Luke 2:1–40

The first Roman emperor... upon the death of Lepidus he shared the empire with Antony, but both were too ambitious to share the kingdom. The battle of Actium, B.C. 31, went in Caesar's favour, and he reigned alone. Four years later he was confirmed as 'emperor' and 'Augustus' in B.C. 27... He confirmed Herod as king, and added Samaria and Gadara to his territory... The Lord Jesus was born during his reign.

It is clear that a decree of Augustus or any other emperor could not take effect outside the empire. But it was the phrase of the day, as we see in Acts 24:5. To a Roman, the city of Rome ruled the whole earth. The world and the empire were the same; everything outside counted for nothing. But the apostles had a true and larger view, as we may see in Acts 17:31, Hebrews 2:5, Revelation 3:10, and elsewhere.

Instead of God dealing with Israel in grace, we see first the pagan emperor of the world — the head of Daniel's last empire. He is using his power in Emmanuel's land, and over the people of God, as though God did not know them... What a strange state of things sin has brought in!

The power of the world is set in motion by an act that proves its supremacy over the people of God. As His people, they should have been free from every rule except the immediate government of their God, which was their glory. The act proves the complete degradation and servitude of the people. Because of their sins, they are slaves to the nations in their bodies and in their possessions (see Nehemiah 9:36-37). But this act only carries out the marvellous purpose of God. It causes the Saviour-king to be born in the village where, by the testimony of God, that event was to take place.

But if there was a decree from Caesar, there was a most gracious purpose in God. Caesar might indulge his pride and count the world his own, in the exaggerated style of human ambition and self-satisfaction. But God was now showing what He was — and oh, what a contrast! By this very act, and by God's providence, the Son of God enters the world at the promised place, Bethlehem.

While he enjoyed this supremacy, the Roman Emperor had no idea that his Master was born in a village in Judea. His Master came in the lowest ranks of life, among the most despised tribe in the Emperor's realm. That one event changed the whole course of the world's history.

There seemed no likelihood that the child would be born at Bethlehem. But the Emperor commanded that everyone should go to his own town for the census. God arranged it this way in His providence, to fulfil His word. So it is today. There is not a movement in the world that God is not ruling directly or overruling indirectly.

We cannot ignore the days that a government decrees... We have to be aware of the commands of the government. We must give Caesar's days what is due to them. We must be subject to the governing authorities. This lies at the very start of Christianity.

That was the thinking of the world — of the imperial power of that day, the great Roman empire. But if there was a decree from Caesar, there was a most gracious purpose in God. Caesar could feed his pride and call the world his own, in the overblown style of human ambition and self-satisfaction. But God was now showing what He was. What a contrast! By this very act, God's hand brings the Son of God into the world at the promised place, Bethlehem.

It is wonderful that the whole machinery of the Roman Empire started moving to bring this about. An unknown couple, as the world saw them, reached their home city, Bethlehem, just in time for the birth of the One who would be the Saviour of the world. Yet so it was.

The decree was not carried out at the time we are looking at here. But it went far enough to call the parents of our Lord from Nazareth in Galilee to Bethlehem. That did not complete man's census; it fulfilled God's prophecy. God took care that it should be just fulfilled enough to carry out His purposes.

Despite all this, the power of the world is working, without knowing it, to fulfil a prophecy about One it does not know. Once that is done, the plan falls away as if it had never been: "the census itself first took place when Cyrenius (or Quirinius) was governor of Syria" — some years afterward.

Read the phrase this way — "The census itself first took place when Cyrenius was governor of Syria." It cannot mean "this first census." The wording would have been different for that. It should be read: "This census first took effect when Cyrenius was governor." I lean to that sense, since the census was not put into effect when Mary and Joseph went up. They went to be registered, but it does not appear that they ever were.

Verse 1 already gives hunting ground to writers who deny that Scripture is accurate and without error. Secular records tell us nothing about any general census at this time… The question comes down to whether Quirinius carried out any administrative duties at the earlier date or not.

He was governor of Syria in A.D. 6, and he then carried out a census — most likely the one Acts 5:37 mentions. That long created a difficulty about Luke's statement that Cyrenius held a census when the Lord was born, in B.C. 4. But Prof. A. W. Zumpt of Berlin states, on what seems good authority, that Cyrenius was governor of Syria twice: the first time from B.C. 4 to B.C. 1, which fits Luke 2:2 well.

The "taxing" mentioned in Luke 2:1-5 was probably not a valuing of property but a registration of persons… The Roman emperor ordered it, but it seems the Jews were allowed to carry out the census their own way, by city and family line.

Caesar Augustus acts with his own subjects in view. Yet without knowing it, he is the means of fulfilling the prophecy that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem. The whole course of the world runs outside the current of God's thoughts. The one great fact for Him and for His kingdom here is the baby's birth at Bethlehem, and the emperor has no thought of it. The decree puts the world in motion, and God makes good His thoughts here below. God is carrying out His purpose of love, and man is blind to it. Who cared to notice the poor Jew, even if he belonged to the house and family of David? The things that mean nothing at all to man fill the heart and eye of God.

It happened so that an unknown couple living in Nazareth would be forced to travel to Bethlehem. And this at a time when a woman would want the quiet and shelter of her own home. In Bethlehem the prophecy could be fulfilled that Micah wrote seven centuries earlier: the Saviour of the world would be born there. Thousands of people were set moving to bring about this one prophecy.

In this case the emperor wanted to know not only the numbers but the nationalities of the people he reigned over. So when the order for this census went out, every man went to his own city. The order was absolute. Every Jew, wherever he lived, had to go up to his own city to be enrolled, on pain of a terrible penalty.

Notice that the same phrase is used for Nazareth in verse 39 as here for Bethlehem. That should restrain the criticism which has tried to set this writer of the Gospel against Matthew… Matthew starts with Bethlehem, but not in a way that means Joseph normally lived there. Mark speaks only of Nazareth. Luke deals with both, and takes Nazareth as his starting point.

The power of the world is set in motion. It moves by an act that proves its rule over the very people who, as the people of God, should have been governed by God alone — and that direct government was their glory. The act proves how completely the people have been brought low and enslaved. They are slaves, in their bodies and in their goods, to the pagan nations, because of their sins (see Nehemiah 9:36-37). But this act only accomplishes the marvellous purpose of God.

It was not carried out at that time as proposed. But it was carried out far enough to call the parents of our Lord from Nazareth in Galilee to Bethlehem. That accomplished not man's census, but God's prophecy. God took care that it should be fulfilled just enough to carry out His purposes. It was not until some years later that Quirinius was governor of Syria. Then it was carried out in full.

The circumstances of His birth show how complete the humiliation is that He has come into. Caesar is lord of the world, and orders it as he pleases, for his own purposes. How different a world this is from the one He made at the beginning! Yet He is in it as one under Caesar's rule. Joseph and Mary are brought out of Nazareth to Bethlehem, to be enrolled as of David's line.

It was not carried out at the time in view here as first proposed. But it was enough to call the parents of our Lord from Nazareth in Galilee to Bethlehem. That accomplished not man's census, but God's prophecy. God took care that it should be fulfilled just enough to carry out His purposes.

The proud Roman Emperor, Caesar Augustus, set all the machinery in motion to bring this taxing about. He little thought that it was to fulfil the Scripture: "But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days" (Micah 5:2). That prophecy came more than seven centuries before the birth of our Lord. In it we see His manhood, the place of His birth, and also the careful assertion of His deity.

From the time a woman among the Jews was engaged, she was considered legally the wife of the man she was betrothed to. So the Lord, while really the Son of His mother Mary, was legally of Joseph; and both Joseph and Mary were of the royal line. So the Lord Jesus represented David on both sides. But as the law required, He was the descendant of Solomon on the legal side. He was without question the Son of Mary, descended from the Nathan branch. Yet by law He could not be Messiah while a living representative of the Solomon branch remained. Being the legally reputed Son of Joseph as well as Mary's child, the Lord was descended exactly as He needed to be, in every required respect "David's Son," the Messiah.

He was an obscure village carpenter. This proved the truth of the prophet's words that the tabernacle of David had fallen down and lay in ruins (Amos 9:11). Yet he showed marks of true royalty according to God: in his mercy toward the weak and, as he thought, the failing, and in his trust in the Word of God and his obedience to it.

Bethlehem is "the House of Bread," fittingly the birthplace, long afterward, of Him who as the "Bread of God" came down from heaven to give life to the world. Judah, "praise," is the royal tribe through which in grace the "King" was to come. Praise always flows from knowing the fullness of blessing that is ours in Christ. So food and worship are closely connected — Bethlehem is in Judah.

Once a Jewish woman was betrothed, the law counted her as the wife of the man she was promised to. So the Lord was really the Son of His mother Mary, and legally the son of Joseph. Both Joseph and Mary were of the royal line. The Lord Jesus, therefore, represented David on both sides; but as the law required, He was the descendant of Solomon on the legal side. He was the Son of Mary and descended through Nathan's branch of David's family. Even so, He could not be the Messiah under the law while a living representative of Solomon's branch remained. But the Lord was counted by law as Joseph's son, as well as being Mary's child. So His descent was exactly what was needed to make Him "David's Son," the Messiah, in every required respect.

More than seven hundred years before the birth of Christ the prophet Micah had said in the name of Jehovah, "But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days." The chief priests and scribes quoted these words when Herod asked where Christ should be born. So they took them as a prediction of the Messiah's birthplace. But Mary's home was at Nazareth in Galilee, and the time was drawing near for the birth of her holy Child.

