Luke 2:22-40 In Peace, Lord

Luke 2:22-40 (Evangelical Heritage Version)

22When 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 will be called holy to the Lord.”) 24And they came to offer a sacrifice according to what was said in the law of the Lord, “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”

25Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, waiting for the comfort of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27Moved by the Spirit he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what was customary according to the law, 28Simeon took him into his arms and praised God. He said,

29Lord, you now dismiss your servant in peace, according to your word,

30because my eyes have seen your salvation,

31which you have prepared before the face of all people,

32a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.

33Joseph and the child’s mother were amazed at the things that were spoken about him. 34Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Listen carefully, this child is appointed for the falling and rising of many in Israel and for a sign that is spoken against, 35so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

36Anna, a prophetess, was there. She was a daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old. She had lived with her husband for seven years after her marriage, 37and then she was a widow of eighty-four years. She did not leave the temple complex, since she was worshipping with fasting and prayers night and day. 38Standing nearby at that very hour, she gave thanks to the Lord. She kept speaking about the child to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.

39When they had accomplished everything according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town, Nazareth. 40The child grew and became strong. He was filled with wisdom, and God’s favor was on him.

In Peace, Lord

I.

Crowds of people were streaming by. It was like this pretty much every day. The purpose for each was more or less the same, but the reasons for coming varied a bit.

Some, perhaps, were just going through the motions; the activity for them was a daily one and had become routine; they just wanted to slog through this day the same as every other day and go home after a long day of work.

Others were eager for the task appointed to begin the day. What this group came for would not take up their entire day, so among them were a variety of attitudes. To some, getting the thing over and done with so they could get on with the rest of their busy day was at the top of mind. Others came with a sense of gratitude; while the whole business wouldn’t last the entire day for them, either, they relished the task at hand; it was special to them.

Some had lingered in that same spot day after day for years, watching the crowds stream by. Each day they wondered if this would be the special day they were waiting for.

Perhaps all these groups were looking for the same thing: peace. The place where the crowds were streaming by was the outer courtyard of the temple in Jerusalem. This was the place of worship, and worship of the true God should bring with it peace.

For some of the priests, I’m sure, the daily trek to the temple became so routine that it was just a job. Day after day the same thing—daily sacrifices had to be offered to the Lord. Perhaps at the beginning of a priest’s career it felt special, but after decades of the same routine over and over, it might have all become a bit rote. Other priests put in enough mental effort to realize that each day’s sacrifice was special; God had promised to receive their daily sacrifices, so the animals were not offered uselessly, but for a God-given purpose. Faithful priests were looking for the peace God promised through those daily sacrifices.

On any given day dozens, if not hundreds, entered the temple grounds for special sacrifices. Coming to temple to make a sacrifice was not routine for them. If a person had committed a grievous sin, a special sacrifice needed to be made to atone for that sin. After giving the proscribed sacrifice, the worshiper would be assured of peace with God.

Others came because there were particular times of life when special sacrifices had to be made. For example, God had demanded: “You must dedicate the firstborn of every mother to the Lord” (Exodus 13:12, EHV). For some animals, this meant that the firstborn had to be killed. As for human beings, God commanded: “At the completion of her time of purification for either a son or a daughter, she shall bring a lamb in its first year as a whole burnt offering and a pigeon or turtledove as a sin offering to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting... “8If, however, she cannot afford a sheep or a goat, she may bring two turtledoves or two pigeons, one as a whole burnt offering and the other as a sin offering. The priest shall make atonement for her, so that she will be clean.” (Leviticus 12:6, 8, EHV). After every child born, the mother had to come for purification. Each of these offerings brought peace to the new mother and the newborn child.

II.

Every worship day people stream into the sanctuary. Perhaps their attitudes are much like the temple-goers of 2,000 years ago. Throughout nearly every week there are other activities going on at church. There are all kinds of people in, and involved in, a church.

I wonder how many pastors see what they do simply as a job. Perhaps it happens to nearly all of them from time to time. How easy it would be to see sitting down with the Word of God as a daily task to be performed in preparing sermons and Bible classes and catechism instructions. Pastors, just like regular members, need to take time out for daily devotions and Bible study.

Perhaps other workers in the church become like the priests with a daily routine, too. It can happen to both paid staff in the church as well as volunteers. The tasks they perform and the meetings they attend begin to seem like drudgery that simply has to be gotten done, rather than something done for the Lord that brings joy.

