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WEEKEND RECHARGE!
June 27, 2026
Monday, June 22–Luke 2:21–35
Tuesday, June 23–Luke 2:36–40
Wednesday, June 24–Luke 2:41–52
Thursday, June 25–Luke 3:1–14
Friday, June 26–Luke 3:15–22
Following the summaries be sure to check out a discussion about Herod's killing of the male children in Bethlehem and a chart that explains the family of Herod.
DAILY DEVO SUMMARY | June 22-26
LUKE 2:21–35: SIMEON: A SWORD THROUGH THE SOUL
In Luke 2:21–35, Mary and Joseph faithfully obey God's law by bringing the infant Jesus to the temple for purification and dedication. In doing so, they show that Jesus was born under the law and that his family lived in humble circumstances. While at the temple, they meet Simeon, a righteous and devout man led by the Holy Spirit, who had been promised that he would see the Messiah before he died. As Simeon held Jesus, he praised God, recognizing that the promised salvation had arrived—not only for Israel but for all people, including the Gentiles. He then prophesied that Jesus will be the dividing line for humanity, leading some to accept him and others to reject him. Simeon also warns Mary that a deep sorrow awaits her, foreshadowing the suffering she will experience as she witnesses Jesus' rejection and crucifixion.
LUKE 2:36–40: ANNA: A LIFETIME OF EXPECTATION
Anna's story demonstrates that a lifetime of faithful worship, prayer, and devotion to God is never wasted. As a prophetess who had spent decades serving in the temple after the loss of her husband, she lived with expectant faith, trusting God's promises even when fulfillment seemed distant. When Mary and Joseph brought the infant Jesus to the temple, Anna joined Simeon as a second witness, confirming that God's promised Messiah had arrived. Her response was immediate gratitude and joyful proclamation as she shared the good news with all who were waiting for God's redemption. Through Anna, we see that God prepares faithful people to recognize his work and invites believers in every season of life to live with wholehearted devotion and hopeful expectation.
LUKE 2:41–52: MISSION ACCEPTED
At age twelve, Jesus accompanied Mary and Joseph to Jerusalem for Passover, demonstrating a family commitment to worship and obedience to God. After the feast, Jesus remained behind in the temple, where he amazed the teachers with his understanding and questions about Scripture. When Mary and Joseph found him after three days of anxious searching, Jesus revealed an early awareness of his divine identity and mission by saying he must be in his Father's house. Although his parents did not fully understand his words, Jesus returned to Nazareth and willingly submitted to their authority. This account shows that Jesus clearly understood both who he was and why he had come, while continuing to grow in wisdom, maturity, and favor with God and others.
LUKE 3:1–14: JOHN THE BAPTIST: REAL FAITH. REAL FRUIT.
Luke carefully anchors the ministry of John the Baptist in history, reminding us that God's salvation unfolds in actual places and times. As the final Old Testament prophet, John preached a baptism of repentance, urging people to prepare their hearts for the coming Messiah. He exposed the false confidence of those who relied on religious heritage instead of a genuine relationship with God. John taught that true repentance is demonstrated by visible fruit—generosity, integrity, contentment, and obedience. His message remains relevant today: real faith in God produces a transformed life that points others to Jesus.
LUKE 3:15–22: WHY WAS JESUS BAPTIZED?
John the Baptist stirred the hearts of God's people with a bold call to repentance and prepared the way for the coming Messiah. While many wondered if John was the Christ, he pointed beyond himself to Jesus, who would baptize with the Holy Spirit and bring both salvation and judgment. Though Jesus was completely sinless, he chose to be baptized to identify with the sinners he came to save and to provide an example of public obedience for his followers. At his baptism, the heavens opened, the Holy Spirit descended like a dove, and the Father declared his pleasure in his beloved Son. This remarkable moment revealed the Trinity and marked the beginning of Jesus' public ministry to rescue humanity from sin.
HEROD'S KILLING OF MALE CHILDREN
After the wise men brought gifts to Jesus, and Herod found out where the special baby had been born, he ordered all the male children in Bethlehem to be killed. Matthew says, "Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, 'Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.' And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, 'Out of Egypt I called my son'" (Matt. 2:13–15)
The timeline of Jesus' birth and early childhood is roughly as follows:
- Jesus was born in Bethlehem during the time of Herod the Great (Matt. 1:18–25; Luke 2:1–7).
- Mary and Joseph remained in Bethlehem. They did take Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem when he was a baby to present their purification offering and the dedication offering as required (Luke 2:22-24).