Caesar Augustus acts for the sake of his subjects. Yet without knowing it, he is the means of fulfilling the prophecy that Jesus should be born in Bethlehem... All the world is in movement to bring about one event that prophecy required. The poor carpenter, with Mary, His betrothed wife, must be in the city of David, and David's heir must be born there and then... Who cared to notice the poor Jew, though he might be of the house and line of David? The things that are completely unimportant to man fill the heart and eye of God.

Even the people of God were placed in servitude. Remarkably, the mother of the Messiah had to obey the decree of the Roman Emperor, and so did His legal father. They went up for the census to their own city, the city of David, Bethlehem, and so fulfilled the prophecies... The decree was not carried out at the time proposed here. But it went far enough to call the parents of our Lord from Nazareth in Galilee to Bethlehem. That accomplished not man's census, but God's prophecy.

The circumstances of His birth show how complete the humiliation is into which He has come. Caesar is lord of the world, and orders it as he pleases, for his own purposes... yet He is in it as under Caesar's rule, Joseph and Mary being brought out of Nazareth to Bethlehem to be enrolled as of David's line. Despite all this, the power of the world is working, without knowing it, to fulfil a prophecy about One it does not know. Once this is done, the plan drops as if it had never been.

The virgin who lived at Nazareth had to be taken to Bethlehem. There she gave birth to Him whose kingdom would in time break the Roman empire in pieces and fill the whole earth. She was poor. Naturally she would not have left Nazareth at such a time. They seem to have been friendless too, at Bethlehem. The inn was crowded. No one offered them a home.

The appointed time (Galatians 4:4) had come. According to prophecy the Saviour had to be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). But Mary lived in Nazareth. God in His own marvellous way ordered everything. He directed Caesar Augustus to issue the decree of taxation at just such a time and in just such a way. He ordered the journey of Joseph and his promised wife Mary too, so that she had to be in Bethlehem when the time came for her to give birth.

"The fullness of time" is an important expression here. The Seed was spoken of in Eden, but God let some 4,000 years run their course before He sent Him forth. In this we may see the perfect wisdom of His ways. He would allow man to fully show his condition. He tried the creature in a variety of ways, under conscience and under law, sending prophets, and so on. But what was the result? Man proved himself in every way a creature beyond cure. Sin, wrongdoing and hostility were everywhere.

The emperor and his decree are only insignificant instruments. Caesar Augustus acts with his own subjects in view. Yet without knowing it, he is the means of fulfilling the prophecy that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem. The entire course of the world runs outside the current of God's thoughts. The central fact for Him and for His kingdom here is the babe's birth at Bethlehem; but the emperor has no thought about it... Who cared to notice the poor Jew, though he might be of the house and lineage of David? The things that are perfectly indifferent to man fill the heart and eye of God.

It was not carried out at the time proposed here. But it went far enough to call the parents of our Lord from Nazareth in Galilee to Bethlehem. That accomplished not man's census, but God's prophecy. God took care that it should be fulfilled just enough to carry out His purposes.

If God is sovereign in His purposes, His sovereignty is no less displayed in His choice of instruments to fulfil them. More than seven hundred years before the birth of Christ, the prophet Micah had said in the name of Jehovah: "But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days."

But we see God's hand in her movements. The Emperor in Italy was the instrument that made the Virgin leave her home for Bethlehem, and give birth to her child there... She was poor. In the normal course she would not have left Nazareth at such a time. They seem to have been friendless at Bethlehem too. The inn was crowded. No one offered them a home... The world did not want the presence of the One whose birth heaven would rejoice over.

There seemed no likelihood that the Babe would be born at Bethlehem. But the Emperor commanded that everyone should go to his own town for the census. God arranged it in His providence to fulfil His word. So it is today. There is no movement in the world that God is not ruling directly, or overruling indirectly, for the gathering of His people.

The Son of God is born in this world, but He finds no place there. The world is at home in the inn, or at least its resources find it a place there. The inn becomes a measure of man's place in the world, and of the welcome the world gives him. The Son of God finds no place at all, except the manger. Does the Holy Spirit record this detail for nothing? No. There is no room in this world for God, or for what is of God. That makes the love which brought Him down to earth all the more perfect. He began in a manger and ended on the cross, and in between He had nowhere to lay His head.

Luke always loves to present moral features. So it is very instructive for us that Jesus lay in the manger, not in the inn. The children of men found their place in the inn according to their means, as it suited them. Those who had money could command a place in proportion to what they were willing to pay. But the parents of the Lord were so poor that people at the inn utterly despised them. The only place where they could find shelter for the Babe was a manger. Yet this did not stop the outflow of divine grace, and only unbelief could deny the divine glory of the One laid there.

He ignored the imperial city of Rome. He passed by the royal city of Jerusalem and chose Bethlehem, though it was "little among the thousands of Judah." He also passed by the poor fare the village inn could supply, and chose the shelter of the ox's stall. There in Bethlehem's stable the One "whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting" was born and cradled in a manger.

Who would have thought of the Son of God coming to earth as a Man in the way He did? Look for the Son of the Highest whom the angels are celebrating, and what do you find? A "babe" — the weakest of beings. "Wrapped in swaddling cloths" — the badge of helplessness, worn by One who had clothed Himself with light as with a garment. "Lying in a manger" — in the company of the animals!

"First-born son," prototokos; but when Luke speaks of an only son he uses monogenes: Luke 7:12; Luke 8:42; Luke 9:38.

"Firstborn son" in Luke 2:7 proves that the perpetual virginity of Mary, and the worship of Mary in extreme ritual religion, are fictions.

He was rich and He became poor. A man in conversation with me denied the eternal deity of our Lord Jesus Christ. He argued that Jesus began to exist in the manger at Bethlehem. My answer was this Scripture: He was rich, and He became poor. If what that man believed was true, then our Lord never was rich before He was poor, and the Scripture is a lie. There was none poorer than He on the day He was born in David's city. A manger was His cradle and a stable His shelter!

So the poorest child who has become aware of his sin may realise this: the Son of God has been younger than he is, and lower than he is. He brought all the might of Omnipotence into swaddling cloths, and all the wealth of God's matchless grace into a stable.

We live in a day when people seem to have less and less time for one another. Children, and unborn children, are often unwanted. Young people have trouble finding their place in society, and more and more elderly people live in hard circumstances. It reminds us of the words, "There was no place for them in the inn" (Luke 2:7). It should not be like that, yet even we as believers may show the same wrong attitude.

The story of the shepherds has become so well known through hymns and carols that we are perhaps in danger of missing its full meaning. Shepherds as a class were not held in much esteem in those days. These were the men who took night duty. They were unskilled compared with the men who cared for the sheep by day. To these extremely humble and unknown men the angels appeared. Heaven's secret about the arrival of the Saviour was disclosed to such nobodies as these!

Compare this chapter with Matthew 2. There the scene is set among the great ones in Jerusalem — Herod the king, his courtiers, chief priests and scribes. They know nothing of this marvellous event for months afterwards. God shows no partiality, but He does have regard for humility and integrity of heart before Himself. So He passed by the important people in Jerusalem and sent a delegation of angelic beings to wait on a small group of despised night watchmen, so that they might be let into the secret of heaven's ways. These shepherds were a few of the godly remnant waiting for the Messiah, as their later words and actions show us.

Some poor men were faithfully carrying out their hard labours, far from the restless activity of an ambitious and sinful world. They receive the first news of the Lord's presence on earth. The God of Israel did not look for the great among His people, but had regard for the poor of the flock.

The men of Beth-shemesh were busy, and worthily so, harvesting their grain when the ark appeared. In the same way, the shepherds of Bethlehem were faithfully guarding their flocks by night when the rejoicing angels told them of the birth of the infant Saviour. "The devil visits idle men with his temptations; God visits industrious men with His favours," as Matthew Henry put it. Gideon was busy threshing wheat when the angel of the Lord appeared to him.

From earliest times the calling of the shepherd had been linked with faith. The thought of sacrifice stands out here, along with the tender care that reminds us of the true Shepherd of His sheep. Abel, Jacob and David were all shepherds and men of faith. These nameless shepherds here clearly belong to the same company. It is to such men that heaven will make known its wonderful secret… And it is fitting that this truth should be announced in the shepherds' ears, for only by sacrifice could it be made good.

The angel does not choose distinguished rulers to hear his marvellous announcement. He chooses shepherds who kept watch over their flock in the night. This beautifully shows the grace of God. For He is the Shepherd of Israel who never slumbers nor sleeps, watching alone while the world is unaware.

Everything here is small, and the people are hidden, but God has come in. It is all behind the passing greatness of the world, which only carries it out. The empire displays its worldwide power, and this is what brings Jesus' birth to Bethlehem. Yet all the people involved are small and insignificant — Jesus, Mary, the shepherds. But nowhere in all the history of Israel do we find God so near as in this darkest time of the people. Blessed truth! Nowhere else does He share His grace so closely. It was hidden, yet deeper and truer, with more personal heart in it.

Has it struck the reader that the first thing said out of heaven to men after the birth of Christ was "Fear not"? Does it not suggest that His coming as a Baby was meant to remove all fear from our hearts? It was meant to remove all suspicion from us. It was meant to help us see that His attitude towards us, after our four thousand years of sin, was still friendly, loving, gracious. It is so hard for fallen man to believe anything but the lie that deceived him at the beginning. He cannot credit the living God he has sinned against with any kindly attitude towards him.

A sense of God's presence produces the true fear of God in the soul. At that very moment the gospel comes and takes the fear away. So at once the angel says, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy." Here is the gospel preached for the first time on the plains of Bethlehem.

