The Life of Christ
The Circumcision and Presentation of Christ
by
Rev. Mark Perkins, Pastor
Denver Bible Church
326 E. Colorado Ave.
Denver, Colorado 80210
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Luke 2:21-38
Luke 2:21, "And when the eight days were completed before His circumcision, then His name was called Jesus, the one given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb."
Christ was circumcised according to the decree of the Law. Circumcision
was the ritual performed on male babies on the eighth day of
their life. It included the cutting away of the foreskin of a
child, and a few words spoken in remembrance.
The ritual recalled the first circumcision, which was Abraham.
It was a ritual which represented the cutting away of the scar
tissue on Abraham's soul, and his advance to maturity. So every
Jewish male child was circumcised after the pattern of their
forbear, to remind them of the importance of spiritual growth.
Romans 2:25-29, "For indeed circumcision is of value if you practice the Law; but if you are a transgressor of the Law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. So if the uncircumcised man keeps the requirements of the Law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? And he who is physically uncircumcised, if he keeps the Law, will he not judge you who though having the letter of the Law and circumcision are a transgressor of the Law? For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God."
Christ fulfilled the Law to represent that He too as a man would
have to grow up spiritually. Indeed he would.
Luke 2:22-24, "And when the days were fulfilled for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought Him up into Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord, just as it has been written the Law of the Lord, 'Every first born male that opens the womb will be called holy to the Lord.' and to offer a sacrifice according to what was said in the law of the Lord, 'A Pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.'"
The reference for the purification of the woman is ...
Leviticus 12:2-8, "When a woman gives birth and bears a male child, then she shall be unclean for seven days, as in the days of here menstruation she shall be unclean. On the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. Then she shall remain in the blood of her purification for thirty-three days; she shall not touch any consecrated thing, nor enter the sanctuary until the days of her purification are completed. But if she bears a female child, then she shall be unclean for two weeks, as in her menstruation; and she shall remain in the blood of her purification for sixty-six days. When the days of here purification are completed, for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the doorway of the tent of meeting a one year old lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering. Then he shall offer it before the Lord and make atonement for her, and she shall be cleansed from the flow of her blood. This is the law for her who bears a child, whether a male or a female. But if she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take two turtledoves or two young pigeons, the one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement for her, and she will be clean."
The woman's purification had a practical function related to
health and hygiene; but there is also a representation here related
to original sin.
The purification of the male child begins with a Sabbath period,
and commemorates the original creation of man. That purification
then continues for thirty-three more days, for a total of forty.
Forty was the number of purification from sin by means of doctrine
- forty days and forty nights of the flood; forty years in the
wilderness. So there is circumcision for spiritual growth and
forty days for purification by it.
The female child required fourteen days for the first period
of purification, representing her place as second in creation
- or perhaps it took two Sabbaths to adore the woman. Then sixty
six more days for a total of eighty, a double wilderness experience
for her.
That Joseph and Mary gave the two turtledoves or pigeons in place
of the lamb tells of their financial station in life: they were
quite poor.
The burnt offering and the sin offering were related to the imputation
of the righteousness of Christ and Adam's sin respectively. They
commemorated the first born in such a way as to call to mind
the Passover, and thus the work of Christ. Exodus 13:1.
The Passover is recorded in Exodus chapter 12.
The firstborn's holiness comes directly from the first-born of
God, Jesus Christ. Everything was done properly with regard to
Jesus Christ, even though He did not require it. The propriety
of these acts was quite poignant, and even ironic.
Luke 2:25-35, "And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and well-receiving [EULABES], waiting [PROSDECHOMAI] for the [PARAKLESIN] of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed [pluperfect periphrastic of CHREMATIZO, to reveal the adoption] to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to carry out for Him the custom of the Law, then he took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said, 'Now let your slave depart -[APOLUO], Lord [DESPOTA], according to Your word, in peace; because my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You prepared for each individual (distributive use of KATA) face of all peoples, a light of revelation to the Gentiles and the glory of Your people Israel.' And His father and mother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him. And Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, 'Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a corresponding sign - namely, a sword will pass through your very soul - to the end that reasoning from many hearts might be revealed.'
So they came to the temple for Christ's dedication and Mary's
purification. Simeon and Anna and others were there in the temple.
Apparently they were part of a regular crowd that was faithful
to God and waited for the true Messiah. Both of these people
were old, and yet they remained faithful to God even in their
old age.
