Luke 2:25-38:
And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to carry out for Him the custom of the Law, then he took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said,
“Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace,
According to Your word;
For my eyes have seen Your salvation,
Which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
A Light of revelation to the Gentiles,
And the glory of Your people Israel.”And His father and mother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed— and a sword will pierce even your own soul—to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”
And there was a prophetess, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years and had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers. At that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.
This series began with the various people who were affected by the birth of Christ. First it was Mary and Joseph who find the words given to them by the angels fulfilled. Then it is the Shepherds who because of the visitation of the angels find themselves both affected by the visitation and affecting others by their witness. Then we she Jesus in the temple with his parent doing all to fulfill the law. Then the real drama of the temple scene takes place with two people prophesying over Jesus.
The two main things Jesus does the moment he is born is to fulfill prophecy but it truly becomes apparent in this moment with Simeon and Anna. They both become prophets over the child Jesus and it is just two more in a long line stretching all the way back to God himself when he spoke to Eve after the fall that her seed would crush the head of the serpent. It goes to Abraham who is promised that all the nations of the world will be blessed through him. It goes back to David who is promised a person on his throne who will rule forever and ever. Through all the prophets he is spoken of in many places and in many ways.
On top of it all in this moment when Jesus is held by Simeon, two more prophets then add their own voice to who Jesus will be and thus create more prophecies for him to fulfill and fulfill some that are already in place. Jesus even before he can utter a word or even walk is fulfilling things that were spoken long ago both centuries and millennia before he was even born. And he will go on to fulfill more every day that he lives.
For us this is assurance of the surety we can have in Christ and the salvation he offers. His first days of life set into motion our redemption and it is redemption built on the completed and working promises of God. Glory to God in the highest and on earth Peace with men!