There was a lack of spiritual zeal among the populace. The greatest need was in the religious sphere and the “rebuilt” temple was a mere shadow of Solomon’s temple. In Malachi’s eyes the liturgical and sacrificial elements of temple worship were in shambles.
Malachi’s name means “my messenger” and it is clear that he regarded himself as the spokesperson for God. He prophesied an approaching visitation of God that would utterly cleanse the people and the temple. Temple worship could then resume in correctness and purity. One thing was certain: the visitation would not be a pleasant experience. Malachi’s role as the messenger of God was to prepare the way for that encounter by opening the minds and hearts of the people and bringing about repentance.
In Jewish tradition, this passage of Malachi became associated with Elijah the prophet, who was supposed to appear on the scene to prepare the way for the Messiah and the visitation of God. In some New Testament traditions, this Elijah tradition found a new home in the person of John the Baptist (Matt 17:11-13). Elijah, Malachi and John the Baptist all lived and worked in tumultuous, troublesome and dangerous times. We are not unique in that regard — there never has been an earthly utopia. Their ability to minister to people and to be instruments of God depended on the depth of their spiritual commitment and their consistent focus on God. They did not waver from their inner call or allow themselves to be seduced by concerns for personal safety or the possession of power and influence.
Jesus is not ashamed to call us brothers and sisters — have we ever stopped to reflect on the implications of those words? He came to be one of us and one with us, as well as our companion on our journey through life. He has been truly tested and has suffered greatly.
There is nothing that we could share with Him that He would not understand. The Jesus that is portrayed in the Letter to the Hebrews is not merely an object of worship, a judge or distant and abstract figure. He is our brother, teacher and friend at all times and in all places.
There is a lot of theology packed into Luke’s account of the birth and infancy of Jesus. It was very clear in the temple accounts that both John the Baptist and Jesus were (and still are) sons of Israel. Jesus did not stand outside of the religion of His birth nor did He abolish or reject it. His birth and entrance into the covenant community were in harmony with the Law and tradition of Israel and this included the presentation and sacrifice in the temple. Many patient and holy people waited and hoped for the coming of God’s anointed emissary. These are the sort of folks that are found in every time, place and religion. Their names are rarely household words but they are the ones who hold the world together.
Anna and Simeon, two of these waiting holy ones, lived in the Spirit. The Spirit both led them and heightened their spiritual awareness, enabling them to detect the gentle and seemingly hidden movements of the Divine among them. Both Anna and Simeon were well aware that in this tiny infant God’s promise had been fulfilled. For Simeon, this was the supreme joy of his life — he was willing to depart this life. The visitation of God was not to be marked with the sort of apocalyptic violence envisioned by Malachi. Nonetheless, there was a cryptic and ominous warning given by Simeon: the infant and what He represented would be bad news for human pretensions and power claims. He would mirror to people their secret innermost selves.
The Jesus of the Gospels makes people uneasy — there is an unnerving challenge for everyone. He is not a friend of our fears, prejudices, selfishness and dogmatic opinions.
No wonder He was and always will be opposed wherever He is taken seriously.