The shepherds are filled with fear in the presence of the glory, but the angel says to them, "Fear not." A multitude of the heavenly host then appears in their sight, but they do not fear. Instead they go into the city with joy, repeat the news, and return with praise. It is very happy for us to know that the presence of the glory need not alarm us. Nature fears, but the voice that speaks from heaven makes the soul bold. So we learn that joy and praise, not fear, suit the presence of the glory.

Some poor men were doing their hard work faithfully, far from the restless activity of an ambitious and sinful world. They receive the first news of the Lord's presence on earth. The God of Israel did not look for the great among His people, but had regard for the poor of the flock.

The great joy of the message centred on this: He had come as Saviour. They had had the Lawgiver and the prophets, but now the Saviour had arrived, and He was so great a person as Christ the Lord. This good news was for "all the people" — not "all people." For the moment a wider circle than all Israel is not in view.

In the end Luke does proclaim the saving grace that goes out to all men. But he begins within the strict limits of Israel. He shows God faithful to His people, and willing to carry out all His promises if they would receive Jesus. But they would not. So God was morally right to turn from the Jews who despised Him to the Gentiles.

Are we not too much afraid of joy? There is much to sadden in life: our failures as believers, the state of the world, the confusion of the church, the small number of believers, the vast crowds who are indifferent. We should feel all this deeply. Still the angel's words stand and proclaim "great joy to all the people."

If men had not believed the news, angels had; if earth is indifferent, heaven is not. The heavenly hosts, so to speak, break all bounds. They join this angelic messenger who announced the glad fact... They never saw Him before. The heavenly hosts came trooping down to earth with deep joy. Heaven is full of ecstasy, and why? Because the unsolved riddle of four thousand years is now made clear. How is man to be saved?

A multitude of the heavenly host gathered with the angel. The angel of the Lord addressed the shepherds. The angelic choir seemed not to notice them. It was completely absorbed in praising God. They could not keep silent, for glory to God, and blessing to men, would result from that child's birth.

A multitude of this heavenly host greeted the divine Saviour's birth as man with delight and no jealousy. They praised God and said, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good pleasure in men. Here we see them as the native inhabitants of heaven, gathered as if for a festival, rejoicing in the results of grace for men on earth.

Scripture never mentions singing except in connection with redemption. It never even says that angels sing... It is only therefore redeemed ones who can sing, and we learn from this the true character of Christian song. It should express the joy of salvation — the praise and gladness that knowing redemption produces in the soul.

It is not exactly good will toward men, which is the point here. The word expresses God's good will and complacency in men... For the Son of God became, not an angel, but really a man, according to Hebrews 2. He did not take up the cause of angels, or concern Himself with it. It was men He took up.

The means of this are not pointed out here. They are redemption, the destruction of Satan's power, the reconciliation of man by faith, and the reconciliation of all things in heaven and earth with God. Everything depended on the Person and presence of Him who was born. All was wrapped up in Him. The state of blessing was born in the birth of that child.

It would not be only "Glory to God below," but "in the highest" — through the whole universe of God, and above all in its highest places. Glory to God at last, everywhere. On earth there had been nothing but war against God, and among men confusion, misery, and rebellion. Now it is "on earth, peace." Nothing less than this would follow from the birth of the Messiah, though not all at once.

It is important to see first of all that God is glorified. Sin has been dealt with. Sins have been dealt with. The cross has judged the prince of this world. Death itself has been conquered. These are only a few of the things Christ has done. Every promise of God is fulfilled in Him. Man has been recovered in reconciliation for God. All that God ever wanted for the delight of His heart of love is centred in the blessed Man in whose face the glory of God now shines.

The point here is not exactly good will toward men. The word expresses God's good will and delight in men... For the Son of God became, not an angel, but truly a man, as Hebrews 2 says. He did not take up the cause of angels, or concern Himself with them. It was men He took up. But much more appears here: it is God's delight in man now that His Son has become a man.

Revisers, with the editors, adopt "peace to men of good pleasure."

The prophets said again and again that peace would mark the long-awaited kingdom. God presented the fulfilment of it to the nation in a Saviour, Christ the Lord, born to them in the city of David... But the One whose coming could have brought in peace was rejected. The peace He offered was taken from the earth, and can now only be celebrated as peace to be established in heaven. The fact was that He, in whom all the fullness was pleased to dwell, had to lay the only possible ground for peace in such a world by the blood of His cross.

Sadly, peace on earth did not follow at once after this announcement, but man is to blame for this. God has offered peace to men from His heart, in the person of His Son. But they have refused His Son. The world cannot know peace until it receives the Prince of Peace. Such peace is certain, but it lies in the future.

We read in Colossians that the day is coming when God will reconcile all things to Himself, but we read further that believers are already reconciled. We have been brought into the good of this because we know the One who has brought glory to God in the highest. We know the One who will bring about peace on the earth: He is the Prince of Peace. And we know the One in whom God expresses His good pleasure toward men. Because we know this Person in our hearts, we have been brought into reconciliation.

All understanding of the things of God comes from His revelation, and not from the reasonings of men. So the simple go further in spiritual understanding than the wise and clever of the earth. God acts here so as to set aside all appearance of human wisdom. This was the case with the shepherds. They hardly entered into the great purpose of the registration; but it was to them, and not to the prudent, that God revealed Himself.

The shepherds show the faith that marked them. They accepted at once the word that reached them through the angel, then their own eyes confirmed it, then they glorified and praised God.

It fixes the mind on the noun or verb, pressing it home as the important point then in the mind… In Luke 2:15 it means then now.

They are wise men, they are in earnest. There is a Saviour for them, and they have learned where they can find Him. Prudence might have said, "Don't be in a hurry, better wait till the morning, in case the wolves come and steal the sheep;" but faith said, "Let us go now."... What good would the sheep be if you missed finding the Saviour?

They did not say, "Let us go … and see if this thing has happened," but "see this thing that has happened." They came with haste and saw the Babe with their own eyes; then they bore testimony to others. They could then say, "God has said it, and we have seen it" — the divine testimony backed by personal experience. Such testimony is bound to have effect.

God shows no partiality, but He does look for humility and honesty of heart before Himself. So He passed by the important men in Jerusalem. He sent a delegation of angels to wait on a small group of despised night watchmen, so that they might be let into the secret of Heaven's ways. These shepherds were a few of the godly remnant waiting for the Messiah, as their later words and actions show us.

We cannot come into the simple joy and power of God until we accept the place of lowliness and humiliation — until the heart is emptied of what is contrary to the lowliness of Christ. These shepherds were quietly carrying out their humble duty; and that is the place of blessing.

So, in their simple way, they acted on what was made known to them, on the report of the angels; and when they had proved it true, they spread the news. In this they were anticipating the way of grace. News of such great goodness and joy could not be, and ought not to be, kept shut up in the hearts of those who first received it.

They are wise men, and they are in earnest. They are fully awakened sinners, deeply anxious and strongly moved by the news they have heard. There is a Saviour for them, and they have learnt where they can find Him. Let us go now, they say. Caution might have said, "Don't be in a hurry. Better wait till the morning, in case the wolves come and steal the sheep." But faith said, "Let us go now."

There was no unbelieving "if" with these shepherds. They did not say, "Let us go now, and see if this thing has happened." They said, "Let us go now, and see this thing that has happened." And they came to Bethlehem — not with the slow, dragging steps with which some sinners come to Jesus. "They went with haste." … They found exactly what God had told them through the angel: the Saviour as a baby lying in a manger.

The shepherds' interest was in the message. … The shepherds praised God when they found, with thankful hearts, that He had carried out His word.

This is the sign that God would give to His people, promised centuries before by the prophet's mouth — and what a sign! Here is infinite grace stooping to deepest poverty. The Creator became poorer than the lowest of all His creatures, so that He might bless all. Yet in that lowest place He was the Son of the Highest. As He lay in that setting of poverty, the multitude of the heavenly host could praise God and say, "Glory to God in the highest."

God does not show such displays of glory to human eyes every day. But He sets them before us in His word, and every day we must follow the sign He gave — follow Jesus, the baby in the manger. If He filled the eye, the ear, the heart, how we would see the effects in person, spirit, conversation, dress, house, money, and so on.

At this moment God was not concerned with the great of the earth. He was concerned with His poor and afflicted people, and these shepherds were among them. Only those whose hearts God has prepared can receive His messages. So we may be confident that these humble men were among those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem.

If we are guilty, we need a sacrifice. If we are in ruin, we need someone to repair us. If we have to be raised up, we need one who can and will stoop to our condition to lift us up. … This marks out the faith of the shepherds. The weakness and poverty they saw at Bethlehem did not offend them. … We must go to the blessed Lord in His humiliation before we can know Him in the way our own condition needs.

What a sight it was that greeted their eyes! They might not have grasped the full meaning of what they saw, or the glory of the Child. Still they saw Him, and no one can doubt that they looked with adoring hearts. Scripture records not a word of anything they or Mary or Joseph said. Is it because they were feasting their eyes upon the Saviour, Christ the Lord, as He lay there in the manger?

So, in their simple way, they acted on what the angels told them. And when they had proved it true, they spread the news. In this they were anticipating the way of grace. News of such great goodness and joy could not stay, and ought not to stay, locked in the hearts of the first people who heard it.

The shepherds gave the response of faith. They did not say, "Let us go … and see if this thing has happened," but "see this thing that has happened." They came in haste and saw the baby with their own eyes. Then they told others what they had seen. They could then say, "God has said it, and we have seen it" — the divine testimony backed by personal experience. Testimony like that is bound to have an effect.

