Read Chapter 2:21-40...then come back..
We see here that Father God is making sure that Jesus would be brought up by good parents who would follow all the requirements of the Mosaic Laws including dedicating Him in the Temple 8 days after His birth...
He would be officially named Jesus, which means "The Lord Saves" and circumcised just like all the other little Jewish baby boys, but God made sure His dedication would be a little more exciting than most..
Simeon who is described as a righteous and devote man of God was filled with the Holy Spirit and recognized Him immediately and took Jesus up in his arms and was thrilled because he realized that the promise the Lord had given him had finally come true...Can you just imagine how excited he must have been?
He had probably been waiting many many years for it to finally come to pass...and here was the baby... And said... (V34-35)“Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
God had promised this righteous man Simeon the honor and privilege of seeing with his own eyes the Messiah...the Savior of the World! Not only of the savior of the Jews but of the whole world..so now Simeon was content to die in peace knowing that God's promise and the prophesies had finally coming to pass.
And we all know that Simeon's' prophecy was right, Jesus would be the cornerstone that many would stumble over...He would be the One who caused great consternation and great joy...both in abundance...
And let's not forget Anna, the widowed Prophetess who lived in the Temple day and night was immediately drawn to the child...and the minute she laid eyes on Him she began proclaiming to the crowd there and all around the praises of God...
I can just close my eyes and imagine her, even as feeble as she must have been at 84 years old, joyfully dancing around announcing what she knew in her heart!! The Messiah! The Messiah! Our Savior and King has come!...of course the Bible doesn't say that, but that's' what I would have done :) smile
So here we are..even more signs and wonders for Mary and Joseph to ponder surrounding this baby Jesus! This tiny 8 day old baby boy would grow up strong and wise and be the Savior of all those who would put their trust in Him.
Now to my thoughts...
I have often wondered and felt a little frustrated about why the bible is silent regarding His early years. We don't learn much about Him again until He turned 12 years old and would go into Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover Feast...and we will discuss that in the next post...
Regardless of the details of His young life, we know He grew up in Nazareth and we can be assured that God made sure that Jesus was brought up participating in all the Jewish traditions, Festivals and requirements of the Law and the Commandments..He would have tirelessly studied the Old Testament scriptures, memorized them and pondered them in His heart and as a result grew wiser than most.
Mary and Joseph would have been very proud of Him and would have brought Him up in a good and honest home...surrounded by love and probably expected to do hard work helping Joseph in the family trade. We never hear about Joseph again either...I guess it's just one of the things that will remain a mystery.
We know based on mention of them in other gospels that Jesus had half brothers and sisters, and because He was the oldest would have probably been expected to help take care of the younger siblings...Of course that's all speculation and guess-work on my part, but it would have been what the normal life then would have been like in that time and place...so it's probably a good guess. Because during those times it would have been extremely important and helping each other was crucial for basic survival.
We know that after He began His ministry and returned to Nazareth to minister to those there in His hometown, the people there said "Isn't this the son of the carpenter?". So maybe He had been simply like any other boy growing up because they didn't remember Him as anything out of the ordinary? Little did they know that this carpenters son was actually God in the flesh and would eventually retake His place as the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords...
Just imagine after living right next door to Jesus all that time and later finding out who He actually was!??! and saying "Wow...maybe I should have been a little nicer to him" :).. It would have been like growing up next door to the most famous celebrity of all time!!
I am still amazed that God loved us so much that He would come down from all His glory to walk in the form of a man. To take on flesh and blood with all the possible weaknesses that come with that; to feel pain and sorrow so He would know what it was like to be human...
My Jesus is God, the Son, but He was also fully human as well, with all that comes with that...so I know when I go through something He understands it. He knows what it's like to cry and get angry, and feel pain physically and emotionally.
I also thank Him for the promise to deliver me from all those things completely and perfectly as I trust and rely on Him..because the Bible says that He is forever sitting at the right hand of God interceding on my behalf. And ..."Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed" Isaiah 53:4-5.
Oh how I love my best friend Jesus...
What did you learn from the story of Jesus' dedication?
