Scripture Passages

On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.
When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him 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 2:21-38

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
“‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
    who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”
So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:
“A voice is heard in Ramah,
    weeping and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children
    and refusing to be comforted,
    because they are no more.”
After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.”
So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.

• Matthew 2:1-23

When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.
Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom. After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.”
“Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what he was saying to them.
Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.

• Luke 2:21-52

Chronological Study Bible Notes

Jesus presented in the Temple (Luke 2:21-38)

“Luke indicates that ‘eight days were completed’ for the circumcision of Jesus (Luke 2:21). Since the Jews considered the day of birth as the first day, this would be 7 days by our way of counting. The mother of a newborn son was deemed ceremonially unclean for 7 days (Lev. 12:2), after which the parents had to take the child to the temple for circumcision. She was then considered unclean for an additional 33 days, after which she would go to the temple to offer a sacrifice for her purification (Luke 2:22).”

• Timothy B. Cargal, et al., The Chronological Study Bible

Jesus Escapes to Egypt (Matthew 2:1-12)

“The visit of the wise men occurred some months after the birth of Jesus. Joseph and Mary were no longer in the stable, but living in a house (see Matt. 2:11) in Bethlehem, a village about 5 miles south of Jerusalem. The family fled from there to Egypt to escape the plot of Herod, who apparently feared the new King would replace him.
Herod died in 4 B.C., and Matt. 2:16, 19 suggests that Jesus may have been one to two years old at that time (see ‘The Birth of Jesus’ at Matt. 1:18). Herod’s death meant that Joseph could take his young Child and wife Mary back to Israel (Matt. 2:19–21).”

• Timothy B. Cargal, et al., The Chronological Study Bible

Trade and Economics (Matthew 2:11)

“The gifts given to Jesus by the foreign rulers were luxury items (Matt. 2:11), like the symbolic gifts exchanged by rulers today, and like the wealth brought by Gentiles to Israel’s king (Ps. 72:10; Is. 60:6). Frankincense and myrrh are resins or gums taken from plants that grow in Arabia or the Horn of Africa. They were used for incense and perfume.”

• Timothy B. Cargal, et al., The Chronological Study Bible

Jesus’ Childhood in Nazareth of Galillee (Luke 2:21-40)

“Matthew’s Gospel does not specify Joseph’s hometown, but indicates that he decided not to return to Bethlehem of Judea to avoid living in the territory of Archelaus. The choice to settle instead in Nazareth of Galilee fulfilled a messianic prophecy (Matt. 2:23), for which no corresponding verse is found in the Old Testament.
Luke’s Gospel, however, presumes that Joseph and Mary were residents of Nazareth (Luke 1:26; 2:4, 39). Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem occurred because of a census that required His parents to return to their ancestral home (2:1–4). Not mentioning the family’s flight to Egypt, Luke reports only that from Bethlehem they traveled to Jerusalem (2:21–38) before returning home to Nazareth where Jesus was raised.
Obviously, the details of Jesus’ childhood were buried in obscurity. Such things did not matter when He was thought to be only the son of simple peasants. After His death and resurrection, these differing accounts of His childhood did agree on two central points: He was born in Bethlehem in fulfillment of popular messianic expectations, but He was better known as ‘Jesus of Nazareth’ (Matt. 26:71; Mark 1:24; 16:6; Luke 18:37). The so-called ‘Infancy Gospels’ among the New Testament apocrypha offer wild speculation about events surrounding the youth of their wonder-child hero.’

• Timothy B. Cargal, et al., The Chronological Study Bible

Other Commentary

Anna (Luke 2:8-17)

Anna (lit. ‘grace’) was an 84-year-old prophet who recognized Jesus as the promised Messiah when Joseph and Mary brought him to the temple for his dedication. As an attendant of the temple, Anna was a widow whose life was devoted entirely to God.

• Dorothy Kelley Patterson, General Editor, NIV Woman’s Study Bible (Ann W. Bowman, Gospels and Acts contributor)

Archelaus (Matthew 2:22)

Herod’s kingdom was divided 3 ways and given to his sons: Archelaus ruled Judea, Samaria, and Idumea; Herod Philip II ruled the regions N of Galilee (Luke 3:1); and Herod Antipas ruled Galilee and Perea (Luke 3:1). History records that Archelaus was so brutal and ineffective that he was deposed by Rome after a short reign and replaced with a governor appointed by Rome. Pontius Pilate was the fifth governor of Judea. Herod Antipas is the main Herod in the gospel accounts. He was the one who had John the Baptist put to death (14:1–12), and examined Christ on the eve of the crucifixion (Luke 23:7–12).

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

My Thoughts

Jesus Presented at the Temple (Luke 2:21-38)

On the eighth day, Jesus was circumcised.

But at 40 days after Jesus was born, Joseph and Mary had to redeem Jesus.  He was their firstborn son.  In addition, Mary had to be purified.  After giving birth, a woman spent 40 days ceremonially unclean if the child was a boy.  If a girl, that timeframe was doubled.  A sacrifice of a lamb and a dove was the usual sacrifice.  But if the couple was poor, two doves or pigeons could be used.  They presented two doves.  Thus, they were poor.