Editors read simply "made known," following one set of manuscripts. Others have "made known about the country."

They were so stirred in heart that they went at once to Bethlehem to see the thing which the Lord had made known to them. They saw, and spread far and wide the message they had been given about this child. They told it to everyone.

In their simple way they acted on what was made known to them — on the report of the angels. When they had proved its truth, they spread the news. In this they were anticipating the way of grace. News of such great goodness and joy could not be, and ought not to be, kept to the hearts of those who first received it. They made it known wherever they could.

When they had heard, found, and seen, they went and told everybody else. And what did they say? Not only that we have heard of the Saviour, but we have found the Saviour, we have seen Him. There was no hoping, or fearing, or doubting, or uncertainty. If you have found the Saviour, go and do the same. It is a sweet thing when the gospel gets into a man, and the best evidence that it has is this — he wants to tell others about it. He would like others to be as well off as himself. He cannot keep it in.

Shepherds! Who would listen to them? They were poor, ignorant men, dreamers caught up in some wild delusion. If the priests and the scribes had carried the report there might have been some reason to hear it. But shepherds? Announcing a Saviour born that day, even Christ the Lord, and He lying in a manger! Impossible, incredible, and only to be ignored.

They did not keep it to themselves. They reported what they had seen throughout the region. There would be no reason whatever for them to report such things if the report were not true. So the people who heard it were not skeptical, but wondered what all this meant.

No child had ever been born in such circumstances, or welcomed with such praise from angels. Yet nobody took any notice of what the shepherds said. The wonderful message the shepherds made known fell on dull and apathetic ears. The public effect was nil. No one seemed to care.

Shepherds! Who would listen to them! They were poor ignorant men, visionaries of some wild delusion. Had the priests and the scribes carried the report there might have been some reason in hearing it. But shepherds! They announced a Saviour born that day, Christ the Lord, and He too lying in a manger. Impossible, incredible, and only to be ignored.

To all this the shepherds gave the response of faith. They did not say, "Let us go … and see if this thing has happened," but "see this thing that has happened." They hurried and saw the baby with their own eyes. Then they told others. They could then say, "God has said it, and we have seen it." — the Divine testimony backed by personal experience. Such testimony is bound to have effect.

They did not keep it to themselves, but reported what they had seen throughout the region. It is evident there would be no reason whatever for their reporting such things if the report were not true. Therefore the people who heard it were not skeptical, but wondered what all this meant.

So, in their simple way, they acted on what the angels had reported to them. When they had proved it true, they spread the news. In this they were anticipating the way of grace. Those who first received news of such great goodness and joy could not keep it in their hearts — and ought not to. They made it known wherever they could.

The angels went back into heaven. The shepherds then went to Bethlehem to see the child. After that they spread the news of His birth. Their listeners wondered. They themselves glorified and praised God for all that they had heard and seen. Mary kept all those sayings, and pondered them in her heart. Heaven was stirred, but earth — how little it stirred! … Men wondered at what the shepherds told them, but which of them moved a step to see the child? How out of tune with heaven earth was! How little men cared about what so interested the angels!

The witness about the miracle created a sensation in the district, for we read that everyone marvelled. That is the way of man with things he can neither understand nor imitate. But such an emotion does not affect either the heart or the conscience.

The testimony given to the shepherds moved them towards the Person. If the truth of these things moves our hearts towards Christ, praising God will mark us too.

They made it known wherever they could. "But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart." A deeper feeling, no doubt, was at work in her mind. The time had not come for spreading the gospel that was in store; the basis for it had not even been laid. But she must have been deeply interested in the wonders around her — she weighed it all, and treasured it all up in her heart.

Mary was a quiet, meditative, reflective soul. Chosen for such a mission, and with such a charge, it could scarcely be otherwise. With even the faintest sense of the character of her Child she must have been filled with awe in the presence of God, and speech would be almost out of place.

Understanding is of the heart (Matt. 13:15). It was in her heart that Mary kept the deep sayings about the Christ, and in secret she kept pondering them so that she might eventually understand (Luke 2:19, 51).

Luke would have learned this from Mary herself. Compare Mark 14:72, "when he thought on it," which Mark would similarly have learned from Peter.

Mary again is pondering things in her heart; so chapter 2:51. How everything is in littleness, and a hidden people, but God has come in. It all lies behind the passing greatness of the world, which only carries it out... But nowhere in all the history of Israel do we find God so near as in this darkest time for the people. Blessed truth! Nowhere are there such intimate communications of His grace — only it was in a hidden way, but a deeper and truer one, that is, with more of personal heart in it.

Men wondered at what the shepherds told them, but which of them moved a step to see the child?

Roving thoughts hinder meditation. In meditation the heart must fix on the object. Worldly Christians are like mercury, which can never be made to settle. Their thoughts rove up and down and will not fix, like a bird that hops from one branch to another and stays nowhere... In meditation there must be a settling of the thoughts upon the object: "Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart" (Luke 2:19).

As she guarded these sayings and meditated on them, we may be sure that the Spirit of God gave her some perception of their meaning, to sustain, guide and comfort her in the years to come... But we recall again the Lord's reply to a woman who called out from the crowd, "Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!" He answered, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!" This blessedness is open to every one of God's people.

Faith was at work in those simple Israelites to whom the angel of the Lord was sent. They rejoiced in the blessing fulfilled before their eyes. That blessing confirmed the grace God had shown in announcing it to them. The words "as it had been told them" add their own testimony of grace to all that we enjoy through the lovingkindness of God.

They did not say, "Let us go … and see if this thing has happened," but "see this thing that has happened." They came in haste and saw the Baby with their own eyes. Then they bore witness to others. They could then say, "God has said it, and we have seen it" — God's testimony backed by their own experience… As for the shepherds, they caught the spirit of the angels, glorifying and praising God. So on this great occasion there was praise on earth as well as praise in heaven. We venture to think that the praise of these humble men below had a note in it that was missing from the praise of God's mighty angels above.

Could we think of any position further from religious greatness than a few shepherds sitting in a field at night, keeping their sheep? No church official was with them, and no one to teach them religious phrases. Yet from those shepherds there came a song of glory and praise to God. They were ordinary people, as we are. But the angel's message about the greatness of Christ — "Christ the Lord" — had touched their hearts. That message moves them towards that glorious Person. Their hearts were so filled with what they saw in Him that they returned "glorifying and praising God."

Some poor men were faithfully doing their hard work, far from the restless activity of an ambitious and sinful world. These men receive the first news of the Lord's presence on earth. The God of Israel did not look for the great among His people, but had regard to the poor of the flock.

After confirming the news they had heard, the shepherds gave testimony towards people (verse 17), and responded towards God (verse 20). Is this not the normal effect on all who have truly grasped something of His glory? He was the One wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

As they returned to their work, the shepherds were full of praise to God. Their eyes had confirmed what their ears had heard.

Should not our own affections be fully in tune with those who in that day poured out their hearts' appreciation of God's Christ? "The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen." Simeon's heart overflowed. With the Baby in his arms he lifted up his voice in response to God — "My eyes have seen Your salvation." And the aged Anna "at that very moment gave thanks likewise to the Lord." Her heart responded first to God. Then, filled with appreciation of this glorious Christ, she had to go and speak of Him to all.

The child receives the name of Jesus on the day of His circumcision, as Jewish custom required (see Luke 1:59). But the name came from the purposes and revelations of God, brought by the angels of His power. Every step followed the law, for at this point in history we are still linked with Israel. He who was born of a woman was born under the law.

We also note that our Lord was circumcised on the eighth day, as the law required, though there was no sinful flesh in Him to be "put off." It matches His baptism by John, which fulfilled all righteousness, though He had no sins to confess as the people did. It matches too His being taken down to Egypt, so that, retracing Israel's history, these words could be true of Him: "Out of Egypt I called My Son."

In Christ there was a true answer to His circumcision. Where Israel as a nation had failed, He triumphed.

His circumcision, as the apostle says of it, makes Him "obligated to keep the whole law" (Gal. 5:3). "But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons" (Gal. 4:4-5). So He pledges Himself to full obedience to the law, and for Him it will never be relaxed. To others He is to be the Source of a grace He will never know Himself. And the law itself marks out a special place for Him, apart from all others.

They carefully keep the ordinances of the law, and at His circumcision on the eighth day the child receives the name Jesus, the name God decided before He was conceived. This too was announced to Joseph while Mary was pregnant with her firstborn (Matt. 1:18-21).

As Hebrews 4:8 shows, Jesus is the Greek form of Joshua, or Jehoshua, which means "Jehovah is salvation," or "whose salvation is Jehovah." So there is good reason for the common remark that the name Jesus means Jehovah the Saviour. And what a subject that gives us to think about, yes, and to adore! God Himself declares that a child born into the world, of humble parents in man's eyes, is Jehovah the Saviour!

At His circumcision He receives the name "Jesus" (Jehovah the Saviour), the name Scripture spoke of: "you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins" (Matt. 1:21). He comes under the law as the Redeemer from under it.

The words in Colossians 2:11 do not refer to those in Luke 2:21 at all. We can also translate "circumcision of Christ" as "cutting off of Christ" — words that remind us of familiar verses in Old Testament prophecy. "He was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people" (Isa. 53:8). "And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing" (Dan. 9:26; older translations read "Messiah shall be cut off"). Put these two Scriptures together and it becomes clear that Paul's words, "circumcision of Christ", point to the Lord's death on the cross — the place of judgment, where He was cut off.

