Undoubtedly this section would have connected with the messianism of the day, and it is intriguing to compare the three songs in this respect. Zechariah’s song reflects a strong emphasis on God delivering Israel from its enemies, whereas Simeon’s song is more attentive to the equivocal response Jesus would evoke in Israel.14 J. Massyngberde Ford argues evocatively that Luke intentionally heightens messianic expectations in this section—in particular those of the Zealots, who argued for the use of