J.C. Ryle

Now there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.

“We see, in the case of Simeon — how God has a believing people even in the worst of places, and in the darkest times. Religion was at a very low ebb in Israel when Christ was born.”

There was also a prophetess named Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher, who was well along in years.

“The verses we have now read, introduce us to a servant of God whose name is nowhere else mentioned in the New Testament. The history of Anna , like that of Simeon — is related only by Luke.”

Every year His parents went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover. And when He was twelve years old, they went up according to the custom of the Feast.

“These verses should always be deeply interesting to a reader of the Bible. They record the only facts which we know about our Lord Jesus Christ during the first thirty years of His life on earth, after His infancy.”

In the synagogue there was a man possessed by the spirit of an unclean demon. He cried out in a loud voice, “Ha!

“We should notice, in this passage — the clear religious knowledge possessed by the devil and his agents. Twice in these verses we have proof of this. "I know you who you are — the holy one of God!"”

On one occasion, while Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret with the crowd pressing in on Him to hear the word of God, He saw two boats at…

“We have, in these verses — the history of what is commonly called the miraculous catch of fish . It is a remarkable miracle on two accounts. For one thing, it shows us our Lord's complete dominion over the animal creation.”

One day Jesus was teaching, and the Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there.

“A threefold miracle demands our attention in these verses. At one and the same time, we see our Lord . . . forgiving sins, reading men's thoughts, and healing a paralytic.”

Then they said to Him, “John’s disciples and those of the Pharisees frequently fast and pray, but Yours keep on eating and drinking.”

“We should observe in these verses — that men may disagree on the lesser points of religion, while they agree on its weightier matters. We have this brought out in the alleged difference between the disciples of John the Baptist, and the disciples of Christ.”

When daylight came, He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also designated as apostles:

“These verses describe the appointment of our Lord Jesus Christ's twelve apostles. That appointment was the beginning of the Christian ministry . It was the first ordination, and an ordination conducted by the Great Head of the Church Himself.”

Looking up at His disciples, Jesus said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.

“The discourse of our Lord, which we have now begun, resembles, in many respects — His well-known Sermon on the Mount.”

“We learn, in the first place, from these verses — the great danger of listening to false religious teachers.”

“The wondrous event described in these verses, is only recorded in Luke's Gospel. It is one of the three great instances of our Lord restoring a dead person to life — and, like the raising of Lazarus and the ruler's daughter, is rightly regarded as…”

“John's life was drawing to a close. His opportunities of active usefulness were ended. A long imprisonment, or a violent death — were the only prospects before him.”

“We learn, in the first place, from these verses — that the hearts of unconverted men are often desperately perverse as well as wicked.”

“The deeply interesting narrative contained in these verses, is only found in the Gospel of Luke. In order to see the full beauty of the story — we should read, in connection with it, the eleventh chapter of Matthew.”

“These verses form a practical application of the famous parable of the sower. They are intended to nail and clench in our minds — the mighty lessons which that parable contains. They deserve the especial attention of all true-hearted hearers of the Gospel of Christ.”

“The event in our Lord's life described in these verses is related three times in the Gospels. Matthew, Mark, and Luke — were all inspired to record it.”

“The well-known narrative which we have now read, is carefully recorded by all of the first three Gospel-writers. It is a striking instance of our Lord's complete dominion over the evil prince of this world.”

“We see in this passage, two requests made to our Lord Jesus Christ. They were widely different one from the other, and were offered by people of widely different character. We see, moreover — how these requests were received by our Lord Jesus Christ.”

“How much misery and trouble — sin has brought into the world! The passage we have just read affords a melancholy proof of this. First we see a distressed father in bitter anxiety about a dying daughter.”

“The verses we have now read, contain one of the three great instances which the Holy Spirit has thought fit to record of our Lord restoring a dead person to life. The other two instances are those of Lazarus and the widow's son at Nain.”

“Let us notice in these verses — the steady determination with which our Lord Jesus Christ regarded His own crucifixion and death. We read that, "When the time approached for Him to be taken up to Heaven — Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem."”

“We learn, from this passage — how ready Christians are to be puffed up with success. It is written, that the seventy returned from their first mission with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject unto us through your name."”

“There are five remarkable points in these verses which deserve the attention of all who wish to be well-instructed Christians. Let us take each of the five in order.”

“These verses contain the prayer commonly called the Lord's Prayer . Few passages of Scripture perhaps are so well known as this. The most benighted Roman Catholic can tell us that there is a prayer called the "Pater Noster."”

“The connection between these verses and those which immediately precede them, is striking and instructive. In the preceding verses, our Lord Jesus Christ had been showing the power and importance of prayer. In the verses before us, he delivers a man from a 'mute' devil.”