Luke 2:22-38

Butler's Comments

SECTION 2

Prophecies (Luke 2:22-38)

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 that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord) 24and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons. 25Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. 27And inspired by the Spirit he came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the law, 28he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, 29Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word;

30for mine eyes have seen thy salvation

31 which thou hast prepared in the presence of all peoples,

32a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to thy people Israel.

33 And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him; 34and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother,

Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against

35(and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed.

36 And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher; she was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years from her virginity, 37and as a widow till she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. 38And coming up at that very hour she gave thanks to God, and spoke of him to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.

Luke 2:22-24 Homage: For forty days after childbirth, a Hebrew mother was considered ceremonially unclean by the Law of Moses (Leviticus 12:1-8). The regulation was for hygienic reasons to start with. If the mother and child are isolated from everyone else (as those who were ceremonially unclean must be) for forty days the chances for survival are greatly increased. This regulation had nothing to do with making the mother sinful because she had given birth. The really fundamental purpose of all the Levitical laws of ceremonial purification was to develop the sensitivity of the human being to his sinfulness and God's holiness and to also develop the habit of obedience to the laws of God whether man understood them or agreed with them or not. When a Hebrew became ceremonially unclean he was unable to worship God or have fellowship with God's covenant people until he purified himself according to the rituals of the Law. This emphasized to him the necessity for the grace of God in providing a way for him to be restored to covenant relationship. For Mary to be declared ceremonially clean again, she was required to offer to the priest for sacrifice a lamb and a young pigeon. If she were poor she could offer two pigeons or two turtledoves (costing about sixteen cents). So, about the first week in February, Mary, with her husband Joseph, traveled the five or six miles from Bethlehem to Jerusalem and presented herself with two turtledoves to receive cleansing from the priest.

The Law of Moses also required that each first-born male, animal or child, must be set apart or called holy to the Lord. The Hebrew word -avar (Exodus 13:12) means literally, to pass over. The first-born were also to be Redeemed (Heb. padah), that is, a ransom payment had to be made to the temple of five shekels (about $5.00 now) (Numbers 18:15-16). Redeeming the firstborn was (1) a memorial to Israel's redemption from Egypt; (2) and a response and repayment to God for sparing the firstborn of Israel in Egypt (see comments by Wilbur Fields, Exodus, pgs. 277-284, College Press). Christians are all called first-born in Hebrews 12:23, thus all Christians are redeemed and set apart unto the Lord.

The word homage means to honor with submission and obedience. This is exactly what Mary and Joseph were doing when they took the baby Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem to observe these two laws of the Old Testament. They were devout and God-fearing people. Besides, this Child was special. They both knew He had some kind of uniquely divine mission. He must be set apart unto the Lord according to the Lord's revealed will. They would do all in their power to dedicate Him to Jehovah's service. It was predicted that the Messiah would be obedient to the Law of Jehovah (cf. Psalms 45:6-7; Hebrews 1:8-9; Isaiah 50:4-9; Philippians 2:5-7; Galatians 4:4). Although the Messiah was the Incarnate God and the One who was the Lawgiver Himself, He humbly observed His own law (cf. Matthew 17:24-27; Hebrews 5:7-9).

Luke 2:25-35 Heraldry: Simeon, or Shime-on in Hebrew, is from the word shama-' which means to hear, to obey. He was righteous and devout, filled with faith and hope that he would see the Messiah because the Holy Spirit had revealed to him that before he died he would see the consolation of Israel. Consolation in Greek is paraklesin from the word which may also be translated comforter. Comfort, consolation in Hebrew is menuchach (from the root nacham) from which also the proper names Nahum, Menahem, and Menachem are formed. This is the Hebrew word used in many messianic passages of the Old Testament (cf. Isaiah 40:1; Isaiah 49:13; Isaiah 51:3; Isaiah 52:9; Isaiah 54:11; Isaiah 61:2; Isaiah 66:13; Jeremiah 31:13). Simeon, the obedient, was obeying the prophecies of God's Old Testament and the revelation he had from the Holy Spirit. He was eagerly looking (every day) for the Christ (kristos, anointed) of the Lord. The Messiah is called mashiyach, anointed in Daniel 9:26. The aged Simeon was directed by the Holy Spirit to go to the Temple and when Mary and Joseph and the baby Jesus arrived there, he was guided by the Spirit to take Mary's baby into his arms and pronounce what is called the Nunc Dimittis (Latin for, Now dismiss.)

