Sunday, February 2, 2004
The Presentation of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Temple
Kellia: Isaiah 6:1-12 Epistle: Hebrews 7:7-17 Gospel: St. Luke 2:22-40
Isaiah 6:1-12, especially vss. 5-7, "'...mine eyes have seen the King, the
Lord of hosts!' Then flew one of the seraphim to me, having in his hand a burning coal which he
had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth, and said: 'Behold, this has
touched your lips, your guilt is taken away, and your sin forgiven.'" In Hebrews, the Apostle
reminds us that "God,...at various times and in various ways, spoke in time past to the fathers by
the Prophets" (Heb. 1:1). In having this passage from Isaiah read at the Vespers of the Feast of
Presentation, the Church unites two theophanies, or Divine appearances, to His holy Prophets.
Isaiah spoke of beholding God centuries before the birth of Christ, and Simeon, as God's
Receiver, lived straddling two centuries - for many years before Christ and then just a few days
into the first century after the Nativity. These two theophanies, the one to Isaiah and other to
Simeon, may seem quite different, but in fact, they share important similarities.
First, both Isaiah and Simeon clearly were Prophets of God, but in exactly what sense can we say
they were Prophets? St. Nikolai of Zica points out that Prophets are "inspired men of God," that
is, men filled with God the Holy Spirit, and, therefore, "The visions of the holy Prophets are true,
for the words and heavenly apparitions in these visions were indeed later confirmed. They are
true, and therefore have served men well, turning them from evil to good." Both Isaiah and
Simeon had visions of God, and both spoke words that have proven true. We cannot even
imagine the number of lives that have been established in righteousness because of repeatedly
singing the words from Isaiah, "Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord of Sabaoth" (see Is. 6:3) or from Simeon,
"Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace!" (See Lk. 2:29).
As different as their experiences of God might appear in form and content, both Isaiah and
Simeon undeniably had encounters with the living God, and each one, through his meeting with
God, knew true salvation.
Initially, for instance, when God revealed Himself to Isaiah "high and lifted up" (vs. 1), the
Prophet was in despair of salvation, for being a prophet of God, he knew the implications of
"seeing" the Lord face to face: that "man shall not see Me and live" (Ex. 33:20). Hence, he could
only cry out: "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst
of a people of unclean lips: for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!" (Is. 6:5). Yet the
majestic seraph reassures him, "your guilt is taken away, and your sin forgiven" (vs. 7).
Simeon's readiness to repose reflects the same personal realization of salvation: "Now lettest
Thou me depart, O Master, that I may tell Adam that I beheld as a babe the immutable God, Who
is before eternity, and the Savior of the world." What is so remarkable about the revelation of
Simeon is that he was able to see in the Babe Whom he received the awesome, terrible, and
wholly other God. Of course he was able to look upon the face of God, because of the ineffable
condescension of the Lord in taking our flesh upon Him as a humble human infant.
In both Isaiah's and Simeon's meetings with God there came personal direction from the Lord
God Who disclosed Himself. Isaiah heard the call of the Almighty asking, "Whom shall I send,
and who will go for Us?" (vs. 8), and in responding, "Here am I! Send me," he received God's
directive to "Go, and [speak] to this people" (vs. 9). In Simeon's case, the Holy Spirit told him
both to wait for "the consolation of Israel" and when to go to the Temple (Lk. 2:25, 27).
The mere sight of the infant Jesus released Simeon from further waiting, "For mine eyes have
seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people" (Lk 2:30-31).
I have beheld Thee, O Light before eternity, the Lord and Savior of the Christian people.