They took great care that every detail concerning the Christ was carried out as the law of the Lord had ordained. Five times over Luke states that the law was observed — verses 22, 23, 24, 27, 39. We presume we must credit this excellent feature to Joseph, the husband of Mary — this careful obedience to the Word of God.

Here we see the Lord Jesus under the law of Moses… Luke preserves the two traits we have noticed as the characteristics of his Gospel. First, he shows that the Lord met Israel fully according to God's ordinances. He was presented in the strictest compliance with the law, "to the Jew first."

His mother at the same time brought the offering for herself prescribed in Leviticus 12:8, a burnt offering and a sin offering, to make atonement for her, that she should be clean. For the male child who opened the womb, no atonement was ever required on such an occasion. Yet everyone except Mary's child was born in sin.

She came at the end of the appointed forty days with two birds, one for a burnt offering and one for a sin offering. The priest offered them to make atonement for her… Her burnt offering and sin offering spoke of her condition as a child of Adam, but also of God's grace, which could meet it by sacrifice.

He is afterwards presented to the Lord as a firstborn Son; or, as the law expresses it, one opening the womb… His circumcision, as the apostle says of this, makes Him "obligated to keep the whole law" (Galatians 5:3)… So He pledges Himself to full legal obedience, which for Him is to have no relaxation. To others He is to be the Source of a grace which for Himself He is never to know.

Everything was done according to the law, for at this point we are still dealing with Israel. He who was born of a woman was born under the law. The sacrifice offered for the purification of His mother also shows the poverty into which Jesus was born.

His parents had brought the baby in to do for Him "after the custom of the law." So we have both features of Galatians 4:4, "born of woman, born under the law." It is important to see that He did come as born under the law. That was necessary if blessing was to come to the Gentiles. Every righteous requirement was fulfilled.

Was God's business done when the Son was here, born of woman, born under the law? By no means. The incarnation was only the means, not the end. Redemption was the great point to which God turned.

No defilement needed to be put away in connection with the birth of our blessed Lord. But just as in His baptism and in His death, He stands as the representative of His people. So we may say that at the very time of His presentation to God, the witness of His own sacrifice is given, so that His people may be presented and cleansed in the presence of God.

The point to highlight is in verse 23: it is a quotation from the law. "Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord" (Ex. 13:2). At the time of Israel's exodus from Egypt, God established His rights as Redeemer. He wanted those rights shown in every firstborn baby boy. So when the Lord Jesus came into the world, Joseph and Mary obeyed. Their action acknowledged God's rights over Christ as a man and as one of God's people on earth.

Every detail concerning the Christ was carried out with great care, exactly as the law of the Lord had ordained. Five times over the record states that the law was observed — verses 22, 23, 24, 27, 39. We presume the credit for this careful obedience to the Word of God belongs to Joseph, the husband of Mary.

So He pledges Himself to full legal obedience, and for Him that obedience will never be relaxed. To others He is to be the Source of a grace which for Himself He is never to know. And the law itself marks out for Him a special place, apart from all others… He comes under the law as the Redeemer from under it.

Simeon sees that in that baby there was One altogether above the law. In grace He might become subject to it, and His parents were, of course, right to show full respect for its rules.

No atonement was ever required for the male child who opened the womb, though everyone but the Virgin's child was born in sin… Redemption by money, for every firstborn male of the twelve tribes, was a necessity. But this redemption by money was not redemption from judgment. The two have too often been confused. So the Lord Jesus was not exempted from it, as the historian's reference to the law (2:23) makes clear.

It was thirty-three days after the circumcision — that is, when a baby boy was forty days old… The redemption money was five shekels (Num. 18:15).

He was "the Holy One of God," "Jesus Christ the righteous." Indeed, He was the only one whose human nature was, or ever could be, called holy… His humanity was holy from the very first, despite being born of a fallen race.

Every firstborn male child in Israel was to be set apart for God, recognising His rights as Creator-Redeemer, and dedicated to Him and His service. Later this was limited to the Levites, but it remains a beautiful picture for believers today. The Lord Jesus was not only born among His people on earth. He also represents a whole new generation, without sin, "sin apart." He did not have a human father, as every one of us has. He represents a new beginning: Head of a new generation, Firstborn of a new order. Introducing this new order, He is set apart for God from the very start.

Here everything the law required is fulfilled. Of course no defilement needed to be put away at the birth of our blessed Lord. But here, as in His baptism and in His death, He stands as the representative of His people. So we may say that at the very moment of His presentation to God, the witness of the sacrifice of Himself is given, so that His people may be presented and cleansed in the presence of God.

The child receives the name of Jesus on the day of His circumcision, following Jewish custom. Yet the name came from the counsels and revelations of God, made known by the angels of His power. Everything was done according to the law, for at this stage the history is still tied to Israel. He who was born of a woman was born under the law. The sacrifice offered for the purification of His mother also shows the poverty into which Jesus was born.

His parents had brought the Babe in to do for Him "according to the custom of the Law." So we have both features of Galatians 4:4, "born of woman, born under the law." It is important to see that He did come "born under the law." That was necessary if blessing was to reach the Gentiles. He fulfilled every righteous requirement.

Here Luke gives us more than Matthew does — the Jewish evidence of the poverty of the holy family. Earlier we saw the contempt of man proved in the lowly circumstances of the Lord's birth. … The books of Moses show that this sacrifice was the provision for parents who were very poor. So Luke keeps the two traits that mark his Gospel. The first: he shows that the Lord met Israel in full accord with God's ordinances, presented in the strictest compliance with the law, "to the Jew first."

We read here the grace of God to the poor. And by comparing the closing verse of Leviticus 12 with Luke 2:24, we learn the amazing depth to which God stooped to show that grace. … From this simple fact we learn something about the reputed parents of our blessed Lord Jesus. They were so poor that they had to use the gracious provision made for those who could not afford "a lamb for a burnt offering." What a thought! The Lord of Glory, the most High God, Possessor of heaven and earth, owns "the cattle on a thousand hills" — yes, the wealth of the universe. Yet He appeared in the world which His hands had made, in the narrow circumstances of humble life.

His mother at the same time brought the offering for herself prescribed in Leviticus 12:8, a burnt offering and a sin offering, to make atonement for her, that she should be clean. For the firstborn male child, no atonement was ever required on such an occasion. Every other child was born in sin; the Virgin's child was not. … Mary could take advantage of the provision in the law for those unable to bring a lamb, and so brought two birds. Her offering showed her poverty. The purpose for which she brought them showed her need as a sinful creature.

Turtle-doves and pigeons are the lowest grade of burnt offerings. These were for the poorest of the people. As a picture, they express the weakest faith in Christ and the lowest estimate of His work. But here too we read that God accepted it as an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the Lord. These birds speak of Christ as do the ox and the lamb. The dove is the bird of peace, love and sorrow. The dove pictures Him as holy and undefiled, filled with tenderness and love.

How, it may be asked, did Jesus become poor? He became poor in several ways. He was poor in this world's goods. His parents were poor. They took advantage of the special provision made "in the law of the Lord" for the poor. Too poor to afford a lamb, they offered instead "a pair of turtle doves or two young pigeons."

We find him shining in the night of the Jewish age like a diamond in a dark room, or perhaps more like the humble glow-worm as the night shadows fall. There are some things which are most in season when they are out of season... There were clearly a few others of this spirit, and the aged Anna was among them. They were too few, too feeble, and too poor to form a sect. God kept them as a witness even then in Israel, waiting for the coming of His Son.

God greatly favoured this aged saint with a special revelation about His Christ. He did not make His mind known to the High Priest, the chief priests or the leaders of Israel. He made it known to one who was just and devout, a man waiting for the fulfilment of God's promise in Christ.

Simeon means "hearing", and he was clearly in the right state to receive this message, and in the end to receive the Lord. We read that "the same man was just and devout". He was devoted to the interests of God in this world. This early moment needed such vessels to handle things, to say it reverently, in a right way according to the mind of God.

Of Simeon we know nothing but his character as just and pious and waiting for the consolation of Israel. This was not merely for his own spiritual good. His heart longed for the blessing of the people of God. He felt keenly both their condition and what alone could meet it — Who alone could bring effective comfort.

The "Consolation of Israel" was a Jewish name for Messiah.

The consolation of Israel had come; the Person who brought it in, and who would make it good in due time, was here.

Simeon was righteous and devout, and he was waiting for the consolation of Israel. To him the Holy Spirit had revealed that he would not see death until he had seen the Lord's Christ. The faithful few were not without God's mind and God's care... But the Holy Spirit also directed Simeon's movements. It was by the Spirit that he came into the temple, at the time when His parents brought Jesus there.

These and similar revelations were given before the writings of Scripture were complete.

Yet things were not as a godly Israelite would have wanted them in the land. The nation was under the heel of a Gentile power. Its proud leaders were as dead as corpses towards God. Darkness, demon-possession and disease held the people in bitter bondage. There was a great parade of outward religion, but underneath the surface lay moral decay and death and everything that was hateful to God. Yet Simeon was at rest about it all. He did not yet see everything put right, but he saw Jesus, and that was enough. The One who would put things right had come.

We know nothing about Simeon except his character: he was upright and devout, and he was waiting for the consolation of Israel. His hope was not just for his own good, not even for his own spiritual good. His heart longed for the blessing of the people of God. He felt their condition deeply, and he knew what alone could meet it — and Who alone could bring real comfort. The Spirit let him know that he would not see death until he had seen the Christ, Jehovah's Anointed.

