Luc. 2, 22-32.
And when the days of their purification came according to the law of Moses, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him unto the Lord: as it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that first breaketh the mother shall be called holy unto the Lord. And that they should offer the sacrifice, according as it is written in the law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons. And, behold, there was a man at Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was devout, and feared God, and waited for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Ghost was in him. And an answer was given him of the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, because he had first seen the Christ of the Lord. And by inspiration of the Spirit he came into the temple. And when the parents had brought the child Jesus into the temple, to do for him according to the law, he took him up in his arms, and praised God, saying, Lord, now let thy servant depart in peace, as thou hast said: for mine eyes have seen thy Saviour, whom thou hast prepared before all nations to be a light to enlighten the Gentiles, and for the praise of thy people Israel.
1. this gospel is easy, and respect it, you understand it well yourselves from what is said of Simeon next; but because it comes again, we cannot pass by, we must also act it.
(2) In this gospel the humility of Mary and Jesus her child is shown, that here they submit to the law, though they were not guilty of it. For that which Moses wrote, that a woman which bare a male should wait forty days of her purification, and if she were a maid, as many days more, even eighty: the same law did not apply to Mariam, because it saith, When a woman beareth a child, she is conceived of a man: for so the words of the text are, "When a woman is possessed, and beareth a kid," Deut. 12:2, in which words Moses stripped Mariam of the law. For Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit, not by the male seed; otherwise, what would Moses have needed to say, "When a woman is conceived," that is, conceived by a man? since everyone knows that a woman does not conceive from a drink of wine. So the Holy Spirit guided Mosi's tongue finely, so that he went to his mother finely.
is in the one where he says: "A woman who is being besamed. But Mary and Christ do themselves under the law out of love, even though they had no need of it if they were not subject to the law. So we should do all our works out of free love for the good and service of our neighbor, even though we do not need it; just as Mary does this work for the glory of God and the love of her neighbor. She does not want to use her freedom, but with her work she strengthens the obedience of others who had to be subjected to the law for the sake of impurity.
(3) The other law given by Moses, Exodus 13:12 and 34:19, Exodus 12:8, that every first birth should be offered to God the Lord, I do not know if it concerns Mariam. I think it concerns her before others, because here Christ, the firstborn Son, made her a mother and she remains a mother. In the Law, God gave this commandment, that every first birth that opened the womb of its mother should be dedicated to Him, as a memorial that He had brought the children of Israel out of Egypt. Now if a male was born, it was redeemed from the priest for a place of one guilder; if it was an ox or cattle, it remained for the priests; for thus says God in the Law: "Sanctify unto me every first birth that openeth the womb of every mother, of the children of Israel, both of them among men.
and among the cattle, for they are mine," Ex. 13:2, and soon after he says in v. 15 that it should be a male. The law has struck Mariam; for Christ is the first birth, which alone is assigned and holy to the Lord, whom also the Scripture signifies. Although one would like to say here that because Christ did not break the womb of the mother (as the law holds), he would not be counted among them. Answer thou, It is not so; he is numbered among the firstborn: though he may have been born of his mother without corruption, yet is he a firstborn, and hath a mother in the flesh.
4 By this outward law God intended something to be accomplished in Christ, namely, that he should signify the true firstborn. Therefore there are two kinds of first birth. The first is the one we brought from Adam, the same is unbelief, yes, we are it ourselves; as Christ says in John Cap. 3, 6: "That which is born of the flesh is flesh; but that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." This much is said: a natural man who does not have the Spirit of God, who loves, seeks, thinks, and desires nothing but what is pleasing to the flesh, to himself. Christ killed this first birth, so that he might obtain the right first birth in us.
The other first birth is faith, which we give to God and is a main part of a whole Christian being. This faith kills the old man and makes new children who will continue to remember and pursue the things that are of God. This first birth is sanctified and dedicated to God, and no one should take this birth upon himself, that is, no one should presume to have faith out of his own strength; as many do: when they hear of faith, they presume to have it out of their own ability, and appropriate to themselves that which is God's alone, even though it is entirely a divine work to have a right faith; as St. Paul says to the Ephesians, Cap. 2, 8. "By grace you have been saved, through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, lest anyone should boast."
