Commentary on Luke 2:21-38
In 2:21–38, Luke fleshes out Jesus’ identity as Savior, Messiah, and Lord (see also 2:11). Since Jesus is still an infant, this occurs through the acts of others rather than Jesus’ own.
In keeping with Mosaic Law (Leviticus 12:3), Jesus is circumcised eight days after his birth (2:21). He also receives a name that means “God saves” and thus signals his identity as Savior. To narrate Jesus’ naming, Luke uses a passive verb without identifying its subject: “He was called Jesus.” Such so-called “divine passives” intimate God’s responsibility for the action being narrated. Indeed, God’s messenger had given Jesus this name prior to Jesus’ conception.
Mary and Joseph’s actions in 2:22–24 characterize them as pious observers of God’s commands. Bringing Jesus, they come to Jerusalem for “their” purification. Mosaic Law would have required purification only of Mary, who, after having given birth, was ritually impure, meaning ineligible to touch sacred objects or enter temple grounds (Leviticus 12:1–8). As if these are a unified set of rituals, Luke combines the maternal purification ritual with the prescription to dedicate firstborn males to God (Exodus 13:2, 11–16) to show both that Jesus has been born into a family of observant Jews and that, even as Lord, Savior, and Messiah, he too is subject to the Law.
In Exodus 13, within the context of the first Passover and Pharaoh’s release of the Israelites, God gives the instruction for Israelites to dedicate their firstborn males to God. This connects the infant Jesus to the exodus and thus to the salvation of God’s people.
In going to the temple to dedicate Jesus, Joseph and Mary recall Hannah’s bringing Samuel to the shrine at Shiloh to dedicate him to the Lord (1 Samuel 1:21–28). This allusion would probably be too subtle were it not that Luke’s infancy narrative has previously correlated the events surrounding Jesus’ birth to those of Samuel’s by way of Mary’s canticle in 1:46–55, which draws inspiration from Hannah’s prayer in 1 Samuel 2:1–10. Samuel is set apart for a lifelong commission to the Lord as a prophet. Luke will develop Jesus’ characterization as a prophet extensively.
Luke’s interweaving of prophetic traditions continues in the account of Simeon (2:25–35), rife as it is with language from Isaiah 40–55. The “consolation of Israel” to which he looks forward recalls (Second) Isaiah’s oracles that exhort the exiles to take comfort in their coming salvation and restoration (Isaiah 40:1; 49:13; 51:3; 52:9). That Simeon anticipates both Israel’s consolation and the Messiah associates him with Israel’s long-awaited hopes and expectations, which he is privileged to see firsthand through the orchestration of the divine hand.
The Holy Spirit⎯already an active presence in Luke’s infancy narrative (1:15, 35, 41, 67)⎯had rested on Simeon and revealed that he would see the Messiah, and now leads him to the temple at the same time as Jesus. Upon seeing Jesus, Simeon recognizes⎯presumably under the Spirit’s influence⎯this baby to be God’s Messiah, the embodiment of God’s salvation.
Simeon’s response comes in two parts: praise and joy, then sober warning. In his song of praise, now known as the Nunc Dimittis (from the Latin of its opening words, “Now you are dismissing”), Simeon considers himself dismissed from the task of awaiting God’s salvation, now that he has seen Jesus (2:29–32). Against the backdrop of slavery in the Roman world, for Simeon, upon seeing Jesus, to speak of himself as a slave (as doulos can be translated), being released suggests the power that Jesus’ salvation brings, though to be sure, the sentiment does not refer to a literal freeing from slavery.
Beyond the nod to the liberating power of Jesus, Simeon adopts language from Isaiah to refer to the universal scope of the salvation Jesus brings. Jesus is Savior of all peoples, a light to the Gentiles, and God’s glory for Israel (2:32; see also Isaiah 40:5; 42:6; 46:13; 49:6; 52:10).
Simeon addresses his warning to Mary. Despite Jesus’ identity as Israel’s Messiah and Savior of all, not all will accept him (2:34). As was true of the biblical prophets, Jesus’ message will spur division. Jesus’ mission as God’s Son and Savior takes priority over what it will mean for his mother, for whom witnessing the rejection of and opposition to Jesus will be painful, like a sword piercing her soul (2:35).
In keeping with Luke’s inclination to feature “gender pairs” in his Gospel, the evangelist follows the account of Simeon with that of Anna (2:36–38). Recalling women prophets like Miriam (Exodus 15:20) and Deborah (Judges 4:4), we note that she is the only woman in the New Testament called a “prophet” in positive terms (see also Revelation 2:20).1 Luke’s description emphasizes her piety (she worships, prays, and fasts continually in the temple) and wisdom (as suggested by her age), meaning she can be trusted when she proclaims that God’s redemption has appeared in the child Jesus.
Altogether, Luke presents a picture of pious Jews in 2:21–38. Mary and Joseph observe the Law’s requirements; Simeon is “righteous and devout” (2:25) and knows the Scriptures; and Anna is ever-present in the temple, worshiping, praying, and fasting. Each witnesses God’s salvation in the child Jesus.
It might be tempting to preach on how this comes as a reward for their piety, as a means to exhort congregants to live their faith with trust that they, too, will be rewarded for it. But Luke ultimately wants to turn his readers’ attention to God’s activity more than our own.
Whether through passive constructions or by noting the role of angels and the Holy Spirit, Luke depicts God orchestrating the events and encounters here. Rather than God rewarding the piety of Mary, Joseph, Simeon, and Anna, we see that their religious devotion, practiced in knowing the Scriptures and living out their faith in ritual acts, makes them perceptive and opens them to God’s activity in their lives and the world.
How can we lead our lives so as to recognize and appreciate God’s presence and work in them?
Notes
PRAYER OF THE DAY
Glory of Israel,
The coming of your son, Jesus, broke open the heavens and prepared a way for all of your children to come home to you. Give us eyes to see your miraculous spirit moving in this church and in this world. Teach us to be proclaimers of your love to the nations, for the sake of the one whose name is redemption for the peoples,
Jesus Christ our salvation. Amen.
HYMNS
The bells of Christmas ELW 298
Lord, dismiss us with your blessing ELW 545, H82 344, UMH 671, NCH 77
At the name of Jesus ELW 416, H82 435, UMH 168
CHORAL
Nunc dimittis, Robert Scholz
December 29, 2024