Luke 2: 21-40

(Luke 2: 21-40) And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb. 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; (As it is written in the law of the LORD, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;) And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons. And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, 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. And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him. And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, 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. And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity; And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem. And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth. And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him. 

Jesus was in distress right after his birth. In Matthew 2:13, ``And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there. until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. 』Jesus fled to Egypt. And when Herod died, Joseph returned to Jerusalem and visited the temple to absolve the baby Jesus according to the law of Moses. Jesus was circumcised according to the law on the eighth day after his birth. It was a duty imposed on all the Israelites who were descendants of Abraham. Jesus came to this world with grace, not the law, but he obeyed the law. Because in order to save those who are bound by the law, you must first have flaw in the law. And Jesus died on the cross according to the law, and the law was completed. Those who are in Christ also become the end of the law. 

After Jesus was circumcised, he was formally given the name Jesus. A mother who gave birth to a man is unclean for 33 days, and a mother who gave birth to a woman is unclean for 66 days. This was also a warning to humans not to forget their sins in Eden. It is mentioned in Leviticus 12:1-5. It is to remember that humans have left God from birth. 

Mary went up to Jerusalem after 40 days in Bethlehem, totaling 7 and 33 days. According to the law, two young pigeons were offered, one as a burnt offering and the other as a sin offering. Originally, burnt offerings at postpartum rites were supposed to be offered as lambs, but a tolerance provision was made for the poor to offer them as pigeons as well. (Leviticus 12:6-8) Like this, Jesus was born in a very poor family. When Joseph and Mary came to Jerusalem, they accidentally met two godly people. One was a Jerusalemite named Simeon, and the other was a prophetess named Anna. 

Simeon was a godly and righteous man. He was the one who was directed by the Holy Spirit that God's comfort would be in the suffering Israel. When he saw the baby Jesus appearing in Jerusalem and learned that he was the Christ by the Holy Spirit, he held the child and praised God: ``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. Simeon knew that Jesus was not only a comforter for Israel, but also the one who would shine the light of truth and save the world and all the Gentiles.

 However, it was not something to be done in smooth peace. 『And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against;』. The other is the prophet Anna, the daughter of Vanuel of the tribe of Asher, who lived with her husband for seven years, and after her husband died, she spent a long time as a widow, fasting and praying day and night. When he saw Jesus, he witnessed to the people.

 Joseph and Mary, who had gone to Bethlehem to register, returned to their hometown, Nazareth, Galilee. Galilee was the first place to be occupied by Assyria, where many Gentiles migrated. In Isaiah 9:1, the Jews called Galilee the "Galilee of the Gentiles" and were profane. Galilee itself was a source of abundant crops, but most of the inhabitants were peasants and laborers, and at the time of Jesus, it was the poorest neighborhood, with a heavy tax of 200 talents a year due to the rebellion of the past. How he grew up after returning to Nazareth is unknown. However, his childhood says, "The baby grew and became strong, and his wisdom was satisfied, and the grace of God was upon him."

 Emphasizes that Jesus is the Son of Man. Jesus is called the Son of Man 88 times in the New Testament. Jesus is the Messiah and shows that He is truly human. The human Jesus understands the nature of man well and leads man to the path of salvation by personally experiencing how to be saved in sin. All humans looked at Jesus, and Jesus said to take up his cross. That is why those who deny themselves become disciples of Jesus.