Thur.’s Devo - I Wonder…

Read Luke 2:16-33 “They came with haste”… I would think the shepherds ran the whole way after their heavenly encounter. I wonder how many mangers they checked before they found the one with Mary and Joseph in it. When they did, they told them the whole story of the angels. I wonder if Mary and Joseph shared the stories of their angel visits too. Then the shepherds left and told everyone they could about what the angels said about this baby. Mary didn’t brag about her God-baby but held her secret deep in her heart. There are some things too holy to utter. I wonder if other people came to see this baby the angels sang about. We don’t know, but we do know that 8 days later, Jesus went under the knife of circumcise. I wonder how long he cried. They named him JESUS, the name the angel named him. When he was healed, they brought him to the temple to dedicate him to the Lord, because he was the first born. God claims all first-borns for himself. According to Lev. 12, the turtledove and the two pigeons are for the sin offering and the burnt offering. These offering are a sin and a burnt offering not for the baby, but for the mother. They are to cleanse her from the shedding of blood. While they were there, they were confronted by Simeon, an old prophet who was promised by God that he would see the Messiah in his life-time, and was patiently waiting. He was not disappointed. God led him to the temple that day and when Mary and Joseph arrived he knew. He took Jesus in his hands and prophecied. He said Jesus would be a light to the Gentiles, and the glory of the Jews. He knew he could now rest in peace. Lord, you revealed your plan to those who were humble and looking for your appearing and you will come back for the same people. May we encounter you today.