Jesus’ Circumcision And First Temple Visit With Acknowledgements By Simeon Series

-5-4 BC-

In Bethlehem

Jesus’ Circumcision and First Temple Visit with Acknowledgements by Simeon and Anna

Jesus’ Circumcision

(Leviticus 12:3) Luke 2:21

Circumcision was the sign that God gave to His covenant people, Israel. Every male child was to be circumcised when they were eight days old. “Then God said to Abraham, ‘As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male child among you shall be circumcised. You are to undergo circumcision and it will be the sign of the covenant before me and you. For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised…..” (Genesis 17:9-12)

And in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. (Leviticus 12.3)

Jesus did not come to do away with the Law, but to fulfill it. He was born under the Mosaic Law and He followed the Law.

On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise Him, He was named Jesus, the name the angel had given Him before He had been conceived, (Luke 2:21)

When He was eight days old Mary and Joseph took Him to be circumcised and they called His name Jesus, just as the angel had instructed them.

In Jerusalem

First Temple Visit with Acknowledgements by Simeon and Anna

(Leviticus 12) Luke 2:21-38

Sin has an internal character, because we are sinners by birth, not because we have come into contact with anything. There is a connection between motherhood and the transmission of sin by inheritance. At birth, we inherit a sinful, fallen nature. David said, “Surely, I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.” (Psalms 51:5)

Today, many churches reject the doctrine of “The Total Depravity of Man”, but man is demonstrating it. Just read the paper, watch TV or set outside and watch the world go by. Romans 5:12 says, “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and this way death came to all men, because all sinned.”

When we visualize a baby, the picture we get is one of innocence, virtue and goodness, but that is not the picture that God paints of us in His word. He shows a picture of uncleanness and sin, just the opposite of what the world says. Do you know what happened? The mother brought a sinner into the world and that’s all she could do, because she is a sinner and daddy is too.

Genesis 3:16 says, “To the woman He said, ‘I will greatly increase your pains in child bearing; with pain you will give birth to children, Your desire will be for your husband and he will rule over you.”’ Not only would the woman have to bear pain in childbirth but also she is likely to be heartbroken, later in life, because the child is a sinner. The fact that a Christian mother suffers during childbirth, is evidence of God’s judgment, but it does not mean that she loses her salvation, when she brings a sinner into the world. 1 Timothy 2:15 says, “But women will be saved through childbearing-if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety.” In other words, she does not become unclean and lose her salvation by bringing a sinner into the world. The evidence of her salvation is her faith, love and holiness.

This brings to mind a question that I have heard asked many times, “If my baby is born a sinner and he dies, is he lost because he is a sinner.” No! In Matthew 18:10, Jesus said, “See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.” We do not become angels when we die; a better word would be spirits-their spirits see the face of God. In other words, when a baby dies, his spirit goes to be with God. Why? Because Christ died for sinners and they have not reached the age of accountability. The minute he does, he must make a decision for Christ. God will not hold you responsible for what you do not understand and a little baby just can’t understand the Gospel. How about the heathen? Romans Chapter 1 tells us that “we are without excuse”, because nature itself, all creation, makes it clear that God exists and you can clearly see His divine attributes. The problem with men everywhere is not that they do not know God or even that they don’t believe, the problem is that men do not want God.

Circumcision of Jesus and Purification of Mary