TUESDAY October 8th
Luke 2:38
‘And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.’
I have remained in Luke chapter 2, because as I have been preparing these devotions, there is a recurring them, well, two themes which I will mention.
The first is the theme of joy, which I touched on in a devotion last week.
The birth of Jesus brought joy! The angel had said to the shepherds, ‘I bring you good news of great joy’. Not just casual joy but GREAT joy! Imagine the joy in the stable, imagine the joy on the hillside, it was joy that led to praise and glory to God. It was joy that captured the hearts of the individuals.
Imagine the joy that would have suddenly erupted in the heart of Simeon when he finally saw the child Jesus. I haven’t mentioned the wise men which we read of in Matthew 2:10, but this is what it says, ‘When they saw the star they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy’ Why? Because it had led them to the One who alone could give real joy, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Did you know that the Bible also gives the account of an unborn baby leaping for joy! Yes, it was when Mary had received the news that she was going to have her baby and she went to tell her cousin Elizabeth who was also expecting a baby, and as Mary greeted Elizabeth, the baby leaped in her womb, she exclaimed, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is it granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?’ She continues to say, ‘the baby in my womb leaped for joy’.
The same scripture, in Luke 1:46-47 continues to tell us that Mary burst into song, singing ‘My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour.’ Well, if you want joy, real joy, wonderful joy, let Jesus come into your heart. We who have come to know Jesus should be leaping for joy!
Then we have the lady called Anna in our verses today, it doesn’t mention the word joy, but it is evident, for the very fact that she was in the temple at the same time as Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to Simeon. In fact, it says she lived in the temple day and night worshipping God with fasting. But this day was a special day, she also had seen Jesus, and it says that she thanked God and began to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. Seeing Jesus had gripped her with such joy that she could not help but speak about him to others.