Luke 2:21-40 – Jesus: Everything according to God’s law

Introduction

Have you ever been part of a contract or a job that required meticulous adherence to the contract or order? In the restaurant business, a wrong order or poorly cooked meal can lead to the customer getting free food. In the teaching world, a lack of adherence to federal or state guidelines can produce a lawsuit or a loss of funds. In software development, a failure to strictly comply to security or reliability standards can cause a data breach or monetary penalties. There are many other examples in other industries as well.

The reality is that most of us are familiar with the importance of compliance to standards. The failure to do so can cost a person or a company much work, pain, and loss of money. Thus, it should not surprise us that God, in order to uphold his justice and righteousness, required strict adherence to the law for the one who would be our perfect substitute, perfectly obeying God in all things and then taking our guilt and sin upon himself.

Understanding this should help us understand why Luke in 2:21-40 frames the story of Jesus’ early childhood the way he does. Today, we are going to see that Jesus's entire life, from birth to early childhood was done according to God’s law, proving that he is God's chosen one that is able to save any who trust in him from their sins.

Background

Jerusalem has been under Roman control for over 60 years. The last prophesy had been heard some 400 years prior. But now, all of a sudden, talk is spreading all over the countryside of Bethlehem. Prophesies have been given and even an elderly couple has had children. Shepherds have been spreading rumors that God has caused a child to be born who would bring peace.

People are beginning to have their hopes raised. Many people’s assumption is that a Jewish king, anointed by God, will grow up and take his rightful throne bringing peace to Jerusalem and all Jews. God's anointed king will bring his sword and overthrow Roman rule. Hope is back on the menu.

Exposition

The Gospel writer, Luke, frames the narrative of Jesus’ birth and early childhood by his parents and his being obedient to God’s law or commandments. It may not seem that important, but it is. In fact, our status as children of God depends upon it. Listen to what the apostle Paul writes in Galatians 4:4-7, “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’ So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.”

Our adoption as sons and daughters is contingent upon Mary and Joseph, as well as Jesus keeping the law. The only way Jesus can pay for our sins is if he doesn’t have any. If he is truly the fulfillment of God’s promises in keeping with God’s law.

Let’s look at our first point from Luke 2:21-24: Jesus' birth and dedication fulfill God's law.

Notice at the beginning of verse 21 that Jesus’ earthly parents fulfill the law by having Jesus circumcised on the 8^th day. This was in fulfillment of the covenant that God made with Abraham in Genesis 17:12-14. In those verses God told Abraham that any male child of the covenant must be circumcised on the 8^th day. If the child ends up not being circumcised, then the covenant is broken and they are to be cut off from Gods’ people. This law of circumcision is reiterated in Leviticus 12:3.

Why is this important? If Jesus was not circumcised in accordance with the law, then he would not be in the covenant and could not fulfill God’s law. He would not then be able to be a perfect substitute for us. Luke wants us to know that Jesus and his earthly parents are covenant-keepers.

Notice in the second half of verse 21 something very subtle. Not only did his parents obey the law regarding circumcision, but they also obeyed God through the angel that appeared to both Mary before Jesus was conceived (1:31) and Joseph after he found out Mary was pregnant (Matt. 1:21) by calling God’s Christ (Messiah) the name told them by the angel, Jesus. Luke wants us to know that Jesus’ whole life is framed by listening to and obeying God’s voice and word. 

Then, in verses 22-24, Jesus’ earthly parents fulfilled the law of Moses by performing the rite of purification and presentation to the Lord with sacrifices at the temple in Jerusalem. Luke explains in verse 22 that Mary and Joseph waited 33 days after Jesus’ circumcision for Mary’s purification to meet the requirements outlined in Leviticus 12.

And then, 40 days after Jesus’ birth, his earthly parents fulfilled the law of the Lord by consecrating and redeeming Jesus as the first male child to leave the womb as outlined in Exodus 13:1-2, 12-13.

You see, God redeemed Israel from Egypt by sending a plague that killed all the firstborn males in Egypt. Because of this, God required all firstborn males to be redeemed by a sacrifice of a lamb and a turtledove or a pigeon, or if the family could not afford a lamb, two turtledoves or two pigeons as a reminder of God’s redemption of his people, that the firstborns are his. The firstborns are holy to the Lord, or as we would say, are set apart to the Lord. In other words, God claims ownership of all firstborns of his people.

The lamb or bird was a burnt offering of gratitude to God. The other bird was a sin offering to atone for sin of the worshipper in general. This atonement wasn’t any sin directly tied to childbirth.

The burnt offering and sin offering that Mary and Joseph give show that they were poor. Jesus comes down as one of us, but in a most disadvantaged state. Yet it also shows that they fulfilled the law of Moses, or as Luke mentions, the written Law of the Lord.

