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The greatest story, the story of comfort and light, continues with quotations from Luke 2:

21And when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the Child, His name was called JESUS, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.

22Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord

23 (as it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the LORD),

24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.

25 And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation [Comfort] of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.

26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.

27 So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law,

28 he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said:

29 “Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word;

30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation

31Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,

32 A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.”

33And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him.

34Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against

35 (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

36 Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity;

37 and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.

38 And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem.

There are several key words in the previous text which reflect the comfort that became available to humanity via the Gospel. A few of these words are: Jesus, Christ, Salvation, Light, Revelation, Glory, and Redemption. As with all texts which deal with the life of Jesus, and especially this one which deals with His birth, the verbiage is literally filled with good news and hope. Thinking about the angels’ message on the night of His birth, we say, “On earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

Questions:

1. What offering did Mary and Joseph bring when the time of Jesus’ circumcision arrived? What does this meager offering indicate about their financial condition?

2. What does the expression “…a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles” indicate about the scope of impact which Jesus would have on the world?

3. To whom did Anna speak concerning Jesus? Why might she have limited her audience to those people?

4. What does the word redemption mean in the context of Luke 2? How is it connected with the promises God made concerning the Seed of woman and the Seed of Abraham?

"Chip Shots from the Ruff of Life" from Tom Kelley

The Curse is Gone