Simeon was righteous, DIKAIOS, and well-receiving, EULABES. The
latter means that he had true humility, a predisposition to obey.
PROSDECHOMAI means to wait for some event. It could as easily
describe waiting for the bus as for the Messiah. But Simeon is
waiting for the encouragement of Israel. PARAKLESIS is a word
which means to call someone alongside, as in getting a lawyer,
or other kinds of help. It was used for the role of the Messiah.
So Simeon is waiting unconcernedly for the Messiah, because he
has received word from God.
The pluperfect periphrastic construction is EN and the perfect
participle of CHREMATIZO. The latter verb describes the naming
of an heir in a Roman adoption ceremony. CHREMA means money,
so there is a kind of Christmas connection here.
There is great emphasis on the perfect aspect of this construction,
so it concentrates on the irrevocability of this action by God.
So Simeon has been irrevocably told that he will not die before
he sees the Messiah, and so in spite of his advanced age he is
waiting for Him just as though he was waiting for the bus.
This is certainly the way to wait for Christ's return, which
is the rapture. Not by checking your watch every five minutes.
The rapture will occur - it has been promised. But we know neither
the day nor the hour; it is hidden even from Christ.
Simeon is deeply moved by the event, and utters a prayer of thanksgiving,
knowing that his life was complete with this event. He asks God
to die, a remarkable request indeed. He has done his duty and
he has seen what was promised. He calls God a DESPOTA, a lord
or master of property. The DESPOTA is a ship's captain. He sees
God as the owner of the earth.
The reason for this unusual request is that he has seen the salvation
of God. This distinction is made because many were calling themselves
God's salvation, but only one was it.
Many call themselves God's salvation even today - Buddha, Mohammed,
and so on. But there is only one true God man, and that is Jesus
Christ. And this provision of salvation is distributed to each
individual face to all humanity. The distributive use of KATA
with the noun PROSOPON indicates all this. It portrays both the
whole of humanity and every individual face in it.
Simeon furthers this idea by saying that the child is a light
of revelation to the Gentiles and the glory of Israel. The Gentiles
are the unbelievers of Simeon's world; Christ reveals God. Christ
is the glory of Israel - He is their crown and greatest child,
the fulfillment of all the promise of Abraham, Moses, and David.
And to Mary alone Simeon says something pretty hard...
The child is appointed for the fall and rise of many. PTOSIN
means fall, and it describes the violent fall of a person in
their death, or the violent destruction of a house or building.
The Christ child is appointed for the violent end of many - He
will judge all of humanity. ANASTASIN means rise from the prone
position, or even resurrection. Christ is appointed for the resurrection
of many.
All of humanity falls into these two categories. You will either
fall because of your unbelief and meet the final violent end
of eternity in the Lake of Fire, or you will rise because of
your belief and receive a resurrection unto eternity in Heaven.
Simeon continues giving the reason for the appointment of Christ
with a statement even about Mary herself.
He calls it a corresponding sign, a SEMEION ANTILEGOMENON. Christ
is appointed for something corresponding with regard to Mary;
corresponding to what has just been said. ANTI mean 'face to
face' when in compound verbs, so this is 'speak face to face.'
The idea is that this sign speaks face to face with what has
already been said. It does not necessarily contradict it though,
and it does not here.
The ROMPHAIA was the heavy broadsword of the Thracians. They
used it from horseback with devastating results to the human
body. Simeon says a ROMPHAIA will pass through the very soul
of Mary. The verb DIERCHOMAI means to 'pass completely through'
something. The idea is that wielding the heavy sword from horseback
causes it to pass completely through the body of the enemy.
Well, this is the sword of the Spirit passing completely through
the soul of Mary, and exiting. It is the sword of inspiration.
Hebrews 4:12, "For the word of God is living and operational and sharper than any two-edged sword and piercing between the soul and the spirit, joints and marrow, and is the critic of the thoughts and intents of the heart."
Several other verses shed light on this statement:
Ephesians 6:17, "And take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."
But especially Revelation, which has the ROMPHAIA in a prominent
place.
Revelation 1:16, "In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength."
Revelation 2:12, "And to the angel of the church of Pergamum write: The One who has the sharp two-edged sword says this..."
Revelation 2:16, "Therefore repent; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the word of My mouth.
