My Eyes Have Seen Your Salvation—Lectionary Reflection for Christmas 1B (Luke 2)

 

Luke 2:22-40 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

²² 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 firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord”), ²⁴ and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”

²⁵ Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. ²⁶ It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. ²⁷ Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what was customary under the law, ²⁸ Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying,

²⁹ “Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace,

    according to your word,

³⁰ for my eyes have seen your salvation,

³¹     which 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 And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. ³⁴ Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel and to be a sign that will be opposed ³⁵ so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul, too.”

³⁶ There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, ³⁷ then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day. ³⁸ At that moment she came and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.

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                Whether it’s infant baptism or infant dedication, many Christian families will take their newborns (or nearly newborns) to the church to have them blessed. I was brought to my parents’ Episcopal Church in La Crescenta, California, so I might be baptized—it was infant baptism (and later baptized in a creek). When our son was born many years later, since we are part of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), which practices believer baptism, we brought Brett to the church in Newport Beach to have him dedicated to God. In many ways, there wasn’t a lot of difference between the two events (my first baptism and Brett’s dedication) except for the application of water in my baptism and none was applied to Brett until his baptism several years later. According to Luke’s account, Jesus’ parents took Jesus up to the Temple in Jerusalem to perform the rite of purification according to the Law of Moses. As we move beyond the birth story, on this First Sunday of Christmas, we are invited to consider Jesus’ own dedication ceremony. It was quite a day for the new parents as they once again heard some amazing words about their newborn son.

                As we hear this story we must not get caught up in debates about its historical accuracy. Remember that the canonical gospels only have two infancy narratives, they are radically different in their presentations. Beyond these two narratives, we have nothing to go on. Mark and John don’t seem interested in the birth story. The same is true of Paul, whose letters are our earliest New Testament texts. So, let us hear this as a story that helps us better understand who this Jesus who, according to Luke, was born in Bethlehem. While Matthew says nothing about a visit to the Temple, only the escape from Herod, Luke tells us about two encounters with prophetic figures, an old man named Simeon and an old woman named Anna. Both had been coming to the Temple for many years hoping to see the one who would bring salvation to the people. The occasion for this encounter is the purification ceremony. Luke tells us that the Holy Family went up to the Temple when it was time for the rite of purification as stipulated by the Law of Moses. Perhaps Luke has in mind the instructions found in Leviticus, where an infant boy is to be circumcised on the eighth day, while the rite of purification is to take place some thirty days later, but that would be for the mother (Lev. 12:1-8). Another passage from the Torah that might apply is Exodus 13, where the people are instructed to redeem the firstborn male (Ex. 13:11-16). Whatever might be in play here, the new parents come to the Temple to dedicate their son.  

                After Mary and Joseph make their sacrifices and dedicate Jesus to God, they exit the Temple. And as they do so they are approached by an old man named Simeon. Luke tells us that Simeon was “righteous and devout.” He had spent many years in the Temple precincts looking forward to the revealing of the “consolation of Israel.” When Simeon approached the Holy Family, the “Holy Spirit rested on him.” The Holy Spirit had revealed to him that he would not see death until he saw the “Lord’s Messiah.” I can imagine Simeon approaching each family as they came out of the Temple to see if that particular child was the one. Of course, he had been disappointed many times. But he had the promise from the Holy Spirit, so he remained faithful. He kept coming to the Temple and checking to see if the Messiah had finally come as promised. 

                When Simeon approached Mary and Joseph, he asked to hold the baby, and they complied with his request. When he took the child in his arms, he began to give praise to God. This was it. This was the promised one. He could now die a happy man, having seen the one he had been waiting for. Like Zechariah and Mary before him, he sang a song of praise to God.

²⁹ “Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace,

    according to your word,

³⁰ for my eyes have seen your salvation,

³¹     which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,

³² a light for revelation to the gentiles

    and for glory to your people Israel.”

This hymn of praise is known from the Latin Vulgate as the Nunc Dimitis (“now dismiss . . .”). The Nunc Dimitis is a core component of Christian worship, serving as the foundation for the benediction.

                Simeon begins by acknowledging that it was time for God to dismiss him in peace, just as the Holy Spirit had promised. That is, Simeon is ready to die because his eyes have “seen your salvation.” The promise was that he would not die until he saw God’s salvation. Now, he had seen him. But he’s not finished. This salvation had been prepared by God in the presence of all people. Then, as a reminder that Luke’s vision of Jesus ministry, a vision laid out not only in his Gospel but also in the Book of Acts, is, you might say, global. Now, of course, Luke’s view of the world doesn’t involve a globe. But the implication here is that this child whom he is celebrating is not only the salvation of Israel but the entire world. The next phrase makes that clear. He speaks of this child being “a light for revelation to the gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.” It’s not an either/or. It’s a both/and. So not only will this messianic figure, in Luke’s view, bring glory to Israel, but will also serve as a light to the Gentiles so they might share in God’s act of salvation. It is good to note here that Luke envisions continuity between the mission of the child being blessed and the people of Israel. God has chosen Israel to be the light to the nations while envisioning an inclusive mission for all people. Luke’s long-term vision is expressed in the Book of Acts, where Jesus, prior to his departure (ascension), commissions his followers to take the gospel from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). Again, this is an inclusive vision. In Luke’s telling of the story, God’s vision begins within Israel, but this is the center, not the boundary. So, even though this child may be called to sit on David’s throne (Luke 1:32), the borders of his realm extend to the ends of the earth. 

