The Consolation of Israel
Luke 2:25
Excerpt
This refers to the consolation that would be brought about by the inauguration of the messianic age. Compare Luke 2:26, where this consolation is described as “seeing the Lord’s Christ” (cf. also 1:54, 68–75). For Luke, this referred not to the fulfillment of Jewish political hopes involving deliverance from their enemies and restoration of David’s throne but rather to the salvation Jesus brought. This is clear when one compares 2:30 with such verses as 19:10. See the discussion at 1:69. Like other devout model believers (Anna, 2:38; Joseph of Arimathea, 23:51; cf. also 12:36; Acts 24:15), Simeon was looking forward to Israel’s consolation (2:25), i.e., Jerusalem’s redemption (2:38); the coming of God’s kingdom (23:51); the Master’s return (12:36); the resurrection of the just and the unjust (Acts 24:15).
Stein, Robert H. Luke. Vol. 24. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992. Print. The New American Commentary.
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