Bible Study Notes: St Luke's Gospel
Session 10: Chapter 2, 21-40
When the eighth day arrived, the day of circumcision, the
child was named Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived.
Then when the days stipulated by Moses for purification were complete,
they took him up to Jerusalem to offer him to God as commanded in God's
Law: "Every male who opens the womb shall be a holy offering to God,"
and also to sacrifice the "pair of doves or two young pigeons"
prescribed in God's Law.
In Jerusalem at the time, there was a man, Simeon by name, a good man,
a man who lived in the prayerful expectancy of help for Israel. And the
Holy Spirit was on him. The Holy Spirit had shown him that he would see
the Messiah of God before he died. Led by the Spirit, he entered the Temple.
As the parents of the child Jesus brought him in to carry out the rituals
of the Law, Simeon took him into his arms and blessed God: God, you can
now release your servant; release me in peace as you promised.
With my own eyes I've seen your salvation; it's now out in the open for
everyone to see: A God-revealing light to the non-Jewish nations, and
of glory for your people Israel.
Jesus' father and mother were speechless with surprise at these words.
Simeon went on to bless them, and said to Mary his mother, This child
marks both the failure and the recovery of many in Israel. A figure misunderstood
and contradicted, the pain of a sword-thrust through you, But the rejection
will force honesty, as God reveals who they really are.
Anna the prophetess was also there, a daughter of Phanuel from the tribe
of Asher. She was by now a very old woman. She had been married seven
years and a widow for eighty-four. She never left the Temple area, worshiping
night and day with her fastings and prayers. At the very time Simeon was
praying, she showed up, broke into an anthem of praise to God, and talked
about the child to all who were waiting expectantly for the freeing of
Jerusalem.
When they finished everything required by God in the Law, they returned
to Galilee and their own town, Nazareth. There the child grew strong in
body and wise in spirit. And the grace of God was on him.
© The
Message
What an incredible time Mary, Joseph and Jesus had, from Nazareth to Bethlehem, then to Jerusalem. All on a donkey and Mary only just having delivered her baby. In travelling to Bethlehem they were obeying the Roman Law and in travelling the temple they were being obedient to Mosaic Law.
The purpose of the their journey was twofold. Firstly, to present Christ to God and secondly for the religious ritual connected with Mary's purification.
We are no told anything about the ceremonies except that they offered a pair of turtledoves as a modest sacrifice befitting poor people. However on completion of their rituals a strange thing happens, an elderly man, as is often found in such places, annoyingly shuffles up besides them and starts talking to them.
You can almost feel Mary's reaction, "as if this last couple of weeks haven't been enough, now this, what next?" In spite of the fact that Luke describes him as a holy man, devoted to prayer and waiting for the consolation of Israel.
He was probably part of a group known as the 'Quiet ones'. In solitude they sought in prayer the hope of salvation. They were not interested in politics or solutions by force to the Jewish peoples' dilemma. They chose prayer as their best course of action.
But it must have been evident that this man was full of the Holy Spirit 'cause in spite of her weariness and the prospect of another trip back on the donkey, they stopped to listen to what this man, Simeon, had to say. He takes Jesus into his arms and begins to sing.
Simon's song, the Nunc Dimittis, recited every day here in church, is Simon's death song. He has completed his life's ambition by seeing the Messiah. He finds the child in the arms of poor people making the offering of the poor. In the sunset of his own life, he encounters the sunrise of the world. In the evening of his life, he was fortunate enough to witness a new day.
From Simeon, Jesus hears the first human hymn that was composed out of love for Him. Simon could now die in peace, because he had seen the saviour of the world.
Simeon then turns his attention to Mary and in a shocking revelation tells her that her son would be a contradiction in his lifetime. And as if that were not enough she too would experience great sorrow along with her son. She, Mary, would grieve as she sees the pain her son will endure. Simeon's sombre prediction introduced a shadow into what was otherwise a scene of light and happiness.
Then if that's not enough he leaves the young couple to brood over their fate, joyful in what he saw, though fearful about the future and along comes another elderly person a woman this time, Anna. She by contrast is ecstatic and Luke tells us she praised God for Jesus. Imagine this childless woman with a great smile on her face arms out stretched and so happy to be greeting Jesus.
Gosh, what a day for our travelled threesome. But what does it all mean, or is it just a nice story? Well scholars through the ages have seen a deeper mystery in this is story, just as on Sunday we saw a deeper and hidden mystery in the raising of Lazarus.
The fulfilment of the Law by Jesus and His family points to a deeper theological fulfilment; the Messiah responded to Israel's deepest hope for salvation. In the coming of Jesus Israel's life and mission found its utmost fulfilment.
Through the witness of Simeon and Anna, Israel itself acknowledges the end of a long period of history and the beginning of a new era. Transformed into a new and universal Israel, the old Israel could depart in peace. In terms of Israel's own life, the fulfilment, which included Jews and gentiles alike, far transcended the promise! Simeon and Anna represented those who had remained faithful to God and His promise, they were alert and on the lookout for god's Holy Spirit to be working in the world.
They teach us two important things. The first is that God is not like the media and the marketing people, he is no respecter of age and time and time again he uses older people to fulfil his work and secondly we need to be on the alert for we never know when Jesus might walk into our lives.
© Fr Michael Fuller: March 2008