At the Temple Anna and Simeon Bless Jesus
They returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. (Luke 2:39)
As we’ve covered, Mary and Joseph go to the temple in Jerusalem when Baby Jesus is eight days old. They do so to consecrate him to God as their first-born male and to offer a sacrifice, both of which the law of Moses prescribes.
Yet Luke doesn’t give us any details about either of these ceremonies.
Though consecrating Jesus to God seems like a significant event that we should hear about and celebrate, Luke doesn’t tell us about Mary and Joseph making the required sacrifice. It’s as if these two tasks don’t matter.
What Luke focuses on, instead, are the conversations Mary and Joseph have with Simeon and Anna before they complete their reasons for going to the temple.
The parents’ interactions with these two godly individuals mean more. The words shared are more important than fulfilling the prescribed rituals.
After these two momentous conversations, Luke merely says that Mary and Joseph complete what the law requires. Then they return to their home in Nazareth.
This means they have more traveling to do.
It’s about 90 miles (145 km) from Jerusalem to Nazareth. Under normal circumstances the trip would take four to five days to walk. But the circumstances for Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus are not normal.
During the journey to Bethlehem, Mary was in her final stages of pregnancy. This made the trip take longer.
Now they head home. That’s another 90 miles. Though Mary is no longer pregnant, this trip is still challenging.
Having just given birth, she’s not in top physical condition. And attending to the needs of a newborn on this long journey adds difficulty to the trip.
Baby Jesus requires frequent nursing as they travel. This means stopping along the way or trying to nurse while in transit. After each meal, the child has other physical needs to deal with.
Though Mary has the joy of a baby to lift her spirits as she travels, this doesn’t make the trip less difficult for her to complete.
At last, they arrive home in Nazareth. Now they can begin to establish a normal life. Or so they think.
Do we strive to live a normal life and get frustrated when God has other plans for us?
When we must do something difficult for God, do we complain or embrace what we face?
Prayer: Lord, keep us from letting what we think we’re supposed to do get in the way of what you’ve planned for us. May we live the life you want us to, instead of the life we want.
[This devotional is taken from the January 1 reading from The Advent of Jesus.]
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Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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