The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple Ps 148; Isa 61:10-62:3; Gal 4:4-7; Luke 2:22-40
Introduction https://youtube.com/watch?v=2tRa-ds4oU4&si=VyiR3YzlL3Mq1DY4
The omission of the Song of Simeon from our regular liturgies has been costly to the life of the Church, because today’s Gospel passage perfectly illustrates that the coming of Jesus changes every thing. The devout Jewish people of the first century understood that the glory of the Lord which had departed the Temple on the eve of the exile to Babylon (Ezek 10), had not (yet) returned. So when the infant Christ was brought into the sanctuary of God, in principle everything was restored (John 1:14). The baby in Luke 2 does nothing, but everything is oriented around him, for with his conception, birth and presentation, the salvation in him has been revealed. The presentation narrative is a powerful story of revelation, it is the climax of the Old Testament prophetic tradition as Simeon and Anna representing expectant Israel testify to Jesus’ central place God’s saving purposes. The long saga of promise>fulfilment>song of praise embodied in these faithful prophetic witnesses to the joyful culmination of God’s covenant purposes. An underlying feature of this story must not be missed, Simeon and Anna are prophetic people because they are first of all people of prayer.
Exposition
vv.22-24 Obeying the Law
“And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.”
[Old Testament purification rites are symbolic actions to do with boundaries of passing from one stage of life to another etc.] Mary is reappearing in public after a period of separation (Lev 12). We know from this text that Jesus’ family was poor, because the sacrifice of doves/pigeons was made by those could not afford a lamb (Lev 12:8).
vv. 25- 35 Simeon Prophesies
25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.
Simeon is described as “righteous and devout”, not only did he keep the law, but he did this in a way that was observable. Whilst in Christ we all are “righteous” (1 Cor 1:30), those who struggle to believe this will fall down in being “devout”, struggle with commitment to regular personal prayer, church attendance/worship, Bible study, godly giving and the like.
“the Holy Spirit was upon him” is derived from Isaiah 61:1 (cf. Luke 4:18) describing someone supernaturally enabled to speak of spiritual realities others cannot see. Simeon has long been “looking forward to the consolation of Israel” (cf. Luke 2:38; 12:36; 23:51; Acts 24:15), the restoration of Israel under the manifest reign of God. (Later in the Gospels expressed in “the kingdom of God” that Jesus taught and brought by his ministry.)
“it had been revealed to him that he would not see death until he had seen the Lord’s Christ” (more on this later)
Moses ancient longing, “Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!” (Num 11:29) would finally be fulfilled through the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2:16-21), in the meantime Simeon is a forerunner of things because he shares, as we all do in Christ, in the hidden counsels of God (cf. Amos 3:7; Eph 2:6).
27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, 28 he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,
In old covenant days, this is exactly where you’d expect to see a godly person in the Temple, because it was the foccus of the presence of God. Simeon is about to do something which, [though a practice in both Testaments (Josh 22:33; Ps 68:26; Like 1:64),] one rarely hears expressed today. Everyone who is led by the Spirit will “bless God” by speaking about his glory in Jesus in whom all divine blessing is concentrated (cf. 2 Cor 1:20; Eph 1:3). And so the old man prophesies:
Blessing God 29-32
29 “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; 30 for my eyes have seen your salvation31that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”
Simeon is moved to ecstatic spiritual ecstasy because the reason why the cosmos was created, the “long expected Jesus” (Charles Wesley), is being revealed before his own eyes. Salvation is a Person, the Person who Simeon sees with his own eyes. Since the Messiah has come, everything has changed. The perfection of our humanity in the life of the Son of God in our place is on the way to completion. Gentiles and Jews now have all they have ever needed in Christ the Lord.
In seeing Jesus, a powerful certainty penetrated Simeon’s deepest being, he could die in perfect peace. [Cf. “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!” (Isa 26:3).] Are you a peaceful person, or someone tossed to and fro by the circumstances of life? [This matter is more profound than we usually recognise. Underneath all ordinary human anxieties is the primal fear of death as punishment (Gen 2:17; 1 John 4:18).]
