Luke 2:21-40
This week in The Gospel Project®
for Kids, our journey takes place about 33 days after Jesus’ birth. Do
you remember the first few weeks of your precious child’s life? Mary and
Joseph, the proud new parents of the Savior, took Him to the temple as
God had commanded.
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 “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’ perfect life of 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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