LUKE 2:25-40 – ANNA
INTERCESSOR,
PROPHETESS, EVANGELIST
Simeon and Anna were elderly
people who had anticipated the appearance of the Messiah for many years. Here
are their stories.
Luke 2:25 And, behold, there
was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and
devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.
John MacArthur Study Bible:
Consolation of Israel. A messianic title, evidently derived from
verses like Is. 25:9; 40:1, 2; 66:1–11.
Isaiah 25:9 (ESV) It will be
said on that day, “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he
might save us.
This is the Lord; we have waited for him;
let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”
Simeon means “obedient,
listening” in Hebrew. Simeon definitely was an obedient listener, hearing the Holy
Spirit. For us to be enabled to hear the Holy Spirit, we must be obedient
listeners. We must listen intently and intentionally and be careful to obey all the
Lord instructs us to do (Joshua 1:8).
Luke 2:26 And it was revealed
unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen
the Lord's Christ. 27 And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the
parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, 28
Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said,
Simeon heard the Spirit in his
heart assuring him he would live to see the Messiah. Somehow the Spirit
prompted him to go to the temple that very day and hour that Jesus was being dedicated.
There he saw baby Jesus in his
parents’ arms and KNEW by the Spirit’s revelations this infant was the Son of
God. He was filled with hope, peace
and comfort. Joy overwhelmed him as he took the Baby into his arms to bless
him.
Luke 2:29 Lord, now lettest
thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: 30 For mine eyes have
seen thy salvation, 31 Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; 32
A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
Simeon now can rest because he
not only believed that the Lord was in control, but he had seen that the Lord
was in control. He had been allowed to see the promised Hope, our freedom - the chain breaker, the
One who delivers us from the prison of sin. He also acknowledged in his speech that Jesus
was not for Israel alone. He was to make the message available to other nations,
Gentiles included. Simeon referred to the Messiah as a light, and in the gospel
of John, we saw that Jesus is The Light (John chapter 1). Jesus Himself said
that He was The Light:
John 8:12 (ESV) Again Jesus
spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will
not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
John 9:5 (ESV) As long as I am
in the world, I am the light of the world.”
Simeon was serving the Lord as
a prophet while holding the Son of God.
Luke 2:33 And Joseph and his
mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him.
Mary and Joseph were receiving
confirmation of all the angel had told them. Everything may have begun to make
some semblance of sense. A total stranger had just come up to them praising God that he had
now seen the Messiah, their baby!
Luke 2:34 And Simeon blessed
them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and
rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; 35
(Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of
many hearts may be revealed.
Jesus would have a polarizing
effect on people. They would either recognize Him as the Messiah and be raised
to walk with God, or they would reject Him and ultimately fall. That He would
be a significant person, now seems to be a humongous understatement. Our entire
western calendar revolves around Him. Granted, His life was unique, but one
ordinary person can have a tremendous impact as well. I do not know how many days I
have left, but I am determined to use my influence on behalf of God to the
fullest extent of God’s ability within me. Exposing our secret thoughts is an
intimidating and somewhat ominous proposition especially if we have not yet
experienced God’s saving grace. Jesus makes our sin and failure apparent to us in order that we
may see our need of Him and His availability to us when we
surrender to Him.
Mary’s heart would be broken as
she saw her innocent Son crucified. As the spear pierced the
pericardium, her own heart would feel pierced as well because He was still her
beloved Son even though He was the Messiah. However, we know the rest of the story, that
she would see Him raised from the dead!
Luke 2:36 And there was one
Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a
great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity; 37 And
she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the
temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.
Anna in Hebrew means “favor or
grace, God has favored me”. God certainly favored Anna in allowing her to
see the baby Savior. Anna’s husband died when they had been married only a
brief time. What sustained Anna much of the time was not physical food, but
prayer. She made the food for her spirit the priority rather than her physical
appetite.
She served as an intercessor in
the temple and had devoted her life to her Lord.
Luke 2:38 And she coming in
that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them
that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.
At this point she was at least 84
years old. She, like Simeon, immediately knew that Jesus was the Messiah.
Therefore, she must have been filled with the Holy Spirit as well. Her service
in the temple was not out of duty, but out of love and relationship with the
Lord. Simeon was now ready to die and be with the Lord, but for Anna, it
wasn’t time to go and rest even though she, too, was elderly. She now felt
compelled to go and share the good news of this Messiah wrapped in the tender
skin of a baby. At this point, she is an intercessor, prophetess, and
evangelist!
Luke 2:39 And when they had
performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into
Galilee, to their own city Nazareth. 40 And the child grew, and waxed strong in
spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.
After a brief sojourn in Egypt
after the visit of the Magi (we will read about this in Matthew’s gospel), they
returned to Nazareth where Joseph worked as a carpenter. Jesus had to grow up
and get stronger just like any other child. He had to satiate His hunger,
hydrate, and eliminate just like the rest of us. He had to obey His parents
(those He created). He was fully human yet fully divine.
APPLY THIS TO YOUR LIFE:
1. Remember that Jesus came
with the cross already in view. Incarnation is not only about a baby in a
manger.
2. Are we expecting Jesus to
break through the clouds as if it could be today? And are we excitedly
anticipating His moving in our lives right now? Do we have the attitude of
expectancy seen in Simeon and Anna?
3. No one knows how many days
or years they have left to serve the Lord, but we can choose to live each
moment with Jesus’ influence flowing through us in this life as Anna did.
No comments:
Post a Comment