Presentation of the Lord – Year C

Sermon Notes from the Church’s Ministry Among Jewish People

RCL Readings – Malachi 3:1-4; Psalm 84 or Psalm 24:7-10; Hebrews 2:14-18; Luke 2:22-40

ACNA Readings – Malachi 3:1-4; Psalm 84; Hebrews 2:14-18; Luke 2:22-40

Seasonal Introduction.  Following the Christmas season, Christians around the world celebrate Epiphany. While the story of a Jewish baby born in his ancestral home may be interesting it would hardly be remarkable, let alone world-changing. But Christmas isn’t only about a human baby boy, it is about God coming to dwell among men as a man. Today, we interrupt the weekly readings of the Epiphany and celebrate the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple. Jesus was faithful to God in all things, including the rituals that God prescribed for His people to follow. He lived before God, suffered among His people even as they did, and conquered death—becoming our High Priest.

Common Theme. The common themes this week are the faithfulness of people, even in times and places where faithfulness might not be commonly found. God is faithful and the people of God can also be faithful. The Temple is the backdrop where God’s faithfulness would be seen, for He would suddenly appear there even as He promised and it would be in the Temple where God’s faithful people gathered.

Hebraic Context. The building of the Tabernacle is a subject that is rarely preached on, despite the relative quantity of Scripture devoted to it, particularly in relation to the quantity of Scripture devoted to the Israelites in Egypt and in the wilderness. The Biblical story of God’s redemption never ends with a simple act of salvation. In the book of Exodus, God delivered Israel from Egypt with great miracles. But they didn’t walk straight to Canaan. Instead, God took them to a deserted place and met with them at Mount Sinai. God told Israel how they could be His people and He their God. And then the rest of the book of Exodus goes into incredible detail on how to weave specific garments, bake a specific bread, and make an altar to burn a specific incense. 

We should acknowledge that God’s detailed revelation of the very construction of the tabernacle means it’s important. God could have simply stated something like, “I have filled [Bezalel] with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze” before moving on with the next story of redemption. Instead, the Tabernacle, and later the Temple, became central to much of Biblical narrative.

Shortly after Israel entered Canaan, the Tabernacle was established in Shiloh of Ephraim. It remained there until the time of Samuel, when the Philistines took the ark and razed Shiloh. However, the period of the Judges continuously referenced the Tabernacle and Temple, “Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”

Deuteronomy 12:8 states, “You shall not do according to all that we are doing here today, everyone doing whatever is right in his own eyes” it continues, “then to the place that the LORD your God will choose, to make His name dwell there, there you shall bring all that I command you: your burnt offerings and your sacrifices… And you shall rejoice before the LORD your God, you and your sons and your daughters, your male servants and your females servants…” For these many years until the time of David and Solomon, Israel often ignored coming to the Tabernacle in order to worship Him and rejoice in Him, choosing instead to do whatever was right in their own eyes.

King David changed that when he made Jerusalem his capital and desired to build the house of the LORD on the threshing floor above Jerusalem. Psalm 132:13-14 states, “For the LORD has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His dwelling place; ‘This is my resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it.’” The Temple became the symbol of God’s protection of Judah—particularly after the northern tribes revolted and built separate temples for worship of god.

Solomon’s temple only stood for around 372 years (959-587 BC) but its importance can be seen throughout the Psalms, as a place where people—men, women, young, old, Israelites, and foreigners—could all come together to meet with and worship God. The Temple represented God’s protection, as Psalm 84 states in relation to the House of God, “the LORD God is a sun and shield… O LORD of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you!” The Psalmist is clear that the House of God is important because of the LORD God who dwelled there, something Judah sometimes forgot.

The word of the LORD spoken in Jeremiah 7:4 ratifies this truth, “Do not trust in these deceptive words: ‘This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD.’... will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, make offerings to Baal, and go after other gods that you have not known, and then come and stand before me in his house, which is called by My name, and say, ‘We are delivered!’... Go now to my place that was in Shiloh, where I made my name dwell at first…” The destruction of Solomon’s Temple was both devastating and sent a shockwave of revival as the people were taken into exile and learned to either depend on God or turn from Him completely.

