life; to dawn upon our souls and minds and hearts. We forget so soon what we are taught. Light comes and then the ordinary things of life overshadow the truth so we forget what we have learned. Light is given but we don't seem to be able to appreciate it. It is good for those who are preachers and teachers to never be afraid to tell the old, old story again and again.

Simeon, then is moved, to give Mary and Joseph further truth concerning Jesus. He tells them that the child was destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel; and a sign that will be spoken against which would reveal the condition and state of many hearts. Then he gives a word specially to Mary to warn her of the sorrow she would know because of her Son. This was a direct warning to her that her Son would suffer deeply in his work to be the Saviour of sinners.

Again Simeon was speaking from the understanding given him by the Holy Spirit from the Old Testament Scriptures, specially from Isaiah. There are passages in Isaiah concerning the Servant of the Lord, the Messiah, which would have been the source of Simeon's understanding. Isaiah 8:14-15 is speaking of God but also is prophetic of Jesus, God incarnate, as he was before the people of Israel in his ministry. These verses read as follows "and he will be a sanctuary; but for the house of Israel he will be a stone that causes men to stumble and rock that makes them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and a snare. Many of them will stumble; they will fall and be broken, and they will be snared and captured."

The fact is that Jesus proved to be one who caused divisions in Israel in his life time. For some he was a sanctuary. They found him a Saviour and comforter. But for much of the Jews Jesus was a stumbling block. He exposed their sin and hypocrisy, and they hated him for it and turned against him. In their hate they came to find that Jesus brought them down. Jesus was a rock they could not break, even though they crucified him, and instead he became the rock over which they stumbled and were brought down. The prophecy goes on to speak of Jesus as a trap and a snare. This is a snare to catch them and bring them down broken, and so captured. Here there seems to be a double meaning. On the one hand Jesus brings down, in the end, all who reject him, and will be the cause of their final destruction. On the other hand Jesus snares people and captures them, and leads captivity captive. In this sense Jesus breaks people by a conviction of sin, and then leads them to know his saving love which saves them from their sin, and brings them into his family, the family of God.

The fact is, just as Jesus divided people when he lived and taught on earth, so he divides people today, and everyday. Jesus is the crux of life. He is the giver of life. He has won eternal life for all who believe on him. There is life for a look at the crucified one, and life in him the moment a person is led to trust in him as Lord and Saviour. He is the one given by God to be the Saviour of sinners, and the only Saviour. God gave him to give his life for sinners, and bear their death which is the necessary punishment for sin under the just sentence of God upon sin. There is life for all who come to him and believe on his name in sorrow and repentance for sin.

On the other hand there is no life and no salvation for those who reject the Saviour, or deny his saving work. He is the only way back to God. His death in our place is the only way our sins can be forgiven, and so to refuse to believe in him and his saving death brings death and darkness.

For this reason Jesus is a rock of offence. People in their wisdom, either refuse to believe in him altogether, or they reject some part of his saving work. In doing this Jesus is a rock over which they stumble and fall, and so find themselves without hope, without God, in the world.