Jesus Presented at the Temple

" And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord."
—Luke 2:22

Contributed

Every event connected with Jesus would come to Mary as a fresh discovery and a new surprise. She knew the beginning and she would live to see the end of Jesus’ life, but the daily experiences filling the gap in days and years would have to be taken one day at a time. Mary had no idea what turn of events awaited each day. A soberness developed in this young woman’s mind. She focused on watching to see just what was required of her, a mother blessed and entrusted with this little life she held in her arms. One thing was certain; the responsibility was great. The privilege was an honor never to be bestowed upon another. Determination gripped her very being like never before. She was determined to try her best to do what the Lord expected of her.

"Mary treasured all this in her memory and wondered in her mind what it all meant" (Luke 2:19, 51). She pieced together each event, each experience, each miracle, each over-ruling providence, each message. They might have come in different and unusual ways, but each took on a special meaning. Mary listened closely with an intensity few could imagine. Every detail was important. She was determined that the God of the universe would be pleased with the servant he chose to bear the Messiah.

It was eight days since the first cry was heard from baby Jesus. Joseph and Mary tried to follow every step of the Law closely—now more than ever. Under the Law the first requirement for every new born male was that he be circumcised. Circumcision was the sign of voluntary subjection to the conditions of the Law and acceptance of its obligations. Circumcision also represented the privileges that came from the Covenant made between God and Abraham and extended to all his seed. At this time the baby was given the name, Jesus, the name given him by the angel to Mary (Luke 2:21).

Under the Law, the firstborn son of every household was to be "redeemed" from the priest at the price of five shekels of the sanctuary (Num. 18:16). Closely tied in with this is the purification of the mother described in Leviticus 12. Forty-one days after giving birth to a son, the mother was to offer before the Lord a burnt offering and a sin offering. The Talmud did not require the woman to be personally present at the temple to make such an offering (Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, Edersheim, p. 136). The offering could be made any time later, notably when attendance at any of the great feasts brought a family to Jerusalem. Bethlehem was conveniently close to Jerusalem. Mary was earnest and naturally journeyed to Jerusalem and the temple to provide the offerings necessary for the redemption of the firstborn and the purification requirements. No detail was to be left out. The days were counted precisely. The journey taken.

As Mary came close to the temple, she entered by the eastern gate of the court called Nicanor’s Gate. The door was 40 cubits high. It was richly adorned with thick layers of silver and gold. The gate was an awesome sight to behold close up. In that gate sat a council of 23 elders. Here they made the suspected wife drink bitter waters, cleansed the lepers, and purified women after child-birth. Women that were to be purified were sprinkled with blood. There stood Mary holding baby Jesus close to her as the crowds pressed around as she waited her turn.

The Rite of Purification

As regards the rite of purification of the mother, a pair of turtledoves was offered (Luke 2:24). The sin offering was always a turtledove or young pigeon. The wealthy brought a lamb for the burnt offering, but the poor might substitute a turtledove (Lev. 12:8). And so this young family, poor in this world’s goods but rich in faith, carried out the requirements of the Law by offering two turtledoves.

The ceremony at the redemption of a first-born son was, no doubt, more simple than is presently observed. It consisted of the formal presentation of the child to the priest, accompanied by two short benedictions. One was for the Law of Redemption and the other for the gift of a first-born son. After this the redemption money was paid. It was a time to remember God’s claim over each family in Israel. The words which fell upon the ears of Joseph and Mary were given keen attention, for they knew that this child was like no other first born child ever presented to a priest in the temple.

Simeon

Amid the hustle and bustle of the crowds at the temple there stood out one man whose name was Simeon. He meticulously observed the Law and devoutly reverenced God. He was waiting for the comforting of Israel. Some commentators are of the opinion that he was the son of Hillel (Clark’s Commentary, Adam Clark, Vol. 3, p. 374), one of the most celebrated doctors and philosophers which had ever appeared in the Jewish nation since the time of Moses. He is also supposed to have been the president of the Sanhedrin. He steadily regulated his conduct by the law of his God. He was fully consecrated to God. He had a pious heart, or in the original it means a person of good report, one well received by the people. He was cautious and circumspect in matters of religion, so when Simeon spoke, people listened. His words carried much weight.

Day after day Simeon watched at the temple to see if maybe this was the day he would see the Lord’s Christ. Day after day he would go home in disappointment. The holy spirit was upon Simeon, though, and he would always return, for it had been revealed to him by the holy spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ (Luke 2:26).

In Expectation

The Jews that had studied the prophecies and the Law knew that the time for Messiah was near. They expected a mighty warrior to conquer and subdue the enemies of Israel (Psa. 2:6-9), i.e., the Roman Empire. It was universally accepted that the Messiah would be a prophet like unto Moses (Deut. 18:15-19). The Messiah would be a mighty king restoring the glory of the past once again to Israel. The kingdom of this Messiah would never go to another and would last forever (Dan. 2:44). The prophecies of Daniel gave a time feature which every student of the Law calculated meticulously (9:25-27). The time was due for their hopes to be fulfilled. Before a man could become a mighty warrior, before Messiah could claim his rightful place on the throne of the Kingdom, before the prophet likened unto Moses could lead the people to freedom once again, he first had to be a child, raised faithfully under the Law. Simeon realized this and his faith kept him close to the temple watching the events of each day. What better place to wait for that child than the temple in Jerusalem?

