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Luke 2:21-40 (Jesus in the temple as a baby)

INTRODUCTION: Technically, we are still in our “Preparing for Christmas” series, even though we are actually on the other side of Christmas now. Unless we are preparing early for next year or something. But we have two more passages to go in order to complete our study of Luke chapters 1 and 2, and these passages together complete our look at the events surrounding Jesus’ birth and childhood as recorded by Luke.

On Christmas Eve we looked at the birth of Jesus, very appropriate for the night before Christmas, and today’s passage picks things up eight days after Jesus’ birth, which is actually very appropriate for the week after Christmas. So, let us look at these verses together. (Read Luke 2:33-35 and pray)

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In many ways the gospels form the bridge between the time of the Old Testament and the time of the New Testament. The time of the New Testament arrives with the birth of Jesus, of course, and yet until Jesus actually died on the cross and rose again, in some ways the time of the Old Testament continued. There is an overlap between the time of the Old and the New, and that overlap takes place during the life of Jesus as recorded in the gospels.

Or, another way to put it, the people who lived during the time of Jesus were New Testament people who still lived under the Old Testament covenant and were still bound by the Old Testament law. And so it is that eight days after Jesus’ birth we find Mary and Joseph still following the laws of the Old Testament, even though the time of the New Testament had already begun with the birth of Jesus.

I. Fulfilling the Old Testament Law (21-24)

In verses 21-24 we find Mary and Joseph performing two rituals required by the Old Testament law – the ritual of circumcision, and the presentation of Jesus in the temple. Let’s take a look at Jesus’ circumcision first.

   A. The circumcision of Jesus (21)

We read in verse 21: “On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise him, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he had been conceived.” (Luke 2:21)

Just like John the Baptist back in Luke chapter 1, Jesus was circumcised on the eighth day after his birth. When we looked at John’s circumcision, we saw that this was part of the Old Testament law. We also saw that this was a big family event. Lots of family, friends and neighbors would gather together for a baby’s circumcision, similar to a baptism or baby dedication even today. When Jesus was circumcised, however, Mary and Joseph were far from home, and so I imagine this was a small, private ceremony with just the two of them present, and perhaps a rabbi from the local synagogue.

This was another part of the cost that Mary paid in being the mother of Jesus. Being chosen as the mother of Jesus was a high privilege and blessing, but it was not without cost for Mary. I am sure Mary must have grieved being away from family and friends at this important time for her firstborn son.

If you were making a film on Luke chapters 1 and 2, I think you could get this point across very effectively by really playing up the neighbors and relatives all celebrating together at John’s circumcision, and then when you get to Jesus’ circumcision, you could intersperse some of those flashbacks of all the people at John’s circumcision while Mary and Joseph circumcised their child pretty much alone, just to highlight the contrast.

Circumcision was a central part of the Old Covenant. It symbolized the cutting away of sin in your life as you committed yourself to God. This part of the covenant would eventually be fulfilled at the cross where Jesus cut away our sins for us. And so, we should understand that as Jesus was circumcised on the eighth day according to the law, this was also a foreshadowing of the cross. The blood Jesus shed at his circumcision as a human baby was just a first step toward the cross where Jesus would shed his blood for our sins by dying in our place.

You may remember that John the Baptist received his name when he was circumcised. Jesus was also named at his circumcision. And like John, Jesus’ name came not from his parents, but rather from God, who relayed the name to them through the angel even before Jesus was conceived. Jesus’ name means, “God saves,” because Jesus had come to save his people from their sins.

Zechariah prophesied about John at John’s circumcision, but there were no prophecies at Jesus’ circumcision. The prophecies about Jesus would come thirty-three days later at the second ritual, when Joseph and Mary brought him to Jerusalem to present him before the Lord at the temple.

   B. The presentation of Jesus (22-24)

Look at verses 22-24: When the time of their purification according to the Law of Moses had been completed, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”), 24 and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.” (Luke 2:22-24)

There are actually two Old Testament ceremonies involved here. One is the presentation of a firstborn son before the Lord, and the other is an offering for purification following the bleeding that was involved with the pregnancy and birth.

