Luke 2:40-52

⁴⁰ And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him. ⁴¹ Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. ⁴² And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom. ⁴³ And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, ⁴⁴ but supposing him to be in the group they went a day's journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances, ⁴⁵ and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him. ⁴⁶ After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. ⁴⁷ And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. ⁴⁸ And when his parents saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.” ⁴⁹ And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?” ⁵⁰ And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them. ⁵¹ And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart. ⁵² And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.

  What an interesting bit of information we have here.  My focus has been to understand what we can learn from what the scriptures are teaching us and applying that to our lives, purposefully.  These verses are so filled with wonderful items that there is no way we can dive into everything we see.  SO, what can we take from these verses?  Jesus is God.  What a comfort this is to me in my daily life (as I hope it is to you too).

  First, v.40. 52 show that Jesus was young, fragile, and grew just as every man does.  God can relate to us in our lives.  Young men want to know how it is they are to act or where they fit in, Jesus was young once too.  Jesus did not struggle knowing how He was to act or how to fit in simply because He was committed to worshiping God the Father with everything in His life.  When we truly commit our lives to worshiping God the Father with our lives, we will know how to live our lives, He will show us.  Even though Jesus was a man, He did not sin but He WAS tempted as we are. 

  Mary and Joseph took their family to the Feast of the Passover every year.  We complain at times about going to families homes over holidays and such, can you imagine the trek it was from Nazareth to Jerusalem every year?!  This was not only the custom, but the expectation that the Lord put forth was to participate in the feast.  Mary and Joseph followed this word.

  Jesus also followed the custom by going to the feast at the appropriate age.  When He was there He went and hung out with the priests and religious leaders.  They were “amazed at His understanding and answers” v.47.  Furthermore, Jesus enjoyed being in “His Father’s House.”  Jesus not only followed the Jewish custom, but also enjoyed listening to the teachers, as well as teaching them what He knew (which is clearly more than they knew).  Jesus knew more than them, yet He listened.  Jesus was interested in talking and discussing His Father’s Word.  That was His business.

  Mary Rebuked Jesus.  Jesus was her child here on Earth, God’s only Son.  Jesus was no normal man, yet He SUBMITTED to His parents here on Earth.  As a child there is no excuse for not submitting to your parents.  You claim to follow Christ, then submit to your parents, even when you do not want to.  Do you think the best thing for Jesus was to not be in the temple?  Maybe, maybe not.  Either way, He listened and obeyed His parents. 

  Just food for thought, the Catholic church teaches the worship of Mary (although they will deny such teachings).  If Mary was perfect as Jesus was then why did Mary rebuke Jesus?  One of them would have had to be wrong.  So is Jesus the perfect savior we have followed, who lived a perfect life, died a death He did not deserve, and rose again?  This would mean Mary was wrong to rebuke Jesus.  Therefore, Mary was not perfect and not anywhere close to where Jesus was.  We are not allowed fellowship with God when we sin.  This is why Jesus came.  Jesus had to come for Mary, His mother, too.

Luke 2:36-40

³⁶ And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, ³⁷ and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. ³⁸ And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. ³⁹ And when they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. ⁴⁰ And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.

  Previously we saw an old man, Simeon, who was waiting for the coming of the Lord.  Now, we see an older woman, Anna, who was also waiting for the coming of the Lord.  Anna was known for coming to the temple night and day to worship and fast.  What an example. 

  We look at the prophets and prophetesses in the scriptures with awe and wonder.  What we can take from Anna is an understanding of what was important to God in our lives.  She was devoted to the Lord as was Simeon.  The common ground for both was prayer.  Simeon saw the baby Jesus, took Him into his arms, and prayed a blessing to God about the child.  Anna saw the child and began speaking of Him to everyone who was waiting for the Lord to come. 

  These faithful worshippers of God not only followed when they saw the Lord being brought into the temple; but, they were faithful throughout their lives.  Anna was faithful to follow the Lord with the lot in life that she was given.  She was young, married, and then her husband died.  Through this we are not told of her struggles and trials from that experience.  What we are told about Anna is her devotion and dedication to the Lord in her life, period.  We cannot take a situation in life and assume that the Lord has abandoned us.  Anna came to the conclusion, just as Job did in Job 1:21, “… The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

  If we want to serve the Lord let us take the example of Anna and pray to the Lord with our words.  Let’s also bring praise and worship to the Lord with fasting.  Fasting is not something that we do in a begrudging manor.  Fasting is something we do as a devotion to the Lord through denying ourselves for a period of time.  Life is more than food.  So many days we set our days around food.  Our needs and desires the Lord will take care of as He sees fit.  When we come to know Christ we are deny ourselves, Colossians 1:1-4.  Fasting is a physical example of our spiritual submission to the Lord. 

