When Jesus was six weeks old, Joseph and Mary took Him to the temple in Jerusalem. There, the priest took baby Jesus in his arms and held Him up before the altar, dedicating Him to the Lord.

According to the customs of their nation, the firstborn son of each Israelite family was to be presented at the temple. It was a reminder of the time when God had saved all the firstborn Israelite slaves in Egypt. Those who had followed God’s instructions to sprinkle blood on the doorposts had been saved from the angel of death. The blood sprinkled on the doorposts represented the blood of Jesus. By His blood, through faith, we are saved (Ephesians 1:7).

After Jesus was dedicated to the Lord, His name was written in the roll, or book, that contained the names of the firstborn of Israel. In the same way, everyone who is saved by Jesus’ blood will have their names written in the book of life.

The priest who held baby Jesus wasn’t a true follower of God, so he didn’t notice anything special about the helpless infant. He didn’t realize he was holding the Savior of the world, the High Priest of the heavenly temple.

Two of God’s true servants, Simeon and Anna, were in the temple that day. They had served

.God all their lives, and Simeon had been given the promise that he would not die until he had seen the Savior.

When Simeon saw Jesus in the temple, he knew that the child was the promised One. He took baby Jesus in his arms and praised God. “‘Now, Lord, you can let me, your servant, die in peace as you said. I have seen your Salvation with my own eyes. You prepared him before all people. He is a light for the non-Jewish people to see. He will bring honor to your people, the Israelites’” (Luke 2:29-32, ICB). Anna, a prophetess, was also “standing there at that time, thanking God. She talked about Jesus to all who were waiting for God to free Jerusalem” (Luke 2:38, ICB).

As Mary listened to Simeon’s prayer, she remembered what the shepherds of Bethlehem had said, and she was full of joy and hope. She also remembered the prophecy of Isaiah and realized that these wonderful words had been spoken about Jesus: “Now those people live in darkness. But they will see a great light. They live in a place that is very dark. But a light will shine on them. A child will be born to us. God will give a son to us. He will be responsible for leading the people. His name will be Wonderful Counselor, Powerful God, Father Who Lives Forever, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:2, 6, ICB).