The presentation of the firstborn son was a law going back to the time of the Exodus. If you recall, the final plague before the Exodus was the deaths of all the firstborn sons of Egypt. The firstborn sons of Israel were also at risk, but those who partook of the Passover lamb and applied the blood of the Passover to the top and the sides of their doorway were spared.

However, God still required an accounting of all the firstborn sons of Israel. Luke is quoting from Exodus 13:2 here which tells us: “The LORD said to Moses, ‘Consecrate to me every firstborn male. The first offspring of every womb among the Israelites belongs to me, whether man or animal.’” (Exodus 13:2) The Levitical law later clarified that the firstborn male animals were literally to be sacrificed to the Lord, but that the firstborn sons were to be redeemed with five shekels of silver. And so, Mary and Joseph would have presented their son before the Lord in the temple and paid the redemption price of five shekels.

The second ceremony referenced here has to do with the burnt and sin offerings for ceremonial cleansing. This ceremony had to do with the mother rather than the son. The Old Testament Law had strict rules for purification and ceremonial cleansing. The time of purification for a woman who had given birth to a son was forty days – seven days from the birth, and then another thirty-three days from the circumcision. We find these regulations in the book of Leviticus chapter 12.

Normally, a couple who had given birth would bring a lamb for the burnt offering and a pigeon or dove for the sin offering. However, the Law made provision for the poor, and if you could not afford a lamb, you could bring two doves or two pigeons for the burnt and sin offerings.

Apparently, Mary and Joseph were considered poor at this time, and so they brought the two birds in keeping with the law. This would imply that the magi had not yet come with their gifts of gold, and incense and myrrh, or else Mary and Joseph could easily have afforded the lamb.

Mary and Joseph would have gone back to Bethlehem after the presentation in the temple, and then some time soon after the Magi arrived with their gifts. It was then that Joseph was warned in a dream to escape to Egypt with Mary and the child. Perhaps the gifts of the Magi helped Joseph and Mary with their expenses in Egypt.

It is ironic that Mary and Joseph were too poor to bring a lamb to the temple, because in one sense they did bring a lamb. They brought Jesus! Jesus himself was the Lamb of God who came to take away the sin of the world. No lamb was sacrificed for Mary there at the temple thirty-three days after Jesus’ circumcision, but thirty-three years later at the cross, Jesus the Lamb of God would be sacrificed – both for Mary and for all who put their faith in him as Lord and Savior.

II. The prophecies in the temple (25-38)

We mentioned earlier that just as prophecies accompanied the circumcision and naming of John the Baptist, so prophecies accompanied the presentation of Jesus in the temple. Let’s take a look at these prophecies now.

   A. Simeon (25-35)

The first of these prophecies involved a man named Simeon. Look at verse 25: “Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.” (Luke 2:25)

Luke tells us four things about Simeon in this verse. First of all, he was in Jerusalem. We do not know if he lived in Jerusalem, or if he was just visiting at this time like Mary and Joseph, but either way, it was no accident that he happened to be in Jerusalem at the very time Jesus was presented in the temple. This was ordained by God. Secondly, he was a godly man, or as Luke puts it, he was righteous and devout. Thirdly, he was waiting for the consolation of Israel. That phrase, “the consolation of Israel,” refers to the coming of the Messiah and the comfort he would bring when he came.

The phrase itself comes from the Messianic prophecy in Isaiah 40 where we read: “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins. A voice of one calling: ‘In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God.’” (Isaiah 40:1-3)

You may recognize verse three from several weeks ago as a prophecy about John the Baptist who came to prepare the way for the Messiah, but verses one and two speak of the Messiah who will come and comfort or console his people. In fact, a traditional Jewish prayer in anticipation of the Messiah was this: “May I see the consolation of Israel.”

