Simeon and Anna

Author: Stan Guthrie
December 28, 2023

Third in a series.

Forty days after Jesus’ birth, Joseph and Mary have long since left Bethlehem’s manger and are trekking to Jerusalem to dedicate their first-born son to the Lord, as the Law requires (Lev. 12:3-4). The angels’ messages to Zechariah, Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds are warm memories, but already beginning to fade a bit. Mary and Joseph are learning the routines of parenthood without the benefit of a honeymoon, or even a proper wedding. 
The magi, unlooked for, have not yet arrived, the natal star not yet visible or noticed. Money is tight. After such an auspicious beginning, life for the family of Joseph, son of Heli, is quickly acquiring a deflating kind of normality. This should be no surprise, as the people are under a grinding and seemingly hopeless Roman domination. 
But the gathering clouds suddenly part in the temple. An old man, Simeon—named after one of Jacob’s 12 sons—approaches the chosen couple, a look of joy, relief, and authority etched on his ancient face. Simeon, whose name means “hear,” has indeed been listening, “waiting for the consolation of Israel.” The Spirit has already told “righteous and devout” Simeon that he will not die until he has seen the Savior. Throwing caution and convention to the winds, Simeon picks up the baby as if he knows him—and indeed he does.

“Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,
    according to your word;
for my eyes have seen your salvation
 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
   and for glory to your people Israel” (Luke 2:29-32).

Through untold long years, Simeon has been waiting for the Messiah: expectantly, quietly, perhaps painfully. And, finally, the Anointed One has come. Simeon needs nothing now—not even life itself. The dawn of salvation for the world is enough.
Then Simeon blesses the couple, who marvel at his encouraging words. Yet Simeon sounds a discordant note: Not everyone will rejoice. Perhaps reflecting on his own long wait, the old man warns Mary cryptically that “a sword will pierce through your own soul also.” 
Before Joseph and Mary can process these unsettling words, however, the prophetess Anna, who has been a widow longer than most people have been alive, steps forward. Anna, whose name means “grace” or “favor,” has seen little, at least according to worldly standards. A widow, she has lived at the temple for decades, perhaps out of necessity. Yet the long years in Jerusalem, separated from the comforts of family life, have not made old Anna bitter; to the contrary, she prays and fasts as easily as others breathe. And hers is no grim legalism. This well-known Jerusalem saint also has been waiting patiently for God to fulfill his promise, and she shares her joy with a couple that desperately needs to hear it (Luke 2:36-38).
Two millennia later, we know little about Simeon and Anna. Anna’s words, for that matter, are not even recorded for us. Why, then, do these two old saints pop up like prairie dogs, only to quickly disappear from our view? 
Though they add little to our knowledge of Jesus, they provide windows into the character of faith, which can often be lonely. Their rejoicing and encouragement come only after years of private waiting. And though history-changing events have begun to unfold, Anna and Simeon teach us that God cares not only about the world, but also about each one of us.

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Stan Guthrie is minister of communications at New Covenant Church. This article is taken from his book, A Concise Guide to Bible Prophecy: 60 Predictions Everyone Should Know (Baker, 2013).

Painting by Jan van't Hoff "Simeon and Anna" 

¹ Most scholars believe the magi came later, when Jesus was living in a house (Matt. 2:11). Supporting this view is the fact that when Herod slaughtered the children in Bethlehem in an effort to murder the king of the Jews (Matt. 2:16-18).

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