Dear people loved by God in Christ: Grace and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
- Circumcision and Name of Jesus
Often we skip from the shepherds to the wise men in the Christmas story. But that skips over some important things. This reading tells about what Joseph and Mary were very careful to do for Jesus when He was 8 days old. These were laws Joseph and Mary had to obey, part of the “ceremonial law.”
We hear first that Jesus was circumcised on the 8th day of his earthly life. This wasn’t for Himself. He was doing this for all people, Jew and Gentile. He put Himself under the Law on the exact day the Law required.
This is the Gospel. He put Himself under the Law to keep it perfectly, to count for you, for all the times you break God’s Law. He was “born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law” (Gal 4:4) – that’s us! Then we hear the Gospel again when they name Him Jesus. Jesus means “He will save” – as the angel told Joseph: “For He will save His people from their sins.” If you are saved by Him from your sins, you are part of God’s people – not by having to keep the law of circumcision, but by faith.
- Fulfillment of the Law to Redeem the First-born Son
Joseph and Mary came back again to the temple when Jesus was 40 days old. They had to make a sacrifice for Jesus, their first-born son.
This goes back to the Exodus, when Israel’s first-born sons were saved by the blood of the Passover lamb. Instead of having all first-born sons in every generation dedicated to Him, God took the tribe of Levi to be His full-time servants. Still, every first-born boy had to be “redeemed” by a payment.
Jesus was redeemed by this payment. But in doing so He was being the Redeemer of all people. He was redeeming you. You are bought with a price.
Along with this went the purification of the mother after childbirth. She wasn’t physically unclean; it was about being clean in God’s presence. It required the blood of a lamb. If a family couldn’t afford it they brought a dove or pigeon. That’s what Mary and Joseph did. So we see that they were poor: “You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ: though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might be rich.”
- Simeon Receives the Christ Child
Now we meet Simeon. He “came by the Spirit” – by the Holy Spirit’s guidance – “into the temple.” He saw who this Baby was. He called the child “Your salvation … a Light to the Gentiles,” and “the Glory of Israel” – so he saw with eyes of faith, here was the Savior of all people, Jews and Gentiles. Not only that; he “took [Jesus] up in his arms.” He held Jesus close. Simeon made Jesus his own. That’s faith. He believed in Jesus as his personal Savior.
This is how Simeon could depart in peace. Although he handed the baby back to Mary, he was holding onto Jesus by faith. But really Jesus had Simeon in his arms, through faith in Him. This meant that whenever God would call him out of this life, he would still be holding Jesus and being held by him. He was now ready for that and would always be ready.
You too “come by the Spirit” – by the Holy Spirit’s leading you – into God’s presence. He gives you eyes of faith to see that Jesus is not only the Savior of all people, but your personal Savior. You take Jesus in your arms when you believe in Him. You hold Him tightly. But really He’s holding you. When you receive His very body and blood, I say to you: “Depart in peace,” and then we sing Simeon’s words to remind ourselves that now we are always ready to “depart in peace.” We are holding Him by faith, and He is holding us.
- Simeon Preaches the Cross; Anna Proclaims the Redemption By Christ
Three important things happen next. First, Simeon preaches to Mary and Joseph that little Jesus is already on the way of the cross. He speaks the sad truth that many would reject Him and lose salvation. Simeon also gave Mary a preview of Jesus’ crucifixion: “a sword will pierce through your own soul also.” She would have sadness at Jesus’ death. But don’t forget she believed in Him as her Savior. So in heaven she receives the joy that never goes away.
This is the important thing. Sometimes the sword of sadness piercing your soul makes you want to not bear the crosses. But see where your pathway ends: not in suffering, but in glory – thanks to Jesus! Also, before Simeon said this “he blessed them.” God has His blessing spoken to you too.
The second thing that happens is that Anna, a very old widow, comes in and like Simeon sees in Jesus the one who brings “redemption.” She says to everyone that He is the Redeemer. Whom did Jesus redeem? Everyone! This is important too: to see in Jesus the one who redeems you from sin, death, and the devil. And also to see everyone as someone Jesus came to redeem.
The third thing that happens is that Joseph and Mary bring Jesus home to Nazareth and He grows up there. He has a holy childhood to count for you. All the sins of your youth are forgiven because Jesus was a holy child for you.
- Wise Men From the East Worship Jesus As Lord
It must have been hard for the wise man to escape the hold of worldly wisdom, and believe. Then think of the obstacles the devil put in their path. They undertook a long, hard journey. They found no one to help them in Jerusalem. The King they wanted to honor wasn’t known by anyone there. King Herod tried to trick them. They had no friends there.
That’s how the road of faith is. It’s a long, hard journey. Often it feels lonely. It’s hard to find people to help. The Savior so precious to us, no one seems to know Him. We’re tempted to complain, living in a world that wants to live without God. Our own sinful self doesn’t help much, either.
So we take heart to see that in the midst of hardships, the wise men finally made it to their goal, and worshipped Jesus as their Savior. How did it come to be? The star led them there. We also have a star that guides us to Jesus so that we worship Him in truth as our Savior. It’s His Word. As the star guided them to Jesus, the Word guides us to Jesus. It also brings us to “rejoice with exceedingly great joy” in the midst of hardships and trouble in this world.
The road of faith is a long, hard journey for us too. But take heart! Waiting for us, as He waited for them, is the Savior of the world.
- Martyrdom of the Holy Innocents and the Flight to Egypt
King Herod can’t rest until he knows that the one “who is born King of the Jews” is dead. But rather than hate Herod, we remember that it is the devil who was using Herod. The attempt “to destroy the young Child” wasn’t Herod’s attempt as much as it was the devil’s.
We see two things here: First, the murder of the baby boys of Bethlehem – who are called the “holy innocents” because they were children of faithful believers who were themselves innocent of doing anything to cause Herod’s anger. They are “martyrs” because their death is a witness to Christ.
Second, we see that the holy family has to flee to Egypt to keep Jesus safe. Here we see that God saves not through power but through weakness. The Son of God became weak and needed protection that Joseph provided. This is how He would defeat the devil: in humility, pain, and suffering.
Because Jesus’ suffering was to accomplish our salvation, notice how God was in control. It’s all God’s doing. He didn’t say, “Out of Egypt Joseph will bring My Son,” but: “Out of Egypt I called My Son.” God taking great care to protect the little Savior, is God taking great care to protect our salvation.
God did all that for our salvation during Jesus’ life; He will continue to do it for your salvation. It’s all God’s doing that your saving faith in the Saviour is preserved. No place is too far for God’s watchful eye in your case, too. Amen!