  As Mary and Joseph leave Jerusalem to return to their town of Nazareth, we have seen three things that are not emphasized within some, if not most, churches today: Blessings, Prayer, and Fasting.  We tend to get into our routine of life and put the Lord on the backburner.  The first things to go are the things listed above.  Lord help us to return to You.  You have not changed, You are constant, we are wavering.  Praise God for who You are and what You have done for us.

Luke 28b-35

28 he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,

29 “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word;

30 for my eyes have seen your salvation

31 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,

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

33 And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed 35 (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

  Blessings are a lost “art” (so to speak) that is rarely practiced in the church body today.  Well, at least in the more conservative circles that I am a part of right now.  Either way, it is something that is not commonly practiced for some reason.  Looking at the content we can learn and apply this to blessings that we can give to others. 

  Simeon, as we see here, was a man who was interested in what the Lord had in store for him.  In some way the Lord promised Simeon he would see God’s Salvation.  God was faithful in that promise as Simeon was faithful to recognize God’s work in bringing His salvation to Simeon before he died.  He spoke truth about the Child and what God’s Salvation would bring.  Also, when Jesus’ father and mother heard this Simeon spoke to Mary and said that she would personally be affected by His ministry as well.

  Now how can we apply this to our children that are born?  First of all we must take an interest in the Lord.  It does no one in the church body any good if we are not dedicated to listening and learning from God.  When we want to learn we need to shut our mouths and listen to what God is teaching us.  Second, we need to have faith that what the Lord has promised us will come to pass.  Simeon showed this faith in his blessing of the child.  Third, we can speak the truth over the children.  Seek out those who have bore children lately and lay hands on them; take an active interest in what the Lord will do in that child’s life.  Pray the Lord will pierce their heart as He did to Mary.  God’s salvation was brought into the world as a child, fragile and weak.  Bless those who have come fragile and weak, speaking the truth to them as it has been spoken to us.  Lastly, never stop speaking the truth to these children.  This does NOT end when they become a year old or 90 years old.  Continue to bless people with the truth of God’s salvation always. 

Luke 2:21-28a

21 And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. 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 who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.” 25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. 27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, 28 he took him up in his arms and blessed God

  Wow, what a great example Mary and Joseph are when it came to this child.  They have been told such great things about Jesus, and they are faithful to what God has already commanded.  If there was anytime taking short cuts or taking a break would be okay, it would seem like being the parents of the Christ child would be the time.  Mary and Joseph did not use that to their advantage like most of us sinners would.  How faithful they were in this case to fulfill the command in Exodus 13.

  Another picture of faithfulness is Simeon.  He is one of my favorite people to read about in scripture.  He said to be “Righteous and Devout.”  This makes me think, what does the Lord think of me?  Where is my focus?  Simeon’s focus was on what the Lord had promised him, the “consolation of Israel.”  What better thing can you say about someone other than “the Holy Spirit was upon him?”  This was a man after the heart of the Lord. 

  One thing that can easily be overlooked is the faithfulness of the Lord.  He promised the coming of the Messiah, and He delivered.  The entire Old Testament points towards this man, this Messiah, this child Jesus.  There are literally hundreds of prophesies that are fulfilled by Jesus.  God is so faithful, even when we are not. 

  Thank you so much Lord for loving us the way we cannot love you.  You are everything we should strive to be.  Lord, please help me to serve you as much as I should.

Luke 2:8-20

₈ And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. ₉ And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. ₁₀ And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. ₁₁ For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ₁₂ And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” ₁₃ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ₁₄ “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

  How interesting that the Lord chose to reveal His coming to this world to none other than shepherds!  Shepherds were not the most revered of people.  1 Cor 1:26-31 tells us that the Lord uses those who are not considered wise.  This is about Him, not about those who think they know what is going on.  It is important to not seek to be seen as wise; but, rather we need to seek the Lord in everything we do.  When we do this we make Christ our center as we should.

