Jesus Presented at the Temple

Jesus Presented at the Temple, Luke 2:21-35

21 And when eight days¹ had passed, [a]before His circumcision, His name was then called Jesus², the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb. 22 And when the days for their purification according to the law³ of Moses were completed, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) ⁴, 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what was said in the Law of the Lord, “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons⁵.” 25 And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous⁶ and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel⁷; and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit⁸ that he would not see death⁹ before he had seen the Lord’s [b]Christ. 27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, [c]to carry out for Him the custom of the Law³, 28 then he took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said,

29 “Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace, According to Your word⁸;

30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation¹⁰,

31 Which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples,

32 A Light¹¹ [d]of revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.”

33 And His father and mother¹² were amazed at the things which were being said about Him. 34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother¹², “Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall¹³ and [e]rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed— 35 and a sword will pierce even your own soul—to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

Footnotes:

1. Luke 2:21 Lit so as to circumcise Him
2. Luke 2:26 I.e. Messiah
3. Luke 2:27 Lit to do for Him according to
4. Luke 2:32 Or for
5. Luke 2:34 Or resurrection

Commentary

The time of purification lasted forty days after the delivery of a male baby (Lv 12:2-5), so this passage actually has 2 events: naming and circumcision when Jesus was 8 days old, and then traveling five miles to Jerusalem when he was 5 weeks old, to present him at the temple (Nelson’s KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1267). There was another simultaneous event that took place at the temple, but I’m going to save that for next week.

So, going back to purification after delivery, why does verse 22 say “they” were cleansed when the law of Leviticus in 12:1-8 only talks about the woman’s need for cleansing from her blood? Per the instructions in Leviticus 15:19-33, Joseph would have been unclean until evening if he touched Mary during her designated time of impurity. Given that they were in such humble circumstances, he surely ministered to her and made physical contact while he cared for her and their new baby, making him unclean for the day each time he did so. Some of the purification laws seem a little strange to us now, but “one of the marks of Mosaic law was meticulous concern for physical cleanliness. It was essential in the camp life of the Israelites during the wilderness wanderings. In the absence of modern medical knowledge of drugs, germs, and anatomy, cleanliness played a dominant role in good health. By it, contamination and spread of disease was checked” (Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible Vol. 4, pg. 959).

Another topic of interest to me is the need for a sin offering after a regular occurrence such as menstruation or child birth. At first, the thought of it made me bristle a little because it makes it seem as though women are sinning when they are bleeding. However, as I gave it more thought, I remembered that one of the primary curses on Eve, as she was banished from the garden of Eden, was pain during childbirth. Much of what women experience with their reproductive system is surely part of the curse of original sin. Therefore, this act of atonement is a humbling reminder that we have all been born into the fallen world and are suffering the consequences of that brokenness.

Also of note, given the wealth-based offering structure, the offering of 2 young pigeons or turtle doves demonstrates that Mary and Joseph were indigent. But the reward for the humblest of sacrifices was the redemption of the whole world. There are several times throughout the Bible when doves are mentioned or play a role, but the two that first occurred to me were when Noah’s dove returned with an olive branch in its mouth and when the Holy Spirit, in the form of a dove, alighted on Jesus after his baptism. Give some thought to the symbolism of God’s grace represented in each of those stories and how a dove makes an even more fitting sacrifice as baby Jesus is presented at the temple.

Furthermore, the sanctification of the firstborn was something of a sacrifice, as well. The sanctification of the firstborn males was a command given by God after he preserved Israel’s firstborn sons during the tenth plague on Egypt. Sanctifying sons to God’s use and purpose was essentially committing them to priesthood (I’ll make another nod here to the similarities between Hannah’s and Mary’s songs, as well as the similarities to their children’s sanctification unto God). Later, God designated the Levites as priests, instead, but Israelites still followed the law of sanctification and sacrifice for a firstborn male (https://biblehub.com/commentaries/exodus/13-2.htm). It may not seem like a sacrifice to designate a firstborn son to the service of God, but I suspect that, in an agrarian society, males to support the family and carry on the family trade would have been a difficult thing to give up. The sanctification of Jesus unto God was of course the most fitting of all, since he was not only the ultimate rabbi, but also the ultimate sacrifice.

