What Child is this? - Part 1 (Luke 2:21-40)
INTRODUCTION:
Our Scripture reading this morning was the birth of Christ as recorded for us in the Gospel of Matthew. Last Sunday, we looked at the birth of Christ as recorded for us in Luke 2. As we come to the end of December, I wanted to share one more message on the Incarnation. As we have looked at the events surrounding the incarnation and the incarnation itself which was a supernatural act of God in which the Holy Spirit caused the virgin Mary to conceive God’s Son, each message concerning His incarnation and birth has left us with a choice, we either have to believe what God’s Word says about Jesus Christ’s conception and birth or we have to reject it. It comes down to answering the question given in the carol, “What Child is this?” This question is truly the Christmas question? It is a question that each of us must answer and your answer reveals your heart. A statement is made in our passage this morning that is a defining statement. In the end of Luke 2:35, it says, “—to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.” (Luke 2:35b, NASB95)[1] In our passage today we will hear testimony concerning Jesus and how a person responds to that testimony reveals their heart. A person’s response to the truth concerning Jesus Christ determines a person’s destiny in time and eternity.
We have looked at the events of Christ’s birth and even before His birth, the announcements of the birth of John and Jesus, the birth of John, the birth of Jesus, the shepherds, and though we did not look at the account of the magi from the east, we are familiar with it, we also know about Herod and his murderous plan to kill the Child and the flight of Joseph and Mary and Jesus to Egypt and the slaughter of the children of Bethlehem. We know all these events surrounding the birth of Jesus Christ, but there are some other events that are often overlooked and that is the passage I want to look at this morning, within this passage we have the testimonies of three witnesses of our Lord Jesus Christ, these are more explicit then those of the magi and the shepherds. We do not know anything about the character of the shepherds, we only know that they spread what they had heard and seen, they returned to the fields praising and glorifying God, but we do not have any record about what they said to those they spoke to or what was said to Joseph and Mary. We do not really have any human testimony that this Child is the Son of God, until we come to our passage this morning. Let’s pray and get into our passage.
--PRAY--
SCRIPTURE:
Turn in your Bibles to Luke 2. Last Sunday we looked at verses 1-20, this morning we are going to pick up where we left off and look at verses 21-40. Please stand if you are able in honor of the reading of God’s Word.
Luke 2:21-40,
“And when eight days had passed, before His circumcision, His name was then called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb. And when the days for their purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, ‘Every firstborn male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord’), and to offer a sacrifice according to what was said in the Law of the Lord, ‘A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.’ And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to carry out for Him the custom of the Law, then he took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said, ‘Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace, According to Your word; For my eyes have seen Your salvation, Which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, A Light of revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.’ And His father and mother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, ‘Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed— and a sword will pierce even your own soul—to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.’ And there was a prophetess, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years and had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers. At that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. When they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city of Nazareth. The Child continued to grow and become strong, increasing in wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.” (Luke 2:21–40, NASB95)[2]
WITNESSES NEEDED (Deuteronomy 19:15)
This passage gives us three human testimonies concerning Jesus Christ, that He is the Son of God, that He is the Messiah, the Savior and the Redeemer. In the book of Deuteronomy, the law of Moses, in Deuteronomy 19:15 God said that truth had to be validated by two or three witnesses, and this same verse concerning the need for two or three witnesses to confirm truth is repeated several times in the New Testament, so it carries through all of Scripture. We do not receive personal testimony from the magi, nothing specific and they come later, nothing specific from the shepherds, just the general statement that they were praising and glorifying God. God inspired Luke in this passage to validate the truth concerning His Son with three witnesses. First, the witness of Joseph and Mary, they are one witness because their actions are combined. Second, Simeon and the third is the prophetess Anna. These three witnesses are very reliable as we will see, they are God’s people and they are godly people. These witnesses were very familiar with the Old Testament and this passage is filled with Old Testament references, they knew the Law of Moses, they understood the messianic prophecies of Isaiah. These four people are Old Testament believers, they believe and are devoted to the one true God, they seek to be obedient to God and to follow His Word, believing what He had revealed in His Word and hoping for the arrival of the Messiah. These were part of the remnant of Israel that believed the Scriptures and were waiting for the Messiah. We are going to look at the testimony given by each of them.
THE TESTIMONY OF JOSEPH AND MARY (Luke 2:21-24)
First, we are going to look at the testimony of Joseph and Mary. This young couple were the first to witness the birth of the Messiah, and they are both declared to be righteous. In Matthew 1:19 from our Scripture reading this morning we read that Joseph was a righteous man. In Luke 1:46 when Gabriel appeared to Mary with the announcement of the birth of Jesus Christ, Gabriel declared that Mary had found favor with God, which was another way of saying that righteousness had been credited to her by faith. Both Joseph and Mary had been declared righteous by God because of their faith. Just as Paul pointed out in Romans concerning Abraham, Abraham believed God and his faith was accounted to him as righteousness. The same was true of Joseph and Mary, they had believed, and it was accounted to them as righteousness. This was a unique young couple, Mary probably only 13 or 14 and Joseph mostly likely several years older. But they were committed to the Law of the Lord, they were committed to the Word of God and seeking to keep it faithfully. So not only were they justified by faith, but they were sanctified, they were set apart for God as seen in their obedience to the Law. These first four verses of our passage this morning is God’s revelation to us of this couple’s justification and sanctification seen in their commitment and love for God by being obedient to God. First, seen through the circumcision and naming of the child, and second, through the purification and presentation of the child.