It seems to me that this law for Israel was actually pointing to Jesus, who would say later in his life that his purpose was to do the will of God. Jesus actually lived out perfect obedience and dedication to God in his life. So much so, that he gave up his own life to redeem a people, just like the lamb that was slaughtered to keep the angel of death that killed the Egyptian firstborn from killing the Israelite’s firstborn.

Now let’s continue by looking at our second point that is found in Luke 2:25-35: Jesus fulfills God's promises to Israel.

There were many faithful believers in Israel who had been looking into the promises and prophesies that God had given some 100s and 100s of years prior. One of these believers was a man named Simeon. He was righteous like Zechariah and his wife and he was also devoted to God. He trusted in God’s promises and was waiting for God to console or comfort Israel. The word console or comfort is a Greek word, paraklesin. It is similar to the word, parakeleton, which is used to talk about how Jesus would give Holy Spirit, who would be our comforter.

When we think about the consolation or comfort of Israel, we need to look at Isaiah 40:1 and 57:18, where comfort will come through the coming Messiah. The title of comforter is attributed to what the Messiah, Jesus, would bring. He is the consolation of Israel. In other words, he is the one who will bring comfort to his people.

The Holy Spirit is said here to be upon Simeon, so the subsequent blessing that he gives to God is inspired by the Holy Spirit, by God himself.

In verse 26 we see that the Holy Spirit had revealed to Simeon prior to this event that he would not die until he had actually seen with his own eyes the Lord’s Christ, Yahweh’s Messiah. This verse is a massive declaration by Luke. Luke is saying that this little baby, Jesus, is the Anointed one of Psalm 2, Yahweh’s anointed One. And he is saying that it is confirmed by God himself, the Holy Spirit. Later in Luke 9:20, Peter will confirm this by saying that Jesus is “The Christ of God.”

Next, Simeon, filled with the Spirit, at Jesus’ dedication, takes Jesus up in his arms and blesses or praises God. He declares that he is now ready to die because God has fulfilled his promise to him by letting him see the Lord’s Christ, Yahweh’s salvation. He has seen with his very eyes the salvation of God’s people that has come to earth for everyone to see. This Jesus, the Savior, will be a light for revelation to the Gentiles in accordance with Isaiah 52:10; 40:3-5; Psalm 98:2; Isaiah 42:6; 49:6; 52:10; 60:3. Jesus, here by Simeon, is declared to be the Savior of the world.

Luke draws out Simeon’s praise to God because it shows his readers and us that Jesus Christ did not just come to bring his people into the glory that he prepared for them, but also to bring salvation to the Gentiles who were lost in darkness.

But, Jesus’ work has a twofold advantage. First, it makes God’s salvation available to all who are not Jews according to the flesh. But second, it allows the Jews to glory in the salvation that God has provided not only for them, but for all those in the world who trust in God’s salvation, Jesus.

But this isn’t all. You can imagine Mary and Joseph’s jaws drop as they hear these amazing words. God is going to bring salvation for the world and bring Israel to a place where they will experience his glory. And so, they marvel.

But as Simeon looks at them and sees their reaction, he makes a very foreboding prophecy that may not seem like it aligns with what he just said. This child, Jesus, is destined or appointed to cause a different reaction in two groups. One group will fall, meaning that they will reject Jesus, seek to destroy him, and will ultimately be subjected to eternal judgment. Yet, another group will rise, meaning that they will accept Christ and will rise eternally to be with God. In other words, Jesus’ ministry will cause some to reject him and others to accept him.

But this salvation for those who will rise will be opposed by those who will fall, and they, Simeon mentions in a parenthetical remark to Mary, will reject and crucify Christ, causing a metaphorical sword to pierce through Mary as she sees her dear son, Jesus, be rejected and killed. You see, though Jesus will be opposed, he will bring salvation.

Our third point is found in Luke 2:36-38: Jesus fulfills the prayers of his people.

We now move from the amazing praise of Simeon to an elderly woman of Israel. Her name is Anna. She was a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was pretty old, in fact, she had been married young, more than likely, but her husband died after seven years of being married, and she remained a widow until she was 84 years old or, she was a widow for 84 years. Thus, she was either 84, or could have been somewhere around 110 years old. Which would align with the idea of being “advanced in years.”

At any rate, she had been faithfully serving or worshiping in the temple for all those years, possibly 84 years. She would worship with fasting and prayer all day long.

We can imagine that she had been fasting and praying for all those years, longing for and asking God to send his Messiah. And now, she happens to be in the temple at the very moment of Jesus’ presentation. And for her, it is a time of celebration and thanksgiving. Her prayers have been answered in Christ Jesus.
And so, to anyone who was longing for and waiting for the redemption that Jesus would bring, she was giving thanks to God with them and talking to all of these expectant people about how God has fulfilled his promises.

