The Politics of Simeon (Luke 2)

In Luke 2:28ff, an elderly prophet named Simeon takes baby Jesus into his arms and sings a prophecy over him. The short song has three themes:

1. Simeon had been told he would live to behold “the Consolation of Israel.” Now that he has done so, he can depart in peace. He’s ready to die because he has laid eyes on the One he hoped to see. Simeon, like Anna, represents the last of the faithful remnant in old covenant Israel.
2. This baby Jesus Simeon is holding is the very embodiment of God’s salvation. Everything the prophets promised, everything pertaining to life and godliness, is found in him. Salvation can only be found in the Savior. His coming and birth is a sure sign God is preparing to accomplish salvation.
3. This salvation is for all peoples. Jesus is the glory of Israel and the light of revelation to the Gentiles. He has come to bring his salvation to the whole world. Jesus will not save Israel alone, nor just a tiny sliver of the human race. He comes to bring a comprehensive salvation, salvation on a massive scale, globally and historically. He will be the Savior of the world – he will not just attempt to save the world, but will actually do so.

This last point is especially relevant, both politically and missionally.

Baby Jesus has come to accomplish a mission of salvation. That mission now continues through the church, as Jesus, through the Spirit, uses us to evangelize all peoples. The mission of the church is to take the gospel to the nations, to shine the light of Jesus into the darkness of the world, to claim what Jesus has already purchased through his death for his kingdom. This ties in with numerous OT texts, such as Genesis 12 (all nations and families will be blessed in Abraham’s seed) and Psalm 2 (the messiah will inherit the nations). Our missional faithfulness brings about the fulfillment of Simeon’s prophetic song.

There are also political implications to Simeon’s song. On the one hand, Simeon indicates nations will continue to exist because they are integral to God’s plan. Simeon does not say the nations must become globalist mush. He does not indicate that Jesus’ salvation will somehow eradicate national distinctives, even as this salvation flows out to all peoples. Nations as nations will receive the light of salvation.

At the same time, Simeon rejects the view that any people group or nation stands outside God’s purposes or beyond the reach and scope of Messiah’s saving work. The words of John 3:16-17 would have very much resonated with Simeon. He would not have been surprised by the Great Commission Jesus would give to his church some 30+ years later. He was expecting the messiah to fill the earth with the knowledge of the Lord’s glory as the waters cover the sea. Nations will be transformed and Christianized. The light that shines on them will change them. Implicit in Simeon’s song is the expectation that all nations will be brought together into one global Christendom, reformed according to God’s Word, bringing their distinctive treasures into his kingdom (cf. Isaiah 60)

In sum, Simeon’s song stands against both globalism and racism. It encourages global missions and patriotic political engagement. It also stands against eschatological pessimism and despair, encouraging us to have hope for the extensive and intensive growth of Christ’s kingdom.