LutheranLectionary.org

Reflections on Scripture with Dr. Leins

Time Stamp	Transcript
0:00	[Music]
0:17	hello
0:19	today let’s talk about the baby who
0:24	saves usually when we think about babies
0:28	we have happy thoughts of soft little
0:30	ones they are cuddled and loved and
0:33	protected but this is the baby Jesus the
0:38	son of God and the first recorded
0:42	thoughts about him are not so happy
0:45	instead they are thoughts of blood and
0:49	preparation for
0:52	sacrifice introduction the blood of the
0:56	baby our text is from Luke 2:
1:02	22-40 this is the presentation of the
1:05	Infant Jesus in the temple but it puts
1:08	us right in the middle of a moment that
1:10	started several days before so if you’ll
1:13	permit me please let’s backtrack one
1:16	single verse to
1:18	Luke 2 verse
1:22	21 and when 8 days were completed before
1:25	his
1:26	circumcision his name was then called
1:29	Jesus the name given by the angel before
1:31	he was conceived in the
1:34	womb Luke 2:
1:37	21 refers to the circumcision of the
1:40	baby Jesus our lord had just been born
1:43	eight days before he had just entered
1:46	this dark troubled and sinful world he
1:50	had come as its only possible
1:55	savior because of course only God in
1:58	flesh could make things new for Humanity
2:02	only God in flesh could erase sin
2:07	recreate the human soul and destroy the
2:10	power of human death that’s why he came
2:13	we human beings could never fix those
2:16	things we needed a savior God in human
2:21	flesh so Jesus came into our world to
2:26	identify with all of us so that what he
2:29	did as Savior could be applied to each
2:32	of us by grace through
2:35	faith on the eighth day after his birth
2:39	that is on the first day of his new week
2:42	on the first day of his new
2:44	creation Jesus was taken to his house of
2:48	course his house is God’s house the Holy
2:51	Temple of Jerusalem and there Jesus
2:55	received his
2:57	circumcision that was the beginning of
2:59	of his work as Savior at 8 days old at
3:03	his circumcision the baby Jesus shed his
3:07	blood and received his name
3:11	Jesus his flesh was cut for the cutting
3:14	off of our sin and his name was given
3:16	Jesus or literally God
3:19	Saves as the angel Gabriel had declared
3:22	you shall call his name Jesus for he
3:25	will save his people from their sins you
3:29	see right from the very beginning of his
3:31	life Jesus was the baby who
3:34	saves point
3:37	one made without
3:41	hands you may be wondering what the
3:44	circumcision of the baby Jesus has to do
3:46	with you well in
3:50	Colossians
3:52	2: 11 through1 13 God’s word tells you
3:57	that in your baptism you were
3:59	circumcised ized
4:01	too in him you were also circumcised
4:04	with a circumcision made without hands
4:07	in the removal of the body of the flesh
4:09	by the circumcision of Christ having
4:12	been buried with him in baptism in which
4:15	you were also raised up with him through
4:18	faith in the working of God who raised
4:20	him from the dead and when you were dead
4:23	in transgressions and the uncircumcision
4:26	of your flesh he made you alive together
4:29	with with him having forgiven us all our
4:33	transgressions Paul packs quite a lot in
4:35	those few verses so it may be helpful
4:38	for us to understand God’s word if we
4:40	have just a little background first the
4:43	origin of
4:45	circumcision God promised that Abraham
4:48	would be the father of many nations you
4:50	remember his descendants would be as
4:53	numerous as the stars in the heavens
4:56	however Abraham was already very very
4:59	old and so is his wife Sarah so
5:03	Abraham believed God
5:05	anyway Abraham believed God’s word and
5:09	God quote reckoned it to him as
5:12	righteousness end quote that is recorded
5:16	in Genesis chter
5:18	15 Abraham was not without sin but God
5:23	reckoned his faith as righteousness you
5:26	see not his actions but his faith
5:30	made Abraham righteous before the
5:34	Lord then two chapters later in Genesis
5:38	17 God made a covenant with Abraham and
5:41	all of Abraham’s offspring God would be
5:44	faithful to them and they were to be
5:47	blameless before God but
5:50	again they would not be without sin but
5:53	God would count them as righteous
5:56	because of their
5:58	faith the son sign of their Covenant was
6:03	circumcision a cutting of Flesh as a
6:06	token of God cutting off their Sin from
6:09	them do you
6:12	see but that was almost 2,000 years
6:16	before the birth of Jesus the people had
6:18	long since become unfaithful to God they
6:21	still practice the sign of the Covenant
6:24	but they did not practice the heart of
6:27	the Covenant their hearts were not
6:29	faithful to God so then came
6:33	Jesus God was going to do a new thing
6:36	Jesus came to fulfill the Old Covenant
6:40	and to make a New Covenant the New
6:45	Covenant would not be made in the blood
6:47	of the people the New Covenant would be
6:50	made in the blood of
6:53	Jesus in Jesus Christ every person who
6:56	was baptized into his death and
6:58	Resurrection
7:00	would have a circumcision made without
7:04	hands that is in his new covenant Jesus
7:07	would shed his blood by his crucifixion
7:11	on the cross and every person who was
7:13	baptized into him would have a spiritual
7:16	cutting off of Flesh a cutting off of
7:20	their sinful flesh as an act of the Holy
7:24	Spirit did you get that Holy baptism is
7:28	a circumcision a cutting off of your
7:31	sinful flesh made without hands made by
7:34	the holy
7:35	spirit so Jesus shed his blood in his
7:41	circumcision and kept God’s old Covenant
7:43	in your
