Then Simeon blessed them and told His mother Mary:  “Indeed, this child is destined to cause the rise and fall of many in Israel and to be a sign that will be opposed-and a sword will pierce your own soul-that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed.”  Luke 2:34-35 HCSB

Jesus was just eight days old when Simeon spoke these prophetic words to Mary. Mary and Joseph had brought Jesus into the temple as was required by Mosaic law. Simeon was a righteous and devout man who had it revealed to him that he would not die until he saw the Messiah. He was led by the Holy Spirit to go into the temple at the same time Joseph and Mary brought Jesus in there.

He fully understood that Jesus was the Messiah. We don’t actually know how much Mary and Joseph understood. Some Scripture indicates that they understood that He would be a Savior for the people. But we don’t know if they understood that he would be rejected by His people and at the young age of 33 be falsely charged and crucified.

Simeon’s words reveal the harsh reality of what will happen to this baby boy in the years to come. He speaks of Jesus causing the rise and fall of many in Israel. 1 Peter 2:7-8 says, “So honor will come to those who believe, but for the unbelieving, the stone that the builders rejected-this One has become the cornerstone, and a stone to stumble over, and a rock to trip over. They stumble because they disobey the message; they were destined for this. For those who don’t believe will fall.

Those who believe in Jesus and accept Him as their Savior will rise up. It says in Ephesians 2:6, “Together with Christ Jesus He also raised us up and seated us in the heavens.”

When He speaks of Jesus as being a sign that will be opposed., He’s speaking of the many who will not only reject Him but oppose Him. He speaks of not only the verbal insults Jesus will suffer but also of Israel’s rejection, hatred and even crucifixion of the Messiah.

When he says a sword will pierce your own soul, he is speaking of Mary’s intense grief when she sees her son crucified on that cross.

And when he speaks of many thoughts being revealed, he speaks of how the rejection of Jesus Christ would reveal the appalling truth of how the Jews have rejected Christ.

I’m certainly not trying to put a damper on your Christmas holiday. This is a time when we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I just want you to understand that he was born to die. He was born to die a terrible death for our sins. He came here to save us.

We can accept Him, or we can reject Him. It’s our sin that put Him on the cross and when we live our lives in disobedience, we are rejecting Him.

He can cause us to rise or to fall, the choice is ours. And for those pretending to be Christians, He will reveal the truth. How we love others will reveal the truth about how we love Christ and if we truly follow Him (John 13:35).

We too should grieve at the thought of His crucifixion. A sword should pierce our soul and cause us to want to love, honor, worship and obey Him.

I pray that you will honor our Savior not just at Christmas time but all year long.

Have a great day!