1. Not a gospel lesson we often encounter, usually on a weekday. - - PDF document

Luke 2.22-40, 2018

• St. Alban’s @ Theatre Arlington

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1. Not a gospel lesson we often encounter, usually on a weekday. 1.1. Critically important messages Luke imparting to his readers - pagan gentiles, tangential familiarity with Judaism. Susceptible to interpreting Jesus’ life through their own pagan, gentile eyes rather than through Jesus’ Jewish eyes. 1.2. A people not unlike us who have a peripheral understanding of Judaism and a tendency to interpret the scriptures through our Western values and priorities: 1.3. Background + three critical pieces of info Luke wants us to have 2. Background 2.1. (vs. 21: When the eighth day arrived, the day of circumcision, the child was named Jesus….) 2.1.1. Sign of covenant with Y..H; not same as contract. Covenant =

• irrevocable. Suzerain Covenant = God the one who makes the rules,

human agrees to abide by them. 2.1.2. Declares the son legitimate by naming the child before God and the community: Yeshua ben Josef - Joseph’s son, Jesus. 2.2. (vs. 22a: When the time came for their purification according to the law

• f Moses….)

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2.2.1. A child's mother was ritually unclean for thirty-three days following

• birth. After the 33 days the mother could celebrate the rite of

purification at the Temple in Jerusalem by presenting a sacrificial

• ffering (two doves) and become ritually clean.

2.2.2. Due to transportation issues it was common practice for mothers to wait until the family was making a regular pilgrimage to Jerusalem, sometimes years later. 2.2.3. Mary and Joseph, however, do not wait until it is convenient; indicating their dedicated, pious Judaism, committed to living in the Torah law. Not C&E kind of folk; every shabbat people: this is Jesus’ family. 2.3. (vs. 22b: …they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord.) 2.3.1. IAW Jewish Torah law the first born male child was to be offered to God to serve in the Temple. During the Hebrew slaves flight from Egypt the Jewish children were spared by the Angel of Death, who passed over their houses. As a consequence the first-born male children belonged to God. Eventually, a provision was made in which a first born male child could be redeemed from Temple service by paying five shekels to a Jewish priest - Pidyon Ha’ben. Paying the redemption was the normal practice.

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2.3.2. Luke, who meticulously details the specifics of Jesus’ birth rituals, does not mention a redemption payment exempting Jesus from priestly service to God. In fact, Luke emphasizes that Mary and Joseph “took (Jesus) up to Jerusalem to offer him to God….” — Jesus was never exempted from becoming a priest in the Temple. 2.3.3. Jesus not as much as an outsider as Western Christianity likes to see him as - Jesus was a child of the Temple — Thinking about Jesus’ adult interactions with the Temple priests, Sadducees / Pharisees: less Steve Bannon, more John McCain. 3. Three Pieces: 3.1. Jesus is Jewish 3.1.1. Luke is reminding us that Jesus was first and foremost Jewish. 3.1.2. His worldview interpretive lens was that of the accumulated history, cultural and moral norms, and dreams of Middle Eastern Judaism. 3.1.3.We get into trouble as followers of Jesus when we forget that Jesus was Jewish. The way we get into trouble is that we use our modern, Western cultural norms and expectations to interpret the life and teachings of Jesus (e.g., individualism, capitalism, scientific process, etc.).

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3.1.4. When we forget to incorporate Jesus’ Jewish interpretive lens, and

• nly use our cultural lens what we’re doing is shaping the gospel

teachings to our worldview, instead of shaping our worldview to the gospel teachings. 3.1.5. Jesus is Middle Eastern Jewish, not Greek / Roman Western. 4. Jesus is the Christ 4.1. Jerusalem Temple = Y..H’s earthly palace. Luke portraying Jesus’ early life rituals at the Temple (God’s palace) would inevitably bring to mind for a Jewish audience Isaiah’s prophecies about a promised royal child (Isaiah 11:1-10) - the Messiah would be a king-priest: A king who would rule with equity; a priest who would offer true sacrifice. 4.2. Jesus presented in the Temple, without redemption / exemption from priestly service, Luke wants us gentiles to see that Jesus is the fulfillment

• f Isaiah’s prophecy. Jesus was the Christ-child, future king and high

priest as well as the possession of the Father. 4.3. Jesus is the long-expected Christ. 5. Anna and Simeon, out of the many people the Holy Family must of encountered 5.1. Why Simeon and Anna?

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5.1.1. Old people. In most cultures the elderly are dismissed. Cultures see them as non-producers = less valuable to society. 5.1.2. Luke chooses to tell us about Simeon and Anna: two elderly, non-

• producers. Not out planting fields, reaping crops, generating cash.

Have the sight to recognize the Christ. Upside down cultural norms and expectations. 5.1.3. Simeon: 5.1.3.1.Recognizes in Jesus a different kind of king/priest/messiah than the culture expects: counter-cultural God, you can now release your servant; release me in peace as you promised. With my own eyes I’ve seen your salvation; it’s now out in the open for everyone to see: A God-revealing light to the non-Jewish nations, and of glory for your people Israel. Luke goes on to tell us that: Jesus’ father and mother were speechless with surprise at these

• words. Simeon went on to bless them, saying to Mary his

mother, This child marks both the failure and the recovery of many in Israel, A figure misunderstood and contradicted— the pain of a sword-thrust through you— But the rejection will force honesty,

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as God reveals who they really are. Spoken in the Temple, the religious and political center of Israel, these are aggressive, contentious words. If one was part of the Temple system

• profiting from and living a life of inherited societal privilege -

Simeon’s words are going to perk up your ears….. 5.1.4. Anna. Widow for eighty-four years. 5.1.4.1. Praying in the Temple for eighty-four years. Begging…. Marginalized non-person. Year after year goes by, decade after decade - prayers unfulfilled. How many of us get upset when we don’t hear back from God within a couple of weeks? 5.1.4.2. Doubts? Raise her fist in frustration? Certainly. Anna

• persisted. But God doesn’t punish her for her doubts…. She is

rewarded with the recognition of the Christ Child. “(breaks) into an anthem of praise to God, and (talks) about this to all who were waiting expectantly for the freeing of Jerusalem. 5.1.4.3. Luke’s message to his readers with Simeon and Anna: Cut through the distracting white noise of cultural expectations. (Hard for church’s to do: Starbucks in the lobby?) God shows up in ways

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that are different than the cultural norm. Gotta wait and persist. God is in covenant, permanently. The Christ is going to show up. 5.1.5. segue into marriage of John and Juliet 5.1.5.1. Covenant 5.1.5.2. Publicly claim legitimacy of their relationship 5.1.5.3. Invite Jesus the Messiah into that relationship 5.1.5.4. Waiting like Anna and Simeon 5.1.5.5. The Christ shows up in unexpected ways 5.1.5.6. Don’t forget to breaking into happy dance….