Luke 2:21-40Blessings
21 When the eighth day arrived, the day of circumcision, the child was named Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived.
22-24 Then when the days stipulated by Moses for purification were complete, they took him up to Jerusalem to offer him to God as commanded in God’s Law: “Every male who opens the womb shall be a holy offering to God,” and also to sacrifice the “pair of doves or two young pigeons” prescribed in God’s Law.
As Jewish law demanded, Jesus underwent circumcision at the age of eight days, but why the mention of purification? We read this and don’t even consider purification, but both Mary and Joseph required purification. The website https://www.bibleversestudy.com/luke/luke2-purification-of-mary.htm gives us this information: “What is meant by “their purification” (Luke 2:22)?
The purification of Mary and Joseph. Mary was ceremonially unclean after having given birth and Joseph was also ceremonially unclean for having touched Mary while she was bleeding, so the Jewish law required the purification of Mary, as well as Joseph.
How long did their purification require?
The purification of Mary required forty days: Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘If a woman has conceived and borne a son, then she shall be unclean seven days; as in the days of her customary impurity she shall be unclean. And on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. Then she shall continue in the blood of her purification thirty-three days. She shall not touch any holy thing nor come into the sanctuary until the days of her purification are completed’” (Leviticus 12:1-4). The purification of Joseph required less than one day: “If a woman has a discharge, and the discharge from her body is blood, she shall be set apart seven days, and whoever touches her shall be unclean until evening” (Leviticus 15:19). So as a couple, “the days of their purification according to the law of Moses were completed” (Luke 2:22) forty days – the longer of the two-after Mary gave birth to Jesus.”
So, forty days after Jesus was born, Joseph and Mary went to the temple to offer Jesus to God and sacrifice two young doves or pigeons as a blood offering on Jesus’ behalf. But God was about to do something wonderful.
Luke2:25-32 In Jerusalem at the time, there was a man, Simeon by name, a good man, a man who lived in the prayerful expectancy of help for Israel. And the Holy Spirit was on him. The Holy Spirit had shown him that he would see the Messiah of God before he died. Led by the Spirit, he entered the Temple. As the parents of the child Jesus brought him in to carry out the rituals of the Law, Simeon took him into his arms and blessed God: God, you can now release your servant; release me in peace as you promised. With my own eyes I’ve seen your salvation; it’s now out in the open for everyone to see: A God-revealing light to the non-Jewish nations, and of glory for your people Israel.
33-35 Jesus’ father and mother were speechless with surprise at these words. Simeon went on to bless them, and said to Mary his mother, “This child marks both the failure and the recovery of many in Israel, a figure misunderstood and contradicted—the pain of a sword-thrust through you—But the rejection will force honesty, as God reveals who they really are.”
36-38 Anna the prophetess was also there, a daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher. She was by now a very old woman. She had been married seven years and a widow for eighty-four. She never left the Temple area, worshiping night and day with her fastings and prayers. At the very time Simeon was praying, she showed up, broke into an anthem of praise to God, and talked about the child to all who were waiting expectantly for the freeing of Jerusalem.
39-40 When they finished everything required by God in the Law, they returned to Galilee and their own town, Nazareth. There the child grew strong in body and wise in spirit. And the grace of God was on him.
First, Luke introduces us to Simeon, a faithful believer who has been longing for the advent of the Messiah, living “in the prayerful expectancy of help for Israel.” Year after year, Simeon has waited. God has promised Simeon that he will see the Messiah before he dies. Perhaps God made that promise to Simeon when he was a young man. And now, Simeon is elderly and still hoping. Some days, Simeon’s knees rebel when he climbs those temple steps, but Simeon continues to appear in the temple every day. After all, if Messiah truly comes, won’t he come to the temple first?
There Is something special in the atmosphere of Jerusalem that morning. The Jerusalem stones seem to glow with a special light. As Simeon climbs the stairs that morning, he prays as he has for years. “Blessed are You, Lord God of the Universe! Let today be the day I am privileged to greet Your Messiah!”
Simeon has just entered the temple and is looking around when he sees a young couple coming with a newborn baby. The baby’s mother is just a teen-age girl, and her husband standing close to her is little older. But as Simeon stares at the couple, suddenly the light of the Holy Spirit illumines the little family, and Simeon knows beyond any doubt that this infant is God’s promised Messiah. With deep peace in his heart, Simeon approaches the couple. Greeting them courteously, Simeon asks if he might hold the baby to give it an elder’s blessing. Simeon takes the baby in his arms and speaks words that have echoed down the centuries. “God, you can now release your servant; release me in peace as you promised. With my own eyes I’ve seen your salvation; it’s now out in the open for everyone to see: A God-revealing light to the non-Jewish nations, and of glory for your people Israel.”
This pronouncement is shocking enough, but there is more to follow. Simeon turns his attention to Mary and Joseph. “This child marks both the failure and the recovery of many in Israel, a figure misunderstood and contradicted—the pain of a sword-thrust through you—But the rejection will force honesty, as God reveals who they really are.”
While Mary and Joseph are struggling to absorb everything Simeon has said, the Prophetess Anna, age 104, approaches as well. Everybody knows Anna, for she has spent the last eighty-four years in the temple, praying and fasting and being fed by the priests and fellow worshipers. But true prophets are rare at this time, and prophetesses even more so. Anna is greatly respected, for her prophecies are few but very accurate. Now Anna begins singing hymns of praise to God over the child and prophesying about him to the other worshipers.
Once more, blood figures prominently in the story of Jesus’ life. Because Joseph was forced to deliver Jesus, he was exposed to Mary’s blood and became ritually unclean, requiring purification. Mary required purification as a routine matter. Then there was the small amount of blood Jesus would lose during the circumcision. And finally, this poor couple would sacrifice two young doves or pigeons as a blood sacrifice. Even though the adult Jesus would shed his blood for the sins of the world, offering purification for sin. But in the beginning, others shed blood for him.
The stories of Simeon and Anna are short but thrilling. Here are two faithful believers who have waited most of their lives to see the fulfillment of God’s promises, and today, their hopes and dreams have been fulfilled. We never hear about either of these people again; perhaps, having spoken blessings over Jesus, they both die that same night, Simeon at his home and Anna in some quiet corner of the temple where she has a few blankets and cloths on which she sleeps. But I want to believe that when family and friends find these two faithful elders, they are smiling and the glory of God is on their faces.
Aging is a strange and challenging process. As our time on earth begins to draw to a close, we need to examine ourselves. Are we, like Simeon and Anna, longing to see God work in people’s lives? Are we looking for evidences of the Messiah, or are we too distracted?
Some of us can identify with Simeon, if not with Anna. We long to see manifestations of the Holy Spirit, and we wonder, “Will this be the day?” Simeon and Anna both died, satisfied with the knowledge that Messiah was come. For those of us who believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Anointed One, the Sone of God, we long for the day when heavenly trumpets will sound, the skies will open, and Jesus will return, not as a helpless baby but as a conquering king. And we bow with Simeon and cry in our hearts, “Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus!”
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to share the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus wherever we go. Lord, bring as many people as possible to repentance and to salvation in Jesus Christ. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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