Lesson 7 – The Presentation of Jesus

God’s Law requires payment for every sin. God’s Son fulfilled the Law and paid for our sin.

Opening

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

This lesson will use the Bible, the Bible Exploration Guide and the Lesson 7 Leaflet from the Student Pack. The front cover shows how the artist sees Simeon and Anna with the baby Jesus. Also paper and colored pencils or crayons will be needed.

The Church celebrates many of the events in Jesus' life with festival worship on a specific date or Sunday of the year. As you might imagine, many of the events related to Jesus' birth and the events before and after it are celebrated in December and early January, on dates close to the annual anniversary of Christ's birth.

Why do we celebrate Jesus' birth at Christmas? Why did God send His Son, Jesus, into the world?

Read the Bible Words, Galatians 4:4-5 on page 4 of the lesson leaflet.

God showed His great love for us by sending Jesus to save us from sin and death so we can be His children.

Listen to the hymn "In His Temple Now Behold Him" and look for clues in the stanzas of this hymn that will help you guess the biblical event or determine its setting (temple); the main people involved (Virgin Mary, "aged saints” (Simeon and Anna), Jesus); and the central idea (by Jesus' presentation and fulfilling of the Law, we are presented in all His glory to the heavenly Father).

Prayer: Dear Jesus, thank You for living the perfect life in our place. You followed every commandment and fulfilled the Law in the perfect way that we are unable to. Please help us to not only learn about Your perfect sacrifice for us but also to respond to Your salvation by doing loving works of service for our neighbors. In Your name we pray. Amen.

God Speaks

In this lesson, Mary and Joseph travel with Jesus from Bethlehem to Jerusalem to take the child to the temple. Locate these two places and determine the distance between them (about six miles) on the map on pages 8-9 in the Bible Discovery Guide.

Read the Faith Words on page for of the leaflet.

Read through the dramatization on page 2 of the leaflet. It is similar to the scriptures about the presentation of Jesus.

Read Luke 2:22-40.

In the opening verses of this passage in Luke, we learn that Mary went to the temple for purification. The law of the purification of a mother who has just had a child is found in Leviticus 12. Mary was not to touch anything holy, nor come into the sanctuary, for forty days after the birth. The Law prescribed that a new mother had to bring to the priest (at the entrance of the temple) a year-old lamb for a burnt offering and a pigeon or a turtle-dove for a sin offering. A poor person was only required to bring two turtle-doves or two pigeons. Being of modest means, Mary brought the two birds as her sacrificial offering.

Luke's Gospel tells us that Simeon (SIM ih un) was waiting for the consolation of Israel. Consolation means "comfort". The Holy Spirit led Simeon to the temple and made it possible for him to recognize Jesus. When Simeon saw the infant Jesus, he knew that this baby was the Messiah promised long ago to the people in the Old Testament. Simeon knew his comfort had come. In other words, Jesus, as the Savior of the world, would bring comfort to Israel.

How? He would die on the cross for the sins of the world. Taking away our quilt and sin, He comforts us with His forgiveness and love.

The Law of God also required that a firstborn male was to be consecrated to the Lord (Exodus 13:2) or dedicated for a sacred purpose. If the child was not given into the service of the Lord, the parents needed to redeem him, or buy him back, by a payment of five shekels (Numbers 3:46-47). Mary and Joseph did not make this payment since Jesus was consecrated to the Lord in the fullest possible way. On the fortieth day of His life, Jesus is presented to the Lord.

Simeon is not really making a request of the Lord- he is stating that his service in the temple as a watchman waiting for the fulfillment of the Old Testament promises is at an end. Simeon was looking for a spiritual kingdom of God. He can now retire in peace. With the eyes of faith, Simeon sees more than a baby in his arms; he sees a Savior dying on the cross; he sees salvation for all people. The Nunc Dimittis is a hymn of praise and thanksgiving.

What do you think Simeon was referring to when he told Mary that "a sword will pierce through your own soul also" (Luke 2:35)? The Holy Spirit has revealed to Simeon that Jesus teaching and death would cause pain and sorrow for Mary and all people. It would be especially difficult for Mary as she would witness her son's suffering on the cross.

  A prophetess is a woman who tells others about God. Have a volunteer.

Read Luke 2:38.

What was Anna doing in the temple that day? She was giving thanks to God and telling other people about the redemption of Israel.

