Breaking Open the Word

Presentation of the Lord

Cycle A 2020

 

Malachi 3:1-4

Hebrews 2:14-18

Luke 2:22-40

 

The Book of Malachi is not very long, just having 3 chapters. Because of its short length it is considered to be from the group of scriptures that are called the minor prophets. The author can not be identified by the name Malachi as there is no other reference by that name in the Old Testament. Scholars believe it was an anonymous prophet whose editor used the term Malachi, which in Hebrew means “my messenger.”

 

The date of the text can not be determined by the placement in the Old Testament cannon, however, the descriptions of the events in the book describe the historical era about 50 years after the competition of the temple in Jerusalem, 515 B.C.E., and just before 460-445 B.C.E. when Ezra began his ministry.

 

One of the issues the prophet had to confront was the lack of civil authority. To fill that void, the priests assumed the civic and religious authority for the community. That would have been helpful to the community, but the priests were irresponsible failing to correct the abuses of worship, moral and social issues.

 

In verse 1, God announces that “my messenger” will be sent to prepare the way and at the same time the prophet proclaims the coming of the messenger. If that does not seem to be confusing enough, we don’t really know did the editor mean a prophet or someone to fulfill a Levitical role? Is this an angelic being> God? Or the presence of God?

 

The prophet may have meant this to be a Levitical figure, and later editors even point to Elijah. While many scholars are divided about who this was refereeing to, one of the things they do agree on is that from a New Testament point of view, they are talking about John the Baptist who has come to prepare the way for Jesus.

 

One image that is very clear is that in verse 3 the sons of Levi, us and all of the Gentiles down through the ages, will be purified. Jesus tells us to repent and to believe in the Kingdom, and it all starts with our purification.

 

We do not hear very much from the letter to the Hebrews in cycle A. Our reading today is from the Feast of the Presentation which always occurs on February 2^nd, this year falling on a Sunday.

 

The author begins chapter 2 by telling the people that they must “attend all the more to what they have heard.” They were in danger of drifting away and were being encouraged to remember what they have seen and heard when Jesus performed His miracles and the gifts, they have seen distributed to people by the Holy Spirit. He reminds them also that they were not subject to angels and that all, including the angels were subject to God.

 

When we get to our passages for today, we hear that Jesus presented in two distinct ways; he is fully human since He is flesh and blood like we are, and yet He is the high priest who is the source of all life after our mortal bodies cease to function.

 

Jesus is on the one hand above the angels as the Son of God, and on the other hand, he is a mortal man who has come to take away the power the devil has over death. Jesus did not come to bring salvation to the angels, but to bring salvation to mankind.

 

We take a step back today into the infancy narratives of Luke’s gospel, even though we have experienced Jesus baptism by John and seen where Jesus withdrew to Galilee and began to pick his apostles. The significance is that it is now 40 days since the birth of Jesus and that according to the Jewish ritual laws from the books of Leviticus 12:1-8, Mary was required to make a sacrifice as part of her purification. Also, the book of Exodus 13:15, prescribed that the presentation and redemption of the first-born son who belonged to the Lord who saved them while destroying the first born of the Egyptians.

 

What Luke has done is to blend these two different rites into one narrative and has placed the emphasis on the presentation of Jesus to the Jews and to the Gentiles. He has used two faithful servants, Simeon and Anna, who have waited at the temple for the salvation promised by God to make the presentation and to give thanks to God.