His privilege was beyond words. It went past the privilege of all the famous saints and prophets who had spoken before of the coming Messiah. He would not only know that Christ was born; he would truly see Him, know Him, and hold Him as his own... There, by the blessed Holy Spirit, Simeon was given to know that the baby on Mary's knees was none other than Jehovah's Christ.

People who came often to the temple courts saw nothing new here. A poor couple, their poverty shown by the mother's offering, came up to the altar with their firstborn son in his parent's arms. But Simeon knew what others did not, not even the priest on duty, because the Spirit of the Lord had taught him: the child of that poor mother was the Christ of God.

Another sign of God's pleasure in this devoted man was this: "it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ" (verse 26). What joy must have filled his heart when this revelation from God came to him! What is more, "he came in the Spirit into the temple" at the very hour when the parents of Jesus brought Him in "to do for him according to the custom of the Law" (verse 27). The Spirit rested on this godly man. The Spirit gave him the revelation. The Spirit led him to see Jesus, so that he could say, "my eyes have seen your salvation" (verse 30).

He can never hope to see the day when the Messiah is shown openly to Israel. Might he not have complained about his hard lot? He has to die just as the fulfilment of his hopes comes into sight. Yet all he said was, "Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace"... His heart's love was set on the Christ of God. If the Christ is to go, he is content to go. He has no wish to live if Jesus is to die!

He belonged to the faithful few in Israel who, in dark days of decline and turning away from God, held fast to the Word and waited for it to be fulfilled as promised. The Lord had a faithful few then, who waited for His first coming. Now His faithful people wait for the blessed Hope, His coming again to receive them to Himself... The Spirit led him into the temple at the right moment. His waiting ended when he held the child in his arms.

In Simeon the Holy Spirit was working with singular energy. The Spirit could not yet live inside him, but He was upon him. Through the Spirit he had a revelation, and the Spirit guided him into the temple at the exact moment to meet the child Jesus.

Here is a vessel that God can use, and whom the Spirit does use. He is well prepared to receive the Lord in the temple. Whatever is done in this holy matter must agree fully with the mind of God. The thing to stress is the holy character of the vessels God had prepared to handle this situation rightly.

Simeon is introduced in the condition of a priest, coming into the temple. God Himself had given him light, and in the power of the Spirit of God he was ready to take in the occasion with understanding. One feature of the opening chapters of Luke is the presence of the Holy Spirit as the power that moves the people mentioned. The Lord Jesus Christ is set before them from outside, while the Spirit works inside them to prepare their affections to receive Him.

God is good, and He would give suitable witnesses. So this godly man came in at the very time when the parents brought in the infant Jesus to do for Him "according to the custom of the Law." But he sees that in that baby was One altogether above the law. In grace He might become subject to it. His parents were, of course, right to show full respect for its rules.

His parents had brought the Baby in to do for Him "according to the custom of the Law." So we have both features of Galatians 4:4: "born of woman, born under the law." It is important to see that He did come "born under the law." That was necessary if blessing was to come to the Gentiles. Every righteous requirement was fulfilled.

The Lord must appear, and where must He appear? In the temple (Malachi 3:1). How could He appear in the temple if there was no temple on Mount Zion? So the temple had to be built, because the Messiah was to appear in the temple when He came. When we open the Gospels we find the record of the Holy Baby brought into the temple at a set time. The Holy Spirit led Simeon there at that same moment, as Luke tells us.

The people who filled its courts day by day often saw a poor couple approach the altar with their firstborn son in his parent's arms. The mother's offering showed how poor they were. There was nothing new in that. But Simeon knew what others did not, not even the priest on duty. The Spirit of the Lord had taught him that the child of that poor mother was the Christ of God.

We read that Simeon "took" Jesus up in his arms. It should be "received Him into his arms". Every reverent soul will see at once that this fits better, and it is in fact the correct word. He received Him into his arms, we may be sure, from the hands of Mary. What a sight! Think of that devoted mother handing her Child into the arms of old Simeon! Think of Simeon, given the priceless privilege of taking into his arms that Child in whom God would establish and perfect all His purposes!

Simeon had received the revelation that he would not die until He had come. The Spirit led him into the temple at the right moment. His waiting ended when he held the child in his arms. He was a baby, like any other baby. Yet faith saw in Him what He is, the Lord's salvation for His people; He who had come to do the great work.

Simeon knew what no one else there knew — not even the priest on duty. The Spirit of the Lord had taught him that the child of that poor mother was the Christ of God.

The word "blessed" carries two senses here. Simeon blessed God as a creature worshipping his Creator. This is the worship that man may give to God alone, and that God alone can rightly receive.

He had the Child in his arms, and at such a moment you would expect him to bless the Infant. But he does not. For he had that Child in his arms, not as a weak infant to entrust to God's care, but as God's Salvation. In that glorious character, at the moment of nature's complete weakness, he held Him up and gloried in Him. The lesser is blessed by the greater. It was not for Simeon to bless Jesus, though he could rightly bless Mary.

Everything around him spoke of the law of Moses, and of the singing David had set up to go with it. Yet he turned his back on it all. He must often have heard the musicians with cymbals and trumpets, and the human voice — the sweetest instrument of all — praising Jehovah together. He must often have watched the service at the altar too. None of that held him now. He was taken up with the infant child of a poor mother, and all the sacrifices offered on that altar, as we know, were only pictures of Him.

Simeon — "Received Him into his arms, and blessed God." Dear friends, I want to say this to you tonight. If you will receive this blessed Man and hold Him as Simeon did, substance will be formed in your heart, and out of it you can praise and bless our God and Father. Simeon did not have the light we have. He did not have the Holy Spirit in the way we have Him. Yet he stood there under the power, guidance, influence and teaching of the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit always calls attention to the preciousness and glory of Christ.

Verse 29 gives us a remarkable statement. Simeon says, "Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace." The word "Lord" here is really "Despot." We see in it the effect of a man moving under the power of the Spirit of God. Simeon recognised that supreme power was with God, not with the Emperor. Only a person who has the advantage of the indwelling Spirit can understand where this world is heading.

Notice that the word used here for "Lord" is not the usual one. The same term occurs in Luke 2:29, Acts 4:24 and Jude 4. It means the Lord as "sovereign master." It is also used in 2 Peter 2:1: "denying the Master who bought them." This is not the nearness in which we know Him as "our Lord." It is the general relation of authority in which the Lord is Master of the whole world — of all men, whether bad or good.

The eyes of Simeon have seen God's salvation, and he begs of the sovereign Lord that he may go.

He begins with what is personal to himself. God is acting in His sovereignty, and he can rejoice — for sovereignty with Him means sovereign goodness. He has fulfilled His word to him, and now he may depart in peace. What, indeed, could man have sought or imagined on God's part so blessed as what He has done? Who could have thought what the Babe in Simeon's arms meant for the heart that could take it in?

He sees that in that babe there was One altogether above the law. In grace He might come under it, and His parents were of course right to honour every one of its rules. But Simeon "received Him into his arms, and blessed God." He said, "Lord, now You are letting Your bondman go according to Your word, in peace, for my eyes have seen Your salvation." The law of Moses never could let a sinful man depart in peace. So to speak, it never ought to. ... It was not imagination, but solid faith; it was "according to Your word." There is nothing so sure as the testimonies of God and His Word.

Here was this aged saint. He had spent a long life "waiting for the consolation of Israel." Now, just before his eyes must close in death, God lets him see as an infant the One who is the fulfilment of his hopes... He might well have complained about his hard lot, having to die just as the fulfilment of his hopes was in sight. Yet in fact he simply said, "Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace." He foresaw the approaching tragedy of the Cross, and more than that, his heart's love centred in the Christ of God. If the Christ is to go, he is content to go. He has no wish to live if Jesus is to die!

Suppose a man walks with God and has finished his course. He knows that his work is done, and he is aware that the Lord's time has come. He has companionship and communion with the Lord he has walked with. If he only comes to a bed of sickness, he is not ready to go yet. He is not afraid; God is teaching him something else. But when God's time has come, all is joy and readiness. He feels like Simeon: Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace.

It is important, I think, to link salvation with the Lord Himself. We have it in present and enjoyed possession when we have Him. Simeon's words show this plainly. He held the infant Jesus in his arms and said, "My eyes have seen Your salvation." The Lord's words to Zacchaeus show it too: "Today salvation has come to this house." He was there, and He was salvation. I advise young Christians to spell salvation "H.I.M." and not "I.T."

Simeon knew, at last, that here was God's salvation. The work was not yet done, but here was the Worker of it. His faith did not fail as he considered the weakness of those infant hands that now held the task. Already his eyes had seen this salvation. It might come from Israel, but it could not be shut up in Israel. No, God had prepared it before the face of all the peoples.

The whole tone here is not what we may call formal. It was not that the work was done. But in Christ there was, in principle, "God's salvation" ... The Spirit might not yet say "God's righteousness," but He could say "God's salvation." It was the person of the Saviour, seen according to the prophetic Spirit, who would in due time make everything good as to God and man.

Only the anointed eye could discern who He was, the eye of faith. The angels voiced the gladness of heaven and proclaimed the greatness of that Babe. Yet His lowly birth and deep humility made no appeal to people — except to men like Simeon, who had the eye of faith. He was an old man, unknown and perhaps poor in the world, but rich in heaven's reckoning, and highly favoured of God ... The old saint had waited for a sight of God's Salvation until his natural eyes grew dim. At last he looks on Him and knows Him.

