Presenting the Law and the Glory

Passage:Luke 2:22-40

Preacher: Ben Phillips

Category: Church Seasons

In the second half of Luke 2 we find the conclusion to this Gospel's birth narrative of Jesus. The narrative culminates in the presentation of the infant Jesus in the Temple. The Temple is the central hub of Israelite worship and sacrifice, and it is the place where the glory of God dwelt on earth. In today's reading it is the Law of Moses (Exodus 13:11-16 and Leviticus 12:1-8) that led Mary and Joseph to the Temple that day, but God surprises them with the words of Simeon and Anna, who sing out and declare the true identity of Jesus. When Jesus was brought to the Temple it was the fulfillment of the prophet Malachi's vision that "the Lord would appear suddenly in his Temple" (Malachi 3:1-4). The glory of the Lord appears in the Temple indeed, but wrapped in human form as a baby. Thus we see in Jesus' presentation at the Temple the converging and fulfillment of both God's Law and his Glory.