                When the parents hear this prophetic message, they are amazed. Mary may have had an angelic visitation announcing the birth of the child and sang her own magnificent hymn of praise to God (Luke 1), but they’re still amazed. But Simeon isn’t finished. He has more to say. Yes, this child will be a light to the gentiles and the glory of Israel, but the way forward will be difficult. In giving this warning, Simeon directs his attention to Mary. He tells her: “The child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel.” William Herzog notes that in making this statement, Luke anticipates a key theme in this Gospel, and that “is the “eschatological reversal that will become a hallmark of Jesus’ ministry” [Feasting on the Word, p. 169]. Jesus’ ministry will turn things upside down, so get ready for a roller coaster ride. But notice the word order. It’s not rise and fall, as in the rise and fall of the Roman Empire or the Third Reich. It’s the falling and the rising. There may be a fall, but there will be resurrection. But all of this will affect Mary personally, so Simeon warns her that “a sword will pierce your own soul too.” While we the modern readers know how all this ends, it is worth pausing a moment to get a sense of how Mary might feel hearing that not only will this child be a light to the world, but something will happen that will cause her deep sorrow. As the story proceeds, we might pause to wonder where Mary is standing at the moment of Jesus’ death on the cross. Luke only mentions that some women who followed him from Galilee looked on from a distance (Luke 23:44-49). The Gospel of John pictures Mary at the foot of the cross, such that he commends her to the care of the Beloved Disciple (Jn. 19:25-27). There might be great joy at that moment, but Mary’s future includes great sorrow.

                After Simeon blesses the Holy Family, as well as warns Mary about her own future sorrows, Anna approaches the family. Anna will serve as the second witness and like Simeon had faithfully spent her adult life living in the Temple precincts. Luke calls her a prophet. She is known as the daughter of Phanuel of the tribe of Asher. She was very old. Though she had once been married, her husband only lived for seven years past her marriage. Now, she was a widow and aged eighty-four. If we assume that like most Jewish women of that day, she was married as a relatively young teen (maybe fourteen or fifteen), she had been widowed for many decades. Luke tells us that she never left the Temple, worshipping there as well as fasting and praying night and day. While Simeon commissions the child, blessing him and the family, Anna takes on a different role. We’re told by Luke that at the moment she saw the child she began to give praise to God and tell everyone in the Temple precincts who were seeking the redemption of Jerusalem about the child. In other words, Anna was proclaiming this child to be the Messiah. So, Anna doesn’t simply echo Simeon, she plays her own role bearing witness to the good news that God is at work in their midst. Together they carry within themselves the hopes and dreams of their people, the people of Israel. When we think here of the people of Israel it is important that we distinguish between the people of Israel (the Jewish people) and the modern nation-state of Israel. This is especially important in a year when that nation is engaged in a war that has left thousands dead in Gaza, most of whom are “collateral damage.”

                The lectionary selection ends there with Anna’s proclamation in the Temple. It’s a good place to stop, but we might want to read the next two verses. Luke ends this part of the story with these interesting words: “When they had finished everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom, and the favor of God was upon him” (Lk. 2:39-40). Then as the chapter moves to a conclusion, we have the story of the family’s visit to Jerusalem when he was around the age of Twelve, the age where in modern Judaism a child would dedicate their life to their faith (Bar Mitzvah/Bath Mitzvah). 

                As we continue experiencing the afterglow of Christmas, but prior to the Epiphany (that’s Matthew’s story), we can not only hear the witness of Anna and Simeon, but we can hear our calling to bear witness to the one who is the light to the Gentiles and the glory of Israel. Looking forward to the opening chapter of the Book of Acts, we can hear our calling to take this witness to the ends of the earth in the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8). Such a commission is worth hearing as we enter a new year with fear and trembling. While that day is coming, perhaps we might pause for a moment and simply take in the message of the season, and with Simeon and Anna see with new eyes God’s salvation.

       Image Attribution: Obleitner, Karl, Jr.. Roadside Shrine of Presentation in the Temple, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=57245 [retrieved December 22, 2023]. Original source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kalvarienberg,_Jerzens_08.JPG.