Simeon's righteous and devout character is manifested by his attitude toward the Lord. His salutation, Lord, is despota in Greek and is the word from which we get despot in English; he accepted the Lord as the absolute sovereign of his life. Simeon referred to himself as doulon, or slave, absolute servant. Simeon had been promised by the Holy Spirit that when he saw the Anointed One (the Messiah), he would be loosed from (apolueis, Greek) this life. Simeon had been told that he would be the Lord's bond-slave in this life until the coming of the Anointed One. This Christ, whom Simeon would live to see with his own eyes, would be not only the Consoler of Israel, He would also be the Light to those who sat is darkness (the Gentiles). This Christ would bring salvation to the whole world. Now Simeon is ready to be released from this life, apparently looking forward to peace and glory in the next life because God's Anointed One has come, Simeon's phraseology echoes the prophecy of Isaiah 61:1-2 (cf. Luke 4:16-19). There the Messiah is predicted as coming to usher in the Jubilee of God when all the slaves will be set free (see our comments, Isaiah, Vol. III, pgs. 410-411, College Press). Simeon has come to his own Jubilee and now asks permission from his Master to be set free. Paul was anxious to leave this life and be with the Lord in the next life (cf. Philippians 1:19-26; 2 Corinthians 5:1-10), and so should we. But we must also be ready and willing to serve the Lord here in this world so long as He provides us the life to do so. If we do so devoutly, obediently and faithfully, we will someday be released and hear the trumpet signal our own Jubilee. Simeon announced that the Babe in his arms was Savior of the whole world. He was the Revelation (apokalupsin in Greek; the word from which we get the English, apocalypse) to the Gentiles. The Gentiles had tried to discover God in their philosophies and other cultural disciplines (cf. 1 Corinthians 1:18-31), but man cannot discover GodGod reveals Himself to man, in order that no man should boast! That is just as true today as it was then. God has chosen to reveal Himself in Nature and in His Word (for the purpose of salvation, in His Son alone). If any man wishes to know God in a saving relationship, he must know His Son through the agency of His Spirit, in the Bible!

Simeon was a herald of bad news too. While Joseph and Mary were caught up in a reverie contemplating the marvelous things said about this Baby, the old man brought a sudden chill upon the mother's heart with a prediction of the dark clouds of persecution and suffering that would characterize this Child's life. It would all end in a soul-piercing tragedy for the mother. The shadow of the cross fell across the life of this Child even before He was born. Isaiah the prophet indicated in no uncertain terms that the Messiah-Servant of God would suffer and die (and be raised from the dead) (cf. Isaiah 52:13 -Isaiah 53:12). Daniel, too, had predicted that the Anointed Prince of God would be cut off (cf. Daniel 9:24-27).

The Temple courts were always crowded with worshipers, sight-seers and priests. How many were within hearing of the aged Simeon we are not told. Those who would have believed his predictions about the Baby Jesus would have been very few, if any! Most Jews (even including Jesus-' apostles) stumbled over any prediction that their Messiah would be of such humble origins or suffer such an ignominious death. Mary could hardly be expected to comprehend the full impact of these words then. But the day would come (33 years later) when the terrible reality of Simeon's predictions would stab her heart as she saw her first-born nailed to a cross.

