Sunday, February 1, 2004
Fast Free Week
Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee
Kellia: Exodus 13:1-18; 22:29* Epistle: Romans 8:28-39 Gospel: St. Luke 18:10-14
Exodus 13:1-16; 22:29, especially vs. 15, "For when Pharaoh stubbornly
refused to let us go, the Lord slew all the first-born in the land of Egypt, both the first-born of
man and the first-born of cattle. Therefore I sacrifice to the Lord all the males that first open the
womb; but all the first-born of my sons I redeem." The first reading for the Vespers of
Presentation enriches our understanding of two ceremonies which the Virgin Theotokos fulfilled
when she brought her Child and our God to the Temple in Jerusalem. The Gospel for the Feast
(Lk. 2:22-40) alludes to these two rites as follows: first, "the days of her purification...were
completed," referring to the rite which restored her to the worship of the Temple. Second, the
phrase, "to present Him to the Lord (as is written in the Law of the Lord)," refers to the ceremony
consecrating to God her first-born infant son, our Lord Jesus Christ (Lk. 2:22-23).
*The full reading is a composite of passages from three Old Testament Books: Exodus, Leviticus,
and Numbers, each portion focusing on different aspects of the two rites. The Exodus verses
describe the consecration a first-born male child. The Leviticus portion (12:1-8), depicts the rite
for purifying a mother following birth-giving. The third, from Numbers (8:16-17), reveals how
the consecration of a firstborn involved the assisting Levites.
Exodus 13:15 provides the formal answer which a father in ancient Israel was expected to give to
his sons when they asked (vs.14) the meaning of the rituals related to firstborns. The whole
portion from Exodus explains the three elements in the father's answer: the purpose of the ritual
was 1) to "sacrifice to the Lord all males that first open the womb," 2) to associate the rite with
Passover and the day "when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go," and 3) to redeem every
first-born son from death - "but all the first-born of my sons I redeem'" (vs. 15).
"The Lord said to Moses, 'Consecrate to Me all the first-born; whatever is the first to open the
womb among the people of Israel, both of man and of beast, is mine'" (vss. 1, 2). From Latin
words meaning to make holy, 'consecrate,' emphasizes the total surrender of all firstborns to
God. Similarly, in English, "holy" and "wholly" derive from the same root, being intimately
united in meaning. In performing rites associated with firstborns, a worshiper renounces personal
ownership and declares God to be the Owner of all he has received by live birth.
Since the first-born is confessed to be God's, all subsequent births are likewise presumed to
belong to the Lord as well. As the Lord had instructed Moses: "And you shall say to Pharaoh,
'Thus says the Lord, Israel is my first-born son, and I say to you, 'Let my son go that he may
serve me'; and if you refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay your first-born son'"(Ex.4:22, 23).
The reader should note that all rites of consecration of firstborns are associated directly with
Passover and the related Feast of Unleavened Bread, Mazzoth. As Israel came out of Egypt, so
also "no leavened bread shall be eaten" (Ex. 13:3). The key phrase is "out of": leaven is purged
'out of' bread as Israel was brought 'out of' Egypt (vs. 3). The Lord has consecrated a People to
Himself, and taken them 'out of' bondage in Egypt, and they are to remember Whose they are
and to "serve" Him completely thereafter (vs. 2).
"Redemption" in rites of firstborns refers to an action to save the life of the firstborn. For
example, "Every firstling of an ass you shall redeem with a lamb (which is sacrificed instead), or
if you will not redeem it you shall break its neck. Every first-born of man among your sons you
shall redeem" (vs. 13), obviously with no infant sacrifice. While a lamb might be substituted for
the ass, a five shekel offering was made to the Priests for a first born son (Nu. 18:16).
Come, let us all praise Him Who was crucified for our sakes, Mary's Son and our God.