Israel turned from worshipping idols and foreign Gods even as they returned to listening, hearing, and following the word of God. Tacitus, in Histories 5.5, says, “the earliest lesson they receive is to despise the gods… the Jews conceive of one god only, and that with the mind alone: they regard as impious those who make from perishable materials representations of gods in man’s image; that supreme and eternal being is to them incapable of representation and without end. Therefore they set up no statues in their cities, still less in their temples; this flattery is not paid their kings, nor this honour given to the Caesars.” As the people acknowledged God and learned more about God through His revealed word, they also began to pray in great earnest. They followed the examples provided in Scripture, such as the prayer of Hannah and the Psalmists. But the Temple remained important, as the Scriptures made it clear that it was important to God.

The second Temple survived longer than Solomon’s temple, around 586 years (516BC-70AD). While it did not have the same prestige and beauty as Solomon’s temple until the time of King Herod, Haggai 2:9 still says, “the latter glory of this house [the temple] shall be greater than the former, says the LORD of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares the LORD of hosts.” And so the people looked for God to give peace from the Temple. Malachi 3:1 states that “The Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple.” 

In the time of Jesus, the Temple was known for corruption: the High Priesthood was bought and sold, many within the leadership of the temple had become Hellenistic (even from the 2nd century BC through the Roman period), and many priests were heretics who didn’t believe in the resurrection of the dead. And yet, people like Anna and Simeon not only came to worship God in the Temple, they also waited for His consolation, His peace, and even the Lord Himself in the Temple. And it was in the Temple where Jesus would constantly come to obey and worship His Father—for it was His Father’s house.

Malachi 3:1-4. In the previous chapter of Malachi, God rebukes the unfaithful people of Judah—particularly the priesthood. Following His rebuke, God would be justified in immediate judgment. Instead of judgment, Malachi declares that God will send a messenger. This messenger would prepare the way for the Lord to appear suddenly in His temple where He was to dwell once more.

However, the Lord would not be the only one who would appear. We can understand from the passage that another messenger would come—the messenger of the covenant (מַלְאַךְ הַבְּרִית, malach ha'brit). Malachi seems to refer to a particular covenant but does not specify which one he is speaking of. It can be easy to look back and assume that Malachi was referring to the New Covenant spoken of in Jeremiah 31. Given that Malachi speaks of a covenant in which the people already delight, it would be one that they have already received such as at Mount Sinai. Stephen, in Acts 7:53, referred to a common Jewish understanding that the law was delivered by a messenger (or angels). Regardless, the advent of the Lord may be a desired event, but similar to the many prophecies regarding the Day of the LORD, Malachi warns the people about the day the messenger of the covenant would come: “Who can endure the day of His coming, and who can stand when He appears?”

Without a doubt, it is a wonderful thing to long for the presence of the Lord, however we must understand that clean hands and a pure heart are required to stand before Him. The arrival of this second messenger involves a process of refining and cleansing in order to prepare us for the Lord’s presence. Malachi 3:2 uses a rare Hebrew word בֹרִית (borit), translated as soap. This word shares the same consonants as the word for covenant (בְּרִית, brit). Upon a close reading, we see how Malachi links these concepts of covenant and cleansing. Psalm 50:16 gives us another insight into this association stating of the wicked, “What right have you to recite my statutes or take my covenant on your lips?” 

The refining and cleansing that Malachi speaks of begins with the household of faith, particularly the Levites (who were chastised only a short time before in chapter 2). The Levites were a tribe who should have already been messengers of the Lord to Israel. As Malachi mentioned earlier, “The lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts.” Malachi warns that the refining fire will not be pleasant for the sons of Levi but, by the end, “they will bring offerings in righteousness” that will please God—an inversion of the curse and rebuke God had brought against them in chapter 2.

In Luke 2, Simeon waited for the Lord to “suddenly come to His temple.” While Luke does not mention Simeon’s heritage, it was generally the priests who would offer a blessing to the people in the Temple. God has always had those who serve Him, whether it is the messenger who prepares the way or the faithful Levites waiting for the Messiah to appear in the temple. In fact, Jeremiah 33:18 states, “and the Levitical priests shall never lack a man in my presence to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings, and to make sacrifices forever”.

Psalm 84. Numbers 16 details the rebellion of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. Moses, by the command of God, told the congregation to “Depart, please, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest you be swept away with all their sins… And Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the door of their tents, together with their wives, their sons, and their little ones.” We don’t hear about the families of Dathan and Abiram in the Scriptures after the ground opened up and swallowed those who remained in the tents of those wicked men.

