While reading the story about Jesus’ parents presenting him in the Temple, in Luke 2:22—40, I was struck by the parallels between the Old Testament and the New Testament. Maybe struck is not accurate, there was a different type of clarity I experienced (like an ah-hah moment). It is interesting that as we mature in the Word, the Word takes on greater life and our depth of understanding deepens. The focus of these verses conjoins Jesus being differentiated from other firstborn sons to standing out from other firstborn male children, which differentiates between, the act of following the Law of the Lord (shared by Moses) to that of following the Law of God (shared by Jesus); the announcement of prophecy of the coming of the Messiah to the actual enacting of the prophecy; and, God’s use of doves to bridge Jesus’ consecration as a child of God to that of becoming the divine essence of the Son of God.
In researching these verses, Wikipedia reported, “According to the gospel, Mary and Joseph took the Infant Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem forty days (inclusive) after His birth to complete Mary’s ritual purification after childbirth, and to perform the redemption of the firstborn son, in obedience to the Torah.”
As we continued to read, we learned that Jesus’ parents followed the commands of the Torah and took Jesus to the Temple to receive redemption. We also learned that Simeon, a man of God, knew the child was the Messiah because God told Him he would arrive in the form of a man.
The scripture further reads, “When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph, and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord as it is written in the Law of the Lord.” Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord, and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: Every family was to offer a sacrifice of either a pair of doves or two young pigeons.
As the story continues, we learn that “there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. It had was to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.” Luke 2:22-30, 32 NIV
Not only did Simeon announce Jesus was the Messiah, but an old woman, a Prophet, confirmed it as well.
As time progresses Jesus is baptized by John. This is another instance we find doves as a centerpiece of the story.
”The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.” Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’“
John 1:29, 31-33 ESV
I find this type of study during differing times of my life to be enlightening. It gives me joy, hope, and a sense of peace knowing that God’s Word never fails us as we mature as Christians. The story continuously unfolds and becomes more magnificent by the day.
After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you. Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house? Then he went down to Nazareth with them (his family) and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.“
Luke 2:46-52 NIV
NOTE – His mother became a believer long before the other members of the family. She cherished each moment she observed His growth, as all mothers do when watching their child develop into an adult.
Thoughts in a Nutshell:
- Both the Torah and the Old Testament revealed that consecrating the firstborn male son of a family had to be redeemed by the Pharisees, and the family had to bring a sacrifice of two doves or pigeons to complete the ritual. This is important because when John baptized Jesus, God sent a dove that lit on Jesus. The dove was a symbol the Lord used to link Jesus to the Lord. Symbolism was important throughout the Old Testament, in that few people knew how to read, and the Torah/Old Testament was only available to religious leaders. The parallels were a means to connect prophecy, the unfolding of Jesus’ life that ended in the crucifixion and ascension of Christ, the New Testament, and the end times.
- Joseph was the father (stepfather) of Jesus and raised Him as His own. We were adopted and God invited us into His family as His own.
- Many revelations that are missed when studying the different Books of the Bible independently, cannot be understood without referencing the information in the New Testament to that of the Old Testament.
Images: 1. Catholic Daily Reflections; 2. IDS.org; 3. Gospelimages.com; 4. Nationalshrine.org
Resources: Bible.org, Biblegateway.org, Wikipedia
Lisa’s Daily Inspirations 