The Presentation Of Our Lord
Dear friends in Christ. Today is 40 days after Christmas. On this day, the Church remembers an event that took place 40 days after Jesus’ birth—the first time that Jesus would enter the temple in Jerusalem. According to the OT Law of Moses, women who gave birth to baby boys were considered unclean for 7 days and had to remain at home for 6 weeks, separated from the people. After these weeks, they purified themselves by bringing an offering. St. Luke records in today’s Gospel reading [Luke 2:24 NKJV] that she went to the temple to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, "A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons." From this sacrifice we see that Mary and Joseph were poor—offering the sacrifice prescribed for the poor; here we see Christ’s humiliation and poverty—all for us and our salvation.
Also at this time the Infant Jesus was presented to the Lord as the firstborn Son of Mary. This, too, was in accord with the OT law. All these events—even from the very first days of Jesus’ earthly life—show us the truth that St. Paul [Galatians 4:4 NKJV] expressed of Jesus: God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law—and why did Jesus willingly place Himself under the Law of God and subject Himself to it? As Paul continues: to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Here is a glorious example of how all throughout His life Jesus was fulfilling the holy Law of God for us.
Our text this morning is from the last of the OT prophets, Malachi, 400 years before Jesus. And it throws us back to Advent and Christmas because it is a prophecy of John the Baptizer and Jesus’ Coming. What do we read in our text? "Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before My Presence.” This is the word of God the Father that Malachi records. The messenger that He sends is St. John the Baptizer; the Face of the Father is Jesus, the Son. By the Holy Spirit, Zacharias, John’s father recognizes that John is the one God sent to prepare the way of the Savior as he says about John shortly after his birth [Luke 1:76 NKJV]: And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways.
A close look at this prophecy also teaches us something else. In it we see catch a glimpse of the working of the Holy Trinity. In it, the Father is talking about the Son. The Father calls Jesus My Presence, the Lord, the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight, and says that He will unexpectedly come to His temple. Here we see that glorious unity, that glorious co-eternal majesty and honor of the Father and the Son, together with the Holy Spirit who caused the prophecy to be written.
Our text: "Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before My Presence. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will unexpectedly come to His temple”. That last phrase, Will unexpectedly come to His temple, is certainly the reason why the ancient Church chose this reading for today—Jesus coming to the temple— and as we read in the second verse, His being presented in the temple: "But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He is presented?” Although Jesus was many times in the temple during His earthly ministry, here 40 days after His birth, is the first time and His coming was certainly sudden/ unexpected!
1. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will unexpectedly come to His temple. In the temple that day 40 days after Christmas, we meet the OT saint, Simeon. St. Luke 2:25 describes him as just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel [that is, the Messiah], and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. So he came by the Spirit into the temple. Simeon is an example and a picture of all the OT faithful who were in faith waiting for the coming Savior. Most were not blessed like Simeon was to actually see and hold the Messiah. Almost all the OT faithful died without seeing the Messiah—although they in faith looked to and trusted in Him and His saving work and so were saved.
That day, Jesus, the long-promised and awaited Savior, came to the temple suddenly/ unexpectedly. And what did He find? Some who by the work of the Holy Spirit were anxiously awaiting Him. And who were the ones anxiously awaiting Him when He came? Those who recognized their sin, were sorry for their sin and longed for a Savior from that sin and the resulting death and damnation. What a glorious picture Simeon is for us of the gracious working of the Holy Spirit. And that’s why the first part of the prophecy from our text: "Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before My Presence. And the Lord, whom you seek... The Lord sent John the Baptizer to prepare the way for Jesus with his public ministry of preaching repentance and pointing people to Jesus: [John 1.29 NKJV] Behold, there is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. The Lord had also sent the OT people the prophets with the Law calling on them to recognize and sorrow over their sin and long for a Savior from sin and He sent them with the promise of that coming Savior. Even to this very day the Lord, in grace, works through His holy word of Law—written both in the heart/ conscience and in Scripture to get people to recognize their sin and to see their wretched, lost, damnable state/ condition and to long for a Savior from that sin so that people seek the Lord Jesus who is their Savior. Yes, like we see in Simeon’s case—and may that also be us—by the work of the Holy Spirit, there are those anxiously awaiting Jesus’ coming.
Our text: And the Lord, whom you seek, Will unexpectedly come to His temple. Like we see in today’s Gospel [Luke 2:26]: And it had been revealed to [Simeon] by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. So he came by the Spirit into the temple. The Son of God did not enter the temple 40 days after Christmas the way He did when the first/ Solomon’s temple was built and dedicated—in great glory and majesty. Here Jesus came in all lowliness and humility— a 40 day old Baby carried in by his parents and presented. Certainly there were many other infants there that day of same or similar age. But by the work of the Holy Spirit Simeon knew precisely who Jesus was—the Son of God and the Savior of the world.