How many of those who come to sit in a pew come only for what they consider special occasions—Christmas, Easter, and a few other select times, at best? Of the many who come regularly, how much has worship become simply something done by rote? Sometimes you come, even though you really didn’t want to come, and you just sit in the pew and stew.

Some come to give thanks, as those bringing their thank offerings into the temple did. Their reasons for thanks are many and varied: thanking God for just making it through another week, for a great week or year of business, for continued health, for family that got along through the holiday season, for the means—financially or mentally—to make it through a particularly difficult crisis.

III.

There, in the courtyard of the temple on that particular day, stood Simeon and Anna.

As for Simeon, “It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27Moved by the Spirit he went into the temple courts” (Luke 2:26-27, EHV). How long Simeon had been waiting Luke doesn’t say. In some way the Holy Spirit had told him that the promised Messiah would come during his lifetime. Not only that, he would get to see the Savior with his own eyes before he died. Did he go to the temple courts day after day, wondering whether this would be that special day, or did he come on this day because he knew the special time had arrived? Again, Luke doesn’t say.

About Anna Luke says: “She was very old. She had lived with her husband for seven years after her marriage, 37and then she was a widow of eighty-four years” (Luke 2:36-37, EHV). Luke’s words leave two possibilities—either Anna was an 84-year-old widow, or she had been a widow for 84 years, which would make her at least 105. “Anna, a prophetess, was there... 38Standing nearby at that very hour, she gave thanks to the Lord” (Luke 2:36, 38, EHV).

I wonder whether Anna and Simeon knew each other. Simeon knew from the Holy Spirit that the Savior was coming during his lifetime. Anna might have been a bit older than Simeon, but she was also a prophetess. Perhaps they had stood together in the temple courtyard for years, watching the people stream by, wondering if today was the day.

On Christmas Eve we read prophecies and their fulfillments in our readings. Every prophecy of God had to be fulfilled to keep God’s plan of salvation intact. But there’s more. The Apostle Paul writes: “When the set time had fully come, God sent his Son to be born of a woman, so that he would be born under the law, 5in order to redeem those under the law” (Galatians 4:4-5, EHV). Jesus didn’t just have to carry out every prophecy concerning the Messiah, every little tiny bit of God’s Law had to be kept so that he would be eligible to be the perfect sacrifice for us. That meant not just keeping the Moral Law, summarized in the 10 Commandments, but the Ceremonial Law that governed worship. Every sacrifice proscribed in the Old Testament had to be made in the proper way at the proper time.

17 times in the 19 verses of today’s Gospel Luke hints at something from the Old Testament. Several of those references refer to the fact that Mary and Joseph were diligent in making sure the Law was followed to a T. “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” (Luke 2:22, EHV).

Today was the day. And there Simeon and Anna were, waiting. “Simeon took him into his arms and praised God” (Luke 2:28, EHV). The most important Christmas gift was not a pair of socks or a new tie or some piece of electronic equipment, but the gift God gave to the world—the Savior from sin.

Simeon was quite the hymn writer. He mashed together several prophecies from Isaiah and exclaimed: “Lord, you now dismiss your servant in peace, according to your word, 30because my eyes have seen your salvation, 31which you have prepared before the face of all people, 32a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel” (Luke 2:29-32, EHV). We still sing his words today. Through the eyes of faith, we have seen the same Savior Simeon longed for and waited for and saw with his own two eyes.

Anna’s specific words aren’t recorded, but Luke makes sure to tell us: “Standing nearby at that very hour, she gave thanks to the Lord. She kept speaking about the child to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem” (Luke 2:38, EHV).

IV.

Perhaps there are days when the various descriptions of worshipers fit you all too well. Some days your faith is Jesus is an afterthought at best. At times, you attend worship out of habit more than anything else. The words of the liturgy, rather than linking you with worshipers of the past and reminding you of prophecy and fulfillment, stream out of your mouth without a thought.

Don’t go away empty. Fill your mind and heart with the words of the liturgy and the hymns. Confess your faith with millions of fellow Christians in the words of the Creed and as you pray the Lord’s Prayer. Today is New Years’ Eve. When you make your resolutions, make one that includes special time with the Lord to continually renew your faith and build it up.

Simeon and Anna were overjoyed that they no longer had to wait for the fulfillment of God’s promises. We don’t wait, either. We have seen how God’s whole plan of salvation played out. Like Simeon, we can live in peace, knowing that whenever our last hour comes, we have seen the Lord’s salvation, and we know he will take us to himself in heaven.

Believers will die in peace, and that gives us the power and the will and the fortitude to live in peace, too. Amen.