“Eight days later, when the baby was circumcised, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel even before he was conceived. At that time there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel. The Holy Spirit was upon him and had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. That day the Spirit led him to the Temple. So when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required, Simeon was there. He took the child in his arms and praised God, saying, “Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace, as you have promised. I have seen your salvation, which you have prepared for all people. He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and he is the glory of your people Israel!” Jesus’ parents were amazed at what was being said about him. Then Simeon blessed them, and he said to Mary, the baby’s mother, “This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, and many others to rise. He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose him. As a result, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul.”
Luke 2:21‭, ‬25‭-‬35

Eight days after Jesus was born, Mary and Joseph took Him to the temple to be presented and dedicated to God. During this temple visit, several things would happen. This was in obedience to God’s Law in Exodus (13:12, 22:29).
So while they are there, this old man named Simeon ran up to them and started rejoicing over Jesus. They don’t know him, they’d probably never seen him before because they weren’t from that part of the country, (remember, they’re in town for the census). Simeon recognizes Jesus for Who He really was! Simeon runs up to Mary and Joseph, takes Jesus in his arms and starts talking about Jesus! This would probably make any new parent nervous! Now the Bible says of Simeon that “He was righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for
the Messiah to come and
and rescue Israel. The Holy Spirit was upon him and had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah.” Now that’s a pretty detailed description of Simeon! He was righteous and devout and faithfully waited expectantly of the Messiah.
The Holy Spirit was upon him and had told him that he would not die until he had seen the Messiah! Though, at this point Simeon was pretty old, he still watched, waited and expected! So that particular day, Holy Spirit directed Simeon to go to the temple and he did. When Mary and Joseph showed up with Jesus, Simeon saw his Messiah! He rushed over, “took the child in his arms and praised God, said, “Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace, as you have promised. I have seen your salvation, which you have prepared for all people. He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and he is the glory of your people Israel! (28‭-‬32) Again, they had never met Simeon, but that had encountered the Lord Who was at work within him, so they their response was amazement over what was being said about Jesus! Then Simeon “blessed them, and he said to Mary, the baby’s mother,
1. “This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, and many others to rise.” Remember, Jesus called out the Pharisees and other religious leaders, yet brought salvation to prostitutes, lepers and other social and religous outcasts.
2. “He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose him.” Jesus was opposed by the religious establishment and ultimately by the devil at every turn!
3. “As a result, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul.” (vs 34‭-‬35) More than once, Jesus discerned hearts and thoughts (Matt 12:25, 22:18, Mark 2:8, Luke 6:8, 10:17, 16:15, John 2:25), and confronted “heart issues” that manifested as sin (Matt 5-7). Yet, in the end, though she must have known it was coming, Mary’s heart was the one that was undoubtedly broken as she watched her Son die on the cross as a sacrifice for all mankind!

Let take the focus back to Simeon. Simeon was old. He had waited for Jesus a long time! He walked with God, listened to what Holy Spirit told him to do and waited for Jesus expectantly! How many times do I pray and ask God to move on my behalf or to provide something for me, then walk away dispondantly, if God doesn’t answer me right away?!? We need to be like Simeon-patient, confident and expectant that God will do what He says He will do! Many blessing will result!

Think about it!