The Sánchez Archives PRESENTATION OF THE LORD Year B

By
Patricia Datchuck Sánchez

Feast of the Encounter

MALACHI 3:1-4
HEBREWS 2:14-18
LUKE 2:22-40

In the museum of the cathedral in Cuenca, Spain, hangs one of many artistic renderings of the presentation of Jesus in the temple. Included in this elaborate and colorful scene are representatives of Judaism, viz., Mary, Joseph, Simeon and Anna and the source of Christianity, viz., Jesus. Although the Jews and all things Hebrew had been officially expelled from Spain in 1492 C.E., the artist, Juan de Borgoña (d. 1535 C.E.) illustrated Luke’s presentation narrative with the stated intention of portraying the necessary continuity between Christianity and Judaism.

Indeed, in this event, all the hopes and promises of the old covenant are met by and fulfilled in the person and mission of Jesus. Perhaps, this accounts for the fact that the presentation was celebrated in the ancient Eastern church under the Greek name Hypapánte or Feast of the Encounter.

Originally Christological, the feast soon acquired a Marian character in that it also commemorated the ritual purification of Mary, forty days after giving birth. Both rites, of Jesus’ presentation and Mary’s purification, were rooted deep in Jewish tradition.

As legislated in Exodus 13:1-15 and Numbers 8:15-17, the first fruits of all living things belong to God. The first fruits of the fields were offered in acknowledgement of God’s creation and governance of the earth (Ps 24:1). The firstborn children and firstlings of the flocks were dedicated to God in remembrance that God had spared these while the plague visited tragedy in Egypt (Exodus 13:14-15). Early Christians regarded Jesus (Hebrews 1:6) as the firstborn of God, offered for the sake of sinful humankind; the feast of Jesus’ presentation acknowledges and celebrates God’s saving gift.

As regards Mary’s purification, this also was legislated by law (Leviticus 12). Women who had given birth were rendered ritually impure and were not to attend temple or synagogue services. After the prescribed period of time had elapsed (forty days for a son, eighty days for a daughter), the woman was to bring an offering to the priest at the door of the sanctuary. As Raymond E. Brown (The Birth of the Messiah, Image Books, New York: 1979) has noted, at the time of Jesus’ birth, “the Nicanor gate was the customary entrance for women seeking purification; it is generally presumed to have been on the west side of the court of the women and thus it constituted the farthest point of a woman’s entry into the Temple.” The usual offering was a lamb and a young pigeon or dove. If the couple were poor, as was probably the case of Mary and Joseph, two young pigeons or doves could be offered.

Due, in part, to the Lucan canticle placed on the lips of Simeon (Luke 2:29-32), with its identification of Jesus as “a light of revelation” for all people, today’s feast has been traditionally celebrated with blessed candles, hence the name, Candlemas day. Some scholars believe that the ancient Roman church marked this day with a candle-light procession around the city as an antidote to the pagan amburbale, a lustral procession held each year at the beginning of February.

Today’s feast, with its ancient symbols and centuries old rites, affords the gathered assembly an embarrassment of riches. Regardless of which aspect is emphasized, e.g. Presentation, Purification or Candlemas, today’s readings, like Juan de Borgoña’s painting, recall that Christianity’s roots lie deep within Judaism and have come to full flower from within that fertile matrix. Because both Judaism and Christianity find their original point of encounter in the Christ event, it is in Christ that perhaps, one day, keepers of both covenants will eventually forge a lasting complementary union.

MALACHI 3:1-4

From all external appearances, the temple in which the unnamed prophet known simply as Malachi ministered had been completely restored to its former glory. After freeing the exiled Jews in Babylon, Cyrus the conquering Persian king provided architects, materials and skilled artisans to help in the process of rebuilding Jerusalem and its temple. By 515 B.C.E. the work was complete and the temple was rededicated. But, as is reflected in the short book called Malachi, the temple’s external appearance proved to be merely a lovely facade for a liturgy which had deteriorated into a sham of inauthenticity.