When I was at theological college a presentation was given on Christian philosophy by one of the lecturers and a visiting Professor (Udo Middelmann). But when they said, “Death can never be a good thing.”, I was inwardly alarmed. After all scripture testifies, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” (Ps 116:15), and as Paul puts it, we (Christians) do “not grieve as others do who have no hope.” (1 Thess 4:13). The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Cor 15:56-57). So I sidled up to the lecturer and said, “What about the words of Simeon.” He was nonplussed. It has been well said, “belief in Jesus Christ drives away all fear of death.” (Friedrich Knecht) cf. Heb 2:14-25. Many years later I learned that one of the goals of Anglican pastoral ministry is to prepare parishioners to die a “good death”! [“absent from the body, at home with the Lord” (2 Cor 5:8)]
Not only does the saintly Simeon bless God but he blessed Mary and Joseph also.
Blessing the parents
33 And his father and his mother marvelled at what was said about him. 34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed 35 (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”
Jesus is more amazing than words can ever convey. [The apostolic message would later “turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6), but Christendom has often tried to keep things on an even keel.] Prophesying to Mary of her coming heart grief might not seem like a blessing, but I thank God for prophets whose tough words prepared me for otherwise unexpected tribulations.
vv. 36-38 Anna Prophesies
God always confirms his supernatural word through multiple witnesses.
36 And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, 37 and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. 38 And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.
Anna, Like Simeon, spent her retirement years in the Temple praying. Her habit of “fasting”, stands out as a form of protest for our day when partying for any purpose is the Australian way. (Tonight is New Year’s Eve; no more needs to be said!) Her focus is “the redemption/salvation of Jerusalem” (Ps 130:5-8; Isa 52:8-10) These old faithful people were the Lord’s ways of preparing for the coming of his Christ as Saviour.
Preparing this sermon, I was reminded of the pioneers of the Hebrides Revival (1949-1951), when God visited two old ladies, ages 82 and 84, the latter being blind. He gave them a vision of a coming revival. For which they set about praying. If dour Presbyterians can have visions, why not Anglicans?
https://www.revival-library.org/revival_histories/evangelical/twentieth_century/hebrides_revival.shtml
vv. 39-41 Back Home
39 And when they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. 40 And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favour of God was upon him.
Jesus’ wisdom aligns with a long tradition of God’s favour gracing those he has chosen to serve him. Sometimes such things only come out only later in life. Donna remarked a little while ago, that the relatively rare “collateral circulation”/growth of new arteries that has developed to keep one side of my heart functioning has kept me alive, whereas my father, who never believed, simply died of the condition I have inherited from him. Such is the grace of God on the life of all believers.
Conclusion
Are we living lives free from fears and anxieties that reflect the risen life living in us? (“abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Tim 1:10). Cf. “through thy deathless love” in Thine Be the Glory. To live otherwise is to deny the power of the resurrection over the deepest of human tragedies. The Lord first prophesied through Isaiah, “For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as a burning torch.” (Isa 62:1) This prophesied “light to the nations” (Isa 42:6; 49:6) came in Jesus as an inextinguishable blaze and burns in us today (Acts 13:47; Matt 5:14; Phil 2:15).
We live in a time when it is imperative that Christians outlive and out die unbelievers. It is both unbiblical and unhelpful to speak of people “passing away”, people either “die”, which is tragic, or “die in the Lord” (Rev 14:13) which is blessed. [Which is why believers are commonly said to have “fallen asleep” (Acts 7:60; 1 Cor 15:6, 18, 20; 1 Thess 4:13-15; 5:10).] To quote someone of today’s passage, “It is a meeting between young people who are full of joy in observing the Law of the Lord, and the elderly (prophets) who are filled with joy for the action of the Holy Spirit!” (Pope Francis). The Spirit had turned Simeon into a poet and Anna into an evangelist – because they had long been people wanting to see the manifestation of God’s earthly King who would set everything right. And they saw Jesus!
Are you, whatever your age, living true to your call to be a poet, prophet, or evangelist for Jesus? Remember how the apostle Peter in his 30’s heard Jesus testify, “by what kind of death he (Peter) was to glorify God”, the finally heard his Lord say, “You follow me!” (John 21:19, 22). I have no idea how many more years (?) I have been given, [but I do know that to die in “good old age, full of years” (Gen 15:15; 25:3; Judges 8:32)] but I must with all my diminishing strength determine to bring glory to God (cf. Phil 1:20). Whoever so resolves, will never be disappointed, this is something that the presentation of our Lord in the temple surely an definitively teaches us today.