A Sword Will Pierce Your Own Soul

Simeon's words to Mary at the presentation of the baby Jesus at the Temple as recorded in Luke 2.35: As a result the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed and a sword will pierce your own soul. Simeon's comment is fascinating. Why does he say that a sword will pierce Mary's own soul? Mary's soul would not be unaffected by her own child. How so? She will come to the point where she will understand that her own son will bear her sins in his body at the cross. The baby that she had delivered would himself deliver her from the power of sin and the sting of death.

Amazing.

Christ to Mary Magdalene: Don't Cling to Me!

One of the first statements that Christ makes after his resurrection is to command Mary Magadalene not to cling to him (John 20.17). What to make of this command? Commentators have offered different opinions and who knows who is correct. I tend to agree with Thomas Constable. He says that Mary was holding onto Jesus as if she would never let him go and he needed to point out that there was work to be done on her part and on his part as well. He is also implying that there will be a new relationship to him soon, one in which his disciples will not be able to see and speak to him.

Constable: Thomas needed to touch Jesus to strengthen his faith. Mary needed to release Him because He would not depart immediately, and Jesus had something else for her to do.

Elizabeth and Mary

What to say about Elizabeth's response when Mary came to visit (Luke 1.43-44). She speaks out—as Luke notes—in the power of the Holy Spirit and declares that this relative that is decades younger than her (40 years?) is the mother of her Lord! Whatever Mary felt about the greeting at the time, we assume that through the years as she watched Christ's life, ministry, death, and resurrection, the words made more and more sense to her. Since we assume that Luke got this information straight from Mary's mouth (which would have been 4 decades or so later), we can see what an impact they had on her.

Elizabeth's humility is well illustrated because she shows not the least sign about being reticent to blurt out what the Holy Spirit had put on her tongue, even though she is the older and wiser one.