Christmas Chronology: Luke 2:21-40

Jesus Is Presented in the Temple

²¹ Eight days later, when the baby was circumcised, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel even before he was conceived.
²² Then it was time for their purification offering, as required by the law of Moses after the birth of a child; so his parents took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. ²³ The law of the Lord says, “If a woman’s first child is a boy, he must be dedicated to the Lord.”^{[a] 24} So they offered the sacrifice required in the law of the Lord—“either a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”^[b]

Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to be circumcised and dedicated to the Lord, and for Mary to present her purification offering after childbirth, according to the law of Moses (Leviticus 12:2-3). Jesus came to fulfill the law, and he was careful to observe the law. Some of this he got from his divine nature and understanding of his mission, but much of it he got from his parents. Here is an example of how devout and observant Mary and Joseph were. From the earliest age, Jesus was raised in a devout, God-honoring home by righteous parents. Later in this chapter, we see how Jesus understood the scriptures at age twelve. Was this just because he was supernaturally brilliant, being the Son of God? Maybe partly, but I believe it was also because he was taught to love the scriptures by his parents. If you want your kids to be serious about their relationship with God, you have to be serious about it.

The fact that they offered two birds for their offering shows that they were not rich. According to Leviticus 12:8, their offering was supposed to be a lamb and a dove or pigeon. But if they could not afford a lamb they could bring two birds.

The Prophecy of Simeon

²⁵ At that time there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel. The Holy Spirit was upon him ²⁶ and had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. ²⁷ That day the Spirit led him to the Temple. So when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required, ²⁸ Simeon was there.

Simeon is believed by scholars to be the son of Hilliel the Elder, the father of Pharisaic thought, and the father of Gamaliel, who defended the apostles before the Sanhedrin in Acts 5:33-39 (blog), and was Paul’s teacher (Acts 22:3). Simeon had received assurances from God that he would see the Messiah before he died. He lived in expectation. Even though he was an old man, and had waited many years without seeing what God had promised, he still expected God to do what he said he would do. Do we believe God to the point that we simply expect him to do what he says he’ll do, even after many years of not seeing it?

Verses 17-18 of this chapter say that the shepherds told everyone what had happened and that all who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished. As I said in my last post, the shepherds probably worked for the Temple, herding sheep intended for sacrifice. So word of their story had probably spread throughout the Temple. I imagine that Simeon heard about it, maybe from one of the shepherds themselves. Knowing the date of Jesus’ birth, Simeon would have been able to count to eight, and be at the Temple on the date of Jesus’ circumcision. Verse 27 says that on that date, the Spirit led him to the Temple. But that doesn’t mean Simeon didn’t hear anything about it. God communicates with us in many ways, often through people.

He took the child in his arms and praised God, saying,
²⁹ “Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace,
as you have promised.
³⁰ I have seen your salvation,
³¹ which you have prepared for all people.
³² He is a light to reveal God to the nations,
and he is the glory of your people Israel!”

Simeon’s prophecy is significant, partly in the mere fact that it was spoken in the Temple. The thrust of Simeon’s prophecy is that God’s salvation through Jesus was for all people, including the Gentiles. The Amplified Bible puts verse 32 this way:

³²A Light for ^[k]revelation to the Gentiles [to disclose what was before unknown] and [to bring] praise and honor and glory to Your people Israel.^(G)

Simeon references two Messianic prophecies from Isaiah (42:6, 49:6), both of which stress that the Messiah will be a light to the Gentiles. Of all the prophecies of the Messiah that the Holy Spirit could have had Simeon speak at that moment, the one he chose was this, that as Isaiah 49:6 says;

“It is too small a thing for you to be my servant
to restore the tribes of Jacob
and bring back those of Israel I have kept.
I will also make you a light for the Gentiles,
that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.”

For Jesus to merely be a Messiah to rescue the Jews from oppression was too small a task for God to send his Son. The only job big enough to warrant that kind of sacrifice was to bring his salvation to the ends of the earth. And God reinforced this message in the Temple, the center of the old covenant.

³³ Jesus’ parents were amazed at what was being said about him. ³⁴ Then Simeon blessed them, and he said to Mary, the baby’s mother, “This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, but he will be a joy to many others. He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose him. ³⁵ As a result, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul.”

Once again, I imagine Mary as an old woman, relating this memory to Luke. This was the first “negative” prophecy about Jesus that Mary and Joseph received. Up until that point, it had all been positive. Now, for the first time, God was telling them that their son would face major opposition. I wonder if Simeon’s prediction that a sword would pierce her soul went over her head at the time, but as she talked to Luke, decades after seeing the spear pierce her son’s side on the cross, she knows all too bitterly what he meant. So often, when we’re young, we don’t take seriously the sage words of those older than us. It’s only when we get older that we see their wisdom.

The Prophecy of Anna

³⁶ Anna, a prophet, was also there in the Temple. She was the daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher, and she was very old. Her husband died when they had been married only seven years. ³⁷ Then she lived as a widow to the age of eighty-four.^[c] She never left the Temple but stayed there day and night, worshiping God with fasting and prayer. ³⁸ She came along just as Simeon was talking with Mary and Joseph, and she began praising God. She talked about the child to everyone who had been waiting expectantly for God to rescue Jerusalem.

Not just one holy prophet spoke to Mary and Joseph about Jesus that day, two of them did! This was added confirmation of what Mary and Joseph already knew. They had spent perhaps weeks living in a cave, and had given birth in very difficult circumstances, but Mary and Joseph had still done what the law required, and had obeyed God every step of the way. How would you like to take care of a newborn infant in a cave for seven days? After all of that, how great an encouragement it must have been to them to have not one, but two prophets speak to them about Jesus and confirm who he was! It’s easy to let difficult circumstances become an excuse for letting our walk with God become lax. But Mary and Joseph didn’t do that. They obeyed God to the letter in spite of their circumstances, and God rewarded them by confirming his word to them through two prophets on the same day.

³⁹ When Jesus’ parents had fulfilled all the requirements of the law of the Lord, they returned home to Nazareth in Galilee. ⁴⁰ There the child grew up healthy and strong. He was filled with wisdom, and God’s favor was on him.

Luke doesn’t mention the Wise Men, but it’s apparent that they had not visited Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus at this point. If they had, Mary and Joseph would have been able to afford a lamb for the sacrifice. They could have bought one with the gold the Magi brought. Most biblical scholars believe the Magi came when Jesus was one to two years old, so they don’t really belong in the story of the birth of Jesus. You can read my post on the visit of the Magi in Matthew tomorrow. As I will talk about in that post, I believe that by the time the Magi visited, the Holy Family had gone back to Nazareth, as it says they did here, in verse 39. I believe that the “Star of Bethlehem” actually led the Wise Men to Nazareth, not Bethlehem.