Simeon would listen closely as parents would come into the temple area to offer the proper sacrifices for the firstborn. He would listen closely to hear which tribe they came from. He would compare the criteria of each candidate with the prophecies and the Law. Did the lineage of the parents both go back through the house of David? Was the child born in Bethlehem? Did the child have any blemishes which would disqualify him?

Simeon, led by the spirit, came into the temple just when Mary and Joseph brought in the child Jesus, to carry out the custom of the Law. This day was different for Simeon. His long awaited search for a child fitting the description of the Messiah was not in vain.

"Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God and said, Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: For mine eyes have seen thy salvation which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.—Luke 2:28-32

Simeon was an old man and probably would not live to witness this child grow to manhood to begin his mission. He was content to wait with the fathers of Israel in the grave until the resurrection. Messiah’s rising would lighten the darkness of the heathen and restore the glory of Israel. With the infant in his arms it was as if Simeon stood upon the mountain-height of prophetic vision and watched the golden beams of sunrise reach out to the ends of the earth, healing and enlightening all within its reach and then gathering their full glow over his beloved land and people, Israel.

To Joseph and Mary these words were totally unexpected. They marveled that such a devout man at the temple would notice Jesus and place such meaning to his life. It must have been a moment filled with reassurance, but the words which followed were quite sobering.

"Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also.) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed" (Luke 2:34-35). That Mary understood the meaning of these words is highly unlikely. Whether Simeon understood the full meaning is just as unlikely. The utterance of these words came under the power of the spirit through Simeon. Each was important and not until the holy spirit would be poured out at Pentecost could any expect to understand them fully. Thirty-three years later these words would strike Mary’s heart as she would stand in the shadow of the cross on Calvary and realize their meaning with sorrow and tears.

A Rejected Messiah

The ministry of Jesus would not be accepted by the Jews. To many he would be a "stone of stumbling and a rock of offense" (Rom. 9:33). The period of Israel’s disfavor would leave the nation blinded to the true Messiah, a blindness that would last until "the fullness of the Gentiles" had come in (Rom. 11:25).

This is a mixed prophecy, blending not only the falling but the rising again of Israel. The damage is not permanent. Not only was it foretold that the Jews would reject Jesus but their recovery was also anticipated. If we see the fulfillment of the first part of this prophecy, it should encourage us that the rest will also be fulfilled. The return of favor and the acceptance by those that have pierced the Messiah will come about (Rev. 1:7). William Barclay’s translation of the New Testament renders the end of Luke 2:34, "and to be a message from God which men will reject." New English Bible says, "and a sign which men reject," while the translation of the New Testament by O. M. Norlie reads, "and to be a controversial figure."

The ministry of Jesus met opposition. Not only did the religious rulers object to his teachings, but some of his sayings were too hard for his disciples to accept and some just walked away. Even disciples who followed him for awhile, turned away: "Many of his disciples who had been listening said, this is a very difficult message. Who can listen to this? . . . From that time on many of his disciples turned back and no longer remained with him" (John 6:60-66, Barclay).

Possibly Simeon recalled the prophecy in Isaiah 11:1, 10, which tied the idea of Messiah with the lineage of Jesse and that he would be a sign which the Gentiles would seek, implying the Jews as a whole would not.

"And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots . . . And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious."—Isaiah 11:1, 10

The gospel message offers suffering and death to its messengers. It is a narrow way that leads to life and few there be that find it (Matt. 7:14).

Anna the Prophetess

In the temple that day was Anna, a prophetess from the tribe of Asher. She devoted her life full-time in service doing what she could in the temple. Her service mainly consisted of fasting and prayers, night and day. Her age limited her physical ability from carrying out the heavier chores which younger women could perform, but that did not hold her back from finding a useful service in the temple. The heavenly Father blessed Anna’s devotion that day as she gave thanks to the Lord. She witnessed the Messiah as a babe.

"Redemption" was a key message of Anna. As a widow she felt the emptiness of going home alone each night. She was married as a young woman in her teens, but after seven years her husband died. Being a widow for 84 years she was over 100 by the time Mary brought Jesus into the temple. The sorrows and suffering she witnessed as the multitudes of devout Jews faithfully came to the priests developed in her a sympathy for their plight.

Though Rabbinic tradition often ignored those like Anna, she represented a number of Israelites who were the salt which preserved the mass from festering corruption. She was a friend, an example and advisor of such. While described as a "prophetess," it may be more along the lines described in 1 Corinthians 14:3: "He that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation and comfort."

Unlike Simeon, who waited for the consolation of Israel as a nation, Anna longed for the redemption of the people from their personal suffering. There were many in Israel of a similar mind. Followers of John the Baptist recognized the sinfulness of sin and the need of cleansing. It was this same element of Israel that Anna found listening. They sought redemption in Jerusalem and heard her words directed to Jesus. Day by day she would speak of him whom her eyes had seen, though it must be in whispers and with bated breath. The young babe already had many enemies, for they were in the city of Herod.

Like Simeon, Anna’s age precluded her from experiencing Jesus’ ministry. Many that would hear her words would forget and go their own way in time, but Mary would remember this day. Mary "kept all these sayings in her heart." (Luke 2:51)