In the purification of Mary, the sacrifice acted to purify her so that she was now ceremonially clean.  For the redemption of Jesus, the firstborn is given to God as an offering, but the parents give a sacrifice to redeem the child back from God.  This is similar to infant baptism (or infant dedication for some churches who do not have infant baptism).  The child is dedicated to God, and the parents swear to bring the child up in the knowledge of God and their Savior Jesus Christ.  Even the church is charged in helping the family bring the child up in the proper manner.

These were the reasons why they were at the temple.  But while that was their purpose for being there, the story is about two people that they met.

The first is Simeon.  He was an old man filled with the Holy Spirit.  He had been promised that he would not die until he met the redemption of Israel.  To use a football term, he intercepted the transfer from the parents to the priest.  He lifted Jesus up and praised God.  He had seen what he had been promised.  Jesus would bring Light to the Gentiles and Glory to Israel.

Then there was Anna.  Anna was from the tribe of Asher.  She had been married seven years when her husband died. She lived another 48 years, worshipping in the temple day and night.  When she saw the child she gave thanks and talked about how the child would be the redemption of Jerusalem.  While worshipping daily for 48 years sets Anna apart, let’s understand that she came from a Northern tribe, Asher.  Some in Israel came to Jerusalem to worship in the proper way.  Was Anna a poor woman that the Assyrians did not think worthy to be relocated?  Or had Anna’s ancestors remained faithful and God gave her ancestors a chance to remain in the Promised Land?

Two people, ordinary in their earthly status, but God blessed them with the Holy Spirit so that they knew who Jesus was.

The Magi Visit the Messiah (Matthew 2:1-18)

Now to Matthew 2, the Magi seem to have lost the star.  They are where they thought the star was leading them, but now they were not sure.  They presented themselves to King Herod.  Herod calls for the religious leaders, since he was a Moabite.  The religious leaders said that the child was to be born in Bethlehem.  That was just six miles away, but as they left the king, they again saw the star. The king had said that he wanted to worship the baby, but he actually wanted to kill the baby.

The Magi give three gifts, gifts fit for a king.  We have no idea how many Magi, but the concept of three has been prevalent for centuries, due to their being three gifts, even to the extrabiblical point of giving them names.  They present their gifts and then in a dream are redirected home by a different route.

Escape to Egypt (Matthew 2:19-23)

Joseph again has a dream where an angel tells him to go to Egypt.  The king is about to do something rash.

Zechariah and Mary have visions and Gabriel gives them messages.  Joseph has two different dreams, and both times the angel is not identified, but the important thing is that Joseph does not hesitate.  They pack up and leave.

All the male children two years old and younger were killed in Bethlehem and the villages around Bethlehem.  Many think that Jesus was two-years-old.  Again, this is more speculation.  He was older than the forty days because then Mary and Jesus would be in Egypt, unable to go through those ceremonies.  The age probably had to do with when the Magi first noticed the star.  That could have happened before Gabriel ever spoke to Mary or even Zechariah.

When they learn that King Herod has died, they did not return to Bethlehem.  They went straight to Nazareth.

Jesus Visits the Temple (Luke 2:41-52)

Now Luke 2 ends with a very odd story.

Were Mary and Joseph bad parents?  It is my thought that Jesus was such a good boy growing up that Mary and Joseph thought He was with His cousins and friends.  It was a large caravan going to and from Jerusalem for the Passover.

But they traveled a day out of Jerusalem before they inquired of their relatives and friends.  None had seen Jesus.  They went back to Jerusalem and searched.  They found Him in the temple.  At twelve years of age, He was aware of His duty to His Heavenly Father.  The teachers of the law were amazed at the knowledge and wisdom of Jesus at twelve.

But Jesus sees that His parents are concerned.  He returns to Nazareth and becomes submissive to their authority as parents.

Everyone shrugs this off.  Jesus obeyed His parents.  He was a good kid.

But let’s understand our children at twelve years old.  Remember our lives at twelve years old.  The best of children is a pain in the neck at that age.

It was some time near that age when our children were not doing what they were told.  They were preoccupied by something, but they had no idea what that something was.  They might do their homework.  They might not.  They might answer when you called them to come to supper.  They might not.  They were present at family gatherings, but their brains were miles away.

My wife and I got so worried that we had them give a urinalysis to the drug testers.  The people that ran the tests called us back the next day and told us that we had two healthy children that were simply normal children for that age.  It is a tough lesson to have a medical professional literally laugh at you, but the lab technicians could not hold their mirth back.  Did we not know that children entering the teenaged years were simply not quite human?  At least, they did not act that way.

Yet, the miracle that no one calls a miracle is that Jesus went back to Nazareth and obeyed His parents dutifully, without whining, without procrastination, without the torment that Mary and Joseph got from all their other children.

It is said that the siblings of Jesus did not come to faith until after the resurrection of Jesus.  I have a feeling that would change a lot of people’s minds about who Jesus was, but I think that James, Jude, and the others were tired of being compared to the firstborn who was “perfect.”

Indeed, Jesus was perfect.  Fully man.  Fully God.  And fully without sin.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.