However, we do hear about the sons of Korah. The sons of Korah were a Levitical family that physically had to remove themselves from the tents of wickedness, against all cultural standards as they shamed their father in walking away from his tent to join Moses and the congregation of Israel, and yet were tasked with singing in the Temple. 

Psalm 84 reflects the understanding of men who left their familial fidelity, rarely done in ancient Middle Eastern culture and almost always seen in a negative light, and yet found something even greater—a living God, a king, and a protector. Having abandoned their father, Korah, the sons of Korah would have been without the protection of their patriarch. They may have also been seen as traitors by anyone who would have taken them under their protection. But God became their shield.

The Valley of Baca may be a place along the route to Jerusalem taken by Israelites traveling up to the Temple during the pilgrim festivals. However, some translate it as the Valley of Tears. God is the great king, the LORD of hosts, and yet a king who listens to His supplicants when we pray and provides for us. The land of Israel requires God’s blessing of rain and as people traveled to Jerusalem, according to God’s command, they were given strength even in a place of weeping. God provided abundantly all along the path until God’s supplicants could appear before Him. God is a God of the living, even the most insignificant creatures find a home by God’s grace. 

And that is where the sons of Korah found themselves, at home even where their God made His dwelling place. Despite and, indeed, because of their history, the goodness of God was shown to those who placed their trust completely in God rather than in their rebellious forefather. 

Psalm 24:7-10. Solomon, as he prayed at the dedication of the Temple, asked the question “will God indeed dwell with man on the earth?” Late traditions associate Psalm 24:7-10 with Solomon bringing the Ark of the Covenant into the Holy of Holies. Solomon knew that God did not only reside in the Temple or the Ark of the Covenant, “Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you, how much less this house that I have built!” Psalm 24 begins not with Jerusalem or the Temple but rather the entirety of the earth.

David quickly turns to our relationship with God in Psalm 24:3-6 but Psalm 24:1-2, 7-10 is a reminder of just which God we should be seeking. There is a reason why those who ascend the hill of the LORD are required to have clean hands and a pure heart, why we must not be deceitful and why we must seek God—He is the King of glory.

Preaching about God without providing a strong application is considered to be bad teaching by some in the church. But surely, teaching application without teaching about God is even worse. The God we seek is not only the creator but the one who owns all the earth. In the ancient world, prominent deities were attached to regions and nations and directly to the well-being and success of their peoples. Israel was a tiny and obscure kingdom compared to the might and grandeur of Egyptian and Mesopotamian realms. Outsiders could easily think that the gods of Assyria and Babylon were mightier than the God of Israel simply by comparing the wealth and might of the respective nations. David, however, declares the Lord to be the true sovereign and ruler of all the earth.

Men, for all that we may consider ourselves mighty, are incomparable to God. City walls and gates were often the great symbol of power in ancient cities but against an enemy that could not be defeated, the gates would be thrown wide open—signalling the intention of the city to throw themselves before the mercy of the coming conqueror. We need to know that God is not only powerful but also, as Moses declared in Exodus 15:3, that “The LORD is a man of war; the LORD is His name.” Jesus may have first come to the Temple as a child to save His people, but He will come again with a sword.

Hebrews 2:14-18. The prophet who would be like Moses had to be a son of Abraham, one from among Israel “I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers.” Simeon stated that the child he saw that would bring salvation would be “a light for revelation to the Gentiles” but He would also be “for glory to your people Israel.” Jesus came to help the offspring of Abraham and He did so as an offspring of Abraham—as flesh and blood.

There is a saying about Adam, Noah, and Abraham. Adam was the first man and so God came to walk with him in the garden. Noah was the only one who walked with God, and so God worked through Noah. But Abraham was neither the first person nor the only person available for God to choose. In fact, Abraham was the least important and yet God sought Abraham and, in the end, Abraham walked before God and would light the way before God. God decided to work with and through Abraham.

Even though the offspring of Abraham occasionally rebelled, for the sake of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, God continued to redeem them. Of course, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob still live to this very day. Irenaeus, in Against Heresies 4.20.5, says “For the glory of God is a living man; and the life of man consists in beholding God.” 

