The book titled “Malachi” was written by an anonymous writer in the fifth century B.C. Two generations after Exile, the populace in Jerusalem had become lax in their worship and their sense of kosher. They treated religion as a cultural reference point for their identity. Worship was not ritual, but rote. A marriage that might not be religiously acceptable was socially acceptable.

At this point, the unknown author presented a messenger from God (Malachi was Hebrew for “messenger;” the author’s image explained the title of the book). The messenger preached a diatribe against the populace and the established priesthood: “Return to the purity of the Law!” Sacrifice at the Temple required the worshiper’s best, not diseased or lame animals. To maintain the strength and identity of the community, Jews should only marry other Jews. Worship and duty to the Law were the bed rocks of Judaism. Both needed to be taken seriously!

The author implied an “or-else” to the message. Return to the purity of the Law, or face the wrath of God’s judgment. If the people won’t change for God, God will change the people. The experience of the Exile still rang in the ears of the populace, so the words of the author must have stung deeply.

In these verses from Malachi, the author saw the messenger as an instrument of God’s justice. He would reform the Levitical priesthood until they presented pure worship, like their ancestors did. The implication of violence was evident (“the terrible Day of the YHWH”); he would act just like a blacksmith refining precious metal. Beneath the task of the messenger and the threat of God’s wrath lay the power of the messenger. His might would come directly from God. For the author, the power of the messenger was the power of God. They were synonymous.

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In Hebrews 2, the author tried to answer two questions of the doubters. What was the place of Jesus as the Messiah? And, what was the place of the believer? The first question implied the relationship between Jesus and God. The second question implied the relationship of the believer with God.

To answer the first question, we must investigate the world view of first century Jewish Christians. In ancient cultures, people saw the world as a hierarchy of powers. An all-powerful God sat at the top of this list. Then came different spirits (which Jews recognized as “angels”) which controlled forces of nature. Third came humanity. Animals and plants came last. Within each layer of the hierarchy (besides the top) were sublayers. For example, the spirit realm which controlled natural forces could be benevolent (God’s angels) or malevolent (demons), depending upon their relationship to humanity. Since humanity was beneath the layer of the spirit, men and women were subject to their whims. Misfortune, disease, and death were the results of evil spirits.

Where did Jesus the Christ stand in this hierarchy? Hebrews stated his place was above the angels. In this sense, Hebrews (like the Christian movement itself) had “spiritualized” the role of the Messiah. He was not a political “Son of David” or a reforming “High Priest.” These were earthly images. No, he was like the heavenly “Son of Man” figure in Daniel 7. Jesus came from the people in his ministry and death. Then God raised him up and seated him at his right, to come again in judgment…

How does the author of Hebrews answer the second question? What relationship does the believer have with God? Because the process of salvation began with the Messiah living with the people, as one of the people, he could become a “merciful and trustworthy” High Priest for the people. In other words, his intercession would be heard directly by God the Father, even before the angels’ petitions. In the minds of Hebrews’ readers, humanity rose above the level of the angels and demons. With Jesus as the only mediator, his followers were truly children of God.

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2:22-24 This long sentence has “led HIM up” as the main verb (with object) with two explanatory infinitives, “to present HIM” and “to give a sacrificial offering.” Luke connected the couples’ action, the Temple, and the Law to stress the Jewish roots of Jesus.

2:22 “They” refer to Joseph and Mary. The pronoun “HIM”(referring to Jesus) acted as the object of both the verb “led” and the infinitive “to present.” “…to present him to the Lord . . . ” was not part of the cleansing ritual; it meant bringing Jesus into the presence of the Lord who, according to Jewish belief, dwelt in the Temple.

2:23 ” . . . every male that opens the womb . . . “ from Exodus 13:2. It referred to the first born, both human and animal.

2:24 ” . . . to give a sacrificial offering . . . “ is literally “to give sacrifice . . . ” Since the couple could not offer sacrifice in the Temple (only the priest could perform the ritual), they could only provide the animals for sacrifice. “…a pair of turtle doves…” listed in Leviticus 12:8 as a poor person’s substitute for lambs in a purification sacrifice.

2:25 ” . . . the consolation of Israel . . . ” echoed Isaiah 40:1 and 61:2. This phrase referred to the comfort God would give Israel at the end of time when the Messiah would come. John the Evangelist used the word “comfort” (i.e., “paraklesis” in Greek) to describe the Spirit (the Paraclete); the Spirit was a gift the Messiah would give at his arrival.

2:29 “O Despot” is a literal translation meaning “Lord.” The word “despot” finds its root in the Greek. “Peace” means “Shalom,” a feeling of harmony with God, one’s neighbor, and nature. In this sense, peace is living God’s will, not a stress-free life or a life without violence.

2:31 ” . . . in the view of . . . ” is literally ” . . . in the face of . . . “

2:32 ” . . . for the revelation of the nations . . . ” is literally ” . . . toward the unveiling of the nations . . . “

Luke used two bible passages in 2:22-24. The first passage was: “Every male that opens (his mother’s) womb will be called holy to the Lord” (Exodus 13:2, 12, 15). As God was the giver of life, he was to be offered life. The first male (if human, the chief heir; if animal, the guarantee of a flock/herd’s strength) was to be returned to God. In the case of animals (except the ass, which was unclean), sacrifice was dictated. In the case of a male child, a substitute offering was to be made.

The second passage was: “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons” (Leviticus 12:8). Leviticus 12 described the circumcision of a male child and the unclean status of the new mother. The rite of purification for a mother was the burnt sacrifice of a lamb and the sacrifice of a turtledove as a sin offering. A pair of doves or pigeons could be substituted for the lamb/dove if the woman was poor.

Luke included the firstborn’s substitute sacrifice with that of the offering for a woman’s purification. Thematically, he presented a “two-for-one” offering. Why did he compress these traditions into one event? To focus upon the worship of God through offering.

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