"From His birth and infancy, our Lord Jesus Christ was demonstrating
His place as the One who would accomplish everything needed for our salvation"
We can read of the Presentation of our Lord at the Temple at Jerusalem
in the Gospel of St. Luke. Luke: 2:22-40.
Under the Old Covenant a woman was considered to be
ceremonially unclean for 40 days after giving birth, in which case she was
unable to enter the Temple and join in the worship of God.
At the end of this period, she would come to
the Temple and be declared "purified “and again
be able to join in the community worship. This is part of what we are reading
about here when Joseph and Mary come to the Temple, with Jesus.
Purified and Presented
But in the Gospel account we see more than
just the completion of Mary's purification. Joseph and Mary have brought Jesus
with them, Jesus, being the firstborn is to be dedicated to the service of
God under the terms of the Old Covenant.
"Because all the Firstborn are mine; for
on the day that I smote all the Firstborn of the Land of Egypt I hallowed to me
all the firstborn in Israel, both man and animal, they will be mine: I AM the
Lord" Number:3:13
"Consecrate to me every
firstborn male; the Firstborn of every womb among Israel belong to me, man or
animal" Exodus: 13:2
What we witness, thru St. Luke’s account, is
two events, Mary’s “Purification” which allows for her
to be readmitted into the worship in the Temple. She now, due to the
purification offering, has the right to be there in the Temple, and along with
her purification we see the dedication of Jesus who is the firstborn of all
firstborn and His consecration, 40 days after His birth, to be a servant of the
Most High God.
The Consecration scarifies and the presentation of the firstborn, were conducted
at the Temple in Jerusalem.
“And when the time came for their purification
according to the Law of Moses, [Mary and Joseph] brought [Jesus] up to
Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord,
‘Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord’) and to
offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, ‘a pair of
turtledoves, or two young pigeons.” Luke: 2:22
Law Fulfilled by Jesus
ST. Luke makes sure in his Gospel that part of
what we see here fulfills the Law of Moses . This
speaks of what Jesus came to do for each and all what we could never have done
ourselves. Jesus is working out our salvation even as an
infant.
Even his circumcision on the eighth day, we
see Jesus, shedding his blood, looking ahead to the cross still 33 years in his
future. Now the presentation on the 40th day, when Jesus enters first enters
the Temple Jesus is fulfilling the Law of God on all of our behalf.
This Jesus did, and continued to do all His life right up to the
cross. But Jesus’ life, in every way fulfilled the Law the way it was meant to
be, even as an infant.
Jesus makes sure that we all are "purified" and able to join in the community
worship of the Great God, it is all through Him we are made pure, and able to
approach the Great God.
“so that you may become blameless and pure,
children of God without fault” Philippians:2:15a
“But now in Christ Jesus you who
sometimes were far off are made near by the blood of Christ.” Ephesians: 2:13
The Consecration
The consecration of the firstborn began with
the Exodus and the plague of the death of the firstborn of the Egyptians, which
God placed on Egypt. This was the 10th and last plague, which resulted in the
freeing of Israel from captivity.
The Israelites, whose homes were marked with
the blood of the lamb, were spared and the angel of death passed over them. The
firstborn of Israel was spared. Because of that, from that time forward all the
firstborn sons of Israel now were to be set apart, holy, consecrated to the
service of the Lord. This law applied to all tribes of Israel. The firstborn
sons of all twelve tribes were to be set aside for the Lord’s service.
The Priesthood
God had established the Levites as the
priesthood tribe before God in Israel but the law provided an exemption. The
Levites took the place for all those firstborn sons in the service of the Lord.
The Levites were the tribe who served at the tabernacle and later at the temple
of God
The priesthood came from the tribe of Levi. But for the firstborn sons from all
the other tribes, the parents would offer up a sacrifice at the Temple so that
released their sons from that obligation.
This part of what Joseph and Mary were doing
at the Temple for their firstborn son, since they were not Levites but from the
tribe of Judah. From which of Judah kings came.
Jesus was born from the tribe of Judah; however,
he also is a firstborn, which means he is consecrated to the service of God, at
his presentation at the Temple on the 40th day.
Jesus the Priest of God
Even though Jesus in not of Levi, and even
though the sacrifice is offered to release him from priestly service, he still
is holy, set apart, consecrated to God. Regardless of what tribe he was born
from. Jesus’ life was consecrated to Lord’s service even in His infancy.
Jesus offers the greatest priestly service of all for all, when he offered up
his own life as the perfect sacrifice for all sin. His body and His blood are
the offering, whole and holy and complete.
When we see Jesus is presented at the Temple,
on the 40th day, as the firstborn, this is a foreshadowing of His entire
priestly service for all of us.
33 years later, on Calvary, Jesus would shed his blood on the cross as the
atoning sacrifice for all humanity, fulfilling the Law in our stead, bringing forgiveness and salvation us.
Death passes over us because we are marked
with the blood Jesus the Lamb of God. All this is taking place when this Jesus
firstborn son is presented at the Temple of God at Jerusalem.
