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 turtledoves, 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 marveled 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, worshiping 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 favor of God was upon him.
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
Mary and Joseph lived in obedience. They named their son Jesus as pronounced by the angel. Jesus is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Joshua which means “Yahweh is salvation” (cf. Matt 1:21). Mary and Joseph had Jesus circumcised on the eighth day (Lev 12:3). They presented their firstborn to God according to the law (Ex 13:2, 12). Finally they presented an offering for Mary’s purification after childbirth (Lev 12:1-8). The offering they presented, a pair of doves instead of a lamb, indicates that they were not wealthy. It is wonderful to see that even under the law God’s requirements were not so onerous that the poor were excluded from His blessing.
Simeon was a devout man who had been longing for the arrival of the Messiah and for the redemption of Israel. The Holy Spirit was upon him and had privately revealed to him that the Messiah would come during his lifetime. He was led by the Spirit to be at the temple when Mary and Joseph came with Jesus. When he saw Jesus, he took Him in his arms and blessed Him. Simeon was ready to die in peace having seen the Lord’s salvation in the baby he held. He proclaimed that Jesus would provide salvation to both the Gentiles and the Jews. Luke places quite a bit of emphasis on the fact that salvation is available to Gentiles, probably because he was writing to provide certainty to the faith of a Gentile (Luke 1:4). Simeon blessed Mary and Joseph pointing out that Jesus would be the cause of the rise (in belief to salvation) and the fall (in rejection to judgement) of many and He would be a sign from God that many would speak against. He added that Mary was going to suffer as she witnessed many negative responses against her son and then His death.
There was also a prophetess named Anna who had dedicated much of her life in the temple having only been married for seven years and then a widow for most of her life. She too was brought by the Holy Spirit at the time Mary, Joseph and Jesus were there. She praised God and then told others who were waiting for Israel’s redemption about the birth of the Messiah.
Having fulfilled everything that was required by the law they returned to Nazareth in Galilee. Galatians 4:4 tells us that Jesus was born under the law and we see that in this passage. He then grew in both physical strength and spiritual wisdom and all could see that God’s favour was on Him. Jesus’ development was in his physical attributes as a man. His veiled deity did not develop because as God He is perfect and unchanging.
We often think of the rise and fall of people, companies, and even nations. They usually rise on the wings of great decisions and then fall as a result of complacency and carelessness. Here, Simeon speaks of a rise or fall on one deciding factor—Jesus. Your destiny is determined not on many good decisions rising to a peak and hoping not to make bad ones that will cause you to fall. What you decide about Jesus will result in your rise or fall. Do you stand in opposition to Him, or do you believe in Him for salvation?
Major Stories of the Bible Reading Plan
Ruth and Boaz: Ruth 3-4