Luke 2:21-52

There are some things that are just polarizing, either you like them or you don’t and there aren’t very many in the middle. For those who follow baseball the Yankees are a polarizing team. They have lots of fans but there are also many who strongly dislike them. Perhaps it’s because of their success but also because of the money they spend on their players. For football fans it’s the Patriots. Some of it is because of their success of the last two decades but some is because of the allegations of cheating during their years of success. Their fans love to see them win and the rest love to watch them lose.

Another polarizing figure is Jesus. We love Jesus and long for his second coming but there are many who want nothing to do with him, don’t want to hear about him, and don’t want you to talk about him. But this is what was prophesied about him. Isaiah said about the Messiah:

He will be a holy place; for both Israel and Judah he will be a stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and a snare. (Isaiah 8:14)

For those who trust in him, Jesus is a holy place, but for those who reject him, Jesus is a rock that makes them fall. Paul wrote to the Corinthians about this different perspective concerning the cross saying:

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (1 Corinthians 1:18)

It’s the same person and the same cross, but there are two different reactions. In our passage Joseph and Mary will bring Jesus to the temple on two different occasions. These two opposite reactions to Jesus will be predicted.

Turn to Luke 2. We’ll start with verse 21 when Jesus was eight days old. By the end of the chapter he’ll be twelve, so a lot of time will pass in this chapter. He was born in verse 6 and is almost ready for his bar miztpha when he would legally become an adult. These verses give us the only description of his growing up and they aren’t much.

21 On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived. (Luke 2:21)

The first big day for a son was the day his birth. Relatives and neighbors gathered to celebrate. The next big day for a son was eight days later when he was circumcised. To me, that doesn’t seem like a reason to celebrate but it was for them. Circumcision was a sign given to Abraham and a command for all his descendants. Circumcision was a symbol that the son was a child of the covenant. It was like a baby dedication. And if the child was not circumcised he was not a part of that covenant. So, it was important.

Circumcision was to happen on the eighth day. This eighth day was so important that it was done even if it fell on the Sabbath. I think it’s interesting that while God didn’t explain why the circumcision was to be on the eighth day, medical science gives us some reasons. First, nerve endings have completely developed yet which was important since there was no anesthesia. Second, the child’s blood clotting was at its highest which was also important. Do you think God could have known what he was doing when he gave that command?

Traditionally, it was also the time when a son received his name. The naming of a daughter could be put off a few more weeks, but a son was named on the eighth day. Joseph and Mary, following the instructions of the angel, named him Jesus. The angel told Joseph:

She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins. (Matthew 1:21)

And Gabriel told Mary:

You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. (Luke 1:31)

Jesus was a popular name. It is the Aramaic form of the Old Testament Hebrew name Joshua, as in Joshua fought the battle of Jericho. While we don’t use the name Jesus anymore for children, we do use the name Joshua and there are many cultures that do use the name Jesus, especially Hispanic ones. I may have told you of the experience I had at Emmanuel years ago when I was preaching at Harmon Chapel in Shady Valley. I met David Timms, a roommate from college who was preaching at East Side at the Emmanuel library. We were supposed to meet in one of their study rooms. I got there before David. When I arrived someone had written a note on the chalkboard, “Be back soon, Jesús.”

So, on the day of his circumcision, Joseph and Mary followed the directions given to them and name their son Jesus. The name means “Yahweh is salvation.” It is a very fitting name for him. It’s the reason why the angel told Joseph to give him that name, because he would save his people from their sins.

22 When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, 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 thirty-three days between verses 21 and 22. On the eighth day, sons were to be circumcised. Thirty-three days later, the mother would offer a sacrifice. I’m not going to go into all the lengthy details about the sacrifices but there were two made. One was an offering was made for Mary having given birth. Another sacrifice was made for Jesus since he was the first born male.

You’ll remember the last plague visited upon Egypt before the pharaoh relented and allowed the Israelites to leave was the plague of death. The first born male of every living creature died from the pharaoh down to the animals in the stalls. This happened throughout Egypt except where the Israelites lived. There, they had sacrificed a lamb and painted its blood on the door posts. From then on, God said, the first born males belonged to him. Therefore, they must be redeemed through the offering of a sacrifice.

Generally, the sacrifice was a dove and a lamb. However, since not everyone could afford a lamb, God made an exception for the poor. If you could not afford a lamb you could give a second pigeon. You wanted to give your best. That two pigeons was the best Joseph could do shows that he was not a very wealthy man. This also shows that it took place before the visit of the magi who brought them gold. Had the magi already visited they could have afforded a lamb. The gold though, would be used for the trip to Egypt.

While Joseph and Mary were at the temple that day they meet to people, each of whom had been longing for the coming of the Messiah. The first was Simeon.

