Christmas Octave, Thursday – 29th December 2022 — Gospel: Lk 2,22-35
Three Prophetic Images
After seeing baby Jesus Simeon expressed his double response: he joyfully praised God for the great revelation of the salvation made known to him and to the gentiles and he prophesied to the parents about baby Jesus. He used three images in his prophetic message: the stumbling stone, the contradictory sign and the piercing sword. In the OT, stone is an important image of God (Gen 49,24 Ps 18,2). Messiah has been a “rejected cornerstone” (Ps.118,22; Lk 20,17-18; Acts 4,11) and the nation of Israel would stumble over Him (IS 8,14; Rom 9,32). Because of Jesus Christ, many in Israel would fall in conviction and then rise in salvation. Even today, God’s people Israel stumble over the cross (1Cor 1,23) and do not understand that Jesus is their Rock (1 Pet 2,1-6). The word sign means “a miracle” not so much as a demonstration of power but as a revelation of divine truth. Our Lord’s miracles in John’s gospel are called “signs” because they reveal special truths about Him (Jn 20,30-31). Jesus Christ is God’s miracle, and yet, instead of admiring Him, the people attacked Him and spoke against Him. The image of the sword referred to the parents of Jesus, and it spoke of suffering and sorrow they would bear. In Greek the word means a large sword such as Goliath used (1 Sam 17,51) and the verb means “constantly keep on piercing”. The prophecy of Simeon challenges the way we look at Jesus and the world. It breaks off the preconceived ideas and notions and makes us suffer with the Saviour.
