Luke 2:25 And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.
26 And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.
27 And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law,
28 Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said,
29 Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:
30 For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,
31 Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;
32 A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
33 And Joseph and his mother marveled at those things which were spoken of him.
34 And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and the rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against;
35 (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.
36 And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity.
37 And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.
38 And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.
39 And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth.
40 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.
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 to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast.
43 And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it.
44 But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day’s journey, and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance. 45 And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him.
46 And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions.
47 And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers.
48 And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? Behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing.
49 And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?
50 And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them.
51 And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart.
52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.
MEMORY VERSE: For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel. Luke 2:30-32
CENTRAL THOUGHT: When Jesus was yet a baby, he was recognized by godly people who were inspired by the Holy Spirit. When at the age of twelve, with his parents at the feast of the Passover, he prevailed in conversing with doctors and leaders and all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers.
WORD DEFINITIONS
Luke 2:25, “devout”: Careful, watchful, and very godly. “waiting for the consolation of Israel”: Eagerly expecting the fulfilling of the hope and promises God gave to Israel.
Verse 34, “set for the fall and rising again”: Some will take offense and some will be richly blessed. “a sign which shall be spoken against”: The testimony of Christ will be greatly rejected by many.
Verse 35, “a sword shall pierce through thy own soul”: This is speaking of the sorrow that Mary will bear to see her beloved Son Jesus crucified. “the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed”: The hearts of mankind will be exposed and put to action, some for the right and others for the wrong.
Verse 36, “seven years from her virginity”: Was married seven years in her younger years.
Verse 37, “fourscore and four years”: Abouit 84 years of age.
Verse 38, “redemption in Jerusalem”: Blessings of salvation and deliverance from sin for all mankind to come in Jerusalem.
Verse 40, “waxed strong in spirit”: Became strong in heart and soul.
Verse 49, “wist ye not”: Did you not know?”
LESSON BACKGROUND
Mary and Joseph had come to Jerusalem when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished to bring Jesus to present him to the Lord. Adam Clarke says that this amounted to forty days in all after the birth of Jesus. We have the account in our lesson of the just and devout man Simeon who was waiting for the promise to be fulfilled which the Holy Ghost had given to him of seeing the Lord’s Christ before his death. The Spirit of the Lord had inspired him to come into the temple, and he was there when they brought in the child Jesus to do for him after the custom of the law.
How touching and inspiring to picture Simeon approaching Mary and Joseph, being impressed by the Spirit that this was the fulfillment of God’s promise to him! He took the precious baby in his arms and rejoiced in the goodness of God to him. How wonderful that the Holy Spirit worked with this precious man! He certainly had a clear revelation from God about what was taking place. He prophesied of Christ’s ministry how he would be rejected by some and received by others. He foretold the sorrow that Mary would endure to see her Son suffer as He would. And then there was the aged prophetess, Anna, who was continually at the temple serving God with fastings and prayers night and day: and she joined in the thanks and praise being given for Jesus.
We have Jesus growing up and at the age of twelve accompanying his parents to Jerusalem to the feast of the Passover. When it came time to return to Nazareth, Joseph and Mary went a day’s journey, supposing Jesus was in their company somewhere. When they realized that he was not with them, they returned to Jerusalem and sought for him three days, finally finding him sitting among the doctors, hearing them, and asking them questions. That was quite an experience. After Mary expressed her displeasure, we find the twelve-year-old Jesus declaring that he had been about His Father’s business. So they went on back to Nazareth, but Mary still kept these precious things in her heart. Oh, what a wonderful account we have of our Saviour in his youth! God was with Him and preparing Him for greater things to come. —Bro. Leslie Busbee
QUESTIONS:
- How did Simeon know that the baby Jesus was the Lord’s Christ?
- What did he say that he saw in this precious little baby?
- What was the sword that was to pierce through Mary’s own soul?
- What did Mary and Joseph find Jesus doing in the temple?
- How did Jesus respond to Mary’s words of displeasure?
COMMENTS AND APPLICATION
Our lesson reveals the wonderful power and inspiration that was in the heart of our Saviour in the days of his youth. It declares that he grew and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him. No telling how many incidents and experiences transpired throughout the years of Christ’s boyhood that we have no record or account of! But we have enough recorded on the pages of the Bible to give us confidence and assurance of the reality of our Lord and Saviour, even in the amount that is given. And while Jesus was waxing strong in spirit, his relative John was also growing and waxing strong in spirit and was being prepared for his day of ministry to the people of Israel. Luke 1:80 —Bro. Leslie Busbee
REFLECTIONS
The very last words recorded in the Bible are: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all, Amen.” It can be easy to think because Jesus was not only human, but also divine, that somehow the beauty of His grace is an attribute not completely attainable for me—after all, I am only human! And yet, oh wondrous thought, these last words of the Bible tell me the SAME beautiful influence of God which Jesus portrayed can also be portrayed through every aspect of my life!
We had a visitor in our congregation a few weeks ago. He did not know many of the songs in our hymnal, but do you know which one he was familiar with and wanted to sing? “Amazing Grace!”
“Amazing’” is a word I hear commonly used, especially by the youth of today. It means something is startlingly impressive or something that causes surprise or wonder. Well, the life story of John Newton, author of “Amazing Grace,” is compelling so as to be startlingly impressive! He was a man, who after becoming a slave trader and being brutally abused, eventually became captain of his own ship, continuing the inhumane and unfeeling practice of slave trade. By report, he was a hard and vile man who had long given up any religious convictions. And yet… One terrible night in the midst of a violent storm in which it seemed all would be lost, he cried out, “Lord have mercy on us.” Through God’s wondrous grace, John Newton was converted and became a righteous and holy man! Oh startlingly, impressive thought!
Gracious Heavenly Father, Thank you for also forgiving my sins and saving me by your grace! May I not frustrate your grace by wanting to do things my way. May my speech be always with grace. Help me to sing with grace in my heart unto you. Help me, through your grace, to abound unto every good work that I may minister to others the same grace you have given to me in my life. Thank you so much for the riches of your grace—for the love, mercy, compassion, strength, and help you so willingly give me. Thank you for the throne of grace continually available to me in my need. May I be a reflection of the grace and truth you continually show me, although I am most undeserving. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with us all. Amen. —Sis. Julie Elwell
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