When the time had come for Jesus to be presented in the temple we meet two people,
Simeon and Anna.
Simeon was a righteous and devout man. He was waiting on the consolation of Israel, or the Messiah and the Bible says that the Holy Spirit was upon Him. It had been revealed to Him that he would not die until he had seen the Messiah, so at the prompting of the Holy Spirit, he went to the temple on the day that Jesus was brought there by Mary and Joseph.
Also in the temple was Anna, a prophetess. She had been a widow for many years. The Bible says that she did not depart from the temple worshipping with fasting and prayer night and day. I know there was a turmoil in the land and she may have been praying for peace and the coming Messiah after hearing of the birth of John. It isn’t my place to speculate and it isn’t mentioned in the scriptures.
Now, I have read the account of Jesus’ birth many times, but for some reason failed to remember these two people. I also know that everything in scripture is God-breathed and for a purpose. I spent some time this morning studying about Simeon and Anna and the Old Testament law that was followed before Jesus was presented to the temple and the sacrifice was given. You can go read about all this in Luke 2:22-40 and I encourage you to do so. In doing that, I came across a couple of scriptures