Daily Bible Reading 1st April 2026 // Luke 2:21-40
21 And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
22 And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtle-doves, or two young pigeons”. 25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. 27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, 28 he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,
29 “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,
according to your word;
30 for my eyes have seen your salvation
31 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and for glory to your people Israel.”
33 And his father and his mother marvelled at what was said about him. 34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed 35 (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”
36 And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, 37 and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshipping with fasting and prayer night and day. 38 And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.
39 And when they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. 40 And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favour of God was upon him.
Simeon said something else also, however: 'This child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel...' (34). This is the 'other side' of the message of the gospel that must never be forgotten. Here is a note that 'qualifies' the peace of which the angels sang and Simeon himself experienced. What these words signify is that the coming of Jesus into human life means that life can never be the same again. God has set Him in the heart of human existence and, whether we will or not, whether we are conscious of it or not, He is now the centre of life and history, and all is conditioned by Him. Therefore, everything in life depends on, and centres on, our reaction to Him. Place some radioactive material in a room, and everything there will be touched by it, willy nilly. There is no escape from its all-prevailing influence. So it is with Christ. He is the living Christ - not merely in the sense that we are alive, but something infinitely more so, for He is life itself, and life-giving. It is the Author of life that has come into history. How could there but be reactions, profound, far-reaching? 'Fall and rising again'; 'thoughts of many hearts revealed'; 'sign to be spoken against' - these phrases are eloquent of the kind of disturbance that Christ causes among men. And it was true right from the start! 'This Child', said Simeon; and even as a Child, He exercised the prerogatives of a King as He laid the wisdom of the east under tribute, when the wise men kneeled before Him. Luke records the eager responsiveness of men's hearts to His coming, but Matthew tells a very different story - troubling, fear, resistance and opposition, with Herod and all Jerusalem in a ferment at the news of His birth. The thoughts of many hearts were indeed revealed!