NOTES for Luk 2:22-40
22 And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord; |
23 (As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;) |
24 And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons. |
25 And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. |
26 And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ. |
27 And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, |
28 Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, |
29 Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: |
30 For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, |
31 Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; |
32 A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel. |
33 And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him. |
34 And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; |
35 (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. |
36 And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity; |
37 And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. |
38 And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem. |
39 And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth. |
40 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him. |
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The word "Sretenie" is Slavonic; in Russian it means "meeting." What meeting is being discussed? The meeting of the Savior's parents with Simeon? Their meeting with the prophetess Anna? Of course, that too. But first of all the Gospel story tells us about the meeting of the people of God with their Messiah.
It is not surprising that this people was represented by those who were awaiting the Messiah's coming. Something else is surprising: on behalf of the people He is met by people who, it would seem, were not the most prominent among those awaiting Him. Of course, in this sense there is no point speaking about the Temple priesthood: the priesthood was reserved and skeptical toward popular messianic expectations. But there was also the Synagogue; in the synagogue environment messianic expectations at that time were very intense. And yet God showed the Messiah not to the leaders of the Synagogue, but to people who, though known, were not among the leaders of the people.
The choice may seem strange, but on closer examination it is quite understandable. Of course, if not everyone, then very many in the Jewish people were waiting for the Messiah at that time. But most of those waiting for Him had their own ideas about the Messiah, about what He should be and what He should do. Meanwhile, He was not going to do almost anything that both ordinary people and learned rabbis expected from the Messiah.
They expected the Messiah to restore an independent and strong Jewish state, to drive the Gentiles from the holy land, and to establish a new rule based on the Torah that would become Israel's golden age. And, of course, they expected miracles from Him, miracles that would solve all the problems at once, both of the people as a whole and of each person belonging to it in particular.
Everyone expected triumph, and no one expected Judgment. Only Simeon, who possessed the prophetic gift, understood everything correctly. He understood that the Messiah is the One who would cause many to fall and many to rise, just as one could expect on the day of Judgment. Such a person could be allowed to see the Messiah: this would not produce in him either excessive, unjustified expectations or unnecessary excitement. Everyone else still needed to wait. They needed to wait for the day when the Father would bring the Son out into His earthly ministry.
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Readings for 15 February 2025
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