The phrase ... set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against.. echoes the prophecies of the Psalmist and Isaiah concerning the despising and rejection of the Messiah (Isaiah 53:1-12; Psalms 22:1-18, etc.). It was also predicted that the Messiah would become a stumbling block over which many in Israel would fall (cf. Isaiah 8:14; Psalms 118:22; Luke 20:18; Romans 9:32-33; 1 Corinthians 1:23; 1 Peter 2:8, etc.), and The Cornerstone upon which many true Israelites (Christians) would build (Isaiah 28:16; 1 Peter 2:5; 1 Corinthians 3:11, etc.). All of the good and bad to come to and through this Child was in order ... that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed. The Incarnation (God coming in flesh in Christ), the Atoning Death and the Resurrection was witnessed historically by some, believed by many, and has brought millions to a mental and emotional confrontation with the reality of God. It has caused multitudes to repent and come into saving, regenerating fellowship with God through the completed work of Christ. What people think of Christ reveals the true thoughts of their hearts! Men in rebellion against the Creator take a relativistic, self-centered attitude toward everything. Once men are confronted with the historical Christ and His Absolute Deity, they are compelled to make a decision. They must either deny His historicity and lordship (which would reveal intellectual and moral dishonesty of heart) or they must accept both (which is repentance and salvation). Confronted with the truth of Christ, men cannot hide from God, from themselves or from others.

Luke 2:36-38 Hope: Another aged Israelite who had maintained hope that God would send His Messiah as He promised was Anna daughter of Phanuel (which means face of God), a prophetess. After a marriage of seven years she had lived in widowhood eighty-four years. If she married at 15 she would have been 106 years old and born about 110 B.C. Julius Caesar was born about 100 B.C. Anna had lived through the declining years of the Maccabean rule of Israel which brought relative freedom for the Jews for the first time in over 200 years since the days of Ezra and Nehemiah; she grew up in the days when Alexander Jannaeus (once pelted by his own people with rotten fruit and vegetables) was king and high priest; she lived when a woman, Alexandra, the widow of Alexander Jannaeus, ruled Palestine; she would have been about 40 years old when the illustrious Roman general, Pompey, conquered the mid-East for the Roman empire; she saw the Romans appoint the hated Idumeans (Edomites) of the Herodian family rulers of Palestine; during all this she saw the development of two strong religious factions (Pharisees and Sadducees) and two antagonistic political parties (Herodians and Zealots) within her own people. These factions with their legalisms on one hand and libertinisms on the other plus political compromise versus political fanaticism caused many of the common people, oppressed by heavy taxation and religious legalism, to wish for messianic redemption. It appears that this aged saint never missed a service in the Temple night and day! Coming into the Temple at the very time Simeon was heralding the birth of the Messiah, she gave thanks to God and kept on speaking (elalei, Greek imperfect tense) to all who were looking for the redemption of Israel.

After these experiences in the Temple in early February, Mary and Joseph returned to Bethlehem with the Baby. They were lodging in a house when the wise men from the East came and presented their gifts and worshiped Him (Matthew 2:1-12). The wise men had stopped in Jerusalem to ask about the birth of the king of the Jews. The cruel and crafty Herod sent them to Bethlehem hoping they would find Jesus so he might kill Him. The wise men returned to their homes in the East without reporting to Herod the whereabouts of the Child. Immediately, an angel appeared to Jospeh and directed him to flee with the Child to Egypt (Matthew 2:13-23). The trip to Egypt would be about 100 miles but Mary and Joseph fled there with Jesus. Back in Bethlehem Herod was having every baby two years old and under slain, hoping to eliminate this announced king of the Jews as a threat to his throne. When Herod died, an angel of the Lord spoke again to Joseph telling him it was safe to return to Israel, so they began their return. Hearing that a son of Herod (Archelaus) reigned over Judea, they did not return to Bethlehem or Jerusalem but went directly to Nazareth in Galilee their original home. Herod the Great died at the end of March or during the first few days of April, 4 B.C. Jesus was, therefore, about three or four months old when He was brought back to live in Nazareth.

STUDY STIMULATORS:

1.

Why were women declared unclean for 40 days after childbirth?

2.

What is involved in the dedication of the Hebrew child after 40 days?

3.

How does that Hebrew ritual relate typically to the Christian experience?

4.

What did Simeon mean by calling the baby Jesus, the consolation of Israel?

5.

What did Simeon mean by calling God, despot?

6.

If man cannot discover God, how is man to know God?

7.

Why did Simeon tell Mary a sword would pierce her heart?

8.

How does Christ reveal the thoughts of man's hearts to them?

9.

What had the aged prophetess Anna lived through in history that would cause her to wish for a Messiah?

10.

After their presentation of Jesus in the Temple, where did Mary and Joseph reside with the Child?