"Jesus' first trip to the Temple"

February 3, 2002 The Presentation of our Lord Jesus Christ

A sermon by Dean Keith Joyce

²² Now when the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, Joseph and Mary brought Jesus up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord ²³ (just as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every firstborn male will be set apart to the Lord"), ²⁴ and to offer a sacrifice according to what is specified in the law of the Lord, a pair of doves or two young pigeons.

²⁵ Now there was in Jerusalem a man named Simeon who was righteous and devout, looking for the restoration of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. ²⁶ It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ. ²⁷ So directed by the Spirit Simeon came into the temple courts, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what was customary according to the law, ²⁸ Simeon took him in his arms and blessed God, saying,

²⁹ "Now, according to your word, Sovereign Lord, permit your servant to depart in peace. ³⁰For my eyes have seen your salvation ³¹ that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples: ³² a light, for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel."

³³ So the child's father and mother were amazed at what was said about him. ³⁴ Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, "Listen carefully: this child is destined to be the cause of the falling and rising of many in Israel and to be a sign that will be rejected. ³⁵ Indeed, as a result of him the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed-and a sword will pierce your own soul as well!"

³⁶ There was also a prophetess, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old, having been married to her husband for seven years until his death. ³⁷ She had lived as a widow since then for eighty-four years. She never left the temple, worshipping with fasting and prayer night and day. ³⁸ At that moment, she came up to them and began to give thanks to God and to speak about the child to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.

³⁹ So when Joseph and Mary had performed everything according to the law of the Lord, they returned to 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.

As they were leaving, they encountered a "man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon." He is described as "righteous and devout," and as one who was "looking forward to the consolation of Israel." He was what we might call a man of God. He was faithful in his worship and well established in a right relationship with those around him. It seems as if he was very attuned to the ways of God, keenly aware of the Lord's presence with him. We read that "the Holy Spirit rested on him" and that he graciously revealed to Simeon that he would not die "before he had seen the Lord's Messiah". We can sense in Simeon someone who is close to God and open to the Lord's ways.

On this particular day the Holy Spirit guided Simeon into the temple, on the same day that Jesus was brought to Jerusalem so that His parents could "do for him what was customary under the law".

Let us speculate for a moment - Simeon walks in, wondering what this is all about, his heart begins to quicken as he notices this young family with a baby in his mother's arms. He is compelled to go to this family, he can't hold back. Perhaps without really realizing what he is doing, Simeon takes the baby in his arms. We hear of no reaction from Jesus' parents. There's no questioning of what this man is up to.

The very first thing this man does is praise God. Holding this infant closely, Simeon begins to worship. He blesses God. By this time Simeon's heart must have been racing, pounding! In the depths of his being he senses the Spirit confirming that this is the One, this is the promised "Lord's Messiah."

There's no Harry Potter mark on his forehead. Simeon is prompted by the Spirit to recognize what he sees. What an absolute thrill to arrive at the moment he has been waiting for all his life!

Simeon cannot be silent. In the wonderful words of what we now call the 'Nunc Dimittis,' which is used as the second canticle of Evensong, he acknowledges the peace that is his at the completion of his life's waiting. God's servant can be dismissed; he is now released from his long waiting. This is not the casting aside of someone now useless but rather the recognition that the Lord's word has come true. This is not the language of one giving up nor of one who is shoved off to the side. Very simply, he knows, now he can die with peace in his heart.

No wonder he is praising the Lord!

Simeon speaks to the Lord: "My eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared before the presence of all peoples". I like to imagine him saying it ever so quietly, his words barely audible to those around him, his voice full of awe and reverence, while looking into that little face in his arms. The salvation of God, the salvation provided by the Creator and Maker of the universe, by the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, there, in his arms!

Simeon doesn't stop here in his praising God but continues, in these words to the Lord, that this salvation will be "a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel". Even the Gentiles, enemies of God's people, are going to have the light of God revealed to them through this One he is holding. Imagine! And yet he will also be God's glory to the Hebrew people, the Jews.

People around Simeon, if there were any other than Jesus' parents, would have been astounded! What incredible claims for an unknown 40 day old baby. God's way of salvation is going to be through this helpless infant? How will he deal with the tyranny of the Romans? How will he get back for us our land and our freedom and our own government?

But, with the blessing comes some disturbing words, which Simeon addresses to Mary. This child, he says, will cause "the falling and rising of many in Israel" and "he will be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed."

A time of decision is coming.

One will not be able to encounter this Jesus, this Sun of Righteousness, without being faced with a decision. People will be seen for who they are by their reaction to this One, to this salvation of God. Is it God's way or my way? That's the question.

Finally, in words most strange to Mary's ears, Simeon says to her that "a sword will pierce your own soul too." Family life will be different for her and she will see the burial of her son before her days are ended. The image of a sword piercing Mary's soul, as Joseph Fitzmyer points out in his commentary, is hinting "at the difficulty she will have in learning that obedience to the word of God will transcend even family ties."

How differently this journey to the temple turned out from what Mary and Joseph might have expected. But this is not all. They then encountered a prophetess named Anna, a woman in her eighties or more, an individual who was close to the Lord and intimate with his ways because, we read, she"never left the temple but worshipped there with fasting and prayer night and day". Again we see God engineering these events because "at that very moment she came, and" - like Simeon - "began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem."

She didn't just speak on that special day in the temple, but rather she kept on speaking about him in the days ahead. This was news that could not be contained. It had to be shared, it had to be spoken, especially to those who are seeking God's salvation. And Anna would continue to speak it as she left the temple that incredible day. How wonderfully God values and uses for His purposes an old woman. In our youth crazed culture, this is very important to see and celebrate.

From a historical perspective we are in a better place than Simeon and Anna. We are living after the earthly life, death and resurrection of this infant, Jesus Christ our Lord. With the eyes of faith we have seen the salvation of God. As Christians we know this Jesus, the Lord's Messiah. We have seen the light of revelation in Christ and, as the true Son of God, we know He is the glory for the people of Israel.

What do we do with this salvation? Or, perhaps better put, what does this salvation do to us, what impact should we experience in our thoughts and lives? Will it cause us to praise God for such a gift, will it drive us to have as our first priority the worship of his name?

We are talking about the salvation of God! It's a salvation that lets the captive go free, it turns darkness into light, it turns death into life, it brings healing to the wounded, and it binds up the broken hearted! We do not follow a mere religious figure. No, He is the salvation of God!

How can we not but praise God for the incredible privilege of seeing God's salvation?

Let us prepare for Lent. Let us begin the process of dedicating afresh our lives and our words so that like Anna we keep on knowing, living, and speaking this salvation, this truth, this light into a world that is looking, is searching, but cannot always find the Lord's redemption.

Don't any one of you think you're too useless, or too old or too weak, too young or too inadequate to be an instrument of God to give witness to His salvation. Anna was in her eighties or even nineties, and Simeon was thought to be an old man. Mary herself was most likely a teenager and Joseph a young man. These people were not the elite of the business world, they were not leading politicians, nor were they the significant religious figures of the day.

Let us take a deep look at God's salvation, now and as we head into Lent. As we continue in this new year in the life and ministry of Christ Church Cathedral let us be renewed by a fuller vision of this salvation, which is our Lord Jesus Christ. May He be the substance and content of all our motives and purposes as we seek to be part of His church here in Fredericton.

And may the wind of the Holy Spirit continue to mould us into God's messengers, as His servants, so that the Lord's truth draws the world to His salvation in His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.