Luke 2:22-38
I went to a church men’s camp out a few years
back. Everyone was sitting around the fire cooking
breakfast.
Joe, an old-time rancher, starts cooking some
homemade sausage.
A few minutes go by, then someone asks,
“Hey Joe, what kind of sausage is that? It smells good.”
“To which Joe replies, “Chocolate sausage.”
This gets everyone’s attention.
When the sausage finished cooking, Joe offers a
piece to anyone who wanted to try it.
A few of the guys take a cut and eat it, then get
confused looks on their faces.
The same guy asks Joe again, “This doesn’t taste
any different than normal sausage. Chocolate?..”
Still waking up, Joe clears his throat and says,
“The horse was named Chocolate.”
Today we are going to bring our study of the Christmas
story to a close. We’ve seen the angel appearing to
Joseph, Mary and the shepherds. We saw the wise men
who traveled so far following the star to find Jesus.
Today we will study the presentation of Jesus at the
temple.
Our text is found in Luke 2:22-38.
Luke 2:22-24
These verses mention the Law of Moses and the Law of
the Lord. God had given the Israelites very specific
instructions on how they should behave in many
situations. The birth of a child was included in those laws.
What we will see this morning is that Joseph and Mary
diligently kept the law that God established.
Verse 21 tells us that they circumcised Jesus on the 8th
day according to the Scripture.
But that wasn’t all.
Leviticus 12 describes the process of purification for a
woman after she gives birth.
Purification
If she gives birth to a male child she is considered
unclean for 40 days. 80 days for a female.
This meant that Mary wasn’t able to go to the temple for
worship or to present her firstborn to the Lord until the
time had passed.
After the 40 days Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the
temple at Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord.
Presentation
They understood what was expected of them in
Exodus 13:1-2 “The Lord said to Moses, ‘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.’”
Why did God require the firstborn to be consecrated to
Him? It’s a reminder of how He killed all of the firstborn
in Egypt but passed over the ones who believed in Him
and put the blood of the lamb on the doorposts.
They were presenting to God the one who was sent by
God to be the savior of the world. Jesus was being set
apart as holy for the service of the Father.
They didn’t just bring the baby, they brought a
Pair of Turtledoves
A lamb was what was required, but God explains in
Leviticus 12:8 that if she could not afford a lamb two
turtledoves could be brought in place of the lamb.
One was for the sin offering for Mary’s sin and the other
was for the burnt offering.
The point of all of these details that Luke has included is
that Mary and Joseph followed the law exactly as it was
written.
Luke 2:25-35
Simeon Blesses Jesus
The Bible tells us that Simeon was;
Spirit led
Righteous and devout
Holy spirit was upon him.
Waiting for the consolation of Israel – this phrase
speaks to Messianic hope. He was waiting for the
promised Messiah predicted in the OT.
He was looking for the Messiah.
Are you looking for the Savior this Christmas?
Simeon was also given a;
Special message
The Holy Spirit revealed to him that he would not die
until he saw the Lord’s Christ (Messiah). Simeon is
believed to be an old man because he was ready to die.
It seems he may have been waiting for this moment for
quite some time.
Are you listening for a message from God this Christmas?
Simeon also sang a;
Salvation Song
Simeon is praising God for keeping His word that he
wouldn’t die before seeing the Messiah.
He sees the Christ Child and immediately knows he has
seen God’s salvation!
It’s kind of amazing that Simeon could tell by looking at a
baby, but the Holy Spirit has come upon him, so that
makes it more clear.
Also, the angel had told Joseph and Mary that they
should name the child Jesus because He will save the
people from their sin. The promised One has finally
come. A savior has been born.
Simeon blessed God as he took Jesus in his arms.
He refers to Christ as
A light for revelation to Gentiles
For glory to the Israelites
Simeon knew who Jesus was the moment he saw Him.
Simeon also blessed Joseph and Mary and prophesied
about Jesus.
Jesus was going to save many people from their sins, but
many would reject His forgiveness and saving grace.
That is what he meant by the rise and fall of many in
Israel.
Are you praising the Savior this Christmas?
Luke 2:36-38
Anna Acknowledges Christ
She is a prophetess
She has been a widow for many years
Dedicated to the temple – she never left.
She spent her time worshiping, fasting and in prayer.
Apparently she recognized Jesus as the Messiah just like
Simeon did because when she saw Him she started giving
thanks to God and speaking about Him to all who were
waiting for the redemption of Israel.
This is a good example for us today.
We should be waiting in expectation for Jesus to come
back.
The Scripture promises that He is coming back.
What will you be doing until He returns?
APPLICATION
We should be
Looking for Jesus as we go about our lives. Are we
living like He is coming back soon?
Listening for Jesus to guide us and help us
Worshiping Jesus because He is the Messiah, King of
Kings, God with us.