Jesus is presented in the temple in Luke 2
The gospel reading for Epiphany 4 is John 2.1–11, the water into wine at the wedding in Cana (also the reading for Epiphany 3 in Year C). The written commentary for that is here and the video discussion is here. However, at this time we also celebrate the Presentation of Jesus in the temple in Jerusalem; this is also celebrated as the feast of Candlemas(s) and in many churches it marks the formal end of the Christmas season. So many people will preach on this, though it was the reading for Epiphany 4 in Year C. (We use these two readings, John 2 and Luke 2, quite often, so both will be familiar.)
James Blandford-Baker and I discuss Luke 2 in the video here; the epistle for Epiphany 4 is the last part of 1 Cor 1, and we discuss that in this video here.
This section in Luke 2 continues Luke’s unique nativity material; Matthew moves straight from the events surround the birth, including the visit of the Magi and the flight to Egypt, to the ministry of John the Baptist. But, in keeping with first-century expectations of a ‘life’ of a significant person, Luke offers (brief) descriptions of Jesus’ upbringing, including the episode in the temple when he is 12 years old.
The narrative once more includes three characteristic emphases of Luke’s work: the importance of Jewish pious devotion as the context for all that happens; the active role of the Spirit in directing events; and the understanding of Jesus as the fulfilment of eschatological hopes.
1. Jewish pious devotion
The whole narrative section begins and ends with an emphasis on pious devotion in fulfilment of the requirements of the law; the ‘requirement of the law of Moses’ in Luke 2.20 is matched by ‘required by the law of the Lord’ in Luke 2.39. We have already been told that Jesus was circumcised (and named) on the eighth day in the previous verse, and now Luke describes two important acts that follow on, the purification of Mary and the dedication of the child, interleaved as chiasm:
