Simeon and Anna – taken from God With Us
Simeon took him in his arms and praised God . . . [Anna] gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. (Luke 2:28,38)
By Boxing Day, preachers want to put Christmas behind them and start to think about the New Year. So the story of Simeon and Anna – and ‘the Presentation at the Temple’ – is often overlooked.
Joseph and Mary treat the new baby according to the Jewish traditions of their day: the baby was circumcised and then, forty days after the birth, Mary and Joseph take the child to the Temple in Jerusalem for Mary’s ritual purification and Jesus’ dedication to God as the firstborn son.
At the Temple they meet two people.
The first is Simeon. He has been told by the Holy Spirit that he will not die without seeing the Messiah and he has been summoned to the Temple on this day. Simeon takes the infant Jesus, praises God because of him and prophetically declares that he has now seen salvation and that the child will be a blessing to Jew and Gentile. But the baby will be a mixed blessing for the people of Israel, causing some to rise and some to fall, and Mary will know bitter pain because of his ministry.
The second encounter is with Anna, an aged prophetess who recognises in the baby the fulfilment of God’s promises to Israel. There is much here to encourage and challenge us. Notice, first, how ‘religious duty’ is not incompatible with the working of the Holy Spirit. Mary, Joseph and Jesus are in the Temple to fulfil the Old Testament Law. Yet God works in that ritual duty through his Holy Spirit. It is a reminder to us that churchgoing and doing those things that we consider to be our duty do not exclude us from works of the Holy Spirit.
Notice, too, that God uses the elderly. Our culture has little time for senior citizens and old age often comes with a loss of hope. Not so with Simeon and Anna: they have hope. Time waiting for God is never time wasted.
Simeon highlights Jesus’ significance, declaring, ‘For my eyes have seen your salvation’ (Luke 2:30). The infant is not going to talk about how people are to be saved but will be the means through which they are saved. Simeon also says that the child is to be ‘a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel’ (Luke 2:32), that is, the good news will go out across the world, to all people.
Salvation, light to the world, the glory of Israel – will all be accomplished not through the Temple building but through this child. In a world where we can often feel reduced to insignificance, we need to remember the baby in the Temple. Sometimes the little things are vastly more significant than the big ones.
Prayer: The example of Simeon and Anna’s faithfulness is inspiring; may we see you as they saw you – a light to reveal God to the nations. Amen.
Ponder: It doesn’t matter what age you are, God can use you if you allow him to.
