The words said by the priest are not given, but in this act all acknowledged that the first son belonged to God.
Testimony to Who Jesus Was
While they were in the temple, a man named Simeon came in. The Spirit of God had shown this man that before his death he would see the promised Christ. When he saw the Baby Jesus he knew He was the Holy One promised. He took Him in his arms, and thanked God, and said, “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.”
A woman named Anna who was known by all to believe the promises of God, also thanked God that His promise was fulfilled, and told others of this Holy Child.
Joseph and Mary “marveled” at the words said about the baby Jesus. They had believed the messages of the angel that this Child would save Israel (Matthew 1:2121And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. (Matthew 1:21), Luke 1:3232He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: (Luke 1:32)), but they had not seemed to understand He would be so great, as to be the Saviour for all people, as the shepherds and Simeon said. Mary must have wondered, that He would “be spoken against” and that sorrow, as “a sword” would come to her heart. But we know those words came true when that Holy One, Jesus, was refused.
Who Mary Really Was
You may hear Mary spoken of as “the Queen of Heaven,” and other such titles, but those were not given in the Bible, and it is not written that she should be worshipped. Very little was written of Mary, except to show she fully believed God’s words; she spoke of herself as from a humble home, “low estate” (Luke 1:4848For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. (Luke 1:48)); for her sacrifice in the Temple, she had two doves or pigeons, as were brought by poor people of Israel, instead of a lamb (Leviticus 12:88And if she be not able to bring a lamb, then she shall bring two turtles, or two young pigeons; the one for the burnt offering, and the other for a sin offering: and the priest shall make an atonement for her, and she shall be clean. (Leviticus 12:8)).
Mary knew she had sins and needed a Saviour, for she said, “My spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour” (Luke 1:4747And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. (Luke 1:47)).
When she heard the message to the shepherds of a Saviour, she thought much about those words, she “pondered them in her heart.” She did not forget them. She must have loved the baby Jesus as a good mother, and learned to love Him more as her Saviour.
From the temple Joseph and Mary must have gone again to Bethlehem (about six miles), for the wise men visited them there, and after they had gone, God warned Joseph to take the baby Jesus in haste to Egypt. From there they went to Nazareth to live.
Further Meditation
1. How did Joseph and Mary respond when they heard the words said about the Lord Jesus?
2. The Spirit of God is very careful to show the huge differences between the Lord Jesus and His mother Mary. Why was it so important to show the difference clearly and what are some of the ways that God did it?
3. When you meditate on the Lord Jesus Christ as a true man you no doubt will want to continually learn more. One good place to start is to read The Holy Humanity of Our Lord Jesus Christ by W. Kelly. You’ll find it challenging but worth your time.