Luke 2,22-50

Jesus Presented at the Temple
22 And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) 
24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.” 
25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 
26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lords Christ. 
27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, 
28 he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, 
29 “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; 
30 for my eyes have seen your salvation 
31 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.” 
33 And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed 
35 (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.” 
36 And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, 
37 and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. 
38 And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.

The Return to Nazareth
39 And when they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. 
40 And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.

The Boy Jesus in the Temple
41 Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. 
42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom. 43 And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, 
44 but supposing him to be in the group they went a day’s journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances, 
45 and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him. 
46 After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 
47 And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. 
48 And when his parents saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.” 
49 And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my father’s house?”
50 And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them. 
51 And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man. 

Hello everyone, I am kiki. Chinese name of our second phase of the program is “读经大讲堂”. The English name is “Bible study”.
We will adopt a relaxed also enjoyable learning mode to take you into a new learning world. Each time I will make a personal summary and analysis from the perspective of a learner, and then Sister Ingrid will help me conduct in-depth learning and problem discussions with everybody.
I hope that such an interesting and interactive process can bring new knowledge experience to you all. The following is my interview with sister on related issues. Today is the second lecture on the Gospel of Luke.
Everyone is welcome to leave a message in the comment area for discussion!

2.My summary of Luke second-time study:

Well, everybody! Firstly, is still my today’s personal study summary.
When Jesus was a baby, Mary and Joseph took him to the temple in Jerusalem to dedicate him to God, as the Jewish law said they should.
They also made a small offering of two turtledoves or pigeons. While they were at the temple, a kind old man named Simeon saw Jesus.
Simeon had been waiting for the Messiah, and the Holy Spirit had told him he would live to see the Savior.
When he saw baby Jesus, he thanked God and said Jesus was the light for everyone, bringing salvation to all people.
Then Simeon also told Mary that Jesus would make people happy, but also cause some sadness, as he would reveal what was in people’s hearts.
There was also an older woman named Anna, who had spent many years praying in the temple.
She saw Jesus and praised God, telling everyone that Jesus would bring hope and redemption to Israel.
After doing everything the law required, Mary and Joseph went back home to Nazareth. As Jesus grew, he became stronger, wiser, and God was pleased with him.
When Jesus was 12 years old, his parents went to Jerusalem for a special festival. On the way back, they realized Jesus wasn’t with them, so they went back to look for him.
They found Jesus in the temple, talking with the teachers, asking questions, and amazing everyone with what he knew. When his parents asked why he stayed behind, Jesus said, “Did you not know I must be in my father’s house?” T
But they didn’t fully understand, but Mary kept all these things in her heart. As Jesus grew older, he continued to become wiser and earned favor with both God and people. Finally, he turned into a quite good guy.
Now let Ingrid sister make a go further summary.

3.Sister’s comment from my studying summary:

Hello everyone. In this passage we see that Jesus was not only God s son but has been threatened as every other Jewish boy, too.

He already had been circustained on the 8th day and here in the passage, Mary and Joseph bring the holocaust for the first-born baby, because the first-born baby belongs to God and they had to buy it from God by bringing a holocaust.

Simeon and Anna profecied about the life of Jesus and that Mary will have to suffer a lot, too. It is interesting, that Anna has been 7 years married and at the moment Jesus appeared, she had been a widow for 77 years.

We don’t know much about the childhood of Jesus, we only see, when he was about 12 years, he knew that God in heaven was his father and not Joseph. But he obeyed Joseph and Mary and submitted himself to them until he was 30 years old and began his ministry in public.

4. Q list part: base on Luke 2th items:

Okay. Base on above bible study content, now let me ask sister some related questions.
We hope the following questions can be helpful to our brothers and sisters who have just become Christians.

1. Why did Mary and Joseph go to the temple in Jerusalem with Jesus when he was a baby?

It was written in the law of Moises, that when the time of healing after a birth was over, for the first baby they had to bring a holocaust, because the firstborn babies belong to God and they can buy them from God by bringing a holocaust.

Since Joseph and Mary were poor, they brought two pigeons.

2. Who was Simeon, and why was he waiting for the messiah?

Simeon was an old man who had the Holy Spirit and he was promised of God, that he will not die before he had seen the Messiah.

3. What did Simeon say when he saw Jesus?

He said, that he can die in peace because his eyes have seen the light, that will enlighten the gentiles for the price of Israel.

4. What did Simeon mean when he said that Jesus was “a light for revelation to the Gentiles”?

At this moment, only the people of Israel belonged to God Yahwe of the bible. But through the death of Jesus, all people in the world, from every nation and tribe have access to convert themselves in believers of God and followers of Jesus and save themselves from the coming judgement.

5. How did Mary and Joseph react to Simeon’s prophecy about Jesus?

They were astonished and kept what they have heard in their hearts

6. Who was Anna, and how did she respond when she saw Jesus?

Anna was a profesess and widow who lived since 77 years serving with praying and fasting in the temple. When she saw Jesus, she praised the Lord, too, and profecied about retention.

7. Why did Simeon say that a sword would pierce Mary’s soul?

He said this, because it will be painful for Mary seeing Jesus crucified on the cross.

8. What was the significance of the offering of two turtledoves or pigeons?

All people of Israel have to bring a holocaust for their first-born child. This is for to remember, that God killed all firstborn child in Egypt for to provocation that the pharaoh let them go out of the slavery there.

Rich people had to bring a buey or a sheep, poor people like Joseph and Mary had to bring two turtledoves or pigeons. It had to be two, because turtledoves make marriage like human beings and for to avoid that one turtledove suffers, there had to be offered both of them.

9. What happened when Jesus was twelve years old during the Passover feast?

He stayed in the temple because he recognized the temple as his father s house.

10. What does Jesus mean when he says, “Did you not know I must be in my father’s home?”

He became aware, that God was his father and not Joseph. He loved to be in the temple.