Mine Eyes Have Seen Thy Salvation

[Nick Cobb]

Mine Eyes Have Seen Thy Salvation

When the elder Simeon held the Christ Child in his arms at their meeting
in the temple on the
fortieth day after Jesus' birth, he said that he was now ready to die.
He could depart in peace
because his eyes had seen the Lord's Christ, the salvation which God
had prepared from the
foundation of the world which was now revealed in the presence of all
people. According to St.
Luke's Gospel, Simeon sang a song when he held the Christ Child in his
arms and blessed God
His Father. This canticle has become part of the Orthodox liturgy, being
sung every evening at
Vespers.

Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace,
According to Thy word,
For mine eyes have seen Thy salvation
Which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people,
A light to enlighten the Gentiles,
And the glory of Thy people, Israel.'

These words of the elder Simeon are placed on the lips of all Christians
at the end of each day,
which is the beginning of each liturgical day (for the Bible says that
"there was evening and there
was morning, one day," Gen 1:5), because all who have met the Lord are
ready to die, for their
eyes have beheld the salvation of the world.
The elder Simeon was inspired by the Holy Spirit to go to meet the Child
Jesus in the temple. He
was inspired by the

'See Lk 2:29-32. The translation here is that normally used at Orthodox
liturgical services.
Spirit to know that he would not die before he had seen Him. He was
inspired to recognize Him
at His coming. He was inspired to proclaim Him as the Messiah who was
"set for the fall and rising
of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against . . . that the
thoughts of many hearts may be
re-vealed." (Lk 2:34-35) And he was inspired to predict the sufferings
which His mother Mary
would endure when He would be nailed to the Cross, offering His life for
the life of the world. For
such is the traditional interpretation of his words concerning the sword
that was to pierce Mary's
soul. (See Lk 2:35)
Simeon was inspired by God's Spirit to meet Jeus Christ; to see and to
bear witness. Surely he
saw things that others never would see, and in fact did not see, in the
same situation, For he was
"righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel, and the
Holy Spirit was upon him."
(Lk 2:25) Yet what Simeon saw, inspired though he was, is much less-at
least humanly
speaking-than what many others have seen. It is certainly less than what
we ourselves have seen
who live in the twentieth century of the Christian era.
We who live in the Church of Christ today have seen the Child Jesus. But
we have also seen the
grown-up Christ. We have seen the Lord not only as a little Child of
forty days. But we have
learned of the annunciation of the angel to the Virgin. We have been
given insight into the
miraculous man-ner of his birth. We have observed His circumcision on
the eighth day, and His
meeting in the temple with Simeon and Anna on the fortieth. We have
stood at the Jordan and
wit-nessed His encounter with the Baptist. We have listened to the
testimony of the Forerunner,
the friend of the Bridegroom who was sent to prepare His way. We have
been present at the
baptism, the Epiphany in the Jordan. We have heard the Father's voice
and seen the Spirit
descending and remaining upon Him, anointing Him in His humanity to be
the Lord's Christ, the
Messiah of God who is the Lord Himself as God's beloved Son. We have
followed Him into the
desert to be tempted by the devil. We have seen His words and ob!
served His miracles. We have been confronted with His question:
Who do you say that I am? And we have answered with
Peter and all of the apostles: You are the Christ, the Son of the living
God! And we have gone
with Him up to Jeru-salem. We have eaten with Him in the upper room,
enjoy-ing the Master's
hospitality, with uplifted minds. We have stood by the Cross. We have
gone to the tomb. We have
seen Him raised and glorified. We have been breathed upon and have
received His Spirit. The
tongues of fire which He came to cast upon the earth have been sent upon
us. We have been
anointed with His Spirit, filled with power from on high- the very same
Spirit that inspired the elder
Simeon to know that he would not die before he had seen the Savior, the
Spirit that led him that
day to the temple and moved him to sing the song that we all now sing
each evening of our lives:
For mine eyes have seen Thy salvation!
Our eyes have indeed seen God's salvation. For we have seen Christ. And
even more. We have
seen those who have seen Christ. We have seen Simeon and Anna, and with
them, Mary the
Virgin and Joseph. We have seen the Forerunner John, with all of the
apostles. We have seen their
successors, as well as their predecessors. We have seen the three young
men in the fiery furnace
of Babylon, and have beheld them singing and dancing in the flames. We
have seen and heard the
great assembly of forefathers and mothers, and have celebrated their
memory with delight. We
have observed the patriarchs and prophets who have told us of Christ's
coming. And when He
appeared, we have seen those who met Him and those who received Him.
Following the apostles,
we have observed the confessors and martyrs, and have sung praises to
their blood as the seed of
the Church. We have glorified the new covenant saints, the fathers and
mothers: Basil, Gregory,
John, Macrina, Nonna, Anthusa... and the numberless h!
oly people who have seen and loved the Lord down through the ages, just
unto our own, to our
beloved Saint Herman of Alaska, and our beloved Father Alexander.
Humanly speaking we have seen much more than Simeon saw that day in the
temple;
incomparably more! Yet it may sadly have to be said that with the eyes
of our spirits we have seen
incomparably less. If this is so, it is no fault of the Lord's. For He
has done everything that we
might see

Him in the Spirit in the midst of His Church. He has done everything
that the words of the letter
of Peter in the scrip-tures could be applied directly to us:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great
mercy we have been born
anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the
dead, and to an inheritance
which is imperishable, undefiled and unfading, kept in heaven for you,
who by God's power are
guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last
time. In this you rejoice,
though now for a little while you may have to suffer various trials, so
that the genuineness of your
faith, more precious than gold which though perishable is tested by
fire, may redound to praise and
glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Without having seen
him you love him; though
you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice in him with
unutterable and exalted joy. As
the outcome of your faith you obtain the salvation of your souls. (1 Pet
1:3-9)

We have not seen Jesus with our human eyes; and we do not now see Him.
But we believe in Him
and love Him and rejoice in Him with unutterable and exalted joy. We
behold Him with the eyes of
our spirits when, inspired by His Spirit, we celebrate in the Church
each year the Winter Pascha of
His Coming.

The Lover of Man,
Who fulfills everything in the law,
Is now brought into the temple of God.
Simeon the elder receives Him in his aged arms crying:
Let me now depart to the blessed life,
For today I see You clothed in mortal flesh,
The Lord of life and the Master of death.

You have shone forth, 0 Lord,
0 Light of revelation to the Gentiles.
You are the Sun of Righteousness,
Enthroned upon a radiant cloud.
You have fulfilled the shadows of the law.
The grace of renewal begins to shine.
When Simeon received You he cried out in joy:
Release me now from corruption,
For today I have seen You, my Master!

Today the holy Mother who is beyond all temples,
Enters into the temple of God.
She reveals to the world its Creator,
And the Giver of the law.
Simeon the elder receives Him in his arms.
He worships Him and cries out:
Lord now let Your servant depart in peace,
For I have seen You-the Savior of our souls !2

2Vespers of the last day of the postfeast of the Meeting of the Lord in
the Temple.

[Taken from, "The Winter Pascha" by Protopresbyter Thomas Hopko,
SVS Press, available at: 800-204-book]