Simeon and Anna
At
The Temple, there were two persons who served God, Simon and Anna, and seeing
Jesus at the time of his presentation discerns this. The Holy Spirit spoke to
them and reveals this truth, that this child, Jesus, is the Savior who has come
to fulfill the all-Messianic prophecies given to Israel, this is the One, which
they waited for and hoped for, the One who bring Salvation.
Not only is Jesus the great High Priest, greater than any from the tribe of
Levi, He is also the great King from the tribe of Judah, the Messiah, the
Christ. Simeon and Anna can see this. This truth was revealed to Simeon
and Anna by a special work of the Holy Spirit. They see Jesus, and they
recognize the Savior, the fulfillment of what they had been waiting for.
“Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this
man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the
Holy Spirit was upon him. 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. 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, he took him up in his arms
and blessed God. . . .” Luke: 2:25-28
"Jesus is the great High Priest, above any from the tribe
of Levi; He is also the promised King from the tribe of Judah, the Messiah, and
the Christ. Simeon and Anna see this."
Simeon was waiting for the “Consolation of Israel.”
“Consolation” is a word means “comfort.”
Isaiah 40:2- “Comfort, comfort my people,
says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, and
that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.”
Simeon had been watching and waiting for, looking for, longing for.
The Lord had showed that Simeon that he would not die until he saw the
consolation come in the person of Jesus, the Messiah. Now here was that One,
finally, Simeon sees Him, in the person of the infant Jesus now brought into the
Temple courts, the long-awaited Messiah!
Then Simeon with, Jesus in his arms and exclaims: “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,
according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have
prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for
revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.” Luke: 2:29-32
Nunc Dimittis
The declaration of Simeon has come into the
liturgy of the Church as the Hymn called the Nunc Dimittis, which
means “Now You Let Depart.”
Often this hymn is sung it after the sharing
of the Communion after we encounter the Lord Jesus, when we take him into our
arms, that is embrace Him personally, we can now to depart in peace just as
Simeon declared he was able to do, we have now no fear, even departing this
life. When we come to believe in Jesus, our lives have accomplished everything
a human life was intended to accomplish.
Simeon held Jesus in his arms and beheld with
his own eyes, the Lord’s salvation in the person of the Jesus. When we come to
believe in Jesus, we express it though sharing the Lord’s Supper, the
Communion, we are truly ready and able “to depart in peace”.
Simeon declared openly that this child is the salvation God has prepared “in the presence of all peoples,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”
For all peoples, all nations, not just Israel,
will be blessed in and by Jesus’ coming. Gentiles will come to see the light.
Darkness of the Cross
Simeon tells Mary she will have grief, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.” Luke: 2:34-25
Jesus faced great opposition in His ministry. He was be spoken against by the religious leaders of the day the Scribe and Pharisee and Sadducees, the Chief Priest and Elders of people. They conspired against Jesus to stop him and to have Jesus killed.
The death of Jesus, Mary's firstborn son, was
like a sword piercing Mary’s soul, bring great grief, as she stood at the cross
and sees Jesus dying.
This is the only way that our salvation could be accomplished for us. It would
take the death of God’s only begotten Son come in the flesh, Mary’s firstborn
son, to accomplish it for us.
Only Jesus’ holy blood alone. Jesus'
priestly service of offering up the perfect sacrifice himself would accomplish
it. His life could never have ended any other way.
The cross was the logical conclusion to a life based on complete conformity
to the will of God; the cross declares that Jesus
would rather die, than found outside the will of God.
Jesus’ sacrifice was not just one day at Calvary, but rather, Jesus scarified his whole life, His Whole life. All His Life, All His
Life. Jesus was fully consecrated to his Father. That day at the
Temple, and at Calvary years latter only shows what has always been
true.
Jesus' Sacrifice is more than enough, to accomplish our salvation. We
are saved from eternal death and condemnation. We are saved for life and peace
with God and eternal life beyond the confines of this world in Eternity. This
is the consolation of Israel that Simeon and all of us are waiting for it found
in Jesus alone.
For the power of the blood is found in the value of
the life that it sustains, the blood of Jesus sustained the life of God in the
flesh, therefore His life as fully God, is more valued than the sum total of
all humanity, but being fully human could die
for all humanity. John: 1:1-3,14, and
Colssians:2:9
Now Anna
Prophetess Anna was one the other saint of God.
Scripture tells us that Anna was among those “waiting for the redemption of
Jerusalem.” “Redemption” meaning
being set free, liberated.
He brought this redemption by his holy blood and his perfect innocent suffering and death. This redemption Jesus has won for us is, eternal life in the kingdom of God.
Consolation and redemption, salvation and peace. All of these Jesus brought
with Him when He enters the Temple for his Presentation. Jesus is the
firstborn, the High Priest, and the Messiah. In the Temple, even in the Church,
the people of God, his Temple, we still find the same Jesus and so we receive
his blessings.
Jesus is here in the Church, the Temple, that
the firstborn Son is still being presented to and for us, and so we all can
sing the Hymn Nunc Dimittis with Simeon “Lord, now you let your servant depart in peace, for my eyes have
seen your salvation.”
Benediction: May we all see the salvation
in the face of the Holy Son of God and know that because of Jesus we can be at
peace, today, tomorrow and forevermore Amen,
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Topinabee Community Church
Topinabee Michigan
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