We see here that Father God is making sure that Jesus would be brought up by good parents who would follow all the requirements of the Mosaic Laws including dedicating Him in the Temple 8 days after His birth...
He would be officially named Jesus, which means "The Lord Saves" and circumcised just like all the other little Jewish baby boys, but God made sure His dedication would be a little more exciting than most..
Simeon who is described as a righteous and devote man of God was filled with the Holy Spirit and recognized Him immediately and took Jesus up in his arms and was thrilled because he realized that the promise the Lord had given him had finally come true...Can you just imagine how excited he must have been?
He had probably been waiting many many years for it to finally come to pass...and here was the baby... And said... (V34-35)“Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
God had promised this righteous man Simeon the honor and privilege of seeing with his own eyes the Messiah...the Savior of the World! Not only of the savior of the Jews but of the whole world..so now Simeon was content to die in peace knowing that God's promise and the prophesies had finally coming to pass.
And we all know that Simeon's' prophecy was right, Jesus would be the cornerstone that many would stumble over...He would be the One who caused great consternation and great joy...both in abundance...
And let's not forget Anna, the widowed Prophetess who lived in the Temple day and night was immediately drawn to the child...and the minute she laid eyes on Him she began proclaiming to the crowd there and all around the praises of God...
I can just close my eyes and imagine her, even as feeble as she must have been at 84 years old, joyfully dancing around announcing what she knew in her heart!! The Messiah! The Messiah! Our Savior and King has come!...of course the Bible doesn't say that, but that's' what I would have done :) smile
So here we are..even more signs and wonders for Mary and Joseph to ponder surrounding this baby Jesus! This tiny 8 day old baby boy would grow up strong and wise and be the Savior of all those who would put their trust in Him.
Now to my thoughts...
I have often wondered and felt a little frustrated about why the bible is silent regarding His early years. We don't learn much about Him again until He turned 12 years old and would go into Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover Feast...and we will discuss that in the next post...
Regardless of the details of His young life, we know He grew up in Nazareth and we can be assured that God made sure that Jesus was brought up participating in all the Jewish traditions, Festivals and requirements of the Law and the Commandments..He would have tirelessly studied the Old Testament scriptures, memorized them and pondered them in His heart and as a result grew wiser than most.
Mary and Joseph would have been very proud of Him and would have brought Him up in a good and honest home...surrounded by love and probably expected to do hard work helping Joseph in the family trade. We never hear about Joseph again either...I guess it's just one of the things that will remain a mystery.
We know based on mention of them in other gospels that Jesus had half brothers and sisters, and because He was the oldest would have probably been expected to help take care of the younger siblings...Of course that's all speculation and guess-work on my part, but it would have been what the normal life then would have been like in that time and place...so it's probably a good guess. Because during those times it would have been extremely important and helping each other was crucial for basic survival.
We know that after He began His ministry and returned to Nazareth to minister to those there in His hometown, the people there said "Isn't this the son of the carpenter?". So maybe He had been simply like any other boy growing up because they didn't remember Him as anything out of the ordinary? Little did they know that this carpenters son was actually God in the flesh and would eventually retake His place as the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords...
Just imagine after living right next door to Jesus all that time and later finding out who He actually was!??! and saying "Wow...maybe I should have been a little nicer to him" :).. It would have been like growing up next door to the most famous celebrity of all time!!
I am still amazed that God loved us so much that He would come down from all His glory to walk in the form of a man. To take on flesh and blood with all the possible weaknesses that come with that; to feel pain and sorrow so He would know what it was like to be human...
My Jesus is God, the Son, but He was also fully human as well, with all that comes with that...so I know when I go through something He understands it. He knows what it's like to cry and get angry, and feel pain physically and emotionally.
I also thank Him for the promise to deliver me from all those things completely and perfectly as I trust and rely on Him..because the Bible says that He is forever sitting at the right hand of God interceding on my behalf. And ..."Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed" Isaiah 53:4-5.
Oh how I love my best friend Jesus...
What did you learn from the story of Jesus' dedication?
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