"The Risk of a Jesus Who Offends”
Main point: We selectively approve of the cultural Jesus who matches our preformulated ideas about him. We rarely allow Jesus to offend us so that we might grow in faith.
INTRODUCTION: Contextualizing the Feast
On this day we celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of our Lord at the Temple - or more accurately stated - the Feast of the Purification of Mary. It was the Jewish custom according to the Law of Moses, for women who had given birth to present themselves at the Temple 40 days after the birth of their child, to be restored to the community, to have their sins forgiven, and to be cleansed from their ceremonial uncleanness. Mary and Joseph were, of course, devout Jews and upheld the Law of Moses so it should be of no surprise to us to find them in the Temple right on schedule.
You might notice that this Feast Day falls out of sequence with the timeline we have been following of the events in Jesus’ life. In the last 6 weeks we covered
his birth in Bethlehem,
the visit of the Magi when he was a toddler,
the lone episode of his childhood included in Holy Scripture when he was left behind at the Temple in Jerusalem,
his baptism in the Jordan River,
the wedding feast in Cana,
and last week we looked at the short sermon he gave at the synagogue in his hometown of Nazareth which we will continue today.
This Feast plops down in the middle of our sequential narrative and we’re taken all the way back to the beginning of Jesus’ life when he was just 40 days old. For those who are interested, this happens because the Feast counts off a certain number of days from Christmas. February 2nd comes 40 days after December 25th whether it falls on a Sunday or not. This year it happens to fall on a Sunday but usually it doesn't. The last time it fell on a Sunday was 2020. The next time it falls on a Sunday will be 2031. The time after that will be 2042.
Tell the Story
Our Professional Gospel told the story. Joseph accompanies Mary to the Temple in Jerusalem. They bring two turtle doves to offer as sacrifices to God. Two turtle doves was an acceptable substitute for a lamb allowed by the law of Moses in Leviticus which says, “if she cannot afford a lamb, she is to bring two doves or two young pigeons.” When they arrive with the roughly 6-week-old baby Jesus, they are greeted by two holy people who have devoted their lives to God to such a degree that they spend all their time in the temple. Simeon and Anna: a righteous man and a prophetess. They speak words of celebration and vision. The tell of the wonders of the child and hope that he brings.
Making the Link
Among the many things Simeon said to Mary, he included this ominous prophetic word… “and a sword will pierce your own soul, too." (Luke 2:35)