25a Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. (Luke 2:25a)

Luke describes Simeon as righteous and devout. That Luke uses both these terms for Simeon tells us they mean something different. We might being righteous as signifying the kind of relationship he had with people while devout described his relationship with God. The opposite of these two terms would be unrighteousness and ungodliness. Unrighteousness is not being right with others and treating them as God would have us treat them. Doing the wrong things toward God and not keeping his commands is ungodliness. Simeon was righteousness and devout which means he was right with people and with God.

Really, these things should go together. It’s difficult to have one without the other. Jesus put them together when he said the two most important commands were to love God and neighbor. The apostle John put them together when he wrote that it is impossible to love God and hate your brother. If you love God and obey his commands you will also love your neighbors and be right with them. That was Simeon.

25b He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. (Luke 2:25b)

Simeon was waiting for the consolation or the comforting of Israel. In other words, he was waiting for the Messiah in Hebrew or Christ in Greek. Both names mean “Anointed One.” Jesus described the Holy Spirit as a comforter but he is described as a comforter in the Old Testament.

Burst into songs of joy together, you ruins of Jerusalem, for the LORD has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem. (Isaiah 52:9)

Handle’s “Messiah” begins with the prophecy from Isaiah 40 about the Messiah bringing comfort and the nature of the comfort:

1 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. 2 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. (Isaiah 40:1-2)

There will be comfort for Jerusalem because her sins have been forgiven. Jesus came to take away the sins of his people. Simeon was waiting for this comforting. He was waiting for the coming of the Messiah. Like us, longing for his second coming, Simeon longed for the first believing he could come any day. And Simeon had good reason to believe so.

26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. (Luke 2:26)

God had told him though, that the Messiah would come before he died. He was promised through the Holy Spirit that he would see the promise Messiah.

27 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. . . . (Luke 2:27)

We’ve already been told that the Holy Spirit was upon him. It was the Holy Spirit that had told him he would see the Messiah and now it is the Holy Spirit that leads him to the temple and to the place on the temple mount where he might run into Joseph and Mary. We have no idea how many parents might have been bringing their children that day. It could have been many or they might have been the only ones. It didn’t matter though because Simeon, led by the Spirit, immediately recognized who Jesus was.

28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: 29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. 30 For my eyes have seen your salvation, 31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.” (Luke 2:28-32)

Simeon understood that this two-month-old child would be the fulfillment of God’s promises and prophecies. He would bring salvation for the Jews but also for the Gentiles. We aren’t told Simeon’s age, but because of this prophecy and his remarks when he sees Jesus, it is believed that he was well along in years. He knew he would live until he saw the Messiah and now that he had, he was ready to die.

Some of you will remember when we studied the Gospel of Matthew. For that series, instead of reading the passage each week I should a video of the passage from the Visual Bible. I like the series for a couple of reasons. First, it is word-for-word from the Gospel of Matthew in the NIV. You can follow along in your Bible. The second reason I like it is Jesus is smiling or laughing the entire time. There are some serous moments such as when Jesus cleared the temple or charged the Pharisees with hypocrisy, but unlike so many other depictions of Jesus, he was not depressed.

Jesus was played by the actor Bruce Marchiano. When Marchiano was asked about playing Jesus he commented that after that role there was nothing else. Everything else was downhill after playing Jesus. For example, he was in a cheesy romantic Christmas movie last year. He has gone on to play Jesus at least a dozen more times though.

He has a point that Simeon would understand. Having seen the Messiah, Simeon is ready to die. All that he had waited for had come to pass.

33 The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. (Luke 2:33)

Imagine if you were Joseph or Mary and this stranger stops, takes your baby and made that statement. They didn’t tell anyone who they were, much less who Jesus was and the visits they’d had from angels. But Simeon knew right away. That had to have given them confidence they were doing the right thing.

34 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, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.” (Luke 2:34-35)

There will be some who will accept Jesus but others will reject him. For those who accept Jesus it, he will be a blessing. But for those who reject him, Jesus would be a stumbling block. Even the disciples had difficulty with the crucifixion of Jesus. Even though his suffering and crucifixion was predicted in the Old Testament, they could accept them and thus they could understand them. When Jesus fulfilled those difficult prophecies they had problems.

In Luke 24, the day Jesus rose from the dead, two men were walking home to Emmaus when Jesus appeared with them. When he asked them why they looked so discouraged, they told him about the events of the weekend, the crucifixion and burial of Jesus and now his body was missing.

25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. (Luke 24:25-27)

They just were not ready to accept those difficult things written about the Messiah. We need to make sure we don’t do the same thing about his second coming. Talking about his second coming, Jesus asked:

However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth? (Luke 18:8b)

We must trust what God has said and continue to believe.

Simeon then said to Mary that a sword would pierce her soul. He speaks not only of the effect of the cross on the nation but also the effect it would have on her. He is preparing her for what Jesus would face.

