A Light for a Revelation

 DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE

A LIGHT FOR A REVELATION

Luke 2:25-32

25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: 29 "Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. 30 For my eyes have seen your salvation, 31 which you have prepared in the sight of all people, 32 a light for a revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel."

NIV

It does seem a bit strange that Simeon would say that God had prepared salvation in the sight of all people when Jesus came through the line of David in Israel. How could all the people throughout the world, as Simeon says that Jesus is a light for a revelation to the Gentiles as well as for glory to God’s people Israel? However, through the power of the Holy Spirit, it is possible for all people to see Jesus. Of course, not in the physical sense that Simeon did, but Jesus is a light for a revelation to all of us Gentiles. There is no doubt that we have seen the Light, for we were living in the darkness, and we understand what total darkness looks like, to the point of not being able to see our hand in front of our face. But that is not the kind of darkness we lived in, for it was spiritual darkness which is even much darker than the physical type of darkness. Knowing what we know now, having seen the Light of the world with our spiritual eyes, and having the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, we cannot understand how we possibly could have ever been truly happy and content with our lives in the darkness. However, we live in ignorance of the Light, thus knowing nothing but the darkness. There are still people who have not seen the Light, although it is right there in front of them giving them an opportunity of the revelation God prepared in the sight of everyone. It is also interesting that Jesus told us that we are not the light of the world, and that just as a candle gives light to the whole house, we are not to hide that light under a pail, so the whole house would be in darkness, but that we are to put our light on a lampstand so the whole house will be in the light. This can only mean that we have to live our faith out loud, giving light to everywhere we are. We cannot hide our witness, or simply do our Christian acts, or good deeds within the confines of the church. We have to go out into the world and be a light to those still in the dark, reflecting the glory of God with unveiled faces, so they can see the glory of God, the Light of the world, Jesus in our faces and our actions, or behaviors, and according to what the Apostle Paul said, through the inspiration of the Spirit, that our reflecting the glory of God should be in ever-increasing glory. Now that we are truly happy and content, our face should surely show it, so all people will see the revelation God has prepared.