We celebrate the Feast of the Presentation today. And I’m not referring to the snacks you are planning to offer during your Super Bowl party. This is rather one of the oldest Christian holidays, forty days after Christmas. We hear the story of Mary and Joseph presenting Jesus in the Temple because Jewish law prescribes the purification of the mother and the presentation of a firstborn male child forty days after the child’s birth—a pivotal moment in the lives of a young Jewish family. But what begins as a visit to the Temple for a familiar ritual turns into a startling experience. Luke tells us that Mary and Joseph were “amazed” by what happened. I’m sure they were!
They had had to manage some logistical challenges. They had to make the trip to the Temple in Jerusalem, and they had to be prepared for the ritual sacrifice. They chose the option provided for the poor. Instead of a lamb, they obtained “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”
So Mary and Joseph enter the Temple with their baby boy. They are looking forward to a solemn, brief, straightforward ceremony. But suddenly things take a different turn. An old man confronts them and takes their son into his arms. He lifts his eyes and offers the prayer now familiar to us.
Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace,
according to your word;
for my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles
and for glory to your people Israel.
Imagine yourself in their place. What’s going on? This man is saying that the baby in his arms is “salvation” sent from God. Startling enough! But what follows is more startling. The child will be not only “glory” for the people of Israel, but also “a light for revelation to the Gentiles.” Yow!
But Simeon is still not finished. After giving the new parents his blessing, Simeon turns his attention to Mary. He says, "This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too." He is saying, in effect, “your kid is going to be trouble! Trouble for others—and trouble for you.” Not what a new mother wants to hear. She must have been perplexed, uncertain, concerned, worried. We recite the Song of Simeon as a comforting evening message, almost a lullaby. Mary would not have heard it that way.
But there’s more. Now an elderly prophet named Anna, who is described as a devout presence within the Temple, approaches Joseph and Mary “and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.”
“The redemption of Jerusalem” is a pretty tall order for a newborn child. The phrase expands the significance of their ceremony, the “redemption” of a firstborn son, to include the son’s potential for redeeming Jerusalem itself. In both cases, the sense is one of buying back, as one might redeem an object from a pawn shop.
Here, again, Mary and Joseph must have been taken aback by what they were hearing. But Luke concludes his account straightforwardly. He tells us that Mary and Joseph, after these remarkable intrusions, “finished everything required by the law of the Lord” and “returned to Galilee.”
We may wonder what Joseph and Mary had to say to one another on their way home. We don’t really know what they took away from their experience at the Temple. But we can consider what we should take away.
In addition to the obvious—“Beware of old men who want to hold your newborn child!”—we might focus on three simple lessons.
The first is that we may think we know who Jesus is, but we don’t—that is, not entirely, not fully. What Jesus represents for the hopes of the world and what he will accomplish were unfolding mysteries for Mary and Joseph. They are unfolding mysteries for us as well. Just as Joseph and Mary would have observed their son growing and becoming strong, “filled with wisdom” and experiencing “the favor of God,” as Luke says, so does our relationship with Jesus evolve and lead us to increased understanding.
Like Mary and Joseph, we observe what Jesus does, learn from his wisdom, reflect on his example, and seek through prayer a closer and deeper relationship.
Our second takeway may be found in the difference between the two witnesses this Gospel quotes. Simeon’s witness to Jesus is meant to be conclusive, a wrapping up, the fulfillment of his long vigil. Now that he has seen in the baby Jesus the promise of God’s salvation, he can consider himself “dismissed in peace.” But Anna, who probably is at least as old as Simeon, takes a different direction, praising God and resolving “to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.” She thus claims the right to be called the first evangelist. From Simeon and Anna together we have reliable advice on the Christian life, which first prompts us to “speak about” Jesus to all who will listen but allows us also to understand that our relationship with Jesus prepares us to depart this world in peace, confident in the assurance that he has prepared a room for us.
The third, and perhaps the most important takeaway for us may lie in the calm acceptance that Mary and Joseph reveal. Approached by what probably were intimidating strangers, they listen to what they have to say, then go about their business. They complete the ceremony for which they have come to the Temple. Then they go home.
Other than the story of the young Jesus amazing the elders at the Temple, we will learn little more of Jesus until the beginning of his ministry. But in the humble and devout acceptance of Jesus’ parents we can find a model for our faith, one that is attentive, trusting, and, above all, ready for anything.
When I began to serve as deacon at TrinityChurch, Covington, the associate rector, Dana Hardwick, gave me advice regarding my role in the liturgy. She said, “First, keep your eye on Joe. (That was the rector, Joseph Pennington.) Second, don’t get comfortable.”
That is pretty good advice also with regard to our relationship with Jesus. When we find ourselves perplexed by questions of what we should do and what we should believe, we should keep our eyes on Jesus—on what he does and what he says. And, as Mary and Joseph learned during their visit to the Temple, we cannot “get comfortable.”
In fact, if we really pay attention to Jesus, we are likely to feel uncomfortable. Just as Simeon warned Mary, he challenges the status quo, that of his world and that of ours. He directs a spotlight on hypocrisy, on supposedly religious behaviors that reveal deep personal self-interest. He isn’t afraid to confront authority, and he startles even his disciples by the expanse of his love and concern for humankind.
The Jesus who is presented in the Temple by his young parents will unsettle the expectations of his parents and those of many others. If we really pay attention and avoid becoming comfortable, he will unsettle ours. His good news, that we can live in love and love eternally, is a game changer. Or, as Luke says in our Gospel, “amazing.”
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