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| Artist A.N. Mironov 2014: Jesus presented at temple |
As we have seen in recent posts, God carefully orchestrated
the details of Mary’s life, including her family
tree, her betrothal to Joseph,
and their places of residence, so
that Jesus would fulfill the prophecies about the promised Messiah.
Mary’s genealogy (Luke
3:23-38) included ancestors who reflected God’s plan of salvation for
all people. His mercy, grace, and love is illustrated in Adam’s
rebellion (Genesis 3:6-19); Noah being spared from destruction with
his family as the faithful remnant (Genesis
6-8); and Enoch, foreshadowing
how those who walk with God will be raptured (Genesis 5:24). It included the patriarchs and rulers, namely
Abraham, Isaac, and David, of
Israel, God’s chosen nation.
Mary’s husband Joseph also was the descendant of David, confirming
Jesus Christ’s claim to eternal rule on the throne of David (Luke 1:32). Joseph’s character of
faithfulness, compassion, and loyalty enabled
him to obey God’s commands as His servant, devoted husband to Mary, and Godly father
figure to Jesus. Joseph’s home town of Nazareth,
family city of Bethlehem, and
temporary residence in Egypt all
fulfilled specific Messianic prophecies
concerning Jesus Christ.
After Jesus was born in a Bethlehem stable, the family
spent time in three places when He
was a young child. The first was a house
in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:8-11),
perhaps belonging to one of Joseph’s relatives who invited the new family to
stay once taxation by Caesar Augustus was completed (Luke 2:1-5) and the overcrowded town began to clear out. The
second was in Egypt, where they fled
for safety, as Herod was bent on destroying male infants (Matthew 2:16). The third was in Nazareth, where they returned once the danger was passed (Matthew 2:21-23).
Through His angel speaking to Joseph in a dream (Matthew 2:8-11, 13,22), God
commanded Joseph to take his family to Egypt, and then to return to Nazareth,
with His perfect timing. In total, God spoke to Joseph in a dream three times, the first being when He
told Joseph to marry his betrothed, for she was carrying the Son of God (Matthew
1:20-21). Each time that God spoke, Joseph obeyed and Mary
followed without question, hesitation, or complaint.
As a result, not only was Jesus kept safe and alive, but
Messianic prophecies were also fulfilled. It had been foretold that the
Anointed One would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:1-6),
be called out of Egypt (Hosea 11:1; Matthew 2:17-18), and be named the Nazarene (Matthew
2:23; Isaiah 11:1).
Given Mary’s observance of the law (Luke 2:22-24) and apparent familiarity with Scripture (Luke 1:46-47), she may have
realized with every move that these prophecies were coming to pass, strengthening
her faith in what God had said about the remarkable destiny of her Son (Luke 1:26-38).
During Jesus’ early childhood, there were three occasions in Israel (two in
Bethlehem and one in Jerusalem), where Mary
and Joseph received further
confirmation that Jesus was the
promised Messiah. The first of these was on the night of His birth, when
shepherds came to worship Jesus and conveyed the Good News that they had heard
from the angel (Luke 2:8-20).
The Bible doesn’t tell us exactly what they said to Mary, Joseph and the Babe (v. 16), only that all wondered at their news, and that Mary kept all these things and pondered
them in her heart (v. 18-19).
Based on what the angel had said, the shepherds may have spoken of glory to God, peace on earth, and good
will toward men (v. 14). They may
have repeated that the birth of this Child in the city of David meant good news and great joy for all people,
for He is the promised Savior, Christ, and Lord (v. 10-11).
Mary may not have yet realized that her Son’s gift of salvation mandated His death, burial and resurrection to pay for all
of our sins, reconcile us to Holy
God, and give eternal life to
all who trusted in Him (1 Corinthians
15:1-4; John 3:16; 2 Corinthians 5:15-19; Hebrews 9:26-28).
But over the next weeks, months and years, the puzzle pieces started to fit together.
