- Lesson Four in the Connect360 unit “God Fulfills His Promises” focuses on Luke 2:21-38.
“Are we there yet?”
I imagine many have heard those words from the backseat of a car traveling down the road on a long trip. We have uttered this lament from time to time, too.
The greater the destination, the higher the anticipation of the arrival.
A family member who lives far away, a vacation to a beloved theme park, or even just the trip back home can seem so far away we feel like we will never arrive.
With the advent of mobile technology, car rides have changed—at least as far as entertainment is concerned.
Gone are the days of staring out the window watching the world fly by.
Children and adult passengers have endless entertainment at their fingertips now.
Perhaps they help the time pass by more quickly than when we were without tablets and screens with internet connection.
Simeon and Anna are pictures of waiting. Both are awaiting the arrival of something, or someone, very special.
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Do they know exactly what the coming of the Savior will be like? Probably not.
They are devoted Jews, faithful in following the Torah and seeking God.
They know God can and will bring salvation. They know they are not there yet. There is still brokenness, pain and death.
Nevertheless, they watch and wait. When will the curtain come up on the stage of the world? When will the main act begin? When will the Lord return to Israel as he promised?
They know who has made the promise. They know where it will take place. They just don’t know when.
Then one day … at last! A young couple walked into the temple with a baby boy.
Jesus’ parents, along with Simeon and Anna, offer us an example of how God’s people should respond to his work in the world.
Mary and Joseph were faithful to obey God’s commands from the Law to the angel’s words to them.
Simeon and Anna never gave up hope but continued in a life of intercessory prayer for God to begin his saving work.
Jesus was presented at the Temple in accordance with the Law.
And at the end of Luke’s gospel, Jesus would present himself at the Temple again to be the sacrifice for the redemption of all who are under the Law—for all creation (19:45-48; 21:37-38).
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