Good morning my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
On this the second day after Christmas, I wonder what’s going on in your life as we walk from Christmas to New Year’s Eve? These are very special days, aren’t they? And what do you think was happening in Bethlehem or Jerusalem in the days and weeks after that first Christmas? Oh yes, Bethlehem was very, very busy doing a census registration without computers! Not even pencil and paper! Can you imagine how long that process took? For Joseph and Mary, I think these days were filled with the challenges of finding some way to start their life with a baby, yet far from home. And oh my, they had so much to think about and try to figure out!
Yesterday we looked at the very special, perhaps private ceremony which took place 8 days after that night of stable birth with angelic announcement to the shepherds. On that 8th day the baby was circumcised, identifying Him as born into the Jewish line which his family could trace all the way back to Abraham. He was also given His name, Yeshua, Jesus, which both Mary and Joseph had been given by their angelic visits well before Jesus was born.
The next event for Joseph, Mary and infant Jesus is recorded for us by Dr. Luke in Luke 2:22 “When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took Him [infant Jesus] to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord.” Luke wrote his account of the life of Jesus primarily for the Gentiles of the world. Matthew wrote his account of Jesus primarily for the Jews. Luke assumes we Gentiles may not have a very good understanding of Jewish history or the Jewish Laws of Moses, so do you notice a parenthesis in Luke 2:23 “(as it is written in the Law of the Lord, ‘every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord.’)” Any Jew reading that would have said, ‘well, of course’! But most Gentiles, then and now, would likely say: ‘oh really, when, where and why did God declare that instruction?’
The answer is actually two different but very significant instructions from God to His people. The first explains the ‘purification rites required by the law of Moses.’ This law is found in a book of the Old Testament you probably rarely read called Leviticus. Leviticus is one of the five books of the Bible written by Moses. Leviticus chapter 12 is entirely dedicated to this question and is amazingly relevant to our day and age. In many countries today something called ‘maternity leave’ is an important benefit of employment. The purpose of ‘maternity leave’ is TIME. Time away from employment for the woman to recover from the process of childbirth and adjust to her new life to accommodate caring for her child while continuing all the other demands of her life. Leviticus 12 instructed a Jewish couple to protect the first 40 days after the birth of a baby boy as a sacred time for the mother to remain in seclusion with her newborn child. If you are a woman who has birthed a child, you easily understand the importance of these first few days after birth for both mother and baby, right? The 8th day after birth was the day of circumcision and naming of the baby boy, then 33 days later the mother was required to bring to the priest an offering which would be presented to the Lord. Leviticus 12:8 specified that offering to be a lamb or “If she cannot afford a lamb, she is to bring two doves or two young pigeons…”
But the second instruction from God pertains to what Luke put in his parenthesis: (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, ‘every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord.’)”For Jews this matter of consecrating their firstborn male child was very, very important and reached all the way back to the night their Hebrew ancestors were rescued by God from their slavery in Egypt. Exodus 13 explains that God instructed Moses: “Consecrate to Me every firstborn male. The first born of every womb among the Israelites belongs to Me… In the days to come, when your son asks you, ‘what does this mean?’ Say to him, ‘with a mighty hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the LORD killed the firstborn of both people and animals in Egypt…” (Exodus 13:1,14-17) But you’ll recall, in those homes protected by the blood of the lamb on the doorposts, no one died. The firstborn was protected in those homes by the faith in God of the parents who had obeyed God and put the blood of the lamb on their doorposts. Can you see the significance of Jewish families consecrating to the Lord their first-born sons out of great gratitude for what God did in protecting those first born of their ancestors?So today my friends, let’s walk along with Joseph and Mary as they go to Jerusalem to present infant Jesus and their simple offering to the Lord. These 40 days of purification for Mary would have required them to remain in Bethlehem and Jerusalem was only about 6 miles north. As when they had come to Bethlehem without any pre-arrangements, so today Joseph and Mary walk toward the Temple having no idea who the priest will be, who will help them or what they will find when they arrive.
For simple Nazareth folks like Joseph and Mary, the huge Temple in busy Jerusalem must have been similar to any one of us going to the capital city of our country and to one of the most significant government buildings there or to one of the great Cathedrals of our world. Anxiety filled their hearts, no doubt.
Luke tells us God was again doing something amazing which would confirm both for Joseph and Mary, and for all of us who read the account of this special day down through the centuries, that GOD was paying close attention to every detail related to the miracle of the incarnation, the birth of Jesus the Messiah.
Do you believe God is watching carefully over every detail of YOUR life, my friends? Luke writes: “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 Simeon, by the Holy Spirit, that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah! Moved by the Holy Spirit, Simeon went into the temple courts that day. When Joseph and Mary brought in the child Jesus to do for Him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took the child in his arms…” (Luke 2:25-29)
Let’s pause right here, freeze this moment in history. Tomorrow we’ll look at what Simeon said and what else happened in this historic moment. For today, look around. Many people, perhaps hundreds, are walking around the Temple courts, very much like what you would see if you were at the Western wall at the Temple mount in Jerusalem today. Some are devout, some very religious Jews, perhaps priests, rabbi’s, Pharisees, Sadducees and all other types of Jewish leaders. The great altar is smoking like always, as priests put sacrifices on the flames.
The grand, almost indescribable Temple gleams in the morning sunshine as Joseph and Mary climb the long staircase on the south side of the Temple mount, having walked from Bethlehem. Entering another Temple gate is an old man, Simeon. Well known by those who frequent this place, this old man is highly regarded by all. A man of prayer, a man of history, a man of great faith that someday soon the long awaited Messiah will come. But today old Simeon has an unusual look of great anticipation on his face and his walk which is often slow, is today much faster. As Simeon enters the Temple area his eyes dart to and fro. He’s looking for something, it’s very clear, but who or what?
Then suddenly Simeon sees them, this obviously poor couple, carrying their newborn baby. They look almost overwhelmed, almost like tourists in a big city as they stand near the Temple gate with their eyes moving slowly taking in the amazing site. This is the great Temple and they have come for a once in a lifetime event… to present their firstborn to God! Simeon’s heart skipped a beat, and something welled up inside him that moved him to tears. Could it be? After all these years of prayer and study of Scripture, could it really be that this couple is why the Holy Spirit had given him this morning such a very strong, irresistible urge to come to the Temple and come right now!
Simeon wanted to run to the couple quickly, but in reverence he walked very slowly across the large outer courts area of the temple. Priests greeted him, but he was oblivious to anything happening around him. His gaze was fixed on them.
Finally, he approached them. “Shalom, welcome to this place of worship, prayer and consecration. I know who you are. I’ve been waiting all my life for you to come here. The Holy Spirit of God told me you’d come today. Oh my, may I hold Him…?”
Let’s pause right here friends and thank God for His remarkable incarnation miracle and His redemption plan for our world. And as always, here’s a special song for today, it reflects what Joseph might have been thinking in this moment…
Today’s Scripture is Luke 2:22-29.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
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Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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