Audio: iTunes | Spotify

᛭ INI ᛭

(I. Historical: Christ fulfills the purification and presentation for the last time.)

It’s 40 days after Christmas. So, we’re the day of Mary’s Purification and the day Christ was consecrated to the LORD—both according according to the Law of Moses. Leviticus says, purification was completed 40 days after the birth of a male child.

The holy family’s poverty is seen in their offering. Normally, is should’ve been a lamb along with a pigeon or turtledove, but “if she’s not able to bring a lamb, then she may bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons.” (Lev 12) The important thing isn’t the Spirit bearing the fruit of faithfulness in Mary and Joseph to keep the Law, but rather Christ keeping it when He is presented to the Lord. At Temple there’s godly Simeon, rich in faith and devotion. He’d been waiting for the Lord’s Christ, who would be Israel’s Consolation, Salvation, Purification. In faith Simeon takes Christ up into His arms and blesses God.

Christ is presented to the LORD, His Father, not as true God but as true man, for Christ is both true God and true man. This is final keeping of the purification and presentation Law. For, “in the fulness of time God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, to redeem those under the Law, that we would receive Sonship” (Gal 4), by faith in Christ and by our baptism into Christ. (Gal 3)

Christ fulfills the entire Law of God. He does all 10 Commandments all the time. He’s also circumcised on the 8th day. He’s also Mary’s final purification according to the Law, because He grows up and goes to Calvary. There He ends the separation between God and man by shedding His blood unto death. “The temple curtain was torn in two. (Mt 27)”

From birth to circumcision, temple to cross, really from His conception till His death Christ fulfills the Law. By fulfilling the Law Christ worked purification for Mary, for Joseph, for Simeon, for you, for me and for all, because

THE LORD WORKS TRUE AND LASTING PURIFICATION.

(II. Allegorical: The purification of the Law gives way to the purification of the Gospel.)

Christ alone works TRUE AND LASTING PURIFICATION. Because there was no escaping impurity under the Law. Sure an Israelite woman could be pure for a time, but there were many things that made each and every Israelite woman, and also each and every Israelite man, impure according to the Law. This wouldn’t just be according to the 10 Commandments. No, this also included many worship laws as well. But no matter how many times someone sacrificed a bull, a goat, a sheep, or even just two doves, which cost a penny—no matter how many sacrifices, they’d still become impure. “For it’s not possible [for] the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.” (Heb 10)

So when Christ comes, the Purification according to the Law ends. He’s the true and lasting sacrifice for all sins and every evil. He’s “the High Priest of the good things to come.”(Heb 9) He “entered not with the blood of bulls and goats, but by means of His own blood.” (Heb 9) And “according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission,” (Heb 9) that is, forgiveness.

THE LORD WORKS TRUE AND LASTING PURIFICATION.

By shedding His blood unto death, He put “the Law of sin and death” (Rom 8) to death. “Christ is the end,” the goal, the finish line, the final solution “of the Law.” (Rom 10) The Law’s purification is done because Christ has worked true and lasting purification. This means the Law’s Purification gives way to the Purification according to the Gospel, that is, God’s free gift of salvation in your Lord and Savior IHS Christ. The Purification of the Gospel has no limits. Baptism is for all nations! The Scriptures are for your home and mouth and heart. The Gospel preached, God’s Word taught not in one language but all. The Lord’s Supper is no a meal limited to the 14th day of Nisan like Passover but is “as of as.”

In Titus chapter 2 Paul talks about THE LORD WORKING TRUE AND LASTING PURIFICATION. Paul says that Christ “gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.” (Tit 2)

(III. Practical: The Lord brings His Gospel purification to you.)

The LORD brings His Gospel purification to you. He brings the full forgiveness of all your sins constantly, not because it’s deficient in anyway. It’s not like the Purification of the Law, where “it’s impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sin. (Heb 10)” The Law was limited in what it could offer. Christ’s purification, the purification worked out at His cross with His blood and death, is finished and complete but now He constantly delivers the benefits and blessings of His cross and blood and death not because His cross or blood or death are deficient but because we still are.

We need a lot of purification, because human hearts are always the same until the resurrection. As the LORD says, “Every intent of the thoughts of [the human] heart [is] only evil continually” (Gen 6), “the imagination of his heart is evil from his youth,” (Gen 8) for “out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.” (Mt 15)

Anger and frustration soil the love we have for others, even the people closest to us, our kids, spouse, or family. We “think more highly of ourselves than we should” (Rom 12)—that’s pride—and so there’s grudges or resentment or friction or impatience toward all sorts of other people in our daily lives: classmates, coworkers, customers, just to name a few… Lust pollutes our desires that should only be directed toward our God-given spouse.

We’re just like the Israelites, because our hearts are just like theirs! We’re human just like them, sinners just like them. “How can a young man,” or anyone for that matter, “keep his way pure? By guarding it according to the LORD’s Word.” (Ps-119:9) So, the Lord commands us to see and receive Christ according to His Word. Simeon is a picture of the Christian life. Christians with true faith receive Christ by hearing His Word and receiving His Sacraments. Those who don’t receive Christ in this way are saying by their behavior that their sinful condition isn’t that bad, that they don’t need Christ or His Sacraments to free them from their sinful condition, that they don’t want to do what Christ says to do. For someone with true faith in Christ has some desire to do what He says. (LC V) For example, Christ commands, “Do this as often as,” because He is the consolation, the salvation, the purification of Israel, but not just Israel—“a light to lighten the Gentiles,” as Simeon sings. So, we’re called to be righteous and godly like Simeon, to receive Christ according to His Word, even His Sacrament for the forgiveness of all our sins.

(IV. The Purification of the Gospel prepares us to be presented to the LORD forever.)

THE LORD WORKS TRUE AND LASTING PURIFICATION, and He gives that purification to you, and we receive it with faith. In this way the LORD’s preparing you, preparing you to be presented to the LORD, His Father, forever. He prepares you by presenting to you His true and lasting purification—just like Simeon! He actually picked up Christ and was then ready to die. That’s because Christ is the purification and consolation of Israel and all nations! Simeon believed that Christ made him pure so he could be presented to the Lord “in righteousness and purity forever.” That’s how it is for you, too, and that’s why Lutherans added the Song of Simeon after Communion. There, and in all His means of Grace, THE LORD presents His TRUE AND LASTING PURIFICATION, “that you may” “depart in peace” and “dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” (Ps 23)

᛭ INI ᛭