Servants and the Law

(By Dave, 10 min)

Scripture

Luke 2: 21-38

On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.

When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”), and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”

Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:

The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

Law-abiding

Today’s Scripture describes how Mary and Joseph complied with Jewish law for their firstborn son. He was given the name commanded by the angel and circumcised eight days after birth in accordance with the covenant conditions God made with Abraham. His parents presented him to the Lord in accordance with Mosaic law and presumably paid the redemption required. Moreover, Mary complied with the law of purification waiting for 40 days before coming to the temple to make the required sacrifices.

I suspect Luke wants us to know that even before the infant Jesus could choose to comply with the law, His parents made sure that He did. Doing so identifies Jesus as a member of God’s covenant people from whom the Messiah would come. Secondly, being a fully human Jewish child, Jesus was subject to and complied with the laws of the covenant people notwithstanding his simultaneous divine nature.

It seems there is a third reason why Luke dwells on the law surrounding the infant child and that has to do with Simeon and Anna, the two people described next in today’s verse. Brett’s life story may help to set the stage for seeing this third reason why Luke focuses on the law.

how to build a criminal

Brett was raised largely by his mother. She was a disastrously corrupt person. Her side of the family was chronically involved in fraud. Brett grew up in this environment, but his mother was more than simply criminal. She participated in several depravities and presented them to her husband in what Brett describes as a strange behavior to see how much his dad would take. When it seemed he would take everything she could dish out, she left him taking Brett and his sister with her.

Living largely under the supervision of his criminal maternal grandparents, Brett and his sister were constantly dragged into family squabbles and criticisms to the point where they did not want to be with their grandparents. They would even go hungry to avoid being in contact with them.

One day, Brett’s sister came home with pork chops she had no money to buy. When Brett discovered they were stolen, he joined his sister in her criminal venture. When their mother discovered it, she used her children as chronic shoplifters taking them from one shopping center to another to steal things she wanted.

There were a few rays of hope in Brett’s young life but his mother destroyed them. He became a criminal. Personally appealing and brilliant, he developed one fraud scheme after another moving from common identity theft to telephone scams and finally to the wild world of the Internet. Brett became “Gollumfun”, an identity theft expert on Counterfeit Library and chief operator of ShadowCrew. These websites were the progenitors to the dark web.

Eventually he was caught. Although he credits his sister and wife for saving his life, he credits an FBI Special Agent with his movement away from criminal enterprise. Living in an environment of lawbreaking destroyed Brett Johnson, the man the Secret Service called the Original Internet Godfather. Yet it was a law enforcer who finally guided him out of the darkness. He is now a consultant to help fight against cyber-crime.

building a servant

In Luke’s scripture Simeon and Anna become part of the story because Jesus was brought to the temple by parents adhering to the laws of God. If Mary and Joseph didn’t comply with Jewish law, Simeon would not have been moved to go into the temple courts and take Jesus in his arms. He would not have informed Mary and Joseph that salvation was coming not just for the Jews but for the Gentiles nor that their son’s presence would reveal the thoughts of many hearts. Mary would not have received a word of preparation for what she was going to encounter. None of this happens if the couple does not obey the Jewish laws of their time.

Anna is a prophet. Her ancestry is provided suggesting she is known by the people of her day, and like Simeon, she is devout and seems to be waiting. Anna spends her days worshiping in and about the temple, fasting and praying and has been doing so for a very long time. When Mary and Joseph arrive and interact with Simeon, she receives a message for all those looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. The Messiah has arrived. Once again, her message to the faithful about the child and Simeon’s words are triggered by Joseph and Mary complying with the law.

I think Luke may be revealing a truth about the role of the law be it Jewish laws or the 10 Commandments. In his final charge to Timothy, Paul states it this way: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (Timothy 3:16-17)

Complying with the law prepares one to serve God’s good works. Mary and Joseph complied, and their presence brought Simeon and Anna into their role in the Messiah’s story. Simeon and Anna were also complying with the law, and both were called by God to serve their role when Jesus appeared. Following the law maximizes our ability to be God’s servant.

Conversely, someone who ignores the law and the precepts of God is not best prepared for the Lord’s use. Thus, Brett Johnson helped to build the now pernicious dark web. In an interview I watched with Mr. Johnson, I heard no mention of an emerging faith as he turned from his criminal ways. But what I saw was a person who is now far better prepared to serve God’s purposes.

When asked why he is now a law-abiding citizen, Mr. Johnson responded that people have to care about each other. This was a striking departure from his previous attitude of no concern for the “stupid people” he was scamming. As part of his present life, he is a consultant with AARP advising old folks about how to avoid being scammed. Indeed, as a law-abider Mr. Johnson is a fertile field that can be well used by God whether or not he is personally religious. It’s more difficult to imagine how God could use someone so lacking in empathy he would prey on the gullibility of other people.

Following the law cannot make us right with God. Only Christ can do that. But it can make us a better tool for God’s handiwork in the world. It’s tax time y’all. Which will we do? Will we fib to the government about what we’ve earned rationalizing that it’s okay to break the 10 Commandments because “the government doesn’t need it”? Or, will we report the income we honestly made even though the government may have no record of it? When we are in a fender bender, will we play with the truth to avoid seeing our insurance rates go up or will we openly admit the accident was our fault? Will we avoid getting a job so that we can stay on unemployment until the benefit expires, or will we seek work as soon as possible in the spirit of this safety net? I think one message in Luke’s passage today is that each time we make the right decision to uphold the law written by the Spirit on our hearts, we make ourselves a better servant for God to use.

One final thought. I was struck by the number of times Mr. Johnson became emotional whenever talking about someone who moved him away from crime or had faith that he was a good man inside. It seemed he yearned to be someone like Joseph, Mary, Simeon or Anna who obeyed the law. Consequently, he was overwhelmed with gratitude for those who helped him get there. Perhaps people are emotionally and spiritually designed that way because obeying God is when we are best able to be God’s servants. Seeing Mr. Johnson at ease and feeling better about himself in the interview suggests obeying God’s morals not only makes us fertile ground for His use, but fulfills us personally as well.

I hope you found this take on Luke’s passage interesting and enjoyable. May you feel God’s presence with you this and every day as we strive to serve God in our world. Thanks so much for reading,

Dave