Simeon’s blessing declares Jesus as a savior of “all peoples”, and this revelation had come to him through the Holy Spirit (The Word in Life Study Bible pg. 1768). The Holy Spirit also revealed to him that Mary and Joseph would be hurt by the things that would ultimately happen to Jesus. Simeon doesn’t appear to have any special credentials as a rabbi or religious figure, but his closeness with God as a faithful and righteous man was rewarded with a promise that he would see the Messiah. Like many of God’s fulfilled promises, Simeon had to wait until he was very old, and he may have been wondering when it would finally come to pass. He may have even witnessed false messiahs prior to seeing Jesus, and he may not have known what form the Messiah would take. But, like Elizabeth when John leaped in her womb, Simeon immediately knew he was in the presence of his Lord (The Word in Life Study Bible pg. 1769).

Like Mary’s Magnificat and Zacharias’ Benedictus, Simeon’s prayer also has a Latin title: Nunc Dimittis. The inclusion of these verses is consistent with Luke’s appreciation of poetry, song, and prayer for their literary value. It is also “apparently quoted by Luke as a part of his program of locating independent witnesses to Christs’s messiahship” (Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible Vol. 5, pg. 440). As multiple people at the temple independently corroborate Jesus’ legitimacy as the Messiah, we can not only become more convinced ourselves, but we can also share in the amazement of His father and mother, at the things which are continuing to happen to their son.

See the next post here https://onthepath.online/2019/01/23/anna-proclaims-the-messiah/

Scripture References

¹Ge 17:12 And every male among you who is eight days old shall be circumcised throughout your generations, a servant who is born in the house or who is bought with money from any foreigner, who is not of your descendants.

¹Lv 12:3 On the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.

¹Lk 1:59 And it happened that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to call him Zacharias, after his father.

²Mt 1:21 She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.

²Mt 1:25 but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.

²Lk 1:31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.

^{3, 5}Lv 12:6 When the days of her purification are completed, for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the doorway of the tent of meeting a one year old lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering. 7 Then he shall offer it before the Lord and make atonement for her, and she shall be cleansed from the flow of her blood. This is the law for her who bears a child, whether a male or a female. 8 But if she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take two turtledoves or two young pigeons, the one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement for her, and she will be clean.

⁴Ex 13:2 Sanctify to Me every firstborn, the first offspring of every womb among the sons of Israel, both of man and beast; it belongs to Me.

⁴Ex 13:12 you shall devote to the Lord the first offspring of every womb, and the first offspring of every beast that you own; the males belong to the Lord.

⁴Nu 3:13 For all the firstborn are Mine; on the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctified to Myself all the firstborn in Israel, from man to beast. They shall be Mine; I am the Lord.

⁴Nu 8:17 For every firstborn among the sons of Israel is Mine, among the men and among the animals; on the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I sanctified them for Myself.

⁵Lv 5:11 But if his means are insufficient for two turtledoves or two young pigeons, then for his offering for that which he has sinned, he shall bring the tenth of an ephah of fine flour for a sin offering; he shall not put oil on it or place incense on it, for it is a sin offering.

⁶Lk 1:6 They were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord.

⁷Mk 15:43 Joseph of Arimathea came, a prominent member of the Council, who himself was waiting for the kingdom of God; and he gathered up courage and went in before Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus.

⁷Lk 1:68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people,

⁷Lk 2:38 At that very [i]moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak¹⁴ of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.

⁷Lk 23:51 (he had not consented to their plan and action), a man from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who was waiting for the kingdom of God;

⁸Mt 2:12 And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.

⁹Ps 89:48 What man can live and not see death? Can he deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah.

⁹Jn 8:51 Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he will never see death.

⁹Heb 11:5 By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; and he was not found because God took him up; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God.

¹⁰Ps 119:166 I hope for Your salvation, O Lord, And do Your commandments.

¹⁰Ps 119:174 I long for Your salvation, O Lord, And Your law is my delight.

¹⁰Is 52:10 The Lord has bared His holy arm In the sight of all the nations, That all the ends of the earth may see The salvation of our God.

