The Presentation of Jesus (Luke 2)
The lectionary reading for Sunday is Luke 2.20–40 as nosotros celebrate the Presentation of Jesus in the temple in Jerusalem. If you are following Luke in the lectionary, this will feel slightly odd; final week we heard near the beginning of Jesus' teaching ministry in the synagogue in Nazareth, and have already reflected on the ministry building of John the Baptist and Jesus' own baptism, equally well as the phenomenon in Cana. So this is a footstep back in the narrative earlier we move on to the take hold of of fish in Luke v and then loop back again to the temptations of Jesus at the start of Lent. It feels a bit like playing gospel narrative hop-scotch!
This section in Luke 2 continues Luke'south unique nativity cloth; Matthew moves direct from the events environs the birth, including the visit of the Magi and the flight to Arab republic of egypt, to the ministry building of John the Baptist. Just, in keeping with first-century expectations of a 'life' of a significant person, Luke offers (brief) descriptions of Jesus' upbringing, including the episode in the temple when he is 12 years old.
The narrative over again includes three characteristic emphases of Luke's piece of work: the importance of Jewish pious devotion equally the context for all that happens; the active role of the Spirit in directing events; and the understanding of Jesus every bit the fulfilment of eschatological hopes.
one. Jewish pious devotion
The whole narrative section begins and ends with an emphasis on pious devotion in fulfilment of the requirements of the police; the 'requirement of the law of Moses' in Luke 2.20 is matched by 'required by the law of the Lord' in Luke ii.39. Nosotros have already been told that Jesus was circumcised (and named) on the 8th day in the previous poetry, and at present Luke describes two important acts that follow on, the purification of Mary and the dedication of the child, interleaved as chiasm:
A 'purification rites'
B 'present him to the Lord'
B' 'every bit information technology is written… "every male is to be consecrated.."'
A' 'to offer the sacrifice…'
The regulation cited in the outer theme A–A' is set up out in Lev 12.i–eight; a woman who has given nascency is ceremonially unclean (which, notation, has cipher to practise with sin) for different lengths of time (depending on whether the child born is a male child or a daughter) in this case, for 33 days, so we are a month on from the date of circumcision. Information technology is frequently noted in preaching that Mary and Joseph offering the more affordable of the two possible sacrifices as a concession to poverty—but in fact Luke makes nothing of this, and the accent is not on this, simply on their compliance with the requirements set out in the Law. And we need to beware of projecting our own socio-economic framework on a unlike civilisation, where fifty-fifty skilled craftsmen might still be not far from subsistence living.Like other aspects of the nascency narrative, this doesn't really suggest that they were particularly poor; information technology just identifies them as ordinary.
The inner theme of Jesus' presentation comes from the offering and redemption of the starting time-born sons (and animals) prepare out in the Exodus narratives. This offering and redemption appears to take two explanations. The beginning is in connexion with the Passover deliverance itself; in Exodus 13.one–16, the firstborn are to be defended to and redeemed from the Lord in parallel with the loss of the firstborn of the Egyptians when the angel of death passes over.
This offering of the firstborn is reiterated in Num 18.xiv–16, though now in the context of the priestly role of the the tribe of Levi. This goes back to the incident of the Golden Calf in Ex 32; whilst those in the other tribes committed idolatry by bowing down to the calf, the tribe of Levi alone kept themselves pure, and so that we read in Num 3.eleven–12 that the tribe of Levi now has this priestly task.
Originally, God intended that the commencement-born of each Jewish family would be a kohen – i.e. that family'southward representative to the Holy Temple. (Exodus 13:one-two, Exodus 24:5 Rashi)
But and so came the incident of the Golden Calf. When Moses came downwardly from Mountain Sinai and smashed the tablets, he issued anybody an ultimatum: "Brand your choice – either God or the idol." But the tribe of Levi came to the side of God. At that point, God decreed that each family's start-born would forfeit their "kohen" status – and henceforth all the kohanim would come up from the tribe of Levi. (Numbers 3:11-12)
What is hit in Luke's narrative is that, though Jesus is dedicated to the Lord in the temple, he is not redeemed and thus exempted from priestly service. Similar Hannah'due south dedication of Samuel in 1 Samuel 1.24–28, Jesus remains dedicated to the Lord, which makes the episode in the temple when Jesus is 12 seem to follow on quite naturally. It also signals that Jesus' ministry will restore to God'southward people their priestly office, an thought that is picked upwardly in Revelation as one of its points of connecting with Luke's gospel. In Rev 1.5–6, Jesus is the one who has 'freed us from our sins' and 'made usa to be a kingdom and priests' to serve God, taking up the pre-Gilt-Calf language of Ex 19.6. In Rev seven.three, God's people are sealed on their foreheads with the seal of the living God, which turns out in Rev fourteen.1 to be the name of the lamb and God, and by Rev 22.iv this turns out to be the high-priestly adornment as they do priestly service in the presence of God in the New Jerusalem which is shaped as a cube similar a behemothic Holy of Holies.
The integration of these two rites serves to emphasise Mary and Joseph as pious observant Jews, which has ii effects. Outset, information technology undoes the common claim that Jesus welcomed the outsider, just rebuked the religious; throughout Luke information technology is both the religiously observant and the 'sinner' who hears the practiced news. Second, it contributes to a consistent assertion that God honours the devotion of his people, a theme continued in Acts as the early followers of Jesus continue to worship in the temple.