That’s precisely how Jesus comes to us today—suddenly/ unexpectedly. Jesus comes to us in ways we would not expect. He doesn’t come in the great splendor and grandeur of a cloud of glory. He doesn’t even normally send a choir of angels announcing and revealing His presence. Instead, He comes to us like He did that day in the temple—quietly, simply, weakly. His coming to us is unexpected because He comes to us in His word; He comes to us in the forgiveness of sins; He comes to us in the waters of Holy Baptism; He comes to us in the bread and wine of the Holy Supper. But in grace, the Holy Spirit reveals Him to us: that He comes to us in the simple instruments of word and sacrament. By His holy word of Law, the Spirit works in us such a recognition of our sin and a longing for rescue from sin, death, devil and hell that we anxiously await our Savior; then in the Gospel the Holy Spirit reveals it to us that here is Jesus; here is our Savior; here in the word/ absolution/ baptism/ Holy Supper Jesus gives us the forgiveness of sins and eternal life. When you joyfully receive the forgiveness when Jesus offers it to you in the word and Sacrament, that’s the work of the Holy Spirit! As the Spirit revealed Jesus to Simeon that day so He has revealed Him to you.
2. As today we remember Jesus’ coming to and being presented in the temple and are also reminded that He still comes to us and has come to us unexpectedly, we also remember that His coming has consequences/ blessed results. Our text: "But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He is presented? For He is like a refiner's fire And like launderer's soap.3 He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, And purge them as gold and silver, That they may offer to the LORD An offering in righteousness.4 Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem Will be pleasant to the LORD, As in the days of old, As in former years.” What happens when Jesus comes? We are never the same as before. Simeon had a special grace of God— the knowledge that he would not die until he had seen the promised Savior; now he could die in peace knowing that the Messiah had at long last come.
When Jesus comes to us and in Spirit worked faith we recognize and receive Him, we are purified and refined. That’s the language/ the picture the Lord uses in our text of the refiner and the launderer. Christ Jesus purifies and cleanses us from all sin; He makes us new people—the children of God and heirs of heaven. Remember, in our text Jesus is called the Messenger of the covenant. Jesus came to set up a new covenant, a covenant of grace, a new covenant in His blood—just like He said at the Last Supper as He instituted His holy Sacrament [Matthew 26:28]: This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the forgiveness of sins. By His blood—by His suffering and death—Jesus paid the price for all our sins; God’s wrath over each and every sin of each and every person has been assuaged and stilled. We have been cleansed and purified from every sin—God’s holy law that we fail to do, Jesus has done for us; and for each of our sins Jesus paid the price. The new covenant Jesus set up with His holy life and innocent suffering and death is one of forgiveness of sin, eternal life, God’s grace and favor. We, who, in Spirit-worked faith receive Christ receive all His gifts and blessings.
Our text: For He is like a refiner's fire and like launderer's soap. We are cleansed and purified from sin. We are declared righteous by God on account of Christ. We are credited with Jesus’ perfect keeping of the Law. When Christ came to us, He gave us a new, believing heart—one that truly loves the Lord and wants to do His will; He gave us His Holy Spirit; He clothed us with His robes of righteousness and puts that precious gift of faith into our hearts—faith that keeps receiving Him and His gifts. In this perfect holiness and righteousness Jesus then presents us to His Father as His dear Christian, as His own dear brother/ sister and heir of heaven.
In Christ, before God, we are holy and righteous—He has so declared us. Our sins are continually being forgiven and faith is continually receiving that. But note our text: He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, And purge them as gold and silver. Christ sits. That is, He stays with us and continues to refine and purify us. Although before God we are forgiven and righteous—that’s because our sin is being forgiven and we are credited with Christ’s holiness—sin is never completely rooted out of our hearts and lives. We still need purification all throughout our lives. By the Word and His Spirit, by a life of confession and absolution, by various trials we endure Jesus is purifying us, working to make us ever freer from sin. For He is like a refiner's fire and like launderer's soap. Remember: the fire is only harmful to the impurities of the gold and silver/ it is purely good to the precious metal; the soap is only bad to the filth of the garment and serves to make the garment clean and beautiful.
Because Jesus was presented to us in His word and Sacrament, His coming had the blessed result of bringing us forgiveness and cleansing us from all sin. In faith we are righteous and all that we do in faith and love of the Lord, all the works we do in our calling are holy offerings and sacrifices to Him pleasing to Him in Christ.
How wonderful for us to remember on this day as Christ was presented in the temple, that He was also presented to us suddenly/unexpectedly in His humble word and sacrament; and by His coming to us has cleansed us from sin, presented us to His Father holy and righteous, and continues to purify and refine us that we may serve Him all our days in holiness and righteousness. INJ Amen