Luke 2:15-40

Luke 2:1 “And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.”

Isaiah 9:6 “For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Luke 2:15-20 “When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” ‎ They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph.

“And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing Him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished,

but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. ‎ The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.”

Luke 2:11 "For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”

Luke 2:19 “But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.” NKJ “ Mary, however, continued guarding all these, things closely, continuing to ponder them in her heart.” Lenski

1) The rest just wondered, not so Mary who had heard Gabriel’s annunciation. The matter went far deeper with her.” 2) She said nothing—it was all too sacred, too miraculous for her. But in addition to holding them closely she “continued pondering them in her heart,”

3) We catch a glimpse of the depth of Mary’s character; it was calm and deep, spiritually receptive and strong, steady and persevering in grace.

Luke 2:21-24 “Eight days later, when the baby was circumcised, He was named Jesus, the name given Him by the angel even before He was conceived.”

“Then it was time for their purification offering, as required by the law of Moses after the birth of a child; so His parents took Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord. ‎

The law of the Lord says, “If a woman’s first child is a boy, he must be dedicated to the LORD.” ‎ So they offered the sacrifice required in the law of the Lord— “either a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”

Luke 2:25-35 “At that time there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel. The Holy Spirit was upon him and had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. ‎

“That day the Spirit led him to the Temple. So when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required, Simeon was there. He took the child in his arms and praised God, saying, ‎

“Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace, as you have promised. ‎ I have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared for all people. ‎ He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and He is the glory of Your people Israel!” ‎

“Jesus’ parents were amazed at what was being said about Him. ‎ Then Simeon blessed them, and he said to Mary, the baby’s mother,

“This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, but He will be a joy to many others. He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose Him. As a result, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul.”

Luke 2:36-38 “Anna, a prophetess, was also there in the Temple. She was the daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher, and she was very old. Her husband died when they had been married only seven years. Then she lived as a widow to the age of eighty-four She never left the Temple…”

“but stayed there day and night, worshiping God with fasting and prayer. She came along just as Simeon was talking with Mary and Joseph, and she began praising God. She talked about the child to everyone who had been waiting expectantly for God to rescue Jerusalem.”

“The title does not mean that she constantly foretold the future, or that she put herself forward publicly, but that she knew and interpreted the Word and the will of God for edification as 1 Cor. 14 describes this so valuable charisma (gift).” Lenski

1Corinthians 14:3 “But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men.”

“She talked about the child to everyone who had been waiting expectantly for God to rescue Jerusalem”

Luke 2:39 “When Jesus’ parents had fulfilled all the requirements of the law of the Lord, they returned home to Nazareth in Galilee.”

Visitors from the East Matthew 2:1-9a “Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men (Magi) from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the newborn King of the Jews?”

“We saw His star as it rose, and we have come to worship Him.” King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?”

“In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote: ‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah, are not least among the ruling cities of Judah, for a ruler will come from you who will be the shepherd for My people Israel. ”

“ Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared.

“Then he told them, ‘Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find Him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship Him, too!’ After this interview the wise men went their way.”

“It is no surprise that Herod tried to kill Jesus, for Herod alone wanted to bear the title “King of the Jews.” But there was another reason. Herod was not a full-blooded Jew; he was actually an Idumaean, a descendant of Esau.

This is a picture of the old struggle between Esau and Jacob that began even before the boys were born (Gen. 25:19–34). It is the spiritual versus the carnal, the godly versus the worldly.” Wiersbe

Matthew 2:9-11 “And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were filled with joy!

“They entered the house and saw the child with His mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”

“The gifts they presented were, gold, frankincense, and myrrh, money, and money’s-worth. Providence sent this for a seasonable relief to Joseph and Mary in their present poor condition.

“These were the products of their own country; what God favours us with, we must honour Him with. Some think there was a significancy in their gifts; they offered Him”

gold, as a king, paying Him tribute, “to Caesar, the things that are Caesar’s”; frankincense, as God, for they honoured God with the smoke of incense; and myrrh, as a Man that should die,” Matthew Henry

Matthew 2:12 “When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.”

The Escape to Egypt Matthew 2:13-20 “After the wise men were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up! Flee to Egypt with the child and His mother,” the angel said. “Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to search for the child to kill Him.”

“ That night Joseph left for Egypt with the child and Mary, His mother, and they stayed there until Herod’s death. This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: “I called my Son out of Egypt.”

“ Herod was furious when he realized that the wise men had outwitted him. He sent soldiers to kill all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, based on the wise men’s report of the star’s first appearance.

“ Herod’s brutal action fulfilled what God had spoken through the prophet Jeremiah: ‘A cry was heard in Ramah— weeping and great mourning. Rachel weeps for her children, refusing to be comforted, for they are dead.’”

The Return to Nazareth “When Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt. “Get up!” the angel said. “Take the child and His mother back to the land of Israel, because those who were trying to kill the child are dead.”

Romans 8:37-39 “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”