Luke 2:26  “…revealed to him by the Holy Spirit…”
God told him he would live to see the Messiah.  The Spirit can reveal things to us when He wants, probably more than we know.  Problem is our ability to hear.

27  “…he came by the Spirit into the temple…”
The importance of listening to and obeying the Spirit when He prompts.

33  “And Joseph and His mother marveled…”
Had a question here and opened a can of worms.  Some manuscripts read the father of Him using the word πατηρ while others say Joseph or Ỉωσηφ.  And the commentaries are no help.  Some say the best manuscripts use this or that.  Who determines the best.  My point is that Joseph was not His father, but His step-father.  When the angel warned Joseph to flee to Egypt, he said to take the Child and His mother.  Always the distinction that the Child was not Joseph’s.

34  “…a sign which will be spoken against”
I would think the cross.  Commentaries suggest Christ Himself.  Out of the many through the centuries who have claimed to be the Messiah, why does everyone focus their animosity on Jesus.  God said He would write His law on their hearts.  Do they know inside that Jesus was the real one and must constantly fight against the knowledge.  Anyway, I think the fact that Jesus was put on the cross made Him the sign which the Jews rejected.  They didn’t like Him because He called out their sin, but hanging on the cross was the stumbling block.  And Simeon goes on to say a sword will pierce Mary’s soul as well, seeing her Son die on the cross.

36  “…Anna, a prophetess…”
Interesting note.  Unsure why she was called a prophetess.  Was she displaying all the signs of a prophet or was she one who prophesied or spoke out in praise to God at times.  Says she did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers.

36  “…of the tribe of Asher…”
One of the supposed lost tribes of Israel.  They weren’t lost.  Many of the people of the northern tribes were taken into captivity from which they didn’t return.  But some were left, and some lived in Judah at the time.  After the Babylonian captivity, it was difficult to keep track of the tribal lineages, but some were able to do so.  Even today.  I believe they have been able to keep up with the descendants of Aaron so they can designate priests to serve when the temple is rebuilt.

38  “…she gave thanks to the Lord…”
Spontaneous expression of thanksgiving perhaps.  Maybe this was why she was referred to as a prophetess.

39  “…they returned to Galilee…”
Obvious absence of the wise men, the killing of the children, and the flight to Egypt.  Commentaries have no solid ideas.  If Luke got his information of this time from Mary, why not record it here.  Did she not tell him what happened or did he choose to not reveal it.  Also raises questions regarding where Luke did get his information, from people or other recorded sources.  Doesn’t question the validity of his account, just points of curiosity.  In a sense, if Luke was trying to focus on Christ Himself, the stories of their flight to Egypt is more sideline than direct information.  Jesus didn’t really interact with anyone until He was twelve which Luke picks up as the next item.

46  “…so it was that after three days they found Him…”
I would guess on the third day.  A day out, a day back, and found Him on the third day.  One commentary agreed.

46  “…both listening to them and asking them questions”
Hearing them teach and learning from them.  Not like He would confront them later, but just a child showing interest in religious matters.  Certainly He had a better grasp of ideas and topics than they expected.  Hard to know how much He really knew at this point.  Any limit to His knowledge was deliberate, to better identify with fallen humanity.  He apparently had a sense of who He was and what He was supposed to do.

49  “…I must be about My Father’s business”
A sense of His calling.

51  “…was subject to them…”
I’m sure Luke merely means Jesus was a normal, obedient child  But it also explains the timeline of His service.  He waited until He was thirty before beginning His ministry.  Was the normal time for a man to complete His obligation to parental family, although He maintained His responsibility as the oldest son.

I hope you enjoy reading and studying His word.  May it accomplish what He desires.  Please feel free to comment or post questions.  Thanks for reading!

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.