Message: Blessing of Encounter / Luke 2:22-40
Today, we reflect on a story in the Gospel of Luke that happened dozens of days after the first Christmas. To follow the Law, Mary and Joseph went to the temple in Jerusalem about 40 days after baby Jesus was born. Luke gives two reasons for their visit to the temple. The first reason was that "Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord" (2:23). However, this ceremony was not only for the first male child. The verse Luke quotes from Exodus 13:2 is actually as follows: "Consecrate to me all the firstborn; whatever is the first to open the womb among the Israelites, of human beings and animals, is mine."
This ceremony did not mean that God likes firstborn children more. As a matter of fact, in the Bible, God is portrayed as the One who cares for the second or youngest child more. Famous figures like Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, David, and Solomon were not first-born. So, why was there a ceremony for the firstborn? Because it served as a reminder for parents that children are gifts from God, not their possessions. Respecting the first child as sacred was a training and symbol for parents to treat all future children as God's gifts.
The other reason Mary and Joseph came to the temple was for Mary's purification ritual. According to the Law, mothers who have given birth to a child are considered unclean for a while and are kept separate. Only after about two months are they allowed back into society through a purification ritual. But here, we shouldn't see the Law's concept of clean/unclean as right/wrong or good/evil because, throughout history, the Law has been misused as a tool to exclude and discriminate against the weak, losing its original purpose and meaning.
The Law tends to highlight the purification ritual as a way to protect the weak. For instance, it categorized animals as clean and unclean, permitting only clean animals to be eaten. Some scholars suggest that the animals labelled as unclean were endangered species in the ancient Near East, making this a measure to protect them. People with skin diseases were also seen as unclean, and this was for their safety and the community's safety by isolating them from society. In this context, declaring mothers unclean for a period ensured that they were free from work or sexual activity after giving birth to a child.
What is important in today's text is that it emphasizes the poverty of Mary and Joseph through the mention of "a pair of turtledoves or two pigeons." According to the Law, parents should offer a one-year-old lamb and a dove for the ceremony. However, for those who are poor, there was an exception: "If she cannot afford a sheep, she shall take two turtledoves or two pigeons" (Leviticus 12:8).
Mary and Joseph were at the bottom of the social and economic ladder. Nazareth, where they lived, was a small town in the northern part of the country, a region so looked down upon that people said, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" (John 1:46). Considering the customs of marriage at that time, they would have been teenagers. Because they could not afford to find accommodation, they had to lay their newborn child in a manger. In fact, there is no mention in the Bible that Mary rode a donkey to Bethlehem or that the town was so crowded that they could not find a room. For this reason, regarding the story of Jesus’ birth in the Bible, one New Testament scholar notes, "We know only that everything points to poverty" (Leon Morris, Luke: An Introduction and Commentary, p. 101).
In contrast to these poor, rural teenage parents, Jerusalem and the temple there were luxurious and grand. Surrounded by impressive walls, Jerusalem, the biggest city in Israel, overwhelmed their tired minds and bodies. The temple, redesigned by King Herod to attract the Jews, was magnificent and beautiful. It was packed with people from all over the country, coming for various religious reasons. Among them were wealthy parents who brought lambs, not birds, for their ceremonies after the birth of their children. Their babies were wrapped in fine linen and held in their parents' arms, enjoying people's attention.
How did Mary and Joseph feel in the middle of such a temple? They had been convinced of God's love and hope for their baby through various mysterious experiences. However, when they see themselves as poor compared to other parents, wouldn't a shadow of skepticism and doubt gradually cloud their minds? What could have been the attitude of those who encountered this young couple who seemed like the homeless? How deeply were their hearts hurt by the indifference or cynicism of people who looked at them with prejudice and bias?
During this time, Jesus' parents experienced the blessings of encounters through two prophets, Simeon and Anna. What they had in common was their old age. Simeon was waiting for his death after meeting the Saviour. Anna was an 84-year-old woman who had been widowed after seven years of marriage.
Simeon and Anna did not judge Mary, Joseph, and their baby by how they looked. Simeon held the child and blessed him. He proclaimed that this child was the light for the salvation for the world. He told Mary that the child would bring about a new world and it would often break her heart. Anna went a step further and told everyone she met about the blessings the world would get from this baby.
Luke tells us that Mary and Joseph were amazed at what they heard. Even though the oppression of the Roman Empire had hardened the hearts of many, there were still elders in their community who reminded them of the precious values and purpose of being human, regardless of their social status or identity. These encounters reminded Mary and Joseph of how much God loved, cared for, and cherished their baby. The encounters were brief but played a crucial role in Jesus' childhood. The last verse of today’s text is this: "The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favour of God was upon him"(2:40).
Since coming to Canada, I have met many people like Simeon and Anna. They were all seniors in the church and offered me love and support whenever I faced challenges in my ordination process. A retired English teacher helped me improve my English speaking skills every week; a retired minister gave me comfort and encouragement in moments of crisis. My educational supervisor was a layperson who had served a church for many years and was the mother of the previous moderator of the United Church of Canada. The members of the Lay Supervision Team, who met with me every two weeks and shared their experiences and feedback, were mostly widows living alone like Anna. Without them, I would not be where I am today. Their caring made me want to be a better person and a better minister.
God calls our congregation to be a place where young people like Mary and Joseph can encounter Simeon and Anna. Young children are the hope of the future, but older people are the garden of wisdom and love that allows that hope to sprout. So, If you think you are old, please remember that you are very important in our congregation and the world. In our local community, there would be those who doubt their abilities as parents because of grim realities or their socioeconomic status. What they need is a bright smile and a warm welcome. What is more important than fancy church buildings, great computer technology, and creative programs is blessings and care from the bottom of our hearts. In this new year of 2024, may we find more young people like Mary and Joseph in our congregation who experience the blessing of encounters.
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