Luke 2:22-40

When the days were completed for their purification according to the law of Moses, they took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, just as it is written in the law of the Lord,
Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord, and to offer the sacrifice of a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons, in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord.

Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, awaiting the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Christ of the Lord.

He came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to perform the custom of the law in regard to him, he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying: “Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in sight of all the peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel.”

The child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him; and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother,
“Behold, this child is destined 
for the fall and rise of many in Israel,
and to be a sign that will be contradicted 
—and you yourself a sword will pierce— 
so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage, and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple, but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer. And coming forward at that very time, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.

When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions of 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.

BACKGROUNDER

“A sword will pierce your own soul too” – ominous words for the new mother, Mary, to hear from the prophetic old man, Simeon.

Mary and her husband Joseph have brought her divine son, Jesus, to be presented in the temple. They are fulfilling the law of Moses, which states that every family is to bring their first-born son to the temple. The first-born son was holy to the Lord.

Just a year or so previously, the angel Gabriel had come to Mary (Luke 1) to announce that God had selected her to be the mother of his son, to fulfill his plan of salvation. And Mary had responded with her, “Yes” – “may it be done to me according to your word”.

Then came the joy of Christmas, the birth of Jesus in humble circumstances in Bethlehem. The courage of the new mother, Mary, was plain. Her “Yes” to God was leading her down a difficult path.

The words of Simeon, the prophecy of sorrow for Mary, cast a shadow over the joy of Christmas. Simeon shows that Mary’s “Yes” is like a sign post pointing to the Cross, the reason that Jesus came among us.

This week we celebrate the family of Jesus, a family which is completely open to the will of God. Jesus himself is all “Yes” to his Father. And Joseph consents humbly to be the husband of Mary, and to raise Jesus as a father, as a father to the son of God.

What do Mary, Joseph, and the new baby say to us about family? They show us that in saying our own “Yes” to God, we too are called to sacrifice for God. They are also the beginning of a new family, God’s family, a family drawn from all nations. And they show us that everything must revolve around Jesus, light for all nations, and glory for his people, Israel.