The Special Baby at the Temple
You are here: The Special Baby at the Temple
According to the custom of the day, Mary and Joseph took Jesus to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord and to offer sacrifices, as the law required. (Luke 2:22-24) They brought him to the temple, just as millions of babies had been brought over the years. There was nothing about them to draw special attention to themselves, for they were a humble family, and were only performing the duties required of them.
In Jerusalem, however, there was a righteous man named Simeon. God had revealed to Simeon that he would not die until he had seen the Messiah. (Luke 2:26) It was probably a day like all the other days, but the Holy Spirit moved Simeon to go to the temple courts, and in obedience, though he probably didn't know what was going to happen, he went.
When Simeon saw Mary and Joseph and their child, Jesus, he immediately realized that the baby in their arms was the Savior. He took Jesus into his arms, and praised God. He told God that he was now ready to die, because he had seen God's salvation.
Mary and Joseph were marveling about what had been said when Simeon turned and blessed them, then also prophesied about Jesus to Mary. As if that wasn't enough, when Simeon was done, a prophetess named Anna came up to them at that very moment. Anna was a very old widow. She had lived with her husband for seven years until he died. She was now around eighty-four years old. She wasn't like the typical widow of the day though. She didn't remarry, but instead stayed at the temple day and night, worshiping, fasting, and praying.
When she saw Jesus with his parents, she came up to them and gave thanks to God. She turned to all those around them, and prophesied about the child to those who were looking forward to Jerusalem's redemption. (Luke 2:38)
With that Anna most likely left and Mary and Joseph turned to do the things that were required of them by God's law and then returned to their home in Galilee. Jesus grew and became strong. God's grace was upon him, and he was filled with wisdom. (Luke 2:40) God wasn't done using his son though, for Jesus would one day grow up and become the sacrifice for the sins of all those who believe in Him and call on His name.