36 There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 38 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)

There is a little difference of opinion as to Anna’s age. The NIV puts it at 84. The question is was she widowed for eighty-four years or was she eighty-four? If she’d been widowed for that long she would have been more than a hundred so it’s more likely that she was eighty-four. What’s not in question is Luke calls her a prophet. In what way was she a prophet? Most simply, a prophet is someone who speaks the word of God. We often think of it terms of predicting the future, but that’s not what it means. It is simply speaking God’s word. Did she prophecy before she met Joseph, Mary, and their baby Jesus? Or did she become a prophet on that day? We don’t know.

Additionally, Luke tells us that she spent her time at the temple praying. It is easy to believe there’s nothing we can do to serve God but Anna found something that more of us need to do, she devoted herself to praying and fasting for her nation. What affect did it have? Only God knows, but God honored her by allowing her to see Jesus before she died and he honored her by including her in his word.

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. 40 And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him. (Luke 2:39-40)

It’s interesting that Luke omits the journey to Egypt. But he does tell us how Joseph and Mary followed the commands of God regarding Jesus. They had him circumcised on the eighth day and they offered the required sacrifices. And then, having returned from Egypt, they traveled to Nazareth.

The next time Luke mentions Jesus he is twelve and we turn the page to chapter 3, Jesus will be thirty.

41 Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. 42 When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom. (Luke 2:41-42)

It sounds like they made a tradition of traveling to Jerusalem each year for the Passover. There were two things that could get you cut off from the Jewish faith, one was not being circumcised and the other was not observing the Passover. Joseph and Mary were careful to do both.

This would have been the first year Jesus would have been allowed to participate in the Passover Feast. However, it would have required a lot of studying and memorizing in preparation for it.

43 After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. (Luke 2:43)

On the face of it, this verse doesn’t make any sense. How could they not know Jesus wasn’t with them? How could the leave without him? The explanation is given in the next verse.

44 Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. (Luke 2:44)

As I mentioned last week, they would not have traveled by themselves, they would have traveled in a group. Then, like today, as they traveled the men hung out together and the women hung out together. The children would travel with the women. Technically, Jesus was a still a child. Jesus became an adult at his bar mitzpha when he turned twelve. Because Jesus was twelve he could have traveled with Joseph and when Mary didn’t see Jesus she assumed he had. Joseph, on the other hand, assumed that since he didn’t see Jesus and he had only recently turned twelve that he was with Mary. But when they stopped traveling for the day and set up camp, both realized Jesus wasn’t with either parent. They immediately began searching among the other travelers, many of them were probably family members, but they couldn’t find him.

45 When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. (Luke 2:45)

By that time they realized Jesus wasn’t with them it was too late to return to Jerusalem, so they had to spend the night and head out the next morning. They spent one day traveling home, one day traveling back to Jerusalem, and on the third day they were able to start looking for him and that’s when they found him.

46 After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. (Luke 2:46-47)

Jesus was not only listening, he was asking questions. Luke is not saying that Jesus knew all the answers but that he that his questions did show some deep understanding for his age. He was a student wanting to learn more.

48 When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.” (Luke 2:48)

Mary’s question is interesting, “Why have you done this to us?” I can hear a parent ask that today. When your child goes missing you are fearful that something bad has happened but once you find them and know they are safe you get mad. “Why have you done this to us?” Because the trip was dangerous, they feared for him and all that pent up emotion was released when they found him.

49 “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” 50 But they did not understand what he was saying to them. (Luke 2:49-50)

Jesus wonders why they wouldn’t have known where he was. Of course he was at the temple. Where else should he be? These are the first recorded words of Jesus and they tell us that even then he knew something of his mission. As the KJV puts it, he had to be about his father’s business. As an adult Jesus said:

For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. (John 6:38)

Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost. He came to take away the sins of the world. He came to give his life as a ransom for many. He came to do his father’s will. At twelve he already had some understanding of the role he would play. However, in every other respect, his life growing up was normal.

51 Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man. (Luke 2:51-52)

Bruce Larson told a story he had been told by Ruth, a member of his congregation. When Ruth was seven years old her family lived in a small town in North Dakota where she attended a one-room schoolhouse. One winter’s day a typical North Dakota blizzard hit and it was forty degrees below zero. One by one, parents arrived to escort their children home safely in this blinding storm. Soon only Ruth and the teacher remained. It looked as if they were to be stranded all night.

The teacher, though obviously worried, tried to reassure her young charge. “Ruth, I have one bucket of coal and one sandwich. I hope it will get us through the night.” Ruth answered firmly, “Don’t worry. My father will come for us.” Since so many hours had already gone by, the teacher was skeptical. “How do you know your father will come for us?” she asked. Pointing upward, Ruth explained, “My Father up there will tell my other father about us and he will come. My mother taught me that. When I’m in trouble, I can ask my heavenly Father for help and he will send it.” The teacher was unconvinced, but sure enough, as darkness fell, Ruth’s father arrived to rescue them.

When we accept Jesus, we become a part of his family and we know that our father above cares about us in all the situations of life. That’s the promise for all those who accept Jesus. Sadly, there are so many who have rejected him. As Simeon prophesied, Jesus is the cause of falling for many but for the rising of those who trust him.