At the time Malachi (not a proper name but a term which means “my messenger”) appeared to serve as the oral conscience of his contemporaries (ca. 460-450 B.C.E.), priests were offering blemished (blind, lame) sacrifices and giving bad example (1:6-2:4); the people were negligent in their support of the temple (3:6-12); Israelite wives were being rejected by their husbands in order to marry foreign women (2:14-16); social injustice was rampant (3:5), and the people doubted God’s love (1:2-5). When post-exilic Jews looked at their shrunken domain and prestige (Judah had become a minor, 500 square mile, province of Persia), their distress and disappointment spilled over into doubt and resentment directed toward God.

In answer to the dismal situation of his contemporaries, Malachi reminded them that the Day of the Lord, a day of judgment, reward and retribution was yet to come. Pointing ahead to that climactic event, Malachi, like Zechariah, promised that Yahweh would indeed come to Jerusalem and to the temple; he described the divine intervention as a two-stage process. First God’s messenger would appear to prepare the way by purifying the clergy and refining the cult (v. 3). Then, the Lord of Hosts would suddenly appear in the temple (v. 1), to bring judgment and justice against unfaithful sinners (v. 5).

Although the redactor or editor of Malachi believed the role of the messenger belonged to the author of the oracles (1:1), later tradition assigned the preparatory task of messenger to Elijah. In 2 Kings 2:11, Elijah was described as departing earth in a fiery chariot. A later text in Malachi (3:23) appears to foretell his return, a return which Jewish tradition has interpreted literally.

For this reason, in kosher homes, an extra place is set at the table at the Passover Seder. At one point in the meal, the door is opened so that Elijah may enter to prepare the way of the still-awaited Messiah. For his part, Jerome believed that Ezra the scribe had functioned as the messenger-purifier of the people because of the sweeping religious reforms initiated under his leadership.

Early Christians understood that John the Baptizer served as the promised messenger (Matthew 11:30; 3:1,11; 17:11; Mark 1:2-8; Luke 3:2-18; John 1:31-34) by being the precursor of Jesus and herald of the good news. In both the presentation in the temple (gospel) and in Jesus’ action of cleansing the temple (Mark 2:15-19; Matthew 21:12-17; Luke 19:45-48; John 2:14-16), our ancestors in the faith recognized that the promised visitation of the Lord to the temple (Malachi 3:1) had come to pass. At each Eucharistic gathering, believers are privileged to enjoy yet another such visitation and thereby to be purified, refined, nourished and healed.

HEBREWS 2:14-18

Contested in the fourth century C.E. and again in the sixteenth century C.E. the Pauline authorship of Hebrews has become a moot point. The modern consensus, that Paul was not the author, has been based on : (1) dramatic differences of vocabulary and style between Hebrews and the undisputed Pauline corpus; (2) the alternation of doctrinal teaching with paranetic exhortation; (3) the different manner of citing the Hebrew Scriptures; (4) the parallels between the thought patterns of Hebrew and Alexandrian Judaism; (5) Hebrews exemplifies the best usage of the Greek language in the Christian scriptures. Whereas there is almost universal agreement that Paul was not the author of Hebrews, there is no meeting of the minds as to who actually originated this “message of encouragement” (13:22); Barnabas, Prisca, Apollos are but a few possibilities.

In keeping with the theme of today’s feast, viz. of the presentation of the first fruits, this excerpt from Hebrews emphasizes Jesus’ dual role, as first-fruits, par excellence, and as the faithful high priest who presents the perfect gift of himself to God for the expiation of human sin.

By virtue of the incarnation, Jesus became human in every way (vv. 17-18) except as regards sin. As representative of his brothers and sisters before God and as their mediator, Christ perfected his service as both sacrifice and priest. By so doing, Christ was able to “rob the devil” of power (v. 14).

Hellenistic Judaism (Wisdom 1:13; 2:23-24) associated death with the devil, contending that death was not part of God’s original plan for humankind. Because of the supposed connection between sin and death, Christ’s victory over sin (v. 17) was regarded as a victory over the devil, the prince of death. In two parallel series of antitheses (vv. 14-15), the Hebrews author juxtaposed “devil-sin-death” with “Christ-salvation-life” as an illustration of the story of salvation.

