The Messiah Simeon Waited For

Day 19, Making Mary and Joseph Marvel

Luke 2:33 And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him.

Mary and Joseph already knew a lot about who Jesus would be. Each had been told several prophecies about him. Angels, (terrifying, awe-inspiring angels no less!) had given each of them a good deal of information. And Mary and Joseph had plenty of time to compare notes on the trip to Bethlehem.

Here are some of things they knew according to the gospels of Matthew and Luke.

  1. Jesus would be called the Son of God
  2. Jesus would be called the Son of the Most High
  3. They would need to name him ‘Jesus’ which means ‘God saves’
  4. He would be great
  5. He would reign forever
  6. He would inherit the throne of David
  7. He would be holy
  8. He would be God with us
  9. His kingdom would never end

Even with all these incredible things that they knew, they marveled at what Simeon said. Why?

As we have said in earlier posts, Simeon stressed that Jesus would be for all peoples. He would act as a beacon to draw all the nations to God. Simeon also called Jesus the salvation and hinted at a sacrifice. What he told them did not fall in line with what most rabbis of the day expected from the Messiah.

So when it said Mary and Joseph marveled, it emphasized their confusion and lack of understanding. As Mary had said when the angel told her that she would conceive, “How can this be?” None of the prophecies made sense.

Let us take comfort in that. As we still have confusing prophecies written for us in the Word of God, we can see through the before and after of Christ how God worked it all out. And once He did, we can look back and say, ‘of course that’s what He meant.’ But before it came to pass, there was no ‘of course’ about it.

Mary and Joseph were there in the midst of it all, holding the baby. And still, they marveled.

How can we do any less?

A Sixty-Day Countdown to Christmas


More Days

Introduction to The Messiah Simeon Waited For

Holding Jesus

Day 3, A Sketch of Simeon

Simeon Was a Godly Man

Day 5, Simeon's Testimony

Day 6, Prophecies for the Gentiles

Day 7, Blessing to Nations

Day 8, A Holy People

Day 9, Welcoming God's Firstborn

Day 10, The Name of Simeon

Day 11, Staying Alive

Day 12, Following the Spirit

Day 13, Taking Up Jesus

Day 14, God's Slave

Day 15, True Peace

Day 16, Seeing Reality

Day 17, The Intent of the Law

Day 18, For All Peoples

Day 19, Making Mary and Joseph Marvel

Day 20, A Blessing

Day 21, Hinting at the Rest of the Story

Day 22, Mary Will Grieve

Day 23, Making Simeon into Simeon

Day 24, Prophet to the Prophets

Day 25, A Priest Like Melchizedek

Day 26, Destined for Sacrifice

Day 27, Jesus and the Passover Lamb, part 1

Day 28, Jesus and the Passover Lamb, part 2

Day 29, Jesus and the Passover Lamb, Part 3

Day 30, Jesus as the Lamb (con.)

Day 31, Simeon as a Man of Gratitude

Day 32, Sacrificing Lambs in the Old Testament

Day 33, The Silent Lamb

Day 34, The Messiah as Light

Day 35, Jesus the Stumbling Block

Day 36, Jesus as the Rock

Day 37, The Precious Cornerstone

Day 38, The Stone in Zion

Day 39, The Cornerstone and the Gate

Day 40, The Stone of Judgment

Day 41, Into Zion First

Day 42, Restoring the Booth of David

Day 43, Forgotten Stones

Day 44, Blessed to Receive

Day 45, Crown Him with Many Crowns

Day 46, Identifying the Son of God

Day 47, The Best Storyteller Ever

Day 48, In Bethlehem, the City of David

Day 49, Born a King

Day 50, The Living Jesus

Day 51, The Mountain Tree (Part 1)

Day 52, The Mountain Tree (Part 2)

Day 53, The Root of Jesse

Day 54, David's Branch

Day 55, The Cursed Tree

Day 56, Time Fulfilled

Day 58 through 60

Day 57, Born David's King