Every Israelite firstborn, whether human or animal, is consecrated to God (Exod 13:2; Neh 10:35–36). The notion of redeeming the firstborn is not in view here, as nothing is said of Jesus’ parents paying the priest any redemption price (Num 18:15–16). Rather, the presentation of Jesus at the temple parallels Hannah’s dedication of Samuel to the service of the Lord when she brought him to Eli the priest (1 Sam 1:24–28). While Jesus is not offered for lifelong priestly service, God has already laid claim on his life. Luke’s reference to the law, “Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord” (2:23), recalls Gabriel’s words to Mary, “the child to be born will be holy” (1:35), for indeed Jesus is conceived by the Holy Spirit and set apart for God’s service.
The next two scenes are complementary (2:25–38). Like Zechariah and Mary, Simeon and Anna form a male-female pairing to bear witness to the purposes of God.62 Both are depicted as pious and steadfast before God. While Simeon is explicitly stated as having the Holy Spirit resting on him (2:25–27), the work of the Spirit on Anna is implied, since she is a prophetess (2:36). Simeon is righteous and devout (2:25), and Anna, throughout her widowhood, “never left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day” (2:37). Both of them hold fast to the promises of God by aligning themselves with those who are waiting patiently for the consolation of Israel and the redemption of Jerusalem (2:25, 38; cf. 23:51; Isa 52:9; 66:13).
The meeting between Simeon and Jesus’ family is orchestrated by the Holy Spirit (2:27), the fulfillment of a revelation from the Spirit to Simeon that he will see the Lord’s Messiah during his lifetime (2:26, 29).63 Holding Jesus in his arms, Simeon praises God and expresses his readiness to die, for God’s salvation, embodied in the person of the Messiah, has finally arrived (2:28–29). The verb apoluō, which means “to dismiss” or “to release,” is a double-entendre. On the one hand, it is a euphemism for death. God can now release Simon and let him die in peace. On the other hand, God the master is dismissing Simeon because the servant’s task of waiting for God’s salvation is now accomplished (2:29).
The vocabulary and themes in the next three verses are drawn heavily from Isaiah 40–66. Looking at the baby Jesus, Simeon declares, “My eyes have seen your salvation” (2:30; cf. Isa 51:5–8; 52:10; 56:1). Jesus is not merely the bringer or agent of God’s salvation; he is God’s salvation personified. He will embody God’s saving actions in his person—in life and in death, in word and in action.
Even as faithful Jews are waiting for Israel’s Messiah, ultimately God’s salvation has been “prepared in the presence of all peoples” (2:31; cf. 2:10; 3:6). For the gentiles, the Savior will be a light that illumes the darkness, the spiritual blindness, in which those who do not know God find themselves (2:32a; Isa 42:6–7). Israel was supposed to be a light to the nations, so that through Israel’s witness the nations might come to know YHWH and be saved (Isa 49:6). Israel, however, failed to live up to this role, which will be fulfilled completely and perfectly by Jesus. Yet there is still a sense that salvation will go to the gentiles through the agency of Israel. The gospel will be preached to those outside of Israel by Jesus’ followers who are themselves Jews, from Jerusalem to Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).
There is a hint of irony for the gentiles to be mentioned before the Jews (2:32b). Be that as it may, the people of Israel already know God, so the coming of the Messiah is not so much for their illumination as it is for their glory (Isa 46:13). Glory connotes the sense of honor and revelation. Israel will share in the Messiah’s glory, a glory that will only be fully appropriated with the inclusion of the gentiles, something that faithful Israel must learn to do (Acts 9:15; 10:45; 11:18).
Mary and Joseph are amazed by Simeon’s words, which necessitate further pondering (2:33; cf. 2:19, 50–51). Simeon’s pronouncement about Jesus provides the lens through which Jesus’ life must be interpreted, but full understanding lies yet in the future. Then, addressing Mary in particular, Simeon portends future conflict that leaves her, and the readers, with a sense of foreboding. Opposition will come from within God’s people: “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many of Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed” (2:34). Signs point beyond themselves and are made to be followed, so to oppose a sign defeats the purpose of having a sign in the first place. The Messiah will point the way forward for Israel, but he will receive a mixed reception. Some will heed the sign and rise while others will refuse to follow and stumble (Isa 8:14–15). Those who reject God will fall, and their inner thoughts and hypocrisy will be exposed. In the end, it will become clear who will be judged and who will be blessed (2:35a; cf. 3:17).
The last thing that a mother would want to hear is that her firstborn child will encounter hostility, even to the point of death, as implied in Simeon’s last phrase, “and a sword will pierce your own soul too” (2:35b). Indeed, Mary will outlive Jesus and experience the deep anguish of a mother witnessing the death of her son. But this is the same Mary who responded to Gabriel, “Here I am, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word” (1:38). As she dedicates Jesus to God, is she able to relinquish her son’s life into God’s hand in total trust? As with the rest of Israel, the inner thoughts of Mary’s heart will undergo severe testing.
With Simeon’s words still hanging in the air, in comes Anna the prophetess. She is from the tribe of Asher, where Elijah the prophet preached (1 Kgs 17–18). Her father’s name, Phanuel, is the Greek form of the Hebrew Peniel/Penuel (“face of God”), which is the name Jacob gave to the place where he wrestled with the angel to commemorate his having “seen God face to face” (Gen 32:30–31). All these biographical details, together with the explicit identification of Anna as a prophetess, situate her squarely among the recipients of God’s revelation. By her piety she bears witness to this special heritage and identity.64
Although Luke does not record Anna’s exact words (2:38), we may assume that her praise to God is congruent with those of Mary, Zechariah, and Simeon. While the description of Anna’s constant presence at the temple may be a bit of an exaggeration in the literal sense, it is not in Luke’s estimation of her faithfulness and credibility. This is brought out in the detailed description of her old age and personal circumstances (2:36–37). The Greek here suggests that Anna is either eighty-four years old, or that she has been a widow for eighty-four years after seven years of marriage, which puts her at a ripe old age of 105 if she married at the age of fourteen!65 Regardless of whether she is eighty-four or 105, Anna the prophetess has a lifelong track record of devotion to God that earns her a rightful place in the narrative.66 Together with Zechariah, Elizabeth, and Mary, Simeon and Anna complete the chorus of faithful voices in Israel, and their convictions about God’s faithfulness and promises place the story of Jesus at an exciting edge of anticipation.
This section closes with an affirmation, for the fifth time, of Mary’s and Joseph’s adherence to the law (2:39; cf. 2:22, 23, 24, 27). The family returns to Galilee and settles in Nazareth, where Joseph has already made a home (2:39; cf. 2:4). The first summary statement of Jesus’ physical, mental, and spiritual growth functions as a bridge between infancy to late childhood (2:40). It will be followed by another enhanced statement after the account of the twelve-year-old Jesus at the temple (2:52). One might consider 2:40 and 2:52 as forming an inclusio around the next pericope, but it seems fitting to close this section with verse 40, “the favor of God was upon him,” in light of the heavy emphasis of God’s favor upon the faithful ones of Israel thus far in the narrative.
Jesus at Twelve (2:41–52)
Childhood stories