You can imagine the buzz throughout Jerusalem. Both Simeon and Anna have pronounced the reality that Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world has come to earth. The salvation or redemption of Israel is upon them.

This very thought would have elicited thanksgiving among God’s people. God is about to fulfill his promises. You can see, however, if you put yourself in Israel’s perspective why they expected a conquering king. I am sure that as the buzz of Jesus’ appearance in Jerusalem was going about that people were talking about how this is going to be the end of Roman rule in a few short years. Israel is now expectant. The question is: what are they expecting?

It seems that often, much of Israel missed something critical. That Jesus was to be a light for revelation to the Gentiles, not just the glory of Israel. Jesus is coming to be the Savior of the world, not just the Savior or redeemer of the Jews in Jerusalem.

Our fourth and final point is found in Luke 2:39-40: Jesus' life fulfills God's purpose for humanity.

Notice how meticulous Luke is in verse 39. This ties in with the passage in Galatians 4 and our opening statement. Mary and Joseph and all those who were working with them “…performed everything according to the Law of the Lord.” This is stating that all of the law of God was fulfilled by Jesus’ parents.

This means that there was nothing wanting in the way he was born, the ceremonies that he was supposed to have done, and all that God required. Jesus’ parents did everything so as to fulfill all righteousness so that Jesus’ birth and dedication was absolutely according to God’s commands and statutes.

And so, after Mary and Joseph finished all of this, they returned to their hometown, Nazareth. Now, notice how Jesus, according to prophecy, was born in Bethlehem, but his hometown was in Nazareth. This is why many people didn’t believe he was the Messiah. They knew the prophecy that the Messiah would come from Bethlehem, but they assumed he would be raised there, not simply born there. The people who would reject Jesus as Simeon mentioned, would make an assumption and then discount Jesus without doing a careful investigation which is what Luke has set out to do here.

But then there is one final thing mentioned in verse 40. Jesus grows and becomes strong, being filled with wisdom, and having God’s favor or grace upon him. In other words, Jesus grows up and walks according to the law of the Lord, in wisdom, and because of his perfect dedication to the Lord and his dedication to the law of the Lord, he has God’s favor or grace rest upon him.

You see, not only did Jesus’ parents fulfill all the law of God in his birth and the ceremonies surrounding it, but Jesus himself fulfilled all the law of God.

Jesus is the only perfect man who walked in wisdom, for he, himself, is wisdom. This is why Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1:24 that Jesus “Christ” is “the power of God and the wisdom of God.”

Jesus as the Christ of Yahweh is such because he is the second person of the Trinity. He took on flesh and made sure that all the law of God was perfectly fulfilled by others who raised him, ensuring the right signs and ceremonies were done by him who perfectly loved God and others so that he could die for our sin and give us his righteousness.

Application

So, what do we do with this passage? How do we apply it?

The first thing that I want to ask you is whether you believe that you are in need of Jesus fulfilling the law on your behalf. Do you see yourself as a generally good or moral person who God will gladly allow into his paradise because of your own goodness? Or, do you see yourself as one who has not fulfilled all the law of God? As one who has disobeyed him and rebelled against him, failing to fulfill all his laws?

If you think you have met the requirements of God, you ought to think deeply about this passage and why God in his word would so meticulously outline how Jesus fulfilled every bit of the law of God. Luke, inspired by the Holy Spirit, put this in here intentionally. You and I need Jesus’ perfection and his perfect fulfillment of the law or we can’t be with God.

But if you do believe Jesus is this for you, are you grateful for his fulfillment of the law? Do you think to yourself and meditate daily on the reality that Jesus is the only one who truly meditated on the law of the Lord day and night. That he alone was the one who is like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that always bore the right fruit at the right time. Drink deeply of this fact and rejoice in him. Rejoice like Simeon did and Anna did. Give praise and thanks to God for Jesus as your consolation and comfort. This reality will encourage you to live a life of dedication and delight in God. It will empower you to throw off the sin that weighs you down. Look to Jesus and meditate on him daily.

Make Jesus your comfort or your consolation. Though this world is fraught with dangers and cares, Jesus is going to come back soon. When he does, he will bring you to his eternal home where you can enjoy and delight in his peace forever.

Will you consider all that Jesus has accomplished for you and dedicate your life to be a temple of prayer, a constant life of communion and fellowship with God? Will you also consider being like Anna and dedicating your life to speaking to all you interact with about the redemption in Christ?

My final word to you is this? Will you rise with Jesus by accepting him and delighting in his salvation? Or will you fall by rejecting him? Jesus was willingly given for us by his Father and Jesus willingly gave himself so we might know the comfort of being his children. What will you do?