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In Christ, Mark
In Christ, Mark
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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy
word.
When the time came for the purification rites required by
the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took Him (Jesus) to Jerusalem to present Him
to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is
to be consecrated to the Lord”), 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.”
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 on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he
would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 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, saying:
“Sovereign Lord, as You have promised, You may now
dismiss Your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen Your salvation, which
You have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the
Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.”
The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said
about Him. 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.”
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, 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 2:22-38
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be
to God.
There were things to do after Jesus was born, things
prescribed by Jewish law. In yesterday’s devotion, we looked at one of those
requirements, the circumcision of any Jewish boy which was to occur eight days
after birth. Luke’s Gospel reminds us that it was during this sacred ceremony
that the son would be named and we know that Joseph and Mary used the name
Jesus, the name prescribed by the angel Gabriel (Luke 2:21).
After the circumcision, there were purification rites that
were to take place in the temple of the Lord forty days after a firstborn son
came into the world. The scriptures tell us that Joseph and Mary made the
approximate six mile journey to Jerusalem for the event:
When the time came
for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took Him
(Jesus) to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of
the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”), 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.”
At the temple, Joseph and Mary encountered a man by the
name of Simeon, a man who had received the Holy Spirit in a special way so that
he would be able to recognize the Christ, which is a word synonymous with
Messiah. Here’s how that meeting unfolded:
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 on him. It had been
revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the
Lord’s Messiah. 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, saying:
Imagine if you were Simeon. You had lived a long “righteous
and devout” life dedicated to God and His service. You knew the prophecies of
old that had promised a new day for the people of Israel, a day when the
Messiah would come and bring with Him “the consolation of Israel”. As mentioned
prior, the Holy Spirit was upon you, assuring you that you would not perish
before your eyes caught view of the long awaited Savior of Israel. That same
Spirit moves you into the temple courts where you see a young couple with a
baby boy in their arms. They ask you to perform the required customs of the law
on their child and at the moment you take Him into your arms, you realize that
this baby is the Messiah! Your long time of waiting had ended and God’s promise
to you through the Holy Spirit was fulfilled!
Now you can see why Simeon had this to say as he held
Jesus in His arms and played an integral part in His consecration:
“Sovereign Lord,
as You have promised, You may now dismiss Your servant in peace. For my eyes
have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared in the sight of all
nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people
Israel.”
Indeed, Simeon had seen God’s salvation first hand, a
salvation He presented to God, a salvation discovered in a child who would grow
up to become the Savior of all mankind, whether Jew or Gentile. He would be a
Savior who would bring a hope and victory that no one would ever be able to
take away from those who placed their faith and trust in Him.
This discovery caused a tsunami wave of satisfaction and closure
to the spiritual longings of Simeon’s heart. He now could die in complete
peace, knowing that the Redeemer of Israel and the world as a whole had come.
Well, Joseph and Mary were blown away by the words of
this man who dedicated their child, yet another person who proclaimed and
declared the special nature of Jesus’ coming and His destiny. In the midst of
their marvel, Simeon turned his attention toward Mary and said this after a
blessing:
“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.”
Yes, Jesus was the coming Messiah who would bring consolation
to Israel and salvation to all but Simeon understood the prophecies concerning
the Christ as well as anyone, prophecies that spoke openly about the deep
suffering and sorrow the Messiah would experience at the hands of His own
people. Simeon wanted Mary to know that she too would suffer and I wonder if
his words didn’t bubble up to the surface as Mary wanted her son crucified and
dying on the cross:
“And a sword will
pierce your own soul too.”
The purification and dedication ceremony was a joyous
occasion on many fronts but it was also a harsh reminder of less happier times
that were ahead.
Well, Simeon wasn’t the only one who experience deep pleasure
in seeing Jesus. For the scriptures tell us of a woman who spent all her time
in the temple, a prophetess named Anna. Here’s what we know about her encounter
with Joseph, Mary, and Jesus:
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, 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.
Like Simeon, Anna was advanced in years, easily outliving
her husband. Also like Simeon, Anna was a devout God believer who never left
the temple but rather “worshiped day and night, fasting and praying”. We aren’t
told that the Holy Spirit formally led Anna to go up to Jesus’ parents but we
know she was drawn to them, giving thanks to God and discussing the coming
redemption of Jerusalem so she had to also have had some knowledge of Jesus
being the Messiah, perhaps overhearing the words of Simeon himself.
Nonetheless, Jesus’ first trip to the temple of His
Father was nothing short of magical. Joseph and Mary only thought they were
complying in obedience to the Law of Moses but when it was all over with, they
had to realize they had blessed the lives of an elderly man and woman who had
been waiting a long time for salvation to be presented, for the predicted
Messiah to arrive.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com
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