God would redeem Israel by sending Jesus to be the Savior of the world. Jesus redeemed us-bought us back-from sin, death, and the power of the devil, and this is, at least in part, what Anna was telling the people around her. She could be compared to the shepherds. Whereas they spread the good news of the Savior's birth, Anna spread the news of Jesus' death.

At the close of Holy Communion, as the pastor closes the sacred vessels and covers them with a veil, the congregation stands to sing the Nunc Dimittis. The Nunc Dimittis is Simeon's prayer of thanksgiving for being allowed to see the Messiah before he died. With the incarnate Christ in his arms, Simeon rejoiced and made his confession....one of the great hymns of Scripture, the use of Simeon's song as a Post-Communion Canticle is a unique element of Lutheran liturgy.

 

We Live

 

God sent His Son into the world for a number of reasons. What are some reasons that God humbled His Son to be born of the Virgin Mary, become flesh, and dwell among us? God loves us, so He sent His Son into the world so that we would no longer be dead in our sins, but alive in Him. Jesus was born under the Law to redeem us, who are under the Law, so that we might be adopted as His children and receive all of the benefits of being His children. The Law tells us what we must do to live, but we are unable to do it. We cannot live the perfect life the Law requires. Therefore, Jesus Christ, true God and true man, lived a perfect life in our stead, fulfilling the Law for us. However, the Bible has something to say about what we do with our earthly lives.

Read Romans 12:1-8.

How are we supposed to live as Christians? We should use our lives in sacrifice to others, treating them better than ourselves. We should live in harmony with one another. We should share our gifts with one another.

On page 3 of the leaflet, draw a line to connect the words of Romans 6:4 in theproper order.

We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

Read the following Bible passages:

• 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
• Philippians 1:21
• Romans 6:8

1 Corinthians 6:19-20-Our bodies are temples, dwelling places, for the Holy Spirit. The life we live is not our own; we were bought with a price.

Christ bought us with His precious blood. We have been redeemed from sin's condemnation. We are set free from its bondage and can start each day anew in the forgiveness Christ gives.

Philippians 1:21--To live is Christ, and to die is gain.

In this life, everything we do, say, think, and feel is washed by our Baptism in Christ. When God looks at us, He sees His beloved Son. We will get our strength for living as God's children from Christ. And when we pass from this world, we will see the glory of God face-to face.

Romans 6:8-If we have died with Him, so shall we live with Him

The old Adam, our sinful nature, was drowned in our Baptism. Because of God's gift of faith, we will share in Christ's resurrection. Yes, we are saints, but we are still sinners also. We are plagued in this life by the devil, the world, and our sinful flesh, but God assures us of

His gifts of forgiveness, new life, and salvation through His Word and Sacraments.

Read the concluding paragraph on the bottom of page 3 of the leaflet.

Jesus was revealed in many ways to people He met as the Son of God:

• The prophecies of Simeon and Anna
• His miracles
• God's testimony at His Baptism and transfiguration
• His suffering, death, and resurrection for us
• Through the Word and Sacraments.

Closing

Mary and Joseph took Jesus to the temple to present the child. Simeon held the Word made flesh in his arms. Anna adored the Savior and told everyone that He was the great Redeemer. This temple was the place where God's grace would be shown to them, where they would receive the blessing of God.

When we remember the Sabbath Day, we fear and love God by listening to preaching and His Word, and by holding it sacred and gladly hearing and learning it. We do this when we gather in church around Word and Sacrament, to receive the gifts of God that forgive us and strengthen our faith.

Our motivation for going to church is what the psalmist wrote in Psalm 26:8:"O LORD, I love the habitation of Your house and the place where Your glory dwells." We love God's house because this is where we hear that our sins are forgiven and that we are God's dearly loved children.

When we sing the hymn "In His Temple Now Behold Him' we are reminded of the salvation we have in Jesus, the infant who fulfilled God's Law for us.

Co9mplete the word search at the end of this lesson.

Prayer:  Dear Jesus, we know that God requires payment for the sins of all humanity, so we thank You for fulfilling the Law for us and for making full payment for our sins by Your death on the cross. By Your presentation and fulfilling of the Law, we are presented in all Your glory to the heavenly Father. Help us this week to live in the joy that comes from hearing the Good News of salvation. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.