Fulfillment

In the second chapter of Luke the accounts of Simon and Anna at the dedication of Jesus are often seen with the heading “The Prophecy of…” attached to them. I think the real purpose of the author was not to record prophecy but to illustrate that Jesus, even as an infant, was the means by which lives achieve fulfillment.
The passages leading up to the encounters with Simon and Anna twice use πλήθω (play-tho) the Greek word for fill or fulfill. This word is first used when the eight days were fulfilled before Jesus’ circumcision and naming and then when the days of postnatal purification were fulfilled allowing Mary to enter the temple grounds for the dedication of her firstborn. This could be a coincidence but it could also be a deliberate device foreshadowing the two stories of fulfillment which follow.

In the case of Simon we are told that he had been given a divine revelation that he would see the Messiah and was waiting for the “comfort [παράκλησις  (par-ak’-lay-sis)] of Israel.” The Greek word literally means “one who is called beside” and was used in many classical Greek documents to refer to a legal advocate who was called to argue a case for someone in court. In other passages of the New Testament John uses the word Paraklete to refer to the “Helper,” “Comforter” or “Advocate.” i.e the Holy Spirit. Certain heresies regarding the nature of Christ have revolved around the use of this word for both Jesus and the Holy Spirit but the Messiah himself spoke of another Paraklete in John 14:16 so there need be no confusion about the Advocate for which Simon was waiting.

Moved by the Holy Spirit to go to the temple at the exact moment when Mary and Joseph were bringing Jesus to be dedicated, Simon took the infant in his arms and blessed God saying, “Now Master you dismiss your slave in peace according to your word.” (My translation)

Frequently the words δεσπότης (des-pot’-ace) and δοῦλος (doo’-los) in this verse are translated as Lord and servant. I think Luke is using δεσπότης instead of the more common κύριος  (koo’-ree-os) for Lord in order to highlight Simon’s  understanding of the master/slave relationship between himself and God. The word despot has taken on negative connotations over time but its Indo-Aryan etymology is simply “powerful one of the household.” Essentially then a despot is the person who gets things done when someone else doesn’t have the power to do them. Simon wasn’t too proud to acknowledge the One who was the one who was able to get things done.

Another interesting part of Simon’s statement is that he speaks of being “dismissed.” The Greek word here is the same one used when Jesus speaks of divorce, when He sends the crowds away after teaching and healing, and when a master releases a slave as Matthew 18’s Parable of the Unforgiving Servant. This gives the impression of a servant who has worked faithfully and is now being rewarded before being released from servitude. Simon was “righteous” and “devout” (literally: taking hold of good things). Maybe he was old and had been following the directions of the Master for a long time. There is nothing specific in the text about his age. He doesn’t look all that old in this 15th century Russian icon:

However old he was, after he saw the Messiah he was ready to be dismissed. His destiny has been fulfilled. He’d done what he was meant to do. Mission accomplished.

Where Simon actually speaks prophetic words to the parents of Jesus, the extent of Anna’s prophecy seems to be that she happened to be addressing the worshippers at the temple concerning the Messiah at the moment He arrived. We know she was old, either 84 or over 105 depending on how the phrase “widow of 84 years” is interpreted. We’re told she never left the temple grounds and that she fasted and prayed regularly. Anna’s presence at the dedication ceremony (as depicted in the Giotto di Bondoni painting) is an assumption. It’s just as likely that Luke is simply reporting that after the fact someone remembered being at the temple and hearing Anna speak of the Messiah at the time Jesus was dedicated.

Whether or not Anna ever saw the Messiah with her own eyes, she too had fulfilled her service by preaching about Him at the moment of his dedication.

Fulfillment then is a tricky thing. Sometimes it’s obvious. The Lord speaks the word and later we see the word come to be. Other times it is subtle. It happens while we are busy doing His work and only later do we learn the significance of it.

I used to play guitar and lead a song service for the prisoners in the hospital ward. Several weeks after a service someone came up to me and told me that an elderly inmate had heard me singing the old hymns from his room down the hallway from where we met. The inmate was reminded of going to church with his grandmother. He asked to have his wheelchair rolled down to the day room where the service was held. A few days later he “gave his life to the Lord.” Not long after that he died. I never saw the man. If not for a third party telling me about the incident I never would have known I had any influence on his life. And my influence wouldn’t have made a difference if not for the grandmother who took him to church as a child. I was merely an instrument in the hand of the Master, doing what He asked me to do (instead of watching NASCAR which was on at the same time) and the result was fulfillment both for me and for a dying man.

Whether you ever know about it in this life or not, fulfillment is happening every time you do what you are meant to do.