Feast of the Presentation of the Lord
God came to us in Jesus Christ - as Lord and Savior
Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord! (Psalm 24:7)
This weekend we celebrate Jesus being presented to God in the Temple as the son of Mary and Joseph.
Yet – because Jesus is God – “wrapped in human flesh” – we see the prophesy of Malachi (above) fulfilled! This prophecy come from 445 B.C. That is five centuries before the birth of Jesus the Christ!
God fulfills the words of the prophecies about Him! Here we can see that Jesus fulfills the Old Testament (The Old Covenant).
- God made a Covenant with Abraham and Jacob (called Israel).
- Jesus is God and Man
- Jesus made a Covenant with Abraham and Jacob (called Israel).
- Therefore, God is fulfilling His Covenant in Luke’s Gospel – in Jesus the Christ.
- Jesus is God’s Covenant fulfilled
- Then Jesus upgrades (or makes New) the Covenant with a NEW COVENANT in the New Testament
We get so used to the words “covenant” and “testament” that we forget that one is the agreement and the other is the written record of the agreement. The Law and The Testament.
Whether we are reading the old or new part of the BOBLE, they both are God speaking to us whether in the flesh or not. The flesh of Jesus is the flesh of all humanity and the presentation is God coming into His Temple and being Presented to The World.
God’s Promise Has Come!
“The LORD said to Moses: Tell the Israelites: When a woman has a boy child, she shall be unclean* for seven days, on the eighth day, after the circumcision, she shall spend thirty-three days in a state of blood purity; to touch nothing sacred nor enter the Temple. If she gives birth to a girl, fourteen days she shall be as unclean, and after sixty-six days more, in a state of blood purity.” (Leviticus 12: 1-5)
The Law of Moses (in the Book of Leviticus) was part of the TORAH that judged when a woman was ritually pure enough after giving birth. Birth is messy and full of blood residue that was considered impure and thus, unholy. The “Purification Period” was spelled out in the Law of Moses to be observed for the birth of a boy or a girl.
May Our Risen Savior Bless you!
Fr. Patrick Nelson, SDS