  “The Glory of the Lord shone around them.”  This has always amazed me.  The fear of the Lord is so important for us to understand.  We need to learn that our God is perfect.  He is who we want to be.  When we sin against Him, we really want to be a god, we just want to do it our way, not His.  The Angels were around God all the time.  The Glory of God shines on them because of this.  This happened to Moses when he descended from the mountain after receiving the Ten Commandments from the Lord.  Revelation 21:23 states that there will be no need for a Sun or Moon because the light of the Glory of God.  How awesome and amazing is it that our God was born this way and yet in His true position He will radiate as the perfect being He is?!

  “Glory to God in the Highest.”  This is the first and most important thing the multitude from heaven states.  “on Earth peace among those with whom He is pleased.”  In whom is God pleased?  God is pleased with His son, Jesus Christ.  He said as much after Christ was baptized.  When we follow Him and strive to be more like Him, God is pleased with us.  It sounds simple doesn’t it?!  If only it was … but it really is. 

Luke 2:1-7

₁ In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. ₂ This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. ₃ And all went to be registered, each to his own town. ₄ And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, ₅ to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. ₆ And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. ₇ And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

₈ And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. ₉ And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. ₁₀ And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. ₁₁ For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ₁₂ And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” ₁₃ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ₁₄ “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
₁₅ When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” ₁₆ And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. ₁₇ And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. ₁₉ But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. ₂₀ And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. ₂₁ And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

  A few things to note … First, Joseph and Mary were willing and did follow the direction the government put over them gave.  Having to travel like they did with Mary pregnant was no doubt a hassle and not easily accomplished.  We should follow the laws and decrees of the government put above us when they are not contrary to what the Lord directs us to do.  A census is not against what the Lord has directed us.  If our government ordered us to not pray, that would be against what we are directed to do.  Disobeying the government at that point is not bad.

  Second, when Christ was born the Lord did not have all the pomp and circumstance that most would think.  The people of that day did not take notice, but the Lord went to those who were seen with little importance.  The shepherds left their flock and wanted to see this Messiah that has come.  The people surely did not believe these shepherds when they spoke of what they had seen concerning the child.  The Lord uses what seems foolish to the world to shame the wise, 1 Cor 1:27. 

  Lastly, we should certainly note that the Lord does not need us.  He has given us life because of His grace.  His Word will live when we do not.  He will reign when we are gone.  If we accept His gift of salvation, we will live forever to Glorify Him, not us.  The Lord saw it fit to have the Messiah glorified upon His birth.  The Lord sent His angels to the shepherds whom He knew would believe.  Praise God for maintaining His Word and glorifying Himself.  It is not up to us, but up to Him. 

Luke 1:67-80

  ₆₇ And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying, ₆₈ “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people ₆₉ and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, ₇₀ as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, ₇₁ that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us; ₇₂ to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, ₇₃ the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us ₇₄ that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, ₇₅ in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. ₇₆ And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, ₇₇ to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, ₇₈ because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high ₇₉ to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” ₈₀ And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

  First of all … WOW!  What a prophesy about his son, John.  Zechariah recognizes that God the Father has kept His promise of The Messiah to save His people.  What a blessing event this had to be.  Imagine this: you are taught of the coming of the Messiah your entire life.  For generations He has been talked about, promised, and anticipated.  Now is the day when the Lord has given the one to make way the path of the Messiah.  It is here.  Generations have longed for this … and it is here!  It sounds a lot like what we are waiting for in the second coming.  For 2000 years we have been waiting for the Lord to come again.  He is coming!  Are we willing to put in the footwork that Christ wants us to while we wait?

  v.68 – v.70 show the praise that Zechariah is giving to God for the prophesies being fulfilled.  There are many prophesies in the Old Testament that show that God will send His Messiah to save His people.  Genesis 17 is where the promise to Abraham is made

  v.71 – v.75 show what the Lord is coming for.  He is coming to save His people.  He is coming so that we do not have to fear our enemies; for they are defeated!  God has shown mercy on us because we have accepted Him and what He has provided, a sacrifice worthy to take our sins.  We could never live up to that, only God could. 

  v.76 – v.79 show what this child, John, would be.  He would be a prophet before the Lord.  He would pave the way to point to Christ, and He did just that.  When people looked to him for answers he pointed straight to the Christ whom God had sent. 

  What a prophesy foretold by Zechariah.  He was a good man who was seeking to follow God with his life.  God blessed him to father John.  Zechariah in turn blessed God and did not seem to fear others around him, but was given strength to believe.