How do Simeon and Anna know that this particular baby being carried into the Temple by Mary & Joseph is the one they’ve been waiting for?
What gave it away that he would be the bearer of God’s salvation? //
Given the small size of an eight-day-old infant wrapped from head to toe, I’m guessing it was actually Mary & Joseph that caught Simeon’s attention. What was it about them?
Were they “glowing,” on a high from surviving their first-time birth experience, eager to give God praise and an offering because they had been recipients of heaven’s mercy in a situation of tremendous vulnerability?
I can picture Rachel & Mark Diller Harder’s son Micah and daughter-in-law Molly having those feelings regarding the birth of their daughter Briar a few weeks ago.
The safe birth of a child is not something to take for granted.
It’s always a humbling miracle worthy of praise and thanksgiving.
There must have been other couples there at the Temple who shone with that expression of gratitude, making their offering out of overflowing joy.
So, what made Joseph & Mary stand out? //
Well, maybe they were beaming brighter than others on account of the shepherds’ visit and the testimony of the Heavenly Host praising God in the skies above Bethlehem.
And, to put even more shine on their faces and spring in their step, let’s not forget Mary & Joseph had their own testimony of angel visitations, dreams, and promises to pump them up.
Maybe Simeon and Anna overheard Mary & Joseph telling their story to others, creating some buzz and excitement, drawing a small crowd – maybe even a big crowd. Maybe that’s how Simeon and Anna know this baby is the one. //
Yet, when we stop and think about it, doesn’t it seem more likely Jesus’ parents actually would have been trying to keep to themselves, trying really hard NOT to be noticed?
While pregnant with Jesus, Mary proclaims a bold Magnificat in Luke chapter one, verses 46-55, where she calls down the rich and powerful, and raises up the meek and hungry.
She’s inspired and on fire.
But now, after Jesus is born, we don’t see her grabbing a wooden crate in the Temple courtyard, stepping up on it, and holding forth with more of the same.
We don’t see either her or Joseph openly declaring to everyone that their baby will be the Saviour of the world.
I’m guessing they were familiar with what happens to “messiahs” in Judea who go public.
Anyone preaching anti-Rome rhetoric would have got themselves on that Police State’s “Most-Wanted” list. Those trying to drum up a revolt were jailed. Some were crucified.
No, Joseph and Mary needed to keep a low profile – to be as invisible and discrete as possible. They needed to wait for God to reveal, at the right time, their son’s high calling.
You don’t suppose that’s how Simeon and Anna picked them out?
Were these two Spirit-filled seniors watching specifically for a family that kept their heads down, moved quietly about, showing no visible signs of celebration?
Were Simeon and Anna looking for a family that reflected both vulnerability and bravery at the same time?
Were they looking for a courageous set of parents willing to dedicate their baby to an unseen God, to do so in front of the Principalities and Powers, daring to believe this God is greater than the evils of their messed-up world?
Wow, a couple who could hold fear & faith together would indeed be a rare sight. We know how hard it is to be honest about our doubts and still believe God is at work in spite of all signs to the contrary.
There is a saying that: “It takes one to know one.” Did Simeon & Anna have lived experience holding fear and faith together, such that they could recognize the same in others?
We’ll come back to them in a couple of minutes.
Right now, let’s take a moment to consider the times they were living in, and how similar they might be to our present day. //
First off, you don’t have to be a biblical scholar to glean from the first four books of the New Testament that the Jews of that day were frustrated by the Roman occupation of their land.
Part of the problem was that their king – Herod – was in bed with Caesar, serving as one the emperor’s puppet kings. That relationship with Rome complicated and compromised their Zionist ambition to return the Promised Land to a pure and free state.
With little happening to advance their aspirations for independence, with things seemingly going backwards even, it’s not hard to imagine that worship at the Temple and its outlying synagogues would start to feel increasingly hollow and irrelevant.
Surely younger Jews on mass, along with an increasing number of individuals from older generations, would start to conclude that there is no point in mechanically going through their religion’s rituals and traditions, complying with its laws.
Surely, they would conclude that loyalty to the institution – namely, the Temple – is undeserved given that nothing seems to be getting better.
No matter how many sacrifices are offered up on that “holy” altar, there still is no sign of God…no sign of a Savior delivering them from the evil of Rome.
Might there be some parallel themes in our day?
It is no secret that Christians have become discouraged with the established Church, frustrated by how little it offers by way of pointing to
a God who is still active and effective –
a God who still is present, working among the lost, the little, and the least –
a God who is still moving mountains and raising the dead.
It is no secret that many teens, young adults, and a cross section from all ages see the Church as having made compromises, taking on more and more attributes of the culture we live in, with its emphasis on self at the center.
