Anna

We have not finished with Simeon. As he blessed the young family he also, under the inspiration of the Spirit, added words that introduce the first ominous hint into Luke’s story. Jesus is the promised Messiah, yes, but the light of his truth introduces a foreshadowing of conflict. Mary will suffer, beyond anything we can imagine, as she watched her own dearly loved son, crucified. The blessing comes with unspeakable pain.

I love Luke’s gospel, and one of the reasons is that Luke pays particular attention to people marginalized by society. So he couples the story of Simeon with that of the widow Anna. She must have been desperately poor, having lived as a widow all those years (no husband’s pension or government benefits to help her make ends meet). Presumably, she had no support from children, either, as she lived at the temple, where she could at least beg for money. Luke does not record her exact words, but she obviously understood that this child had come to fulfill the many prophecies in Isaiah (e.g. 46:13, 52:10, 56:1) which foretold how Jerusalem would be redeemed, set free (v 38). Free, not so much politically, but spiritually. Jerusalem (and, by implication, Palestine and the whole world) would be freed from its captivity to sin.

How real in your life is this freedom that Jesus brought? Is this deliverance part of your ordinary, everyday life? The Holy Spirit who inspired so many of the people in this story of the first Christmas—Zechariah, Mary, Elizabeth, John the Baptist, Simeon—has been poured out on all Christians, not just so we can prophesy and understand what God is up to, but to bring Jesus to us personally. Too much to explain here, but it will become clear as we read the rest of the New Testament.

Respond in Prayer

“God’s Spirit makes us loving, happy, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and self-controlled. . . And because we belong to Christ Jesus, we have killed our selfish feelings and desires” (Galatians 5:22, CEV). Lord Jesus, I renew my commitment to you and thank you for giving me life, real life. Amen.

Annabel Robinson