When did Jesus become the Christ? That question is perhaps a little harder to answer than it might first seem. Or maybe it’s best to say that there are multiple answers that are true at the same time. Christ means anointed one, and Scripture points us to his baptism as his anointing and the beginning of his public ministry. But also when he was born the angels told the shepherds “He is Christ the Lord.” And Scripture says that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever, so he is the eternal Christ. We can see the fulfillment of his Christ-ly offices of Prophet, Priest, and King at his death, and his resurrection, and his ascension to the right hand of the Father. But even as an infant he was already the perfect Savior we need. He was already doing what we need our Savior to do. He came to be our substitute. He came to live a holy life in our place. He came to be under law, for those under law.
Luke 2 records the birth of Jesus and then goes on to tell about Jesus’ first trip to the temple in Jerusalem. This took place 40 days after he was born. That day, February 12, is a minor festival day—the Presentation of Our Lord. Just like with Jesus’ birth, this historic event is far too small and humble for how significant it is. When Solomon dedicated the temple he marked the day by sacrificing 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep, according to 1 Kings 8. That temple was destroyed and a new one was built, and Ezra 6 tells about the sacrifices when that one was dedicated, numbering in the hundreds instead of the thousands. And those were certainly great days, but here the Lord incarnate comes to his own temple and what’s the sacrifice? Luke says that Mary and Joseph offered the sacrifice of a pair of doves. This was the usual sacrifice for the purification of a new mother, according to Leviticus 12. It was for those who were poor, too poor to afford a sheep or goat.
So instead of a huge event for Israel, for the world for that matter, what we see is something small and humble, something entirely consistent with the small and humble manner in which our Savior came. We see two humble parents bringing their Son to the temple and doing all they can to raise this Son according to God’s law.
What was it like for Mary and Joseph? Any parent knows that becoming a parent is an adventure and a challenge. There are all kinds of questions to wrestle with. How are you going to handle discipline? When are bedtimes going to be? Are you going to keep them away from sugar? These days you have questions like: How much screen time will you allow? At what age will you let them have their own phone? And then, of course, comes the real challenge, which is putting these things into practice. It’s one thing to say, “I’m only going to let my kids have one hour of screen time.” But then when that hour is up and you’re still in the middle of whatever you wanted to do, well, maybe that one hour stretches on to two. And maybe you find your plans frustrated, saying, “This is the third night in a row where bedtime was 45 minutes ago!” Sometimes the real challenge in parenting is seeing eye-to-eye with your spouse. “I thought we had this figured out.” “I guess we don’t.”
Things were certainly different for Mary and Joseph with Jesus. He didn’t need to be disciplined, because he was perfect and holy. But does that mean that they should have no rules, “Oh, just do whatever you want. Whatever it is, it will be perfect.” No, that wouldn’t be parenting. And so what an awesome task and responsibility they had. They had to set the rules for God. He was born into the world, he became incarnate, to be under the law. Mary and Joseph were chosen to raise him under the law.
Just imagine if Mary and Joseph had been bad parents. Imagine if they ruled their house with bad laws. Imagine if they didn’t follow God’s law. What if they didn’t bring him to the temple? What if they decided that soccer practice was more important than church? What if they had neglected praying with him? You know that these would be terrible parenting decisions, unfaithful to God the Father, unfaithful to their calling, their vocation, as parents, and that ultimately they would have been a dereliction of duty to this Son. And yet, how often do parents today fall into these same attitudes, these same misplaced priorities, these same parenting decisions that we justify to ourselves at the time, but are likewise unfaithful to God, to our calling, and to the children he has entrusted to us?
Whether you are a parent or a child, a ruler or a citizen, we are all under God’s law. Sometimes you hear people saying, “No one is above the law” with regard to our country, even though we all know that there are some people who do get away with criminal behavior. But while some people might be able to escape earthly justice, truly no one escapes God’s justice. You can’t even escape God’s justice by dying. On Judgment Day all people will rise, and the wicked will face retribution for their sins. One one hand, that might be a comfort to us when we think of the evil people who will be judged. But on the other hand that can be a terrifying thought when we realize that we too have failed to live up to God’s law and deserve judgment. We need a Savior. We need a Substitute. We need someone who can be holy and righteous under the law on our behalf.
And that’s exactly who Jesus came to be. It’s what he came to do. He came to be the perfect substitute for law-givers and law-followers, all who are under God’s law. He came into this world as an infant and grew as a child to be the substitute for children, who are under their parents’ laws. Is it funny when little kids misbehave, when they do something naughty? Sometimes it is. But funny or not, sin is still sin. We need a Savior. We need a Substitute. Jesus did not misbehave or sin, even as a little child. He came to be the perfect substitute for children who are burdened by their sins under the law.
Jesus was also under the laws of the government, the Herods, the Caesars, and all the other people who wielded political power. That’s a whole lot of corruption, just like we have today. And yet what attitude should we have towards our rulers and their laws? Should we despise them and curse their names? “Honor those in authority” God says. We need a Savior. We need a Substitute. Jesus submitted to the authorities and honored them, even when their corruption and injustice crucified him. He came to be the perfect substitute for all who are under the law of earthly authorities.
But most of all, Jesus was under the law of God. This is an amazing thought. Jesus, who is true man and true God, is under the law of God—his own law. As a parent I don’t do that. I set rules for my children, but I don’t have to follow them. And God’s law is so much bigger. It covers everything; thoughts, words, and deeds. It’s perfect and it’s holy and it’s impossible. No one can be made righteous by observing the law, even the Bible says so. We’ve all fallen short of the glory of God. We’re all carrying the burden of that guilt and the pain of its consequences. We’re all living in the shadow of death.
We need a Savior. We need a Substitute.
Simeon knew. And Anna knew. They knew that they didn’t have any righteousness of their own to offer to God. But this little baby, just 40 days old, was God’s precious gift to them. He was the perfect substitute, the one who came to live under his parents’ laws and the government’s laws and most importantly God’s righteous and holy law, and to fulfill that law for them and for their salvation. They met him at the temple, at God’s holy house. They saw him with their own eyes and held him with their own hands. And the Holy Spirit filled them with joy to know that this little child was their Christ, their Savior, their Subsititute, that by his holy life and his innocent death he had come to redeem Israel.
What we see here then is one of the great reasons why Christmas brings us so much joy. When did Jesus become the Christ? When did he become the Savior? That’s really the wrong question. You can’t have Jesus apart from who he is. He is the Christ. He is the Savior, my Savior, now and eternally. He’s my substitute on the cross, where he suffered and died for me, taking the punishment I deserved. And he’s my substitute in the manger and at the temple, where he humbled himself for me, where he shares my humanity and perfectly submits to God’s law on my behalf.
Together with Simeon and Anna, let us rejoice to know that Christ the Lord has entered our presence. Gaze upon him in his Word. Receive him in his Sacraments. The very same Savior and Substitute promises that by these things he makes himself present with his grace for you today. And then with sins forgiven and his righteousness received, go to your vocations—father, mother, son, daughter, employer, employee, etc., with his praises on your lips, singing with Simeon, “Lord, now you let your servant depart in peace.” Amen.
— Pastor Seth Georgson