Luke 2:21-40
Thank you for continuing this journey of The Gospel Project®
for Kids. Sunday’s Bible account takes place after the events of
Christmas, when Mary and Joseph were enjoying the sleepless nights as
parents of the newborn baby Jesus. (Remember those days?) Life was
seemingly going back to normal.
Long
ago, the Lord spoke to Moses: “Consecrate every firstborn male to Me,
the firstborn from every womb among the Israelites, both man and
domestic animal; it is Mine” (Exodus 13:2). Consecrate means
“to dedicate to a sacred purpose.” God’s people were to set apart their
firstborn as belonging to the Lord. The firstborn of sacrificial animals
were sacrificed to God, and the firstborn of humans and donkeys were
redeemed—a lamb was sacrificed instead. God’s law for the consecration
of the firstborn had a purpose: to remind the people that the Lord
brought them out of Egypt by the strength of His hand. (See Exodus
13:14-16.)
After
a woman gave birth, she was considered “unclean,” and she would observe
a period of purification, a reminder that we are all born in sin. Then
she would bring to the priest a burnt offering and a sin offering. (See
Leviticus 12:1-8.) This is what Mary did. When Mary’s days of
purification were complete, Mary and Joseph took Jesus to Jerusalem,
where they presented Him to the Lord and offered a sacrifice. Though
Jesus was not born in sin, He identified with sinners even as a baby.
This initial act introduced Jesus’ life of perfect obedience to the law.
While
Mary and Joseph were at the temple, God graciously revealed to a man
named Simeon and a woman named Anna that Jesus was the One—the promised
Messiah they had been waiting for. Imagine their joy! Throughout the Old
Testament, God promised the arrival of a king who would redeem God's
people. When Jesus arrived, Simeon and Anna knew He was the promised
Messiah. Today, we have faith that Jesus is God’s Son. We can trust
Jesus for our salvation.
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