Luke tells us that Simeon was waiting for the consolation of Israel. The word translated “waiting” here is a strong word in the original language meaning “looking for something or expecting, welcoming or accepting.” Simeon was not just waiting idly for the Messiah. He was actively looking for him and expecting him to come at any time.

So, Simeon was in Jerusalem, he was a godly man, he was waiting for the Messiah, and then fourthly, Luke tells us that the Holy Spirit was upon him. This means that the Holy Spirit was working in Simeon in a special way, which is brought out in the next verse. Verse 26: “It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.” (Luke 2:26)

When did God reveal this to him? A short time before? A long time before? We don’t really know. Tradition says that Simeon was an old man at this time, 113 years old, but the Bible is silent about this. All we know is that the Holy Spirit had told him he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ, and so Simeon knew that the Messiah would come sometime during his lifetime. No wonder he was eagerly waiting for and expecting the Christ!

The next verses show us another way that the Holy Spirit was working in Simeon. Look at verses 27-28: “Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God.” (Luke 2:27-28)

How did Simeon know to go into the temple at the precise time that Mary and Joseph also brought Jesus into the temple? He was moved by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit prompted him to go into the temple at just the right time. And the Holy Spirit also revealed to him that this was the Christ and then filled him to prophesy.

Simeon’s prophecy is the fifth and final song recorded in Luke 1-2. We have already looked at the first four songs or prophecies about Christ in these chapters:

   1) Elizabeth’s song at Mary’s greeting (1:42-45)
   2) Mary’s song at Elizabeth’s blessing (1:46-55)
   3) Zechariah’s song at John’s birth (1:68-79)
   4) The angels’ song at Jesus’ birth (2:14)
   5) Simeon’s song at the presentation of Jesus in the temple (2:29-32)

Simeon’s song focuses on the fulfillment of God’s promise to him in seeing the Messiah with his own eyes before dying. It is a beautiful song in which Simeon voices a sense of completion in his life now that he has seen the Messiah. Look at verses 29-32: “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.” (Luke 2:29-32)

Simeon recognizes in Jesus the salvation of God come to earth. He says that God has prepared this salvation in the sight of all people. This thought comes from Psalm 98, the passage we read earlier in the service this morning. “The LORD has made his salvation known and revealed his righteousness to the nations. He has remembered his love and his faithfulness to the house of Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.” (Psalm 98:2-3)

He also calls Jesus a light – a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to Israel. Simeon prophesies God’s salvation through Jesus for all the nations and all the peoples in the world. And of course, this salvation will bring glory to the people of Israel through whom the Messiah and the prophecies of Messiah came.

But what I like best about Simeon’s song is the sense of fulfillment and completion: “Lord, you now dismiss your servant in peace.” Now that Simeon has seen God’s salvation in Jesus, he is ready to die. This applies to you and me today, also. Nothing is more important than for you also to see God’s salvation in Jesus before you die. Only when you know God’s salvation through Jesus, can you, like Simeon, die in peace.

Verse 33 tells us that: “The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him.” (Luke 2:33) Here Joseph is called Jesus’ father – not as his birth father, but as his adoptive father.

Moving on to verses 34-35 we read, “Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: ‘This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.” (Luke 2:34-35)

After blessing both Joseph and Mary, Simeon then addresses Mary alone. There are three parts to his prophecy. He makes reference to a stone, then a sign, and then a sword.

First of all, the stone. When Simeon speaks of Jesus as causing the falling and rising of many in Israel, he is speaking of Jesus as the stone prophesied in Scripture. Isaiah 8:14 spoke of the Lord as “a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.” (Isaiah 8:14) Some people would stumble over Jesus and reject him as the Messiah. Others would put their faith in him and find salvation.

Next, Jesus would be a sign that would be spoken against. This was fulfilled when the Jewish people rejected him as Messiah. John 1:11 tells us that “he came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.” (John 1:11)

And then finally Simeon speaks of a sword that would pierce Mary’s own soul. Not only would Jesus suffer, but Mary would suffer in seeing the suffering of her son. The word Simeon uses for sword here is the word for a large sword or javelin. And so, Mary’s grief at her son’s suffering would indeed pierce her to the very soul.