The second confirmation of Christ’s destiny occurred when Mary
and Joseph traveled from Bethlehem to Jerusalem to present Jesus at the temple at
40 days of age, as the law of Moses commanded for the firstborn male (Luke 2:22-28). This confirmation
came from Simeon, an old worshipper who was just, devout, and waiting for Israel’s salvation (v. 25).
The Holy Spirit was
upon Simeon; He revealed to him that
he would not die before seeing the Christ Who would deliver His people; and
He guided Simeon into the temple on
the day that Mary and Joseph brought Jesus there (v. 25-27).
Realizing that Jesus was the Christ Child, Simeon took Him in his arms, blessed God, and blessed Joseph and Mary (v.
34). He was now ready to die,
now at peace, for God had kept His promise to him (v. 29). This precious Child he held was
Salvation for Jews, Gentiles and all people (v. 30-32) who
believed in Him.
But for Mary, despite this amazing revelation, it was not
all good news. Simeon told her that Jesus was set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; for a sign which others would speak against;
and that her own soul would suffer
unimaginable grief as she watched the sword pierce her Son (v. 34-35).
Through Holy Spirit inspiration, Simeon spoke to Mary and
not Joseph, which was appropriate as the Bible does not mention Joseph after
the incident where Jesus, still a youth, remained in Jerusalem, causing His family
quite a panic (v. 41-51), as we shall
see next week!. Evidently Joseph, who was likely older than Mary, did not
survive long enough to see Jesus embark on His earthly ministry, nor to see His crucifixion or resurrection.
Thankfully, God did not leave Mary alone to ponder Simeon’s
troubling prophecy, for Anna was at
hand to affirm the Good News that Jesus was the promised Savior (v. 36-38). Anna was a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe
of Aser. She was elderly, and
had been married for seven years but
now had been widowed for 84 years.
Despite this burden,
Anna showed her faithfulness to God by never
leaving the temple, fasting and praying to God night and day. She came to comfort Mary “in that instant;”
she thanked God; and she witnessed to all in Jerusalem that Jesus
would one day redeem them.
Mary’s third confirmation regarding the destiny of her Son
came in Bethlehem, when Jesus was a young child (Matthew 2:1-12). Wise men reading Scripture prophecy about
the future King of the Jews knew that He would be born In Bethlehem; that He
would be a Governor; and that He
would rule Israel. They sought Him,
rejoiced when they saw the star
leading to Him, and followed the star
straight to the house where Jesus, Mary and Joseph were living.
On arrival, they entered
the house that the star had identified, saw Jesus, and fell down
before Him. Then they worshipped Him,
opened their treasures, and presented three gifts to Him; gold, frankincense and myrrh.
They heard God warn them in a dream
that they should not report back to King Herod, obeyed God, and returned home
by traveling another way.
How Mary's heart must have overflowed with thanksgiving, amazement, and yet sorrow
as she contemplated what would happen to her Son. Now His Divine destiny was
confirmed not only by shepherds, and
even by prophets, but also by the wisest men of their day, who had
sacrificed their time, treasure and pride to honor Him.
Did Mary understand the significance of their gifts – gold fit for a King (Revelation 17:14;19:16), frankincense because He is our great High Priest (Hebrews 4:14-16), and myrrh, used to anoint a body for
burial, because He was born to die?
Whether she knew it then or only as she saw the events of His earthly ministry
unfold, it is certain that she submitted
to God’s perfect plan, obeyed His Word (Luke 1:38-39), and trusted in His Son (her Child) as her King, Lord and Savior (Luke 1:46-47).
Just as her ancestor Abraham trusted God (Genesis 12:1-12; Hebrews 11:8)
to reveal His perfect plan in His perfect timing, one step at a time, so did Mary, and so
must we. Only then can we experience the peace
that passes all understanding (Philippians
4:7), joy in the Lord (Psalm 21:1), and the fulfillment that comes from hearing Him
say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant!” (Matthew 25:21)
Praise God that He gives us the reassurance, confirmation,
and direction at every bend in the
road, if we stop, look and listen to His messages!
© 2016 Laurie Collett