2. The office of the Holy Spirit
The emphasis on pious devotion is interweaved in this passage with the importance of the office of the Spirit, but equally it has already been in the instance of Mary (humbly devoted and then clothed with the Spirit and power) and will be in Jesus' temptations (disciplined obedience which leads to existence filled with the power of the Spirit).
Simeon is 'righteous and devout' (dikaios kai eulabes); the term for 'devout' here only occurs in Luke's writings (Acts 2.5, 8.ii and 22.12) simply its cognates also occur in Heb five.7, 11.7 and 12.28 to describe Jesus, Noah and the gathered followers of Jesus in worship. Although the 'righteous' are contrasted with the 'sinners' Jesus has come up to call to repentance, it is clear in Luke (and especially in Matthew) that existence 'righteous' is a positive quality to be desired and pursued. Just along with this, at that place is a threefold emphasis on the Spirit: the Spirit is 'upon him'; the Spirit has 'revealed to him' that he will see the Messiah; and the Spirit 'moves him' to go to the temple at that moment. It is safe to assume that the Spirit has also moved him, similar Mary and Zechariah before him, to utter a prophetic oracle often now known by its opening line in Latin translation, the Nunc Dimittis ('At present yous dismiss…'). Given the juxtaposition of pious devotion and the Spirit, it seems fitting that Simeon'south prophetic utterances now finds its place in Anglican pious devotion every bit part of Dark Prayer.
The clarification of the prophetess Anna provides a parallel with the description of Simeon, as 1 of Luke's many male person-female pairs. Her pious devotion is expressed in narrative terms, as she prays and fasts in the temple in her widowhood.The item on fasting reflects a special interest of Luke; he offers us detail that the other gospels omit, namely that Jewish devotion involved 'frequent' fasting (Luke v.33), and that this took place on two days a week (Luke 18.12) which we know from the Didache happened to exist Mondays and Thursdays. Luke makes much of meals and eating, as symbolising messianic rejoicing; as its converse, fasting symbolises both sorry for sin and exile, and a longing for the messiah to come. Thus hither is is connected with Anna'southward anticipation of the 'redemption of Jerusalem' (the urban center serving equally a metonym for the whole nation). Luke doesn't mention the Spirit explicitly in relation to Anna, but like Simeon she offers a prophetic comment on the child.
We might say that, for Luke, the disciplines of pious devotion form the vessel into which he pours his Spirit, and without the Spirit such a vessel is empty. On the other paw, the work of the Spirit issues in these devotions of discipline, and without such disciplines the work of the Spirit is incomplete.
3. The fulfilment of God's promise
The statements of both Simeon (recorded in item) and Anna (offered in summary) are saturated with the theme of the eschatological fulfilment of the promise of God, equally take (in their different ways) the outset ii of the iii canticles in this part of the gospel. This theme volition be repeated once more in both the ministry of John the Baptist and the teaching of Jesus in Nazareth. At that place are some of import things worth noting well-nigh the nature of this fulfilment.
Get-go, Simeon follows Mary in seeing God'south promises already fulfilled in the person of Jesus. Where Zachariah, in the Benedictus, retains a future sense, Simeon (with the Magnificat) uses the language of realised salvation. Even though all that was promised has not yet happened, the confidence in the person of Jesus is such that it is as if nosotros already have all the answers to the hopes that we longed for.
Second, this fulfilment is rooted in Scripture. Every line of theNunc Dimittis echoes one of the promises in Isaiah 40–66.
And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all people will come across it together. (Is 40.v)
I volition continue you and volition brand you to be a covenant for the people and a lite for the Gentiles. (Is 42.6)
Arise, shine, for your lite has come, and the celebrity of the LORD rises upon you. (Is threescore.one)
(See also Is 46.13, 49.6, 52.ten and 56.one).
Thirdly, this biblical blueprint of hope is also personally fulfilled. Just as God has promised something to his people, which he now fulfils in Jesus, then God has promised something to Simeon (that he volition not die…) which he now fulfils in Simeon's encounter with Jesus (…until he has seen with his own eyes). The Spirit of God in Simeon has brought the word of God to Simeon, only every bit the Spirit has brought the give-and-take of God to his people in scripture.
Fourth, all these announcements are marked by joy and wonder, every bit have all the events around Jesus' birth, both for those bringing the word of disclosure and for those who hear those words. The theme of joy continues to exist a significant part of Luke'due south account, both in the gospel and in Acts.
Fifth, and in some contrast, they also include warnings of division and pain. This will affect both the nation ('the rising and falling of many', Luke 2.34) and the individuals involved, peculiarly Mary herself. The 'sword that pierces her heart' (Luke 2.35) might refer to the demotion of Mary in importance for Jesus equally she takes second place to the imperative of gospel ministry, merely it surely reaches its clearest fulfilment in her witnessing her son's excruciating decease on the cross.
Joel Green, in his NIC commentary on Luke, notes the wide number of themes in this curt passage which interconnect with themes already present from the beginning of the third gospel.
At that place is much to learn from the individuals in the narrative, but if we are going to focus on the nearly important thing in preaching (not what we must do just what God has already done) we might note in this passage that God honours pious devotion, God sends his Spirit to guide, reveal and speak, and God fulfils all his promises in the person of Jesus.
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