He Took the Baby Jesus!

Did you know that when Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem, soon after He was born, a man came up to them and took the baby. He took the baby Jesus?! I wonder what Mary and Joseph were thinking. Were they scared, shocked? Was this normal? Did he ask to pick up the baby? This man was not said to be a known family friend. He held no official title at the temple. He was in all respects a stranger. The scriptures say he just came to the temple, saw the child, and “he took the baby in his arms.” I’m sure it was a little alarming for the new parents of the Son of God.   

How did they get to this point? Well, soon after Jesus was born, Mary and Joseph took the young baby to the city of Jerusalem to be presented at the temple to honor what the Jewish scriptures instructed about dedicating firstborn males to the Lord. We read about this in chapter 2 of the Book of Luke. They would offer a sacrifice and perform certain rituals to demonstrate their commitment to the Jewish people’s special covenant relationship with the Lord. While they were doing this very common practice, that very uncommon encounter took place.  

The man’s name was Simeon, and these few verses are all that we know about him. We read that he was righteous and devout. He loved the Lord and had a special longing to see the Messiah come. Although it might be alarming for us to read that this man took the baby Jesus into his arms, it was actually a divine moment that confirmed that this was no ordinary baby. It might help to see that the scriptures say that, “he took the baby into his arms and praised God.”  

Simeon was promised by God that he would see the Lord’s Messiah before he died. As he eagerly awaited the fulfilment of this promise, one day the Spirit moved him to go to the temple courts where this divine encounter would take place. This moment he had with Jesus in his arms was a moment of fulfillment, a moment of worship, and a moment of a special prophetic pronouncement of the Messiah’s arrival.  

With the baby in his arms and praise on his lips, he said,  

29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. 30 For my eyes have seen your salvation, 31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.” 

You can read more about his prophecy in the verses that follow in Luke 2, but even these initial words are said to have left Mary and Joseph amazed.  

The scriptures say that Simeon had a unique relationship with the Holy Spirit. In just a few verses, the scriptures describe his relationship with the Spirit by saying, “the Holy Spirit was on him,” “the Holy Spirit revealed to him,” and that he was “moved by the Spirit.” He might have been a stranger to Mary and Joseph, but he was no stranger to the Lord that he held in his arms.  

This Christmas season, as we celebrate and remember the coming of the Lord, I encourage you to develop this type of seamless relationship with Jesus. One day, each of us will be face-to-face with Him. Our eyes will lock in with His. All the Bible stories, personal prayers, and sermons will be history, and the Lord will be in front of you. I pray for you that He will not be a stranger to you in that moment. I pray that your closeness to the Holy Spirit today would lead you right into His arms in the days to come. I pray that the Spirit would be on you, reveal truths to you, and move you just like He did for Simeon.  

Let us be like Simeon, righteous and devout. In tune with the Spirit. Expectant of meeting our Lord face to face. And when we do meet Him, that we too would have praise on our lips.