Simeon and Anna

     There is a part of the story of the birth of the Savior Jesus Christ that is often left out of the Christmas story.  This part of the story is told in the middle of the second chapter of Luke and takes place at the temple in Jerusalem.
    According to the Levitical law given to the Israelites by God at the time of Moses, a woman who had given birth to a child was considered unclean until a sacrifice was made on her behalf at the temple.  This sacrifice was to be two young pigeons or a pair of turtledoves.  Since Mary gave birth to a male child, her days of purification would have been 33 days.  (Leviticus 12)

     In addition to this, the firstborn children in Israel were considered holy before the Lord because of the sacred Passover that took place in Egypt when the Lord spared the firstborn children of the people of Israel.  This meant the firstborn child of a woman or an animal belonged to God (Exodus 13:2).  The firstborn children of animals that were considered clean according to the Levitical law were required as a sacrifice unto God.  

     The firstborn child of a woman, on the other hand, was to be redeemed by five shekels of silver according to the custom of the law.  This redemption was made to redeem the child from sacrifice.  According to Jewish tradition as I understand it, this is done after 31 days have passed since the birth of the child.  (Numbers 3:44-51)

     So, approximately a month after the birth of the Messiah, Joseph and Mary came to the temple of Jerusalem to fulfill the laws regarding the days of her purification and to present Jesus to the Lord at the temple according to the customs of the law.  A man named Simeon was at the temple waiting to see the young Lord.  He took the young Prince of Peace in his arms, blessed God, and blessed the family as he spoke of the destiny of the Anointed Son.  As he did so, a woman named Anna came upon them.  She rejoiced to see the Holy Child and proceeded to speak of Him unto those seeking redemption.

     Simeon and Anna are excellent examples of faith.  The scriptures tell us Anna had been a widow for 84 years and didn’t leave the temple.  She spent her days and nights fasting and praying unto the Lord.  This means this woman had devoted her life to God.  She would have been intimately familiar with the feelings of the Spirit.  She would have been prepared to meet her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  So, when she saw the Hope of Israel, she knew Him.  Even though it would have been hard to believe what Simeon was saying, she knew it was true because she knew God.  She rejoiced to see Him and proceeded to share this joy with those around her.

     Simeon was a just and devout man who waited for Jehovah.  His faith in the Messiah was so great that the Lord promised him he would not die before he had the opportunity to see the Holy One.  So, at the time Jesus was to be brought to the temple, the Holy Spirit guided Simeon to the temple to see Him.  He, too, knew the Lord when he saw the Blessed Child.  He rejoiced so much that he was carried away to proclaiming how glorious God was.

     When you look at the examples of Anna, you must ask yourself how you stand at this time.  Do you have enough faith in Jehovah to be worthy of having the Holy Spirit guide you to the place the Savior would come?  Would you recognize the Lord if He came before you?  Would you be able to recognize the truth if somebody else testified to you that Jesus had come?  Would seeing Him bring such joy into your soul that you would be carried away in praising God?  Would your joy at seeing Him be so great that you would have to share it with everyone else seeking Him?