When they did repent, however, they would often bring an offering—not to atone for their own sins, sacrifices could only atone for unintentional sins—and the priest would make atonement for them (even then, Leviticus 5-6 and Numbers 15:22-26 state it is for unintentional sin). Nonetheless, when they returned to God in repentance, God would draw near to them. Jesus became the high priest that could make propitiation for the sins of the people. 

Jesus is certainly merciful, but that would not be enough. As Paul stated, “being born in the likeness of men… He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” Having faced all things as we have, partaking in life as flesh and blood, Jesus remains faithful and has the power to conquer death.

Luke 2:22-40. The circumcision and purification rites that Jesus underwent at the appropriate ages, are a strong reminder of the Jewishness of Jesus. The Lord had decreed that every Israelite male firstborn of the womb belonged to Him, both human and animal. Furthermore Leviticus 12 describes the purification ritual to be performed by the mother following childbirth. The presentation of Jesus in the Temple of Jerusalem also serves to remind us that Mary and Joseph are pious Jews themselves. Luke presents Jesus as coming from a devout, but poor family. Luke notes that the offering His parents could afford was of two doves. This was the sacrifice that a poor person could present to the Lord, as Leviticus 12 dictates that a lamb was to be the appropriate sacrifice. However, poverty was never something that should keep people away from worship of the Lord. 

According to the Hebrew Scriptures, there were two places where the Messiah would appear suddenly. One was the desert, as prophesied by Isaiah 40:3, and the other was in the Temple, as proclaimed by Malachi 3:1. Simeon is called a righteous man who was ‘waiting for the consolation of Israel’. The ‘consolation of Israel’ παράκλησις paráklēsis may refer to the opening words of comfort spoken by Isaiah 40 which uses the same root word in Septuagint Greek Παρακαλεῖτε, παρακαλεῖτε (paråkléte) comfort, comfort [my people]. The New Testament provides no background to Simeon, but we are told that he is one of the few Biblical characters to have the Holy Spirit. He received a prophecy that his eyes would behold the redeemer and was prompted by the Spirit to take his place in the Temple courts. Simeon's words proclaim (from the Temple in Jerusalem) that the messianic salvation is not restricted to Israel but is to be extended to the whole world. The Messiah that Simeon is holding is both the glory of Israel, the people of God, and a light for revelation to the Gentiles. 

Luke also introduces us to Anna, who is a prophetess from the tribe of Asher. Most Christian commentaries would suggest that prophecy had ceased after Malachi and that God had been silent for nearly 400 years until the New Testament. Luke challenges this assumption. Anna had been prophesying in the Temple since her husband of only seven years had died, worshiping day and night and fasting and praying. Thus, an active prophet existed in the Temple for almost 60 years. 

She is also from the tribe of Asher whose tribal allotment is in the northwest, bordering Lebanon. This challenges the traditional myth of the 10 lost tribes of Israel said to have been exiled by the Assyrians after their conquest of the northern Kingdom of Israel and that tribal affiliations had been forgotten by the first century. Anna seems to have retained her tribal lineage despite not residing in her tribal allotment. Asher, along with Dan, had almost no positive history in the Scripture. The inhabitants of Asher lived among the Canaanites and did not assist the rest of the tribes when threatened with war. But even in places that are not known for faithfulness, God continues to find people who listen to His call. 

The Gospel account concludes with the return of the family to Nazareth where Jesus grows and develops like other children. Luke chooses to primarily note Jesus' spiritual growth. The gospels do not provide much on Jesus’ early physical development beyond details that specifically show His Jewishness and devotion–both His own devotion and that of His parents.

Hebraic Perspective. Faith and faithfulness are the same word in Hebrew and hence faith from a Hebraic perspective has the sense that it is more of an action than it is a noun. In the Scriptures faith is something you do more than simply what you ‘believe to be true’. Reflecting this concept John 3:21 encourages us to do the truth not only believe it; “But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”. 

The sons of Korah were faithful in that they left their father’s house in obedience to the word of God spoken through Moses. They not only heard Moses’ words nor did they only believe what he spoke to be true, they also acted faithfully by walking away from their father. Their children continued to be faithful (with some exceptions, such as the sons of Samuel) for hundreds of years.

In the Gospel we see the family of Jesus to be a pious Jewish family who not only believe what Moses had written concerning the purification ritual but had the faithfulness to put it into practice. The parents of Jesus present Him in the Temple and provide the price of redemption allotted to the less wealthy of the community. In this case, two birds to redeem the first male born of the womb. 

