Considering Christ in Christmas
- Strength For Life
- 6 minutes ago
- 3 min read
If you follow my Facebook page, you know that every year we celebrate the days leading up to Christmas with a series I have entitled “Considering Christ in Christmas.” Today is December 23, which means the series, as well as this Advent season, is coming to a close. However, as we conclude, we are introduced to some important men and women in the story of God’s redeeming mankind.
When Joseph and Mary obeyed the Law by taking Jesus to the temple to be dedicated, they were divinely directed to meet two people. Simeon was one; you can read more about him here. If you guess, then, that the next individual we will focus on is Anna, you are correct! Like Simeon, Anna is an often underrated and under-considered individual in the birth narrative. Yet Dr. Luke wants us to know several very important things about Anna.
Luke 2:36 indicates that Anna was a prophetess. This means one of two things. She might have been married to a prophet; I say this because the wife of a prophet was sometimes called a prophetess. A fun fact is that that Isaiah's wife in the Old Testament was referred to as a prophetess simply because she was married to the prophet Isaiah (see Is. 8:3). That’s kind of a neat title for her as helpmeet to her husband. Another option for what “prophetess” might mean is that Anna may have personally taught the word of God to others. Specifically, she would have taught the Old Testament. Personally, I believe Anna was called a prophetess because she was both a terrific student, and a devoted teacher, of the Old Testament.
NorthStone Baptist Church has something similar to this understanding of a prophetess. We have ladies in our church congregation who are marvelously gifted teachers of the Word. They teach a ladies-only Sunday school class, or lead ladies’ Bible studies, or disciple the young ladies in our church.
At the time Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple to be dedicated—which was about a month after He was born (see Lev. 12:2-6)—the Bible says that Anna was of a great age. She had been a widow for decades, and as a result her life was completely devoted to God. The Bible says in Luke 2:37 that “she departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.” Her entire life was given to God. Very likely she assisted Simeon when he dedicated baby Jesus. If she did not assist, at least she observed it. From the text, it is not a stretch of imagination to think that, much like Simeon, Anna had patiently waited for the consolation of Israel (2:25) for decades. Once she understood that baby Jesus was the Christ, she gave thanks to the Lord like Simeon did. Luke 2:38 records that “she spake of him to all them that looked for the redemption in Jerusalem.”
A lot like the evangelistic shepherds we encountered earlier in the Christmas narrative, Anna was bold to speak the good news that the Messiah had come to the Earth! The word “redemption” in verse 38 is important; do not overlook it. “Redeeming” is a financial action of paying to bring something back into your own possession. I believe Anna understood that this Baby was going to pay the price for sinners, and thereby offer salvation to the world. That is the message she spoke to others. Anna was a soulwinner. She did what we should do this Christmas: we should speak of Him to everyone that will give us an ear. After all, He has done so much for us.
The above article was written by Pastor James C. Johnson. He is the pastor of NorthStone Baptist Church in Pensacola, Fl. To offer him your feedback, comment below or email us at strengthforlife461@gmail.com.
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