- The wise men came to Bethlehem somewhere between several months to a year or so later and found them living in a house (Matt. 2:1–12).
- After the wise men left, Joseph was told in a dream to flee to Egypt (Matt. 2:13–15).
- Knowing what the wise men had said about a new king born in Bethlehem, Herod had all male children two years old or younger living in Bethlehem put to death (Matt. 2:16).
- After Herod's death Joseph planned to return to Judea but when he learned that Herod's son succeeded him, Joseph took his family north to Nazareth in Galilee (Matt. 2:19–23).
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SPECIAL TOPIC: THE FAMILY OF HEROD THE GREAT A. Herod the Great 1. King of Judea (37–4 BC), an Idumean (from Edom), who, through political maneuvering and the support of Mark Antony, managed to be appointed ruler of a large part of Palestine (Canaan) by the Roman Senate in 40 BC 2. He is mentioned in Matt. 2:1–19 and Luke 1:5 3. His sons a. Herod Philip (son of Mariamne of Simon) (1) husband of Herodias (4 BC–AD 34) (2) mentioned in Matt. 14:3; Mark 6:17 b. Herod Philip (son of Cleopatra) (1) Tetrarch of area north and west of the Sea of Galilee (4 BC–AD 34) (2) mentioned in Luke 3:1 c. Herod Antipas (1) Tetrarch of Galilee and Perea (4 BC–AD 39) (2) mentioned in Matt. 14:1–12; Mark 6:14, 29; Luke 3:1, 19; 9:7–9; 13:31; 23:6–12, 15; Acts 4:27; 13:1 d. Archelaus, Herod the Ethnarch (1) ruler of Judea, Samaria, and Idumea (4 BC–AD 6) (2) mentioned in Matt. 2:22 e. Aristobulus (son of Mariamne) (1) mentioned as father of Herod Agrippa I who was (a) King of Judea (AD 37–44) (b) mentioned in Acts 12:1–24; 23:35 (i) his son was Herod Agrippa II — Tetrarch of northern territory (AD 50–70) (ii) his daughter was Bernice — consort of her brother — mentioned in Acts 25:13–26:32 (iii) his daughter was Drusilla — wife of Felix — mentioned Acts 24:24 B. Biblical References to the Herods 1. Herod the Tetrarch, mentioned in Matthew 14:1ff.; Luke 3:1; 9:7; 13:31, and 23:7, was the son of Herod the Great. At the death of Herod the Great, his kingdom was divided among several of his sons. The term "tetrarch" meant "leader of the fourth part." This Herod was known as Herod Antipas, which is the shortened form of Antipater. He controlled Galilee and Perea. This meant that much of Jesus' ministry was in the territory of this second generation Idumean ruler. 2. Herodias was the daughter of Herod Antipas' brother, Aristobulus. She had also been previously married to Philip, the half brother of Herod Antipas. This was not Philip the Tetrarch who controlled the area just north of Galilee, but the other brother Philip, who lived in Rome. Herodias had one daughter by Philip. On Herod Antipas' visit to Rome he met and was seduced by Herodias, who was looking for political advancement. Therefore, Herod Antipas divorced his wife, who was a Nabatean princess, and Herodias divorced Philip so that she and Herod Antipas could be married. She was also the sister of Herod Agrippa I (cf. Acts 12). 3. We learn the name of Herodias' daughter, Salome, from Flavius Josephus in his book The Antiquities of the Jews 8:5:4. She must have been between the ages of twelve and seventeen at this point. She was obviously controlled and manipulated by her mother. She later married Philip the Tetrarch, but was soon widowed. 4. About ten years after the beheading of John the Baptist, Herod Antipas went to Rome at the instigation of his wife Herodias to seek the title of king because Agrippa I, her brother, had received that title. But Agrippa I wrote to Rome and accused Antipas of corroboration with the Parthians, a hated enemy of Rome from the Fertile Crescent (Mesopotamia). The Emperor apparently believed Agrippa I, therefore Herod Antipas, along with his wife Herodias, was exiled to Spain. 5. It may make it easier to remember these different Herods as they are presented in the New Testament by remembering that Herod the Great killed the children in Bethlehem; Herod Antipas killed John the Baptist; Herod Agrippa I killed the apostle James; and Herod Agrippa II heard Paul's appeal recorded in the book of Acts. C. For background information on the family of Herod the Great, consult the index of Flavius Josephus in Antiquities of the Jews. |
Robert James Utley, The Gospel according to Luke, Volume 3A, Study Guide Commentary Series (Marshall, TX: Bible Lessons International, 2004), Luke 3:1.
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