6. in the old testament god had even
From Adam until Christ, the firstborn son has always had two honors before the others, namely, the priesthood and the dominion; to the other children, the paternal goods were distributed equally, but they had none of the two honors. Reuben, the firstborn son, was deprived of it because of sin, and it was given to the family of Judah and Levi. In all this, God has finely delineated faith and love, so that we do not need these outward things at all to do the law enough; but do it all spiritually, so that we may not separate the children from the priest, nor lie in the childbed for so many weeks. For a woman, that is, every soul that desires to be cleansed, shall confess that she is the daughter of Adam, and that she walketh in the flesh; and if she do a small work, she shall confess her sin and uncleanness, and desire mercy, that she may be cleansed. For a little good work is signified by the maiden; a great and stronger work by the babe, which hath less uncleanness. Therefore let her confess and say thus: Lord, I have done this and this work, the fruit is born, if you would judge it according to severity, it would not stand: it is still unclean, the fruit lives. Therefore, however unclean it is, you will accept it, because I confess the uncleanness and desire cleansing. For confession in the heart is the sacrifice and redemption of the first birth.
The spiritual meaning of this gospel is: Every Christian man is a spiritual priest and king by faith; therefore faith makes that we may exercise the priestly office, as. preaching, praying and administering the sacraments. Therefore the priests have unreasonably distinguished us from the others, that they alone should be priests, who sing in the choir, and pretend that they pray for us, when there is no difference at all between us and them. For we are all Christians, though one alone is to be commanded by the congregation to the outward ministry, as we have said elsewhere.
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2154 D. 1S, 263-266. On the day of Christ's sacrifice in the temple. W. XI, 2873-2875. 2153
Faith makes the firstborn, which brings with it dominion and priesthood: but spiritually I say; for I can pray for myself and for others, and so can say, Lord, until this or this be merciful, help him, and the like.
(8) That the priests in the Old Testament prayed for others was a figure of the New Testament, in that every Christian has authority and office to pray. For this is why I am a Christian, that I should ask for others and intercede for the sins of others before God. The figure of the Old Testament has ceased in the New, which our priests have again erected, because every one that believeth ought also to pray. If he now prays, it must ever follow that he is a priest, which could not be in the Old Testament; but to a priest alone was it granted to pray, in order to obtain the health of another, which was external.
The other freedom of the first birth is dominion. Now as in the Old Testament dominion belongs to the firstborn, so also a believing man is a spiritual lord. Just as all creatures must serve Christ, even with their unwillingness, so they must also serve a Christian man, even the devil himself, in that he challenges and persecutes Christians, forcing them to pray and resist, and the more and more they become stronger in the faith: if they suffer persecution or are even killed immediately, the sooner they go to heaven. So all adversities are for our good, as Paul says to the Romans Cap. 8, 28: "We know that all things are for the good of those who love God"; they always increase in soul, in faith, in love, which are far more exquisite and noble goods than temporal goods. Therefore it is a spiritual kingdom; not having much good and country and great honor, in which the worldly kingdoms stand. Therefore St. Peter 1 Ep. 2, 9. speaks to the Christians thus: "You are the chosen generation, the royal priesthood, the holy people, the people of property, that you should proclaim the virtue of Him who called you from darkness to His marvelous light.
(10) But what the turtledoves mean is this recently. The two turtledoves are nothing else than confession of sins; if one offers himself for your sinner and gives praise and thanks to God the Lord, he has sacrificed two doves, of which we will say more in his time in Moses. Now we must also look at the old pious Simeon. Simeon is praised here for being pious and God-fearing, and for waiting for the consolation of Israel. The prophets had written before that the day of the Lord would come secretly, so that few would even know it: therefore the Jews said to Christ in John 7:27 that he was not the Messiah, because they knew from whence he came, that is, the son of Joseph and Mary; and the prophets had said that when Christ came, no one would know from whence he came. Yet there were some who knew the time of Christ's coming, as those who believed the prophecy and understood it, as this Simeon was one. He was sure that the time was there, the scripture had been fulfilled, the kingdom of the Jews had ceased, according to the prophecy of Jacob, that the scepter should not be taken away from Judah until the hero came, Gen 49:10. Therefore he waited for the Savior, for the consolation of Israel, and therefore received an answer from the Holy Spirit, that he should not die, because he had seen the Savior of the Lord before. Yet he did not know on what day or hour he would come, just as no one knows on what hour the last day will come. God has given us signs beforehand, by which we may know that he is not far off.