But he sees that in that baby there was One altogether above the law. In grace He might become subject to it, and His parents were, of course, right in paying every respect to its rules ... The law of Moses never could let a sinful man depart in peace — so to speak, it never ought. For peace to be real and righteous, it must come from the God who gave the law. He is present in grace, present as man in this world, and present to suffer for sins, the Just for the unjust. And so He was, for such was Jesus.

As soon as he held God's salvation, all his desires were satisfied. Every tie to earth fell away, and he was ready to depart in peace ... With the holy Child in his arms, Simeon stood at the centre of God's purposes. From there he looked on to the time when the Gentiles would come into the light, and when Christ would be the glory of His people Israel.

God's sovereign work is in view in what He told Simeon, and God has in mind to bring us into the good of these things. Has knowing these things produced in us the same effect it produced in Simeon? When he took the Babe up in his arms he "blessed God". Could there be a greater evidence of reconciliation than a company marked by blessing God?

No wonder that Simeon, whose eyes were opened by better sight than earth can give, could see God and His salvation in the baby. It was not imagination, but sober faith. "My eyes have seen your salvation." This was what kings and prophets had longed to see, and now Simeon saw it in the person of Jesus.

Notice that he makes both one in a salvation for all, prepared — ordered — before the face of all people. The glory, though, belongs to Israel as God's people.

Simeon knew, at last, that here was God's salvation. Even if the work was not yet done, here was the Worker of it. His faith did not fail as he looked at the weakness of those baby hands now trusted with it. Already his eyes had seen it: a salvation which, being what it is, might come from Israel but could not be shut up in Israel. God had prepared it before the face of all the peoples. Could it be anything less than world-wide in God's desire, with the same need on every side calling for it?

He went one step further than the angel. He saw that God had prepared His salvation before the face of "all peoples" — the word is plural this time. Jesus was not only to be the glory of Israel but also a light to lighten the Gentiles. It was revealed to him that grace was going to flow beyond the narrow borders of Israel.

The reversed order here seems to me significant: "a light for revelation of the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel." First comes this exceptional period, in which God brings the Gentiles to light. The predicted and regular state of things will follow it. Still, once God has brought the Gentiles into light, He never puts them back into darkness.

Salvation, the deliverance of God, had come in Christ. It was for the revelation of the Gentiles, who until then lay hidden in the darkness of ignorance, with no revelation. And it was for the glory of Israel, the people of God. This is indeed the fruit of the government of God in Christ, that is to say, the millennium.

The first fruit of possessing the Christ was to bless God. It was a holy, happy, grateful acknowledgment of His salvation now seen, and it gladdened the heart of God to have His Anointed welcomed. Simeon also declares marvellous things about the Child, the Gentiles, and His people, in that order. The effect on himself was a satisfied heart, a peaceful spirit, and readiness to depart out of the world — an experience that is ours also.

"A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel" (Luke 2:32). "A light for revelation to the Gentiles" in the Revised Version is no better; its margin note has it right. It should be "A light for revelation (or, unveiling) of the Gentiles." This means that Christ is a light for bringing Gentiles into divine view. That is happening now. He will be the glory of Israel later on.

Christ has been a light for the revelation of the Gentiles. Before that, they were so completely in the dark that in God's sight they were as if they did not exist. This was not about His judgment of the secrets of the heart, but about His government of the world.

This was the revelation of the Gentiles — their discovery in darkness by the Light that had come, and their admission to an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Christ.

This is the time during which Israel is blinded, and the long hidden Gentiles come into view, brought out of the low state in which they had lain until now. But when God has finished His work among the Gentiles, the next words will come true: "and the glory of your people Israel." This verse is very important. It shows what would follow when Israel rejected the Messiah, and what comes before God brings them in later on. This is not the order we find in the prophets. There, wherever the Lord appears as the Glory of Israel, He also blesses the Gentiles in a place below the chosen people.

Once God has brought the Gentiles into light, He never puts them back into darkness. But this will not stop Him from bringing Israel to the highest place of earthly glory, above all the nations. So God's goodness to the Gentiles never passes away, and He will still keep His ancient and special promises to Israel.

This is prophetic. The Gentiles are put first. And so it has come to pass; after the fullness of the Gentiles has come in, all Israel will be saved. See Isaiah 49:5-6; Romans 11:25-26.

When Mary took Him to the temple, Simeon, one of the faithful few in Israel and a servant of the Lord, rejoiced to see in Him God's "salvation," and "the glory of His people Israel." He also saw in Him "a Light for revelation of the Gentiles," so that they, brought out of their darkness and ignorance, might be revealed in God's marvellous light. This truth is not limited to the time when our Lord Jesus Christ was here on earth. When Paul preached the gospel he said, "Behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, 'I have made you a light for the Gentiles'" (Acts 13:47). The Light, like the gospel and the salvation of God, is sent out for all men everywhere.

All his desires were satisfied. Every tie to earth was cut as soon as he had God's salvation, and he was ready to depart in peace. Moses once stood on Mount Pisgah and saw the land God had provided for His people. Simeon went further: with the holy Child in his arms, he stood at the centre of God's purposes. From there he looked forward to the time when the Gentiles would be brought into the light, and when Christ would be the glory of His people Israel.

Joseph and the Child's mother were amazed at the things spoken about Him, and well they might be. Here we only know in part. Only little by little do we take in the truth we say we believe, and come into its power.

He spoke of the child as a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, as well as the glory of God's people Israel (2:32). A Jew would have thought first of his own nation, God's people on earth. Old Simeon put the Gentiles first. The good news really would be preached to them alongside Israelites. In that way God would bring them out of the background where His dealings had kept them, and this would happen before the Jewish nation entered its final blessing.

"And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. And Simeon blessed them."… Luke always brings out these touches of human affection and sorrow. This is part of his purpose, because he shows the Lord Jesus especially as a man. In keeping with that, he brings out the feelings of those closest to Him, such as His mother.

The angel of the Lord spoke to him as son of David: "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit" (Matt. 1:20). In obedience to God's Word Joseph took her, "and" (the Holy Spirit carefully records) "knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus" (v. 25). Joseph was therefore rightly regarded as the legal father of Jesus. In every true sense the firstborn Son of Joseph's wife was legally his rightful Heir.

Simeon does not see the bright side only. He does not imagine that God's message of salvation will be welcomed at once, just because men need it. While Joseph and Mary wonder at the things said about Him, he turns to the mother. He warns her what the light of God will reveal about the hearts of men… For the presence of Christ as light would bring everything to light.

Simeon turns to the parents, for the Spirit of God in grace links Joseph with the mother, and he blesses them. But he also foretells that cross which would reveal many hearts, and the sword which would pierce her own. So, at His very birth, we see the shadow of the cross. It is not a shadow of gloom. It shows the unchanging purpose of love, which no difficulty can block and which even death cannot quench (33-35).

In tender grace God used His servant Simeon to prepare Mary for her Child's path of sorrow and rejection. Who can doubt that the sword pierced her own soul above all when she stood by the cross of Jesus and saw His sorrow? How merciful God's ways are! We come to our sorrows only step by step, and when they come we find them lit up with His love.

The words point to Mary's personal sorrow, since she was to be a witness of the crucifixion of her own Son. Luke always brings out these touches of human affection and sorrow. This is part of his special task, because he above all portrays the Lord Jesus as a man. In keeping with that, he brings out the feelings of those as close to Him as His mother.

The hour had come when the words of the aged Simeon to Mary came true — "a sword will pierce through your own soul also." The sword of Jehovah, according to Zechariah, was about to awake against the true Shepherd of Israel. But a sword of another kind would also pierce the soul of His mother, and the Shepherd thought of that.

The Lord entrusted John with the care of Mary His mother, and from then on John gave her a home. Old Simeon's prediction came true. A sword did pierce through her soul, but the loving care of John must have soothed her and comforted her.

The word also covers conscious feeling and existence in general — the activity of the inner man — without saying where it comes from or what it is. In this way it applies even to God. So: "with all your heart and with all your soul"; "My soul is very sorrowful"; "a sword will pierce through your own soul also."

The full accomplishment of God's counsels towards Israel, and towards the world through Israel, brought joy of heart to the faithful who had trusted these promises. But at that moment it tested every heart, through a Messiah who was a sign spoken against. The counsels of God and the heart of man were both revealed in Him.

As He would be spoken against and rejected, the thoughts of many hearts would come to light, as they came into contact with Him. In the presence of God every man must come out in his true character. So this feature about Christ was an unintended tribute to His deity.

The Cross of Christ is the test; it lays bare the thoughts of all hearts. But most of all it revealed His own thoughts, His deep feelings. We learn what they were from the seven words that came from His lips.

The One who is the Saviour will also convict us of our sins, and so show us our need of the Saviour. His word will be like a sharp sword and a polished arrow. It pierces the conscience and reveals the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

But God brings in another witness besides Simeon — Anna the prophetess — so that two or three witnesses may establish every word.

Simeon and Anna were old ones, passing away when Christ comes in… Simeon rests in what Christ is; Anna tells others about Him.

But is a public congregation the only place to speak out the praises, the mercies, and the wonderful works of God? Luke 2:36 tells us that the aged Anna was a "prophetess." Her prophesying was serving God with prayer and fasting, giving thanks, and speaking of the infant Saviour — whom she had seen with her own eyes in the temple — to all who were waiting for redemption.

So the good news must flow from one to another, and God takes care that Anna the prophetess should come in; for here we have the revival, not only of angel visits, but of the prophetic Spirit in Israel.

