At that time, you will feel pain in your heart as if pierced by a sharp sword.

At that time, you will feel pain in your heart as if pierced by a sharp sword.

 

  

 

 

 

“The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary: ‘This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.’” [(Modern Translation) “The parents were amazed at what was said about their baby. Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, the baby’s mother, ‘This child has been appointed by God. Many people in Israel will fall into ruin because they do not believe in him, but many others will be saved because they do. He will also be the target of people’s criticism, and at that time you will feel pain in your heart as if pierced by a sharp sword. But their hidden thoughts will all be revealed’”] (Luke 2:33–35).

 

 

 

As I meditate on this passage, I desire to receive the grace given through it:

 

(1)    Simeon, a righteous and devout man (Lk. 2:25), took baby Jesus in his arms in the temple of Jerusalem (v.27), praised God (vv.28–32), and when hearing the words spoken about Jesus (v.33), his parents were amazed (v.33).

 

(a)    Here, I reflected on the phrase “they marveled” (Greek: θαυμάζοντες) regarding Joseph and Mary, the parents of baby Jesus.  This word appears not only in Luke 2:33 but also in Luke 4:22, 9:43, and 20:26.

 

(Luke 4:22) “All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. ‘Isn’t this Joseph’s son?’ they asked.”

 

(Luke 9:43) “And they were all amazed at the greatness of God. While everyone was marveling at all that Jesus did, he said to his disciples...”

 

(Luke 20:26) “They were unable to trap him in what he had said there in public. And astonished by his answer, they became silent.”

 

(i)                 From meditating on these verses, my conclusion is that people, knowing Jesus only as Joseph’s son and not believing him to be the Son of God, could only be astonished at his words and deeds.  The reason is that through Jesus’ words and works, they encountered divine or extraordinary realities.

 

(b)    While meditating on this word θαυμάζοντες (“to marvel, to be amazed”), I also noticed that it was not only people who marveled at Jesus’ words and deeds, but Jesus himself also marveled:

 

(Luke 7:9) “When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, ‘I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.’” (cf. Matt 8:10)

 

(Mark 6:6) “He was amazed at their lack of faith. Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village.” [(Modern Korean Bible) “Jesus could not help but be amazed at their unbelief. After that, he went around to many villages teaching.”]

 

(i)                 From these passages, we see that what Jesus marveled at positively was the faith of the centurion (Lk. 7:2, 9), whereas what he marveled at negatively (or was astonished by) was the unbelief of the people in his hometown (Mk. 6:1, 6).

 

·         Thus, it seems there are only two possibilities: Either the Lord marvels at us because our faith is great like the centurion’s, or because, despite calling ourselves believers, we truly do not believe in him.

 

(2)    Simeon, after praising God in the temple (Lk. 2:27–32), blessed Jesus’ parents and spoke to Mary, the mother of Jesus: “Behold, this child is destined to cause the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.” [(Modern Korean Bible) “This child has been appointed by God. Many Israelites will fall into ruin because they do not believe in him, but many will be saved because they do. He will also be the target of people’s criticism, and at that time you will feel pain in your heart as if pierced by a sharp sword. But their hidden thoughts will all be revealed.”] (vv.34–35).

 

(a)    While meditating on this passage I paid attention to the phrase “the child has been appointed” (Revised Korean) or “this child is the one God has set in place” (Modern Korean Bible) (v.34). The Greek verb used here (κεῖται) can figuratively mean “to be set (by God’s intent),” i.e., to be destined or appointed. (cf. Internet)

 

(i)                 In Luke 2:34 Simeon says the baby Jesus is appointed for both the falling and rising of many in Israel; this means that for those who reject and oppose Jesus he will be a stumbling block leading to their ruin (cf. Isa. 8:14), while for those who believe and follow him he will be the cornerstone of God’s kingdom (cf. Lk. 28:16) (Hoekma).

 

·         Meditating on Luke 2:34 in this way led me to think that those of us who believe in Jesus should inevitably be a stumbling block to unbelievers but a stepping stone (a support) to fellow believers.

 

-             In other words, we believers in Jesus will appear as a stumbling stone to those who do not believe, but we should be a stepping stone to those who do believe.

 

n   The serious problem is that pastors and church officers like myself are often becoming stumbling blocks rather than stepping stones to our brothers and sisters in Christ. Personally, I find the office of pastor shameful because many pastors have become such rough obstacles that they are criticized not only by the world but even by church members.

n   To avoid being a stumbling block to anyone, we should (1) show by all our actions that we are genuine servants of God (2 Cor. 6:4), (2) live good lives among the people of the world (1 Pet. 2:12), and (3) train our children well in the Lord’s discipline and instruction so that they are not accused of being debauched or disobedient (Tit. 1:6).

 

(b)    Continuing my meditation on Luke 2:34–35, I focused next on the phrase “a sword will pierce your soul” (Revised Korean) or “your heart will ache as if pierced by a sharp sword” (Modern Korean Bible) (v.35). The “sword” normally means a large blade (Hoekma).  Why did Simeon tell Mary, the mother of the baby Jesus, that such a great sword would “pierce your heart” (v.35)?

 

(i)                 The reason is that Simeon saw with his own eyes that this salvation from the Lord (v.30) would be accomplished when the baby Jesus grew up and ultimately was crucified; therefore Mary, who would witness her son Jesus being crucified, would have her soul filled with intense suffering — as if a large sword had pierced her in the flesh. (cf. Internet)

 

·            Hoekma says: “Here Mary, though ‘most blessed among women’ (1:42) and glorified as the mother of the Messiah, is also depicted as the ‘Mother of Sorrows’ (Mater dolorosa).  As a mother, Mary’s happiest days would likely have been the boyhood and youth Jesus spent with her in Nazareth before his public ministry began.  With the onset of Jesus’ public ministry and the increasing persecution by Jewish leaders that accompanied his time, Mary — unable to set aside a mother’s natural love — would have had many anxious forebodings about her son’s future.  Especially when her son was crucified and suffered great pain, she must have experienced anguish that was more tearing than a sword’s piercing.”

 

(c)    Finally, while continuing to meditate on Luke 2:34–35, I focused on “so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed” (Revised Korean) or “their hidden thoughts will all be revealed” (Modern Korean Bible) (v.35).  The Greek verb translated “be revealed” (ἀποκαλυφθῶσιν) stands at the heart of biblical revelation and describes God’s gracious act of unveiling truths, events, persons, and destinies that were previously hidden.  This term appears twenty-six times in the New Testament and consistently testifies that God alone is the ultimate Revealer; what he reveals is authoritative and trustworthy, pointing toward redemption and judgment. (cf. Internet)

 

(i)                 Simeon prophesied that the Messiah Jesus would pierce hearts so that “the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed” (v.35); up until now the hypocrisy and falseness of those who claimed to believe God and do his will had remained hidden, but through Jesus these realities will now be exposed in truth (Hoekma).

 

·         As I meditated on the idea that Jesus pierces people’s hearts with the sword of the Spirit — God’s word (Eph. 6:17) — and thus exposes their hidden thoughts [cf. “When they heard this they were cut to the heart…” (Acts 2:37); “When they heard these things they were cut to the heart…” (7:54)], I thought of Ephesians 5:11: “Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead expose them.”

 

-                This admonition means Christians should not join in the world’s sins and wrongdoings; rather, we should expose such darkness. Here “deeds of darkness” refers to fallen human actions that try to achieve righteousness or life by their own power apart from God, and to “expose” is not to meddle directly by blaming or scolding, but to show by reflecting Christ’s light through a pure life that exposes the filthiness of those deeds and shines light on them (cf. internet).