On Line Bible Study - for the week December 28, 2009 - January 3, 2010

Lesson 420

The "simple" story of the birth of Jesus is one of the most complicated! Though it comprises a total of only four chapters in all of the Bible - two in Matthew and two in Luke - almost every verse is contested in one way or another. Who actually said what? Is the "Magnificat" of Mary (Luke 1:46-55) more appropriately the song of Elizabeth? Are various components of the story actually flashbacks that draw from both Israel's stories as well as other texts from pagan religions? Why does Matthew include the genealogy in his birth narrative, and Luke sandwich it between Jesus' baptism and his public ministry? Why does Matthew tell us that the angel visitations were to Joseph, and Luke tells us the angel visitations were to Mary? The clear implication in Matthew is that Mary and Joseph originally lived in Bethlehem, and then moved to Nazareth; Luke tells us the couple hailed from Nazareth, (Luke 2:39), traveled to Bethlehem to comply with the census, and then returned to Nazareth.

The disparities and differences and questions could go on and on, as evidenced by the 712 page commentary by Father Raymond Brown (The Birth of the Messiah, The Anchor Bible Reference Library), and the 500 + books and articles written since 1976 on these four chapters of Scripture. We would need far more than Twelve Days of Christmas to do any kind of justice to these texts! Without intending any disrespect to the details of Jesus' birth, we will move on to consider two of the scenes following his birth - one when Jesus was still an infant, and in our next lesson a scene (the only one in the Scriptures) of Jesus as an adolescent.

Luke 2: ²²... Joseph and Mary took [Jesus] to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord ... ²⁴and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord ... ²⁵Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon ... ²⁶It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ. ²⁷Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, ²⁸Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
²⁹"Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you now dismiss your servant in peace.
³⁰For my eyes have seen your salvation,
³¹which you have prepared in the sight of all people,
³²a light for revelation to the Gentiles
and for glory to your people Israel."

... ³⁴Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel ... ³⁵so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too."

³⁶There was also a prophetess, Anna ... She was very old ... She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. ³⁸Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

We will point out two aspects of the text - the tension between the Gentiles and the Jews, and the reality of suffering associated with the "Good News".

In his hymn of praise and thanksgiving, Simeon prays that this child will be a light to Gentiles and the glory of Israel. What is being done in Jesus is being done in the sight of all people. Anna will specifically point to the fact that this child is the answer to prayer for all who looked for Jerusalem's redemption. Recalling one of the four major themes of Luke's Gospel - the question of salvation and how it could be offered to Gentiles on an equal footing with God's chosen people, we see the tension almost immediately following the birth of Jesus. Who has he come for?

Though not so much an issue any more with regard to Jews or Gentiles, the issue still raises itself in the Christian Church - Who is Jesus here for? Who is excluded from the efficacy of his saving work, and on what basis? Usually, this debate is raised less from the perspective of race and more from the perspective of behavior.

Suffering is raised from two perspectives - that of the people of Israel who are going to have to choose, and that of Mary herself - a sword will pierce your own soul too. Perhaps the people who were looking for a messiah expected to have salvation handed to them. This is one of the Gospel paradoxes - that we are given salvation freely, and that it costs us everything.

Anna and Simeon - that is to say, women and men alike - are able to discern the truth of the matter - that truth does not treat us with kid gloves. Choices have to be made; suffering has to be endured. Yet, somehow, these two elderly people speak their words of gratitude, praise, and caution in an atmosphere of peace and hope. Though some of the lines have an ominous tone to them, taken as a whole, we read their words and perhaps can breathe a sigh of relief ourselves ... knowing that God's Christ has come.