Characters at the Cradle: Anna, A Prophetess Full of Grace

by David Chadwick

Following Simeon, our next character at the cradle is Anna. Join me in Luke 2:36-38. In just three simple verses, we will learn so much about the life of Anna.

Described in the Bible as a “prophetess,” Anna had a spiritual gift from God to be able to rightly hear the heart of God and declare it accordingly for particular situations, sometimes even for future situations. In this case, Anna was testifying and prophesying to the fact that Jesus was the fulfillment of all of God’s promises.

We know that the prophets in the Old Testament were from God because their prophecies came true. Over 300 were about the coming of the Messiah, and every one of them was fulfilled in Jesus. The probability factor of all these 300 coming true, given hundreds of years before Jesus came into the world, is astonishing.

Let’s take a look at some of the notable ones. Micah 5:2 says the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, 700-plus years before Jesus’s birth. Psalm 22 prophesies of Jesus’s death, 900-plus years before Jesus died on the cross. Isaiah 53 prophesied 600-plus years before Jesus’s death that a Messiah would come to pay for our sins.

The probability factor of just eight prophecies to be accurately fulfilled in specificity through Jesus is off the charts! Much less 300 of them accurately fulfilled! We can wholeheartedly trust the reliability of God’s Word, at least in part, because of fulfilled prophecies.

Don’t forget that one out of four verses in the Bible is prophetic. In the New Testament, they point not to Jesus’s First Coming, but to his Second Coming. While this hasn’t happened yet, these prophecies will also come to pass. Are you living each day in anticipation of his Second Coming? It will happen! Are you ready? I am! I can’t wait for this glorious day!

But for this week, let’s look at Anna. She was a widow. Therefore, she knew heartbreak and loss. She loved God. Therefore, she trusted God in her pain and hurt. But she also exercised a gift of prophecy that God had given her about Jesus. She saw in this baby in the temple the redemption of all humanity. The way to heaven for those who believe in him.

May her words of prophecy give us all great hope this week and beyond.

Characters at the Cradle: Simeon, The Appointed Child

by David Chadwick

Luke 2:33-35 wraps up this week’s character at the cradle named Simeon, a righteous and devout man who knew of the Christ child’s arrival through the Holy Spirit’s revelation.

He just prophesied over Jesus and knew that God had just fulfilled a promise he had made to him to let him see the salvation of the Lord through the Messiah before he passed away.

Mary and Joseph marveled at all that Simeon had prophesied over their child.

They obviously knew all of this to be true from the angelic visitation from Gabriel giving them insight about Jesus. But can you imagine how it felt to hear another person confirm all of God’s promises over their son? This baby boy named Jesus. The Savior of the world. Called by God. Miraculously conceived.

Simeon blessed both Jesus and his parents with his word of prophecy and encouragement. Mary and Joseph needed courage as they parented this special child.

Simeon then spoke a special, specific word to Mary about the appointed child God had given her. “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed” (Luke 2:35). It’s as if the Lord used Simeon to take Mary aside and speak words directly to her soul to help her endure the calling she had ahead of her.

This child would divide Israel; some would believe in Christ, and others would not. Simeon knew this. “A sign that is opposed” alluded to that great opposition that would come upon Jesus. “The sword” referred to the future crucifixion of Jesus. The accuracy of Simeon’s word would prove to be true over the course of Jesus’s life.

As Mary saw the opposition arise over her son, I can imagine Simeon’s words came back to her remembrance. Paul says that prophecy is meant to be used as a weapon for believers. They are words we should use to fight in the midst of opposition and spiritual warfare. I am sure Mary did this. As Jesus began to be scrutinized and questioned. As the anger of Rome and religious leaders intensified. As she stood at the base of the cross and watched her son die.

Even in Mary’s sorrow, she had faith. She believed that God had sent her his son to carry in her womb, to raise up, and to love deeply. Simeon’s words gave her courage to live this out. Mary, too, was an essential part of God’s redemptive history. You and I have a role to play as well. You are not just saved for eternity. You are saved to build the kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.

Characters at the Cradle: Simeon, A Light for Revelation

by David Chadwick

We are following the story of Simeon. Mary and Joseph were in the temple with Jesus, awaiting his purification according to the Law of Moses. Simeon had just realized that Jesus was the Messiah, the fulfillment of all of the prophecies. Let’s keep reading to see what happens with this character at the cradle whose life intersects with the Son of God.

As we learned yesterday, Simeon’s life was led by the Holy Spirit. On the very day that Jesus and his family were going in for Jesus’s purification, Simeon, who had been waiting for years for “the consolation of Israel” to be born, was led to the temple by the Holy Spirit at the exact moment when Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus would be there.

This alone should be enough to stir all of our faith to believe that God is always working from every angle, with every person, to accomplish his plans on the earth.

Nothing. And I mean nothing is outside of God’s sovereign control and timing! God knew when Jesus would be in the temple. Therefore, the third person of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit, guided Simeon, this devout and righteous man, to the temple at that exact moment. In doing so, the Father answered all of Simeon’s prayers for years as Simeon came face to face with his Messiah.

According to Luke 2:28-32, Simeon took baby Jesus in his arms, blessed God, and then began to prophesy over the child, “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.”

Can you imagine what Simeon must have been feeling at this moment? He was fully aware that everything happening was divinely authored by God himself. One can presume that he was fully present and fully aware of the miraculous majesty of the moment.

If I can, let me encourage you for a moment in this new year. Stay alert. Don’t become numb to all that God is doing in your life and in the lives of those around you. So often, in a broken world, people become hardened to the ordained wonders of the Lord, to the little whispers of grace, and to his glimpses of glory.

Like Simeon, keep your eyes open to the promises fulfilled all around you. Simeon knew he could die in peace after seeing Jesus; the greatest desire of his heart had been met. He knew he was holding in his arms the only one who could save all people, Jews and Gentiles alike. This baby would become a light to Gentiles on how to live and how to go to heaven, and Israel would be glorified through his life. Through the life of Jesus, Israel’s purpose in salvation history was unfolding.