(11) The Holy Spirit gave Simeon devotion to go to the temple at that hour, but he did not know that the Child was to come at that hour. The Holy Spirit revealed to him that the Child was the Savior, for he could not know by nature. When he realized by inspiration of the Holy Spirit that this child was the Savior of God and the consolation of Israel, for which he was waiting, he began to sing and prophesy with joy and said:
Lord, now let your servant go in peace, as you have said.
(12) Which sounds that he had previously received an answer from the Holy Spirit that he should not die, for he had seen him before. Now that he held him in his arms, and the Holy Spirit had told him in his heart that the little child was the Savior, he was satisfied and ready to die, because he had now seen the Savior. So sharp are the eyes of faith that look at such a small, poor, despised child, and take for it, of which such great things were prophesied; which, of course, no one believed of such a child, unless it had been Mary and Joseph. For it was against all reason and nature what this old Simeon saw here by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, namely, the kingdom of this child, and all the miracles and deeds that the child would do; these things were all incredible and incomprehensible to reason.
(13) Here we see the kind of faith that relies on things it does not see or understand; as the epistle to the Hebrews says, Cap. 11:1: "Faith is a certain assurance of things to be hoped for, and is directed to things that do not appear. So we must also believe that the eternal mercy of God is ours, that we are redeemed and will be redeemed from death, sin, the devil and hell, and that we will live eternally with God. Nature or reason does not believe such things. It may say that it would be fine if it were true, but faith does and believes against the sensibilities of nature and reason. It is strange to say that I should believe and think that I am in God's hands, even though I am already in the devil's jaws and feel death and sin; yet I should say that neither sin nor death can harm me; as Paul says: "We are the same as those who die and yet live forever," 2 Cor. 6:9, and to the Romans Cap. 8:35-39 he says: "Who will separate us from the love of God? Or fear? or persecution? or hunger? or nakedness? or peril? or sword? as it is written," Ps. 44, 23, "for thy sake we are slain all the day long; we are counted for battle.
sheep. But in all this we overcome far, for the sake of him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor things high, nor things low, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ our Lord.
14 This Simeon, because he had true faith, took this wretched little child to be the King and Savior of the whole world, which no natural man would ever have done. Now see how courageous faith makes you! This sight that Simeon had of the child made him so hearty that he began to say, "Lord, now let your servant go in peace," as if to say, "I will fear no more: I no longer fear sin, death or hell; I am completely drowned in faith. Why then are you so joyful, dear Simeon? Therefore:
For my eyes have seen your Savior.
(15) Outwardly I die, but inward faith swallows up death. I have received the Savior into my eyes, who takes away sin, death and hell. Therefore, if thou wilt die blessed and happy, imagine this verse, that Christ thy Saviour hath put up with all thy adversity, whom thou hast received into thine eyes by faith; which face makes thee safe from all sin and death, which through Christ is put up with and overcome. So we see that faith alone overcomes sin and death. Therefore I am so glad, therefore I die so joyfully, says Simeon, that I have seen your Savior, that is, I know Christ, and this is enough for me, the others will also have their part; as follows:
Which you have prepared before all peoples.
16 That is, by preaching he is set before all nations, he will become a light to all the Gentiles, the whole world will be enlightened by Christ: I rejoice in this. Simeon is now not envious, desires
He is glad that the Gentiles are to be converted. The devil has drawn a curtain over their eyes; Christ has taken it away. He will also be the glory and praise of the people of Israel. The Jews have this glory, that Christ was born of them, and the very best saints, as the patriarchs, prophets, and apostles, who needlessly had the Holy Spirit, came from them. That is why Christ says in John Cap. 4, 22.: "Salvation comes from the Jews"; which St. Paul to the Romans Cap. 3, 2. also highly recommends. Therefore Simeon speaks further:
The light for the enlightenment of the Gentiles, and for the praise of your people Israel.
(17) In these first words he contemplates the blindness of the Gentiles and wishes them enlightenment and conversion. In the others, however, he looks at the honor and glory that will come to the Jewish people from this Savior. So this song, which is called "Nunc dimittis", concludes the two parts of a Christian being in itself: faith, through which we recognize Christ as our Beatificator, who takes away sin and all evil and gives us the blessedness of which we have enough for ourselves. After this, it also includes love, that we ask, desire, and wish with all our hearts that others may also be enlightened in this way and know Christ, and thus be saved with us. If we consider these two pieces in this hymn, then the Nunc dimittis is sung correctly.