Revelation 19:15, "From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty."
Revelation 19:21, "And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh."
So the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, the sharp
two-edged sword of the mouth of Jesus Christ will pass through
Mary. This will result in the revelation of the reasoning of
many hearts. The word of God reveals the reasoning of your heart.
It is the critic of the thoughts and intents of the heart. This
is portrayed as an event yet future, so that it is not a reference
to the virgin pregnancy.
This must be a function of inspiration through her. God the Holy
Spirit will inspire her so that she says or writes something
that is the measure of thought for many hearts. Since the famous
magnificat is already passed, it is not likely just that, although
Simeon could indicate that what she has said will be employed
to reveal the thoughts of many.
To this end, Mary did say "He has scattered those who were
proud in the thoughts of their heart." However this is not
a very exact fit for what Simeon says.
Although Mary makes an occasional appearance in the gospel narratives,
nothing comes close to fit the bill of this great announcement.
Acts 1:14 is the last official mention of Mary in the Bible:
"These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves
to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus,
and with His brothers."
John 19:27 reports that after the crucifixion she lived in the
home of John, and yet he mentions her not at all. Mary was likely
in her mid- to late-forties at the time of the death of her son;
she may have lived quite long after that.
From Luke's narrative of the nativity of Christ there is some
evidence that he has access to Mary. This may well be her legacy
that was prophesied by Simeon.
There is no possibility that this statement could lead one to
believe in Mariolatry. Participation in inspiration, yes. But
we do not worship the writers of the New Testament.
An intriguing possibility exists with Mary as the author of the
letter to the Hebrews. Unfortunately, there is just not enough
evidence to make a definitive assertion at this time.
Luke 2:36-38, "And there was a prophetess, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with a husband seven years after her marriage, and then as a widow to the age of eighty four. And she never left the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers. And at the very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. And when they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city of Nazareth."
Anna had been a widow for some fifty or sixty years. She lived
a life dedicated to service in the temple with fastings and prayers.
Just as Simeon is speaking with Mary, Anna walks up and begins
to thank God, and preaches to everyone there on that day.
Notice that she preaches to an exclusive group - those who are
looking for the redemption of Israel. This was a very mature
woman, and there is little doubt that these faithful, Simeon
and Anna knew one another. You can envision Anna glancing over
at Simeon as he performs this ritual, and then she sees the light
of his face and she knows. She knows!
The nativity story teaches a couple of important lessons.
That God is immanent; that is, He intervenes in the lives of
men. This is perhaps the greatest lesson of our lives.
Immanence on the part of God requires responsibility on our part.
If God is not responsible for His creation, which is the assertion
of deist belief, then man is not responsible to God. But God's
intervention puts responsibility squarely in our laps. God therefore
requires of us certain things:
o He requires us to depend on His grace for salvation.
o If He did not intervene in our lives, then we would have to produce our own salvation.
o He requires us to depend on Him for our post-salvation glorification of Him. It is His grace which accomplishes our achievements in the post-salvation plan.
o Grace, and not works is the general rule because of the interventionist attitude of God.
This is why the birth of the Messiah was so very meaningful to
men like Simeon and women like Anna. They were relieved to see
a visible manifestation of grace and know that they were not
responsible for providing their own salvation. You see Simeon
say that it is the Lord's salvation, and not his.
Apart from spiritual responsibility, there is a logistical responsibility
to provide for ourselves. This is one of the implications of
the fall. It is grace and not works. So that with immanence there
is an implicit trust in God. This has a profound effect on personal
belief and even political philosophy.
The second lesson is imminence, and that is a philosophy of waiting.
Simeon and others had an understanding that the first advent
was imminent. Not that it would occur right away, but that it
would occur because God had promised it.
Although God has made no such promise with regard to the rapture,
that is, that it will occur in our lifetimes, it is an event
promised by God, and we are to wait as graciously as Simeon did.
And even if we are not fortunate enough to see the rapture, the
ends of our lives are imminent; they may happen at any time.
Living in that imminent state of mind has its impact as well.
You can take no vacation from the plan of God. You can make no
assumption that you will have plenty of time to grow later. God
has already set the date for your end, and you may die at forty.
Therefore do not say to yourself that you will really concentrate
on spiritual growth after you raise your children or establish
financial security or some other distraction in life. That can
be a truly crucial mistake in the arrangement of your priorities.
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