While that choice appeals for awhile, mirroring a core impulse to get by in life under our own power, eventually it cracks and breaks apart under the weight of crises too big for human ingenuity to conquer.
A Bible story from the Old Testament comes to mind. Two thousand six hundred years ago, a similar shift away from God toward self reliance culminated in the collapse of Judea being sent to Babylon into exile.
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon is on the verge of getting a little too smug as the victor, so God enters his dreams and points out that if he doesn’t learn from the Jews’ mistake, his kingdom will travel down a similar path and break apart.
In the dream that Nebuchadnezzar has, he receives a vision of an “enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance” (Daniel 2:31 and following).
The head of the statue is made of gold, but as you progress downward, the statue’s building materials change.
The chest and arms are made of silver, and the belly and thighs of bronze.
Then comes the legs which were made of iron.
Finally, the feet – they were a mixture of iron and fired clay.
One of the Jewish exiles employed by the king – a man named Daniel – is enabled by God to know what the dream was without the king telling him, and also what the dream means.
Daniel describes the statue perfectly, and tells the king that a gigantic Rock will come and smash the compromised feet.
The clay and iron mix won’t hold up, and down will fall the statue, with each section breaking into pieces.
Nebuchadnezzar is humbled by the vision and vows to lead differently, acknowledging Daniel’s God as the “God of gods, and Lord of kings, a revealer of mysteries” (Daniel 2:47).
I love that last phrase, that Daniel’s God is a “revealer of mysteries.”
Jesus in his earthly ministry pointed to this very same truth – pointing not to himself but to God, whom, if we let go of needing to control, will reveal to us mysteries that would create paths through our most difficult issues and broken relationships.
Friends, perhaps we need to pay more attention to our dreams – to the messages God is sending us – invitations to name our fears and encouragement to let go of trying to handle everything ourselves, in other words, to match our fears with faith.
Every morning, you and I have a chance to hear Jesus’ call and enter the quest to discover God’s faithfulness in these dark days of war, climate change, human trafficking, homeless-ness, drug addiction, and more.
Every morning, we have a chance to bring our wounds and losses to God, asking the Holy Spirit to lead us through the mystery of deeply embedded fears and trauma – memories we hold that have convinced us we are not good enough to be loved for who we are. //
The Good News is that there are people in our families, church, and community who have experienced God carrying them through the valley of the shadow of death.
There are people who have found God faithful to help them face their fears, bringing them through to knowing love wins in the end.
Surely Simeon and Anna were two such people. I believe they had their own experience of God’s grace and saving power. I believe that experience enabled them to recognize Mary and Joseph.
Let’s take a look at who Simeon and Anna were.
We read that Simeon has a reputation for being righteous and devout.
What is the writer saying? That Simeon was a goody two shoes? Mr. Perfect?
Was he one of those kids who had a perfect attendance record at Sabbath School?
Was he one of those teens who never missed a year celebrating the Passover service at the Temple?
Did he go to private schools sponsored by his synagogue, starting with Junior Kindergarten all the way through to University?
Was he like Saul before his conversion to Paul, a person so overly and competitively Jewish that it was off-putting?
I’m guessing most of us aren’t interested in associating with people whose striving cause us to question our worthiness, who intentionally or unintentionally make us feel small.
Had Simeon been that kind of person?
Luke goes on to share that Simeon has a close connection to God through the Holy Spirit.
Interesting.
We know that only happens when people humble themselves, die to themselves and wait on God to direct their day-to-day living.
If that’s true, what do you suppose humbled Simeon?
It’s interesting that Luke makes no mention of Simeon’s family.
We don’t know who his father or mother was, or what tribe he is from.
We don’t know if he is married, or was married.
We don’t know if he has any children or grandchildren, any sisters or brothers, uncles or aunts.
Might we assume he was on his own, alone?
If so, was it by choice or the result of some tragedy?
We are left to imagine different scenarios – ones we might relate to.
Whatever the backstory, could the reason why Simeon is so reliant on and in tune with the Holy Spirit be because there was nobody else in his life? I wonder. //
And why is he so in need of seeing the salvation of God incarnate itself before he dies?
Could it be that he Is looking for reassurance?
Had he lived the vast majority of his life chasing after trophies that only rusted, and accolades that eventually evaporated?
Had he arrived at the devastating conclusion that for all his striving, he had missed the target – and that it cost him the love of those closest?
Whatever his past, he’s since found grace and forgiveness, which is HUGE!
His close relationship with the Spirit is proof that he’s come through the death of his previous life, and been reborn into an experience of acceptance and belonging he could never achieve on his own.