She is a true child of Asher, which means "happy," and of Phanuel, which means "the face of God." Her own name, Anna, means "grace," and it marks out the principle of a life like hers, where fasting and prayer are simply love's service, and her prophesying flows out of her fellowship with God. What a blessed picture!

It is a little surprising that the tribe of Asher is mentioned here. We would normally have expected Judah and Benjamin. Clearly Anna represented the ten tribes. Perhaps there is a prophetic touch in that, pointing to the future day when all twelve tribes will be fully reconciled to God.

The blessing of Asher in Deuteronomy 33:24-25 ends with these lovely words: "As your days, so shall your strength be." But all went to ruin, as the history of Israel unfolds. Yet at the first coming of Christ… we find one of that same tribe… still enjoying the power of that blessing given through Moses. And the Lord Christ Himself was identified with that obscure remnant. She was one of them — a remnant ready to receive Him when He first came.

As the Revised Version shows, she must have been at least 105 years of age.

Anna was a holy widow. She never left the temple, and she felt the misery of Israel keenly. With a widowed heart she had pleaded again and again at the throne of God for a people to whom God was no longer a husband. They were truly widowed, like herself. Now she tells everyone who talked these things over together that the Lord had visited His temple.

Scripture gives three marks of the "widow indeed." She is "desolate, trusts in God, and continues in supplications and prayers night and day." It is remarkable that three widows in Luke's Gospel answer exactly to this description. The widow of Nain, whose only son was being carried out for burial when the Lord met her, was truly the desolate one. The poor widow who put her two small coins into the treasury, and out of her poverty gave all she had to live on, surely trusted in God. And in Anna we find the last characteristic.

In her time there were dark days in Israel. For four centuries no prophet had come among them with a burning message to revive their hopes. There was no visible glory of God's presence in the temple. Things were indeed at a low ebb.

Her interests were wholly taken up with the things of God. She refused present things. She showed her constant dependence and confidence in God by her prayers night and day. Had she been fixing her thoughts on Malachi 3:1? "The Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple." If so, she was not disappointed.

Fifty-five is the retiring age for Government officials who work under the burning skies of India; sixty for officials in this country. But there is no age limit for devotedness, and devotedness is the crying need of these days.

This is the lovely picture the Holy Spirit draws with an unerring pencil. It is a picture of a few in Jerusalem, in a time of decay and spiritual death, who "feared the LORD," "spoke with one another," and "esteemed His name." Outside of the activities of the day, and unknown to those in power and influence, they were known by the Lord, and by one another. This was enough for their souls.

Luke carefully notes how these godly people in Israel kept to the ordinances, submitting to God according to the law. Then, as always, there was a remnant chosen by grace. God took care that the testimony reached those whose hearts were prepared for Jesus. In due time grace would go out to the very worst of people. But God first makes Him known to those whose hearts were already touched, waiting for Jesus.

Her constant fasting and prayer brought her into communion with the mind of God as she waited for the Messiah to come. So God led her into the temple at the very moment when the infant Jesus was presented to the Lord. Her heart filled with joy, and her lips with praise... Morally we stand where that little group in Jerusalem stood. Like them, we are waiting for our Lord. Meanwhile God calls those who are truly widows to give themselves to fasting and prayer. In that way they hold up the whole Church by their prayers, and rekindle in many hearts the blessed hope of the Lord's return.

The present guidance of God is just as clear in her case as in Simeon's. There was then, as always, a remnant chosen by grace. God took care that the testimony reached those whose hearts were prepared for Jesus. Grace might go out to the very worst, and in due time it would. But God first of all makes Him known to those whose hearts were already touched, waiting for Jesus.

Before Mary and Joseph left the temple, Anna came up. Like Simeon, she was at once taken up with the child. She gave thanks first to God, and then spoke of Him to all those who looked for the redemption of Jerusalem. God provided the right person to spread the news among His waiting people: Israel's King, David's Lord, was here on earth.

"Redemption," compare Isaiah 40:2. Note that the text followed by the revisers reads "of Jerusalem," that is, deliverance by the Messiah.

Malachi had said that in the evil days, when people called the proud happy, those who feared the Lord should often speak together. That time had arrived in Israel... We see that they knew each other, in this lovely picture of God's hidden people... Anna was a holy widow. She did not leave the temple, and she felt the misery of Israel deeply. With a widowed heart she had pressed the throne of God for a people to whom God was no longer a husband — a people truly widowed like herself. Now she makes known to all who thought about these things together that the Lord had visited His temple. They had looked for redemption in Jerusalem; and now the Redeemer — unknown to men — was there.

It was the same with Anna. She did not leave the temple, and her one thought was "Him." She "spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem." In the Old Testament remnant I was speaking of, "they feared the Lord, and spoke often one to another." In the same way, her one thought and her one topic of conversation — the thing that filled her — was "Him." She "spoke of Him" to all those who shared her hope, her expectation and her affection.

The widowed Anna joins in this praise. It is most touching to see these aged ones — the parents of John, Simeon and Anna. The fires of nature are all put out and their earthly hopes are all gone, yet they break out into joy. The fountain of perpetual youth has sprung up in their hearts, and it is flowing out even now.

And they knew each other, for Anna "spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem." Just as we ought to be doing in another way.

Finally, they took great care that every detail concerning the Christ followed what the law of the Lord commanded. Five times over we are told that they kept the law — verses 22, 23, 24, 27, 39. We presume we must credit this excellent feature to Joseph, the husband of Mary — this careful obedience to the Word of God.

His parents had brought the child in to do for Him "according to the custom of the Law". So we have both features of Galatians 4:4, "born of woman, born under the law". It matters that He did come "born under the law". That was necessary if blessing was to reach the Gentiles. He fulfilled every righteous requirement.

Jerusalem was where people honoured the law. Grace takes its place among those men count as unimportant, despised, outcast and good for nothing. And not only in Galilee, but in a place known for being obscure even there — Nazareth. What a wonderful witness to the way of Divine grace! When people choose a place, they think about what pleases them most and best serves their own interests. What pleased God most and answered the interests of grace best was Nazareth.

When all was done according to the law, they returned to Galilee to Nazareth. Jesus would not be the Christ we need, if He had taken any glory from Jerusalem. His place is among the poor of the flock — His place all through in Israel.

It was a name men used with scorn. Nazareth was the most despised place in that despised land of Galilee. In the providence of God, this was the place for Jesus. It fulfilled what all the prophets together had said: He would be despised and rejected by men.

This Gospel has shown Him duly doing what the law required. It then moves Him at once to the position where all the Gospels place the Lord: He has given up the Jews as a nation tied to the temple and its hopes, and works in despised Galilee to gather a remnant by faith. It may well be exact in time that He returned to Nazareth at that moment. Even so, I judge that the Spirit's aim in Luke was not that precision. It was the moral fact: He did carry out the legal requirements, and once that was done, He took His place among the poor of the flock, far from Jerusalem… Luke 2:39 contains the whole moral history of the place the Lord took in Israel.

The events we have looked at in Luke happened very soon after the Child's birth. So there is plenty of room for them all between the last verse of Matthew chapter 1 and the first verse of chapter 2.

They "returned into Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth," and went on with their daily work. They held a divine secret that no one in Nazareth knew but themselves.

Luke gives us more of the reality of His childhood than the other Gospels. He was not made man full-formed like Adam.

Everything about the Manhood of the Lord Jesus was beautifully natural. Nothing in the Bible's account went against nature. He grew to the stature and intelligence of a man in the ordinary way. "The Child grew." He "became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom." If His spirit had not been the spirit of a man it could not have "become strong." You could not say such a thing about God.

Verse 52 of the same chapter states that "Jesus increased in wisdom." These words are hard, if not impossible, to understand if He did not take a human spirit in becoming man. Wisdom belongs to the spirit rather than to the soul or the body.

How perfectly He is man; how truly within human limits — a wonderful Child, yet a Child, as He is plainly called. Who can fit the divine to the human here, or all-knowing God to growing knowledge? Should we try? What would it be but to busy ourselves with things too high for us, and prove nothing but the pride of our hearts?

He would not have been truly a man if He had not passed through the stages of a man's life from His birth on. He would not have been God if He had not done so in absolute perfection. John needed help to grow and become strong in spirit, and Luke says, "The hand of the Lord was with him." Jesus grew and became strong of Himself, so to speak, although, as man, in absolute dependence. In Luke we find the perfection of this unfolding. The flower is in bud, not a blemish; it is in full bloom, not a defect.

In Luke the blessed Lord is before us in all the lowly grace that marks Him as the Son of Man. He is everywhere seen as the dependent Man, in all the infinite grace that brought Him down to be a Saviour. The very term Saviour first occurs in Luke, as also the word for salvation... the word for "grace" too, is first found in Luke 2:40.

Verse 40 shows the reality of the Lord's manhood. He developed both physically and in strength of spirit, and was being filled with wisdom... Also the grace of God was upon Him. This is God's favor, perfectly deserved in His case, as it is not in ours.

The law was honoured in Jerusalem; grace takes its place among the insignificant and despised and outcast and good-for-nothing in the eyes of men... When people choose a place, they usually think about what pleases them most and serves their interests best. What pleased God most and served the interests of grace best was Nazareth. There His Son spent His earliest days... How completely free from human training, from anything man could bring from outside — this Child, the Son of God, filled with wisdom.

From that moment, His life-work was to declare the heart of God to man, and this is written down to meet our need. But before that time, He was declaring before all heaven what Man is to the glory of God. We can see how morally fitting it is that this was left out on earth and recorded in heaven.