Simeon likewise projects a man of faithfulness and not simply a man of faith. Towards the end of the 2nd Temple period the Temple leadership had become corrupt. The Hasmonean kingdom had replaced some of the Levitical priesthood for their own families, and the high priesthood which should have been dynastic had become a position to be bought and sold. 

One reaction to this religious corruption was to flee Jerusalem and the Temple and move to the desert. Seeking the extremity of society to maintain purity and prepare for the messianic age of redemption. We see this in the Qumran community around the Dead Sea. Through this action the Dead Sea community would have considered themselves faithful to the Lord and His Word, not tainted with the stain of sin from the evil society around them. 

However, Simeon demonstrated another type of faithfulness. He remained in the Temple despite the corruption. Faithfulness can also be expressed through persistence and steadfastness. The first use of the word אֱמוּנָה (emunah) in the Scriptures is from Exodus 17:12 where the word describes how Moses held his hands up during the battle against Amalek. Moses’ hands, while supported by Aaron and Hur, are said to be ‘steadfast’. Faith or faithfulness is being persistent in acting out the things you believe to be true. Even if the situation is dire and problematic, like a battle between Israel and Amalek or the false religious leadership and those with pure hearts desiring to worship the Lord in His Temple. 

At the heart of Simeon’s faith was his desire to see to the נחמת ישראל ‘consolation of Israel’. The word consolation comes from the verb to comfort לְנַחֵם and is used prophetically in Isaiah 40 “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God” where the promise that the indignation of corruption and sin will pass and the advent of the Messiah will come. Simeon’s faithfulness is rewarded by the Holy Spirit who let Simeon know that with his own eyes he would behold the Redeemer. Simeon did not just believe this to be true, he went to the Temple to see it in action.

Endnotes

1. Exodus 31:3-4
2. I Samuel 4:1-11; Jeremiah 7:12-15
3. The word for messenger is מַלְאָךְ (malach), the same word used for angel and the name of the prophet who delivered the prophecies in this book, Malachi.
4. Jeremiah 2:22 is the only other place this word, borit, is used in the Bible and mentions another substance that was used for cleaning–possibly some form of potash. In ancient Israel, soap was sometimes made from potash or alkaline salts sourced from the Dead Sea, located southeast of Jerusalem in the wilderness. Interestingly, Isaiah 40 indicates that the wilderness is where the messenger will appear.
5.  The Levites were supposed to be the teachers of the law to Israel (Deuteronomy 33:10). One of the ways they did so was through declaring and singing the Psalms at the Temple but they were also to go throughout Israel and teach.
6. Jeremiah 33:18 states, “and the Levitical priests shall never lack a man in my presence to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings, and to make sacrifices forever” in the same statement as when Jeremiah declared “David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel.”
7. Numbers 16:26-27
8. Dathan and Abiram are only mentioned in relation to their rebellion, whether in Numbers 16 and 26, Deuteronomy 11, or Psalm 106.
9.  Psalm 84:10, “For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
10. Many suggest it is somewhere between Jericho and Jerusalem although others have speculated locations to the east, north east, and even west of Jerusalem.
11. Shabbat 30a.7; Midrash Tehillim 24:8
12.  II Chronicles 6:18
13. Deuteronomy 18:18
14. Bereshit Rabbah 30.10
15. Luke 20:37-38
16. Exodus 13:2
17. Traditionally, only priests would pronounce a blessing from God over the people. That Simeon could take baby Jesus into his arms and say a blessing may be an indication that he was of the priestly class. However, this largely applied to specific blessings (such as the Aaronic blessing). All Israelites (and Gentiles) could, and were supposed to, bless God.
18. Josephus Flavius, the Jewish historian, wrote in his Antiquities of the Jews 11:133 that, "there are but two tribes in Asia and Europe subject to the Romans, while the ten tribes are beyond Euphrates till now, and are an immense multitude, and not to be estimated by numbers". The Epistle of James opens by addressing the 12 tribes of Israel who are in the diaspora, suggesting that they were not actually ‘lost’, rather many of the tribes were indeed residing outside the land of Israel. Meanwhile, some had migrated south and remained in Israel as well as in the Kingdom of Judah.
19. Judges 1:31-32; Judges 5:17