INTRODUCTION.
Eight days after His birth, like all Jewish males, Jesus was circumcised according to Jewish custom (see Genesis 17:12; Like 2:21; Luke 1:59), and He was formally given the name Jesus according to the words of the angel who appeared to both Joseph (see Matthew 1:20-21) and Mary (see Luke 1:30-31). In addition, forty days after the birth of a Jewish boy the child would be dedicated to the LORD (see Leviticus 12:1-4). It was at this time when Jesus was being dedicated that an elderly devout Jew who is often overlooked in the story of our Saviour’s birth spoke prophetically concerning Jesus.