Simeon and Anna: The Long Wait

An old man stands in the temple courts with a tiny baby in his arms. His hands are shaking. His eyes are wet. And he is laughing, and praying, both at once.

About six weeks have passed since the night in Bethlehem. The shepherds have gone back to their fields. Now Mary and Joseph make the short journey to Jerusalem, carrying the baby Jesus. They are doing what the law of Moses asks of every family like theirs. A mother came to the temple to be declared clean again after giving birth. And a firstborn son was presented to the Lord, as a sign that he belonged to God. So they climb the steps into the busy temple courts, with an offering of two small birds. An ordinary family, doing an ordinary thing. Or so it seems.

There was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon. Luke tells us he was righteous and devout. He was waiting for what Luke calls the consolation of Israel: the day God would comfort his people and keep his promises. And the Holy Spirit was on him. The Spirit had shown Simeon that he would not die until he had seen the Lord's Messiah. We are not told how long he had been waiting. Only that he kept waiting. Then, on this particular day, the Spirit nudged him. Go to the temple. Now.

Simeon arrives just as Mary and Joseph are bringing Jesus in. Out of all the families in those crowded courts, he knows. He takes the baby in his arms, and he praises God. “Lord, now you are letting your servant go in peace, just as you promised. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people. A light to bring revelation to the nations, and glory to your people Israel.” Picture Mary and Joseph's faces. Angels, shepherds, and now a stranger in the temple saying the same astonishing thing. Luke says they marvelled at what was said about him.

Then Simeon blesses them, and he turns to Mary. His voice grows quieter. “This child is set for the falling and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that will be opposed, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed.” And then, gently: “A sword will pierce through your own soul too.” In the middle of all this joy, a shadow. Simeon sees that following this child will not always be easy, and that loving him will one day cost Mary deep pain. Mary holds her son, and she listens.

At that very moment, someone else comes up. Her name is Anna, a prophet, daughter of Phanuel, from the tribe of Asher. She had been married for seven years when her husband died. Luke says she was a widow of eighty-four, which may mean she was eighty-four years old, or that she had been a widow for eighty-four years. Either way, she was old. And she never left the temple. Night and day she worshipped there, fasting and praying. Now Anna sees the child, and she begins to thank God. And she does not stop there. She tells everyone who has been waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. The one we have been longing for is here.

There is a small detail here worth noticing: the two birds. The law of Moses asked a new mother to bring a lamb and a dove as her offering. But Leviticus also made a kindness for families who could not afford a lamb. They could bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons instead. Luke says that is exactly what Mary and Joseph offered. The Messiah that Simeon had waited for all his life was born into a family that could not afford a lamb.

Simeon and Anna. You'll find them in Luke chapter two, verses twenty-two to thirty-eight. Two old people who kept praying, kept hoping, kept turning up, until the day the promise was placed in their arms. So here is a question to carry with you. What are you waiting for God to do, and how can you keep faithful while you wait?