You might wonder why only Mary is addressed at this point instead of Mary and Joseph together. Remember, Joseph is no longer mentioned in the gospels by the time Jesus is an adult. We assume that he probably died before the time of Jesus’ ministry and death. I believe Simeon addresses this prophecy to Mary alone because she would witness Jesus’ sufferings on the cross, whereas Joseph would not. Once again, Simeon could only know this through the Holy Spirit who was guiding his words as he spoke.

   B. Anna (36-38)

Simeon was not the only one who prophesied over Jesus in the temple that day. Luke goes on to tell us about Anna in verses 36-38. “There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.” (Luke 2:36-38)

Anna’s name in the Hebrew is the same as the name, Hannah, and so we naturally think of another Anna or Hannah who came to the tabernacle centuries before to present her son, Samuel, before the Lord.

Luke gives us far more details about Anna’s life than he did for Simeon. We are told that she was a prophetess. We are told her tribe of descent. We are even given some of her family history. She became a widow seven years after she married and had never remarried. She spent all her time at the temple, worshiping, fasting and praying. She was an elderly woman. She was either 84 years old at this time, or the it could even mean that she had lived 84 years after she lost her husband. Assuming she married at about 14 years of age and was widowed at 21, that could make her as much as 105 years old.

Anna comes up as Simeon is prophesying about Jesus and then adds some prophecies of her own. We are not told the exact words, but we know that she gave thanks to God and spoke about Jesus “to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.” The word that is translated “looking forward to” here is the same word Luke used to describe Simeon who was “waiting for” or “looking forward to” the consolation of Israel.
We saw that the phrase “the consolation of Israel” referred to the Messiah. Here a different Messianic term is used: “the redemption of Jerusalem.” Bringing together all of these different terms we can see that Jesus came to bring comfort to those who mourn, redemption to those held captive, and salvation to those who were under the bondage of sin. He is indeed the Messiah, the Savior sent by God.

III. The return to Galilee (39-40)

Finally, Luke tells us in verse 39: “When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth.” (Luke 2:39)

Notice Luke’s emphasis once again on Mary and Joseph fulfilling everything required by the law. They were still under the Old Testament law and so they were required to fulfill these laws regarding circumcision and consecration for Jesus, and purification for Mary.

You may also have noticed that Luke says nothing about the Magi. We learn about the Magi from Matthew’s gospel. Chronologically, the Magi and the visit to Egypt would fit in between the two parts of verse 39: between the first part, “When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the law” and the second part, “they returned to Galilee.” Luke skips over the visit of the Magi and brings us right up to the time when Joseph and Mary returned to their hometown of Nazareth.

And then we read in verse 40: “And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him.” (Luke 2:40) This is the only description we have of Jesus from the time he was forty-days old as a baby until he was a boy at the age of twelve.

Luke tells us that Jesus grew both in physical strength and in wisdom. Jesus was born into our world as a true human being. He would have to learn facts and grow in wisdom similar to any human child. And yet he was also filled with wisdom for he was the Son of God who is the true source of all wisdom. Jesus’ wisdom even in his youth will be evident in next week’s passage when we see Jesus in the temple as a twelve-year old boy.

CONCLUSION: If I were to pick one Biblical text that summarizes our whole passage this morning, it would be this one from Galatians 4: “But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.” (Galatians 4:4-5)

Jesus was born into this overlapping time between the Old and New Testaments, because he himself is the bridge between the testaments. He himself was born under the law and fulfilled perfectly all the demands of the law that we could never fulfill on our own. And he did this to redeem us in order that we might be adopted into God’s own family and receive the full rights of sons.

The Old Testament law was fulfilled by Jesus. We are no longer under law but under grace. God offers that grace freely to all who will place their faith in his Son who came to redeem us.

His name is Jesus, which means Savior. Have you placed your faith in Jesus who came into the world to be your Savior at Christmas?

© Ray Fowler

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