“He did not come to help angels” (v. 16) is better rendered, “He did not take an interest in (or take note of) angels”; Jesus’ ministry to the “children of Abraham” recalled the promises made to the patriarchs and affirmed the author’s contention that faith in Christ, and not heredity, creates descendants of Abraham and heirs of the promises made to him.

Earlier in Hebrews, Christ was described as leader, or more precisely pioneer of salvation by whose suffering many will be brought to glory (2:10). As William Barclay (“Hebrews”, The Daily Study Bible, St. Andrew Press, Edinburg: 1978) explained, the Greek term archegos can also mean a trail-blazer or scout who goes ahead to secure a path which others may safely follow.

As the first fruits from the dead, as the conqueror of sin and death, Christ, in his person and through his mission, has set the course and cleared the way we are to follow; the decision to do so must be a daily and deliberate one.

LUKE 2:22-40

Whereas the author of the first reading from Malachi looked ahead in longing for the Day of the Lord, the Lucan evangelist made it clear that the Day had arrived in Jesus. From the outset of his account of the presentation and all through the infancy narratives (2:22; 1:11, 57;2:6, 21), Luke used the word eplesthesan (Greek for “when the day came”) to mark the passing of time. A special term, eplesthesan was associated with the inauguration of the messianic era (or Day of the Lord), as was the outpouring of the Spirit (Joel 3:1). Because of the triple reference to the Holy Spirit (vv. 25, 26, 27) and his use of the term eplesthesan, the Lucan narrative could be understood as a messianic statement which is further supported and affirmed in the interchange between Jesus’ parents, Simeon and Anna.

Simeon was characterized as a just and pious person, awaiting the consolation promised so long ago by Isaiah (40:1). Anna the prophetess was devoted to prayer and fasting as she awaited the redemption of Jerusalem. These two admirable figures were representative of those humble Israelites who because of their faithful service and attentiveness would be able to recognize that consolation and redemption had came to the temple that day in the person of Jesus.

The first of Simeon’s double pronouncements (vv. 29-32) underscored the universal scope of Jesus’ future mission in terms which evoked the promise of Deutero-Isaiah: “for all people to see. . . a light to the gentiles and the glory of Israel” (Isaiah 40:5; 42:6; 46:13; 49:6; 52:9-10). A more ominous second pronouncement, addressed to Mary (vv. 34-35) pointed ahead to the manner in which Jesus’ saving mission would be realized. Notice that Luke described Jesus as the cause of “the downfall and the rise of many.” Some regard this as a reference to the suffering and death of Jesus (fall) that preceded his resurrection and glorification (rise). Joseph Fitzmyer (“Luke”, The Anchor Bible, Doubleday, New York: 1981) suggests that the reference (downfall and rise) should be understood in terms of the good news as preached by Jesus; the gospel confronted humankind with its own sinfulness (fall) as it challenged sinners to accept Jesus as messiah and through him to rise to new life.

A further example of the confrontational and challenging character of the gospel is signified by the metaphor of the piercing sword (v. 35). Like the sword of discriminating judgment prophesied by Ezekiel (14:17), Jesus’ words and works would bring division among people and even within families (Luke 8:19-21; 12:51-53). Jesus’ presence exacted a decision; those who accepted the truth of his teaching in faith, thereby forged a bond with God that was even more binding than familial love. Raymond E. Brown (The Birth of the Messiah, Image Books, New York: 1979) understands the sword as the harsh, but true realization that the claims of God are greater than any human claim or attachment. As his mother, Mary was united with Jesus in a uniquely warm and maternal way, but, as a believer and disciple, their union was even deeper.

Anna’s response to the special encounter known as the Presentation of Jesus, affirmed Simeon’s pronouncements; her gratitude and spontaneous sharing of the event (v. 38) were portrayed by Luke as an example of evangelization or preaching of the good news. In Jesus, the Lord had, at long last, come to the Temple; in Jesus, God revealed the light of universal salvation and beckoned all peoples to walk by that light in faith and in truth.

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