This Epiphany season is a little different because of how the dates fall. This first Sunday of February falls on February 2nd. And your church follows the Church Year closely, you might notice that Feb 2nd is a Feast Day within the Church. It may sound like a replay of the first Sunday after Christmas, if your congregation uses the one year lectionary. You see, the events of Jesus being in the temple as a baby took place exactly forty days after his birth. It had to be that way to fulfill the Law prescribed by Moses for mothers (Leviticus 12). Jesus is there in the Temple with his mother and presumed father because Mary had to offer a sacrifice that she be purified after giving birth. February 2nd is the Festival of the Purification of Mary and the Presentation of Jesus (Luke 2:22-38). Simeon’s song comes to be because of Mary and Joseph’s faithfulness to keeping the Law.
But Jesus fulfills a different Old Testament law, a law that had been forgotten, but a law on the books, nevertheless (Exodus 13:1-2, 11-16). Jesus, though not a son of the tribe of Levi (Jesus is of the tribe of Judah, a son of David), is presented to the Lord like He was to serve Him as a priest. Jesus is the great high priest who comes in the order of Melchizedek (Psalm 110). He is not of the line of the High Priest Aaron, but He is the faithful High Priest promised to come in 1 Samuel 2:35. The Lord God raises up His very own Son, whom He sent into the World, in the flesh to be the High Priest who is also the sacrifice for the sin of the world.
This is why Simeon can sing to God about departing in peace. This child, before his very eyes, will secure peace for Him and the entire world by the shedding of His own blood at the cross. What joy we have in our great high priest who has worked atonement for our sins, covering our sins with His own blood! This is just like the words of Exodus 24. There, Moses stands before the people with the blood of the covenant, which the Lord God made with Israel. Moses sprinkles the blood on the people, and then there is the interesting story of the elders of Israel along with Moses, Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, going up on Mount Sinai, seeing God and eating and drinking with Him. Moses tells us, “He (God) did not lay His hand on them.” Sinful men cannot stand before the Lord and live (Psalm 5:4, but see all of Psalm 5). However, when the blood of the covenant covers them, they can. It is just like the blood of the Passover Lamb in Egypt (Exodus 12). It is with Simeon, you, and I. The blood of Jesus, the blood of the new covenant (also translated as New Testament), covers us. We have peace granted to us. We have forgiveness, thus salvation, as we participate in Christ’s New Covenant in His Blood (Small Catechism, The Sacrament of the Altar, “What is the benefit of this eating and drinking?”). Rejoice and be glad. Be at peace in the presence of God, your Savior who has been revealed to you!
Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog
The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack
Rev. Jacob Hercamp
Christ Lutheran Church
Noblesville, Indiana
©2025 Jacob Hercamp. All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy, share and display freely for non-commercial purposes. Direct all other rights and permissions inquiries to cosmithb@msn.com