Humbled by this awaking, regretting that most of his life was spent trying to prove his worth when it actually was a given, it makes sense that he’s been asking God for some sign or assurance.
Before he dies, he wants to know that his life is facing the right direction, aligned with that which has eternal significance. Anyone of us would want that.
Through the Spirit, Simeon has this sense that his own salvation story is now about to happen on a much larger scale – and not just affecting his people, but the Gentiles too!
When he engages Joseph and Mary, his first words are of praise to God for the chance to behold the start of this wonderful movement that will be a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of God’s people Israel.
Then, Simeon speaks privately with Mary, which is interesting. Why exclude Joseph?
Simeon tells Mary that her child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel.
What did he mean by that?
Seems to me he is saying that the path of salvation is a journey through death, followed by an experience of God’s resurrection power.
He had to have been speaking from experience – his own falling and rising. //
Next, Simeon tells Mary that people aren’t going to readily accept this path of dying as the way to eternal life.
They will argue against it.
And the more they resist, the more their insecurity and powerlessness will be revealed. //
Simeon tells Mary that she too will come to experience this.
No one gets a pass – not even the mother of the Saviour of the world.
Did Simeon know Joseph would die early on, leaving Mary overwhelmed as a single parent with seven or more children to raise?
Could Simeon see even further into the future, how deeply troubled Mary would be by reports her son was insane, even demon-possessed, such that she would try to intervene and bring him home?
Could Simeon even see that this little child would not only be spoken against, but one day be arrested and crucified?
Wow. Simeon has piled it on heavy – that’s a lot for Mary to digest!
Before he can say more and completely overwhelm her, thank God Anna comes over and interrupts!
It’s good we are not told specifics about what lies ahead for us. It would fill us with fear and worry. Best to live one day at a time. Best to focus on God’s track-record of faithfulness, holding on to the fact that God will provide.
Yes, thankfully Anna enters and turns things back to the present, to this moment of giving God all thanks, glory, and praise.
Who is this Anna?
Luke tells us the name of her father is Penuel, from the clan of Asher in northern Israel, approximately where Lebanon is today, on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.
Being that distant from Jerusalem, did the people from Asher feel on the fringe?
Did they wrestle with second-class feelings?
The name “Penuel” means “Face of God.”
It is a variant spelling of the name Jacob gave to the place where he wrestled with an angel the night before meeting up with his estranged twin brother Esau whom he hadn’t seen in over 20 years.
What struggle had Anna’s paternal grandparents gone through that they named their baby, Anna’s father, Penuel à “Face of God.”?
Wrestling seems to be a generational theme in Anna’s life.
From what Luke tells us, Anna may have wrestled hard, struggling to hold on to God through difficult times.
She had been married, but seven years along her husband dies.
It was after that that she made the Temple her “home,” living there for the next 50+ years.
Why does she make this choice to live at the Temple?
Was it because her husband’s death threw her into a state of poverty, driving her, like dozens of other widows, to have to rely on the compassion of others? Was she literally staying close to God’s house in order to secure her daily bread?
Like Simeon, she’s kind of intense.
She never leaves the Temple, worshipping night and day, fasting and praying.
Why this level of devotion?
No mention is made of any children from her seven-year marriage.
Having lost her husband, and having no children, would she have drawn the conclusion that some kind of curse or consequence for some sin was being exercised on her?
Had she wrestled with God, holding on tight like her ancestor Jacob, till heaven blessed her and assured her she was not cursed?
Assuming she got that blessing like Jacob, did she then stay on at the Temple to be a testimony of God’s grace to others who came searching for deliverance from their demons? //
Will you join me in a closing prayer?
Dear God, You are the God of gods, and Lord of kings. You are a revealer of mysteries!
You came to Simeon and Anna, and showed them the pathway home.
You met them in their falling.
You guided them through their dark valley, and raised them up into light and life.
You led them along paths they couldn’t see or imagine. You brought them through their worst fears – especially the fear of having lived a wasted or condemned life.
You gave them eyes to see and ears to hear Good News – to recognize Your salvation present and growing in their troubled world.
Lord, grant to us these same mercies You bestowed on Anna & Simeon. Meet us in our falling down. Send Your Spirit to take hold of our hand and lead us through the darkness.
Reveal Jesus to us, that we would be encouraged and join him on this journey of fear and faith – this journey of dying and being raised to life.
Do what You do so well – save us, love us, heal us.
Transform us into beacons of light who can encourage others who have fallen, and who fear the darkness.
May we be agents of Good News, pointing to the mystery and wonder of Your saving work in our day. In Jesus’ name we pray. AMEN.