The Feast of the Presentation of the Lord
(Malachi3:1-4; Hebrews 2:14-18; Luke 2:22-40)
The gospel today is typically Lucan in at least three
ways. First, it highlights the Jewish
background of Jesus. Not only are Mary
and Joseph observing Jewish religious law, but also Simeon and Anna seem to be
lifted off the pages of the Old Testament.
With Simeon’s prophecy that Jesus is destined for the rise and fall of
many in Israel, we see a narrative featuring both the Law and the Prophets.
Second, a small but significant characteristic of Luke is
his gender inclusiveness. He includes
Elizabeth along with Zachariah in his birth account of John the Baptist. Later on, Luke mentions women disciples
(although he does not use that term) of Jesus.
When the Lucan Jesus tells the parable of the happiness of the shepherd
who discovers the lost sheep, he will also tell of the joy of the housewife who
finds the lost coin in her house. In the
passage today Luke pairs the prophetess Anna with the holy man Simeon as
similarly jubilant to witness the coming of the redemption of Israel.
But most important, of course, is the way Luke sees
Jesus. He embodies the fulfillment of
Isaiah’s prophecy of Israel being a light to the nations. Likewise, he brings peace wherever he goes,
in this case to the faithful Simeon who has waited for decades for the
Messiah. But the light and peace that
Jesus brings does not come without great cost.
Jesus is “a sign that will be contradicted,” that is, he will be opposed
and indeed martyred in the completion of his mission.
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