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Luke Week 3 (2:21-40)
Luke Week 3 (2:21-40)
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.
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 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.”
IN this passage we see Jesus undergoing three ancient ceremonies which every Jewish boy had to undergo.
(1) Circumcision. Every Jewish boy was circumcised on the eighth day after his birth and on that day a boy received his name.
Genesis 17:9–14
(2) The Redemption of the First-born. According to the law (Exodus 13:2) every first-born male, both of human beings and of cattle, was sacred to God.
“Consecrate to me all the firstborn. Whatever is the first to open the womb among the people of Israel, both of man and of beast, is mine.”
That law may have been a recognition of the gracious power of God in giving human life, or it may even have been a relic of the day when children were sacrificed to the gods.
Clearly not literally.
There was therefore a ceremony called the Redemption of the Firstborn (Numbers 18:16).
And their redemption price (at a month old you shall redeem them) you shall fix at five shekels in silver, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, which is twenty gerahs.
The sum had to be paid to the priests. It could not be paid sooner than thirty-one days after the birth of the child and it might not be long delayed after that.
Why the firstborn?
Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord, Israel is my firstborn son, and I say to you, “Let my son go that he may serve me.” If you refuse to let him go, behold, I will kill your firstborn son.’ ”
Is was the killing of the firstborn - That released the children of Isreal out of Egypt…
It’s a reminder that redemption cost something…
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
(3) The Purification after Childbirth. When a woman had borne a child, if it was a boy, she was unclean for forty days, if it was a girl, for eighty days. She could go about her household and her daily business but she could not enter the Temple or share in any religious ceremony (Leviticus 12).
At the end of that time she had to bring to the Temple a lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon for a sin offering. That was a somewhat expensive sacrifice, and so the law laid it down (Leviticus 12:8) that if she could not afford the lamb she might bring another pigeon.
The offering of the two pigeons instead of the lamb and the pigeon was technically called the Offering of the Poor. It was the offering of the poor which Mary brought.
We see that it was into an ordinary home that Jesus was born, a home where there were no luxuries, a home where the cost of everything had to be considered carefully, a home where the members of the family knew all about the difficulties of making a living and the haunting insecurity of life.
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. 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. 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, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,
Righteous and Devout
‘Consolation’ [Lns], ‘the one who would comfort’ [GW], ‘encouragement’ [LN], ‘restoration’ [NET, REB]. This noun is also translated as a verb: ‘to save’ [CEV], ‘to rescue’ [NLT], ‘to be saved’ [TEV]. The phrase ‘the consolation of Israel’ is translated ‘the time when God would take away (Israel’s) sorrow
“Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,
according to your word;
for my eyes have seen your salvation
that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and for glory to your people Israel.”
What is meant by the genitive construction ‘the salvation of you’ and how can it be seen?
The possessive pronoun ‘your’ refers to the one who initiates the saving act [TH]. This refers back to ‘the Messiah of the Lord’ (2:26) [TH]. In seeing Jesus, Simeon has seen God’s salvation [BECNT, TG] since Jesus personifies God’s salvation [BECNT]. It means that he has seen the baby through whom God would bring salvation [Arn, TNTC]. It refers to the child as the means of the salvation God offers to the world [Gdt, NIGTC]. Referring to the birth of this child, he saw what God had done to save the world [Lns]. Simeon had seen the Savior who would bring about the salvation of Israel [NAC]. ‘I have seen what you have done to save your people’ [CEV]. ‘I have seen the Savior you have given’ [NLT].
And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. 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 (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”
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, 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. 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.
Phanuel - FA-Nu-EL
And when they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.
Strong in spirit - In mind, intellect, understanding. Jesus had a human soul, and that soul was subject to all the proper laws of a human spirit. It therefore increased in knowledge, strength, and character. Nor is it any more inconsistent with his being God to say that his soul expanded, than to say that his body grew.
Filled with wisdom - Eminent for wisdom when a child - that is, exhibiting an extraordinary understanding, and “wise” to flee from everything sinful and evil.
And the grace of God … - The word “grace” in the New Testament commonly means unmerited favor shown “to sinners.” Here it means no more than favor. God showed him favor, or was pleased with him and blessed him.