¹⁰Lk 3:6 And all flesh will see the salvation of God.

¹¹Is 9:2 The people who walk in darkness Will see a great light; Those who live in a dark land, The light will shine on them.

¹¹Is 42:6 I am the Lord, I have called You in righteousness, I will also hold You by the hand and watch over You, And I will appoint You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the nations,

¹¹Is 49:6 He says, “It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also make You a light of the nations So that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.

¹¹Is 49:9 Saying to those who are bound, ‘Go forth,’ To those who are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves.’ Along the roads they will feed, And their pasture will be on all bare heights.

¹¹Is 51:4 Pay attention to Me, O My people, And give ear to Me, O My nation; For a law will go forth from Me, And I will set My justice for a light of the peoples.

¹¹Is 60:1 Arise, shine; for your light has come, And the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. 2 “For behold, darkness will cover the earth And deep darkness the peoples; But the Lord will rise upon you And His glory will appear upon you. 3 “Nations will come to your light, And kings to the brightness of your rising.

¹¹Mt 4:16 The people who were sitting in darkness saw a great Light, And those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death, Upon them a Light dawned.

¹¹Ac 13:47 For so the Lord has commanded us, ‘I have placed You as a light for the Gentiles, That You may bring salvation to the end of the earth.’

¹¹Ac 26:23 that the Christ was to suffer, and that by reason of His resurrection from the dead He would be the first to proclaim light both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.

¹²Mt 12:46 While He was still speaking to the crowds, behold, His mother and brothers were standing outside, seeking to speak to Him.

¹³Mt 21:44 And he who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust.

¹³1 Co 1:23 but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness,

¹³2 Co 2:16 to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. And who is adequate for these things?

¹³1 Pe 2:8 and, “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense”; for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this doom they were also appointed.

Lv 12:2 Speak to the sons of Israel, saying: ‘When a woman gives birth and bears a male child, then she shall be unclean for seven days, as in the days of her menstruation she shall be unclean. 3 On the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. 4 Then she shall remain in the blood of her purification for thirty-three days; she shall not touch any consecrated thing, nor enter the sanctuary until the days of her purification are completed. 5 But if she bears a female child, then she shall be unclean for two weeks, as in her menstruation; and she shall remain in the blood of her purification for sixty-six days.

Lv 15:19 ‘When a woman has a discharge, if her discharge in her body is blood, she shall continue in her menstrual impurity for seven days; and whoever touches her shall be unclean until evening. 20 Everything also on which she lies during her menstrual impurity shall be unclean, and everything on which she sits shall be unclean. 21 Anyone who touches her bed shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening. 22 Whoever touches any thing on which she sits shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening. 23 Whether it be on the bed or on the thing on which she is sitting, when he touches it, he shall be unclean until evening. 24 If a man actually lies with her so that her menstrual impurity is on him, he shall be unclean seven days, and every bed on which he lies shall be unclean. 25 ‘Now if a woman has a discharge of her blood many days, not at the period of her menstrual impurity, or if she has a discharge beyond [a]that period, all the days of her impure discharge she shall continue as though [b]in her menstrual impurity; she is unclean. 26 Any bed on which she lies all the days of her discharge shall be to her like [c]her bed at menstruation; and every thing on which she sits shall be unclean, like [d]her uncleanness at that time. 27 Likewise, whoever touches them shall be unclean and shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening. 28 When she becomes clean from her discharge, she shall count off for herself seven days; and afterward she will be clean. 29 Then on the eighth day she shall take for herself two turtledoves or two young pigeons and bring them in to the priest, to the doorway of the tent of meeting. 30 The priest shall offer the one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. So the priest shall make atonement on her behalf before the Lord because of her impure discharge.’ 31 “Thus you shall keep the sons of Israel separated from their uncleanness, so that they will not die in their uncleanness by their defiling My [e]tabernacle that is among them.” 32 This is the law for the one with a discharge, and for the man [f]who has a seminal emission so that he is unclean by it, 33 and for the woman who is ill because of menstrual impurity, and for the one who has a discharge, whether a male or a female, or a man who lies with an unclean woman.