Luke 2:21 Mary - For The Glory of Jesus

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Mary

On the eighth day after the birth of Jesus, Mary and Joseph took Jesus to the temple. He was circumcised. His name was Jesus, according to the angel, Gabriel.

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Luke 2:21-38

“Dr. Luke now tells us about three important meetings in the temple in Jerusalem: the child Jesus met Moses (Luke 2:20-24), Simeon (Luke 2:25-35), and Anna (Luke 2:36-38).” (Wiersbe, Warren W, The Bible Exposition Commentary New Testament Volume 1 Matthew-Galatians. [Colorado Springs: David C Cook, 2004], 177)

21. After eight days He was circumcised.

“Even though it is not emphasized, Jesus’ circumcision reveals the solidary of God’s Son with his people, namely, that he was born under the law (Galatians 4:4).” (Stein, H. Robert, The New American Commentary Volume 24, Luke. [Broadman Press, 1996], 113)

He was named Jesus by Gabriel (see Luke 1:31; Matthew 1:18-25;).

Mary Purification

22. “For forty days a woman was considered unclean after birth of a child, according to the Mosaic Law. Mary as a sinner had to bring a sacrifice to the Lord. She needed a Savior as she said.” (McGee, J. Vernon, Thru the Bible: Volume IV: [Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1983], 254) Leviticus 12

23. “This verse demonstrates that the main element in this account for Luke was the Savior’s consecration rather than his redemption or Mary’s purification.” (Stein, 114)

24. “Mary and Joseph offered turtledoves as a sacrifice, which were an evidence of their poverty. The sacrifice was for Mary and not the Child. As far as we know, Jesus never offered a sacrifice.” (McGee, 254) Leviticus 12:6

Simeon

25. “He is mentioned nowhere else in Scripture.” (MacArthur, John, The MacArthur Bible Commentary. [Nashville, Thomas Nelson Inc., 2005], 1278)

“‘The consolation of Israel’ means the messianic hope. One of the traditional Jewish prayers is, ‘May I see the consolation of Israel.’ That prayer was answered for Simeon when he saw Jesus Christ in the temple.” (Wiersbe, 177)

26. “God had promised Simeon that he would see the salvation of God. What did he see? He saw a little Baby. Salvation is a Person, and that Person is the Lord Jesus Christ. You either have Him, or you don’t have Him. Do you have Him today?” (McGee, 254)

27. He came by the Spirit into the temple. The Spirit guided Simeon into the temple.

“Here ‘temple’ refers to the temple court, not the temple sanctuary.” (Stein, 115)

Simeon went into the temple court where Mary and Joseph were.

28. With Jesus in his arms, Simeon blessed God.

Praise

29-33. “Praising God (cf. 1:68), Simeon first claimed his dismissal from God’s army. His tour of duty was done. God had fulfilled his promise. Simeon could now die and claim his eternal peace. He had seen God’s salvation. Named Jesus, “Yahweh is salvation” (v. 21) and proclaimed by the angel as Savior (v. 11), Jesus was what Simeon had longed for and looked for all these years—the salvation, the deliverance of his people.” [Max Anders and Trent C. Butler (2012). HNTC Vol. 03: Luke. B&H Publishing Group. Retrieved from https://read.lifeway.com]

“Such salvation is not a human act or human possession. It is God’s salvation. He prepared for it clearly on the stage of world history where all people could see. He made it a light for revelation to the Gentiles. Yes, salvation was more than fulfillment of Israel’s nationalistic hopes. Salvation was a light revealing God and his purposes and ways to all people, Jew and Gentile alike (see Isa. 40:5; 42:6; 46:13; 49:6; 52:9-10).” [Max Anders and Trent C. Butler (2012). HNTC Vol. 03: Luke. B&H Publishing Group. Retrieved from https://read.lifeway.com]

30. Your salvation. “I.e., the One who would redeem His people from their sins.” (MacArthur, 1278)

31. All Peoples. “I.e., all nations, tongues and tribes (cf. Revelation 7:9)—both Israel and the Gentiles (v. 32). (MacArthur, 1278)

32. “He made it a light for revelation to the Gentiles. Yes, salvation was more than fulfillment of Israel’s nationalistic hopes. Salvation was a light revealing God and his purposes and ways to all people, Jew and Gentile alike (see Isa. 40:5; 42:6; 46:13; 49:6; 52:9-10 – above).” [Max Anders and Trent C. Butler (2012). HNTC Vol. 03: Luke. B&H Publishing Group. Retrieved from https://read.lifeway.com]

Blessing

33. This amazed Mary and Joseph.

34. “Simeon addressed his words to Mary rather than to Mary and Joseph.” (Stein, 116)

“Simeon continued his blessing, not directing it to the parents but to God. The words hardly sounded like blessing. They described pain and separation. Israel must fall and fail in the face of Jesus before they would rise as he arose (see Ps. 118:22; Isa. 8:14; 28:16; cf. Luke 20:17-18; Rom. 9:32-33; 1 Pet. 2:6-8).” [Max Anders and Trent C. Butler (2012). HNTC Vol. 03: Luke. B&H Publishing Group. Retrieved from https://read.lifeway.com]

35. “The image of the sword was for Mary alone, and it spoke of the suffering and sorrow she would bear as the mother of the Messiah. (This suggests that Joseph was dead when Jesus began His ministry thirty years later, or Joseph would have been included.)” (Wiersbe, 178)

“The last time you find Mary named in Scripture, she is in the Upper Room, praying with the other believers (Acts 1:14).” (Wiersbe, 178)

Anna

36. “Her name means ‘grace,’ and she was a godly widow of great age.” (Wiersbe, 179)

“God’s timing is always perfect. Anna came up just as Simeon was praising the Lord for the Child Jesus, so she joined in the song! (Wiersbe, 179)

37. “Anna devoted herself to ‘serving God by worship’ through fasting and prayers.” (Wiersbe, 179)

“Women were not normally allowed to stay in the temple during the night. It is best therefore to interpret it in the popular sense of all the time, i. e., she was “in church’ all day long (cf. 24:53).

38. She Gave Thanks to the Lord [NKJV] “This serves as an example of model Christian behavior.” (Stein, 118)

“Anna then turned to other worshipers and spoke her prophetic words about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem (see Isa. 52:9). Not all Jews rejected Jesus. Simeon waited for God to comfort Israel (v. 25). Anna and the other worshipers looked to God for Jerusalem’s redemption (cf. 1:68). [Max Anders and Trent C. Butler (2012). HNTC Vol. 03: Luke. B&H Publishing Group. Retrieved from https://read.lifeway.com]

References

In this article Scripture quotations taken from KJV.

Stein, H. Robert, The New American Commentary Volume 24, Luke. Broadman Press, 1996
Max Anders and Trent C. Butler (2012). HNTC Vol. 03: Luke. [B&H Publishing Group. Retrieved from https://read.lifeway.com]
McGee, J. Vernon, Thru the Bible: Volume IV: Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1983
MacArthur, John, The MacArthur Bible Commentary. Nashville, Thomas Nelson Inc., 2005
Wiersbe, Warren W, The Bible Exposition Commentary New Testament Volume 1 Matthew-Galatians. Colorado Springs: David C Cook, 2004

Birth of Jesus Temple

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