7:45	place then Jesus shed his blood on the
7:48	cross making a new covenant for you that
7:52	you received in your holy
7:54	baptism this New Covenant was a
7:57	circumcision of your sinful flesh made
7:59	without hands scripture is telling us
8:02	that even in his first few days of life
8:05	already quite a lot has been
8:06	accomplished for you by the Infant
8:10	Jesus the baby who saves point two a
8:15	sword shall pierce your
8:20	soul all of this took place only 8 days
8:25	after the birth of Jesus it was still
8:29	another 33 days before the Infant Jesus
8:31	could be presented at the temple
8:33	according to the law of Moses that is
8:36	the scripture that is before us now
8:39	chapter 2 of luke: 22 to
8:42	40 in fulfillment of Mosaic law Joseph
8:45	and Mary brought Jesus into the temple
8:48	and as they entered the temple they were
8:50	met by a faithful man Simeon who was
8:52	waiting for the consolation of Israel
8:54	now surely there were many many other
8:57	people in the temple and probably many
8:59	other parents with children too but
9:01	Simeon came right up and took Jesus into
9:04	his arms the Holy Spirit was upon Simeon
9:07	and he began to praise
9:09	God in this baby Simeon was seeing the
9:14	salvation of God Simeon blessed the Lord
9:18	for the light that this child would
9:20	bring to the Gentiles and for the glory
9:23	that this one would give to God’s people
9:27	Israel these were wonderful and
9:29	prophetic words of God’s grace and
9:31	salvation for all nations revealed in
9:34	the baby who
9:37	saves but then Simeon faced
9:41	Mary and Simeon said things that no
9:44	mother of a newborn would ever want to
9:47	hear at this point it appears he did not
9:50	address Joseph perhaps because Joseph
9:53	would be gone by the time that these
9:55	words were
9:57	fulfilled Luke chap
10:00	2: 33 and 3 4 and
10:05	35 behold this child is appointed for
10:08	the fall and Rise of many in Israel and
10:11	for a sign to be opposed and a sword
10:14	will pierce even your own soul to the
10:18	end that thoughts from many hearts may
10:20	be
10:22	revealed so the first time that the baby
10:25	Jesus was in the temple he shed his
10:27	blood and received his name Jesus or God
10:31	Saves this second time he was in the
10:34	temple his mother was told that at his
10:37	presence many will fall from grace and
10:42	many will rise to
10:44	Greatness and a sword will pierce her
10:47	own
10:48	soul is this a reference to his
10:51	crucifixion and the death of her son and
10:54	to her terrible
10:55	sorrow already it’s clear that this is
10:59	the baby who
11:01	suffers this is the baby who
11:04	saves indeed Jesus will be spoken
11:07	against by some but to those who believe
11:10	on his name to those who are baptized in
11:13	his baptismal Waters and receive a
11:15	circumcision made without hands there is
11:18	forgiveness of sin the gift of the Holy
11:21	Spirit and the promise of eternal life
11:24	yes to all those who
11:26	believe there is an intimate joining
11:30	with Jesus a
11:32	fellowship with the sufferings of his
11:35	crucifixion and with the glory of his
11:40	resurrection all of this is spoken over
11:43	the baby who saves and he is now only 40
11:47	days
11:49	old point three the Redemption of
11:52	Jerusalem the scripture requires at
11:55	least two witnesses immediately upon the
11:57	completion of Simeon prophetic
11:59	pronouncement elderly Anna comes to the
12:03	baby who saves she is a widow and a
12:06	daughter of
12:09	fuel Anna began giving thanks to God for
12:12	the child she continued to speak of him
12:15	to
12:16	everyone who was quote looking for the
12:19	Redemption of Jerusalem now that phrase
12:22	the Redemption of Jerusalem is very
12:24	important because
12:26	Redemption means to purchase to Ransom
12:30	or to deliver and in the Holy Bible
12:32	Redemption means to deliver or to save
12:36	those who are ins slaved to sin or death
12:39	or the
12:41	devil only God can set human beings free
12:44	from that kind of bondage Redemption is
12:47	the work of The God Who has come in
12:50	flesh Anna is the second witness in the
12:54	temple who met the baby who saves
12:57	through the power of the Holy Spirit
12:59	Anna testified to the purpose of the
13:01	infant life and to the results of his
13:05	life of sacrifice
13:09	conclusion
13:11	today we have looked at the infant
13:14	Narrative of the life of
13:17	Jesus we are reminded that we can never
13:21	look at Jesus in the way that we look at
13:24	other
13:25	babies even from his birth Jesus was a
13:30	stranger God in
13:33	flesh acclaimed a king he received Gifts
13:37	of gold a kingly gift frankincense a
13:40	Priestly gift and
13:41	myrrh a gift to bury the dead for this
13:46	purpose God has come the baby who saves
13:49	you and sets you free from your slavery
13:54	to sin and death and the devil it is
13:58	this stranger in the
14:01	manger it is in him that you see the
14:04	face of God he has come to give you a
14:07	new covenant in his own blood he has
14:11	come to give you a sacrament of baptism
14:14	a circumcision made without hands and a
14:17	sacrament of holy communion his own true
14:21	body and blood Jesus is your
14:26	Redemption
14:27	why because you cannot keep God’s
14:30	Commandments for Holiness you do not
14:33	even keep God’s commandment for Faith so
14:36	Jesus has come in order to save a
14:40	slave this infant God has become a slave
14:44	himself from his first hours and his
14:47	first days in this dark troubled and
14:49	sinful World Jesus always has had only
14:52	one purpose to be the baby who saves you
15:07	[Music]
15:16	[Music]
15:22	amen