We read that when the child was eight days old, before He was circumcised, they named Him Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb. They were following the Law, the Law required that all Jewish male infants be circumcised on the eighth day after their birth. This requirement was first given to Abraham in Genesis 17:9-14 and then repeated in the Law in Leviticus 12:3. This physical act of circumcision was to be a sign or a symbol to the Jewish people of the need for spiritual cleansing of the heart. This act of circumcision which began with Abraham as an adult by God’s command was the sign of the covenant which God made with Abraham; circumcision was the sign that you were a child of Abraham. But why this sign? This sign was God’s way of reminding the people of Israel that every time a child was born, another sinner entered the world. A sinner that needed his heart circumcised, a sinner that needed a spiritual cleansing. Sin is everything we think, say, and do that breaks God’s Law. But the greatest evidence of our sin is our reproduction, because we can only produce more sinners. It does not matter how nice of a person you are; you will produce sinners and nothing more. Because sinners produce sinners this was a reminder to every person in Israel through their whole history that they are sinful, they produce sinful people, they need salvation, they need a spiritual circumcision to purify their hearts.
Why did Jesus have to be circumcised, He was not sinful? First, because this was the sign on being a child of Abraham, a male child in the Abrahamic line, a child of the covenant God made with Abraham. Second, if this is what the Old Testament required of Jewish males, then He would have it done. It was to fulfill all righteousness in that He kept the whole Law perfectly. Jesus was always obedient to the Law. Even when it was impossible for Him to obey the Law by His own will, since He was an infant, his parents obeyed the Law for Him. We have no discussion between Mary and Joseph about whether Jesus should be circumcised, they both knew He was conceived of the Holy Spirit, they both knew He was a holy Child, the Son of God. But they had Him circumcised because it was required of every Jewish male, it was in the Law and they needed to obey the Law, to fully follow the Law of the Lord.
At the time of the circumcision they also named the infant Jesus. Again, they demonstrated their obedience by naming the child the name given by the angel before the child was even conceived. The angel Gabriel had given the name Jesus to Mary when he announced the birth of this child to her. The angel that appeared to Joseph in a dream gave the name Jesus to him before the child was born. They both had received the name of this child separately and together they obeyed what was told them and named the child Jesus, which as I have said before means, Jehovah saves, or God saves. His name was a reminder that God is by nature a Savior. This is seen in the Old Testament. Isaiah presents God as a Savior; he presents the Messiah as a Savior. Typically the name of the firstborn was connected with the father, just as in the case of John the Baptist, they wanted to name him after his father Zacharias until Zacharias said that his name was John. In the case of Jesus, they did connect His name with His Father. This naming showed that Joseph and Mary truly believed what was told them by the angels, they truly believed that they were given the privilege of being the parents of the Son of God. So, the circumcision and naming of this child was strong testimony that this child was the Son of God.
Then in verses 22-24 we see their testimony in the purification and presentation of Jesus. Verse 22 says, “And when the days for their purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord” (Luke 2:22, NASB95)[3] What does this all mean? To understand what is happening here we need to go back to Leviticus 12, there we find the requirements of the Law of Moses, or the Law of the Lord for when a child was born. Listen as I read Leviticus 12:1-5, “Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Speak to the sons of Israel, saying: “When a woman gives birth and bears a male child, then she shall be unclean for seven days, as in the days of her menstruation she shall be unclean. On the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. Then she shall remain in the blood of her purification for thirty-three days; she shall not touch any consecrated thing, nor enter the sanctuary until the days of her purification are completed. But if she bears a female child, then she shall be unclean for two weeks, as in her menstruation; and she shall remain in the blood of her purification for sixty-six days.”” (Leviticus 12:1–5, NASB95)[4] This was the Mosaic Law concerning the birth of a child, male or female. As we look at this, we must remember what the Law was designed to do, it was not to save because no one can keep the Law perfectly. So, you cannot be saved by keeping the Law, because as James wrote if you stumble in just one point you are guilty of breaking the whole Law. You cannot be justified by keeping the Law, the Law was designed to point out sin. We saw this very clearly in the book of Romans. The law not only pointed out sin by the moral law, but it pointed out sin by the ceremonial law. Jewish parents needed to realize that they had just brought a sinner into the world, they had passed on the fallenness of their own nature. This period of uncleanness was followed by a sacrifice, a sacrifice for sin, sin offerings. So, within the Law there were moral standards that people could not live up to, because of this it pointed out their sin, there were also ceremonial laws that they were to carry out that spoke to the subject of their sin. They were to bring sin offerings, trespass offerings, this was a way of recognizing the sinfulness of man, that it needed to be atoned for.
So, when a child was born, the parents realized that they had brought a sinner into the world, the mother goes through a period of time in which she is ceremonially unclean. This doesn’t mean that she was actually unclean or sinful, it was simply a ceremony. During this period, she cannot go to the temple, she cannot touch anything sacred. This period was forty days for a male child, and this was to give the parents the full awareness that they had just brought another sinner into the world. If a girl was born, she cannot be circumcised, for a boy two things pointed out that he was a sinner, circumcision and the forty days of uncleanness for the mother, this ended in a sacrifice, a sin offering. But because there is no circumcision for a girl the time of uncleanness was doubled to make the emphasis clear that another sinner was brought into the world. This was the law of God. So, in obedience to the Law they had Jesus circumcised on the eighth day of Mary’s uncleanness and then Mary finished the 40 days of uncleanness. When we come to verse 22 the 40 days are completed, and they make the six-mile trek from Bethlehem to Jerusalem to carry out the ceremonial requirements of the Law.
Look again at Luke 2:23, Luke quotes from the book of Exodus 13:2 and 12, when he writes, “(as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”),” (Luke 2:23, NASB95)[5] This couple knew the Law of the Lord, they came to present the child, the firstborn of Mary, to the Lord because He belonged to the Lord according to the Law. It was like dedicating the next generation to the Lord, this is what the Law required, God had spared the firstborn on the first Passover when He had struck down all the firstborn of the Egyptians, so now all the firstborn of Israel belonged to Him, the firstborn was redeemed to live and be raised at home by presenting Him and giving five shekels of silver. Understand that in that day five shekels of silver was the wages of many days; this would be offered in order to help support the priestly service of the temple. Again, we see the commitment of this young couple to the Lord and to His Law. They were following it step by step.
Then in obedience again to the Law and acknowledging their need of cleansing from sin they bring the required sin offering. Look at verse 24, “and to offer a sacrifice according to what was said in the Law of the Lord, “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”” (Luke 2:24, NASB95)[6] Now let’s go back to Leviticus 12 and pick up where we left off in verse 6, listen again as I read from the Law, Leviticus 12:6-8, “‘When the days of her purification are completed, for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the doorway of the tent of meeting a one year old lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering. ‘Then he shall offer it before the Lord and make atonement for her, and she shall be cleansed from the flow of her blood. This is the law for her who bears a child, whether a male or a female. ‘But if she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take two turtledoves or two young pigeons, the one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement for her, and she will be clean.’ ”” (Leviticus 12:6–8, NASB95)[7] What did Joseph and Mary offer? “A pair of turtle doves or two young pigeons.” This young couple were just starting out, they did not have much, they do not have enough for a lamb, so they bring what the Law allows if you cannot afford a lamb. This tells us that the magi from the east hadn’t come yet, if they had Joseph and Mary would have had gold, frankincense and myrrh, they would have had enough to purchase a lamb. Those events were still to come.
The sacrifice of the birds was an acknowledgment by Joseph and Mary that they were sinful. Just think about this, this is a young couple that understood that they were sinners and needed to be cleansed and they came according to what the Law said was required for them to be cleansed of their sin. For this faith they were justified, and their obedience showed that they were sanctified.
Mary had already acknowledged that she needed a Savior back in chapter one in her song at the home of Elizabeth. She declared that her spirit rejoiced in God her Savior. She knew that she wasn’t sinless, she needed a Savior. She offers two birds as a sin offering and as a burnt offering. By following the Law, they are showing their belief in God and by that faith they are justified and sanctified, their keeping the Law is testimony that this Child is exactly who the angel said He is. This is their testimony. They know this child is the Messiah, they know He is the Savior, that is made clear when they name Him Jesus, God saves, He will save His people from their sins. The testimony of Joseph and Mary, the testimony of two people fully devoted to the Lord, true believers, part of the remnant of Israel.
CONCLUSION:
I am going to stop here. So, you will get one more message for Christmas in the first of the year. I should have known I could not get through this whole passage. We have looked at the first testimony of three. Next week we will look at the testimonies of Simeon and Anna. At the beginning of this message I said that the question that had to be answered by every person concerning Jesus Christ is, “What Child is this?” Your answer to this question will reveal your heart. You have heard the testimony of Joseph and Mary, there answer to what child is this is that He is everything the angel said He would be, He is Jesus, God saves, He is the Messiah, He is the Son of the Most High God. He is the promised One that they had been hopefully waiting for, He is the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. What Child is this to you? Are you going to believe the testimony of Joseph and Mary or are you going to dismiss it as to hard to believe? Your answer will reveal the thoughts of your heart.
--LET’S PRAY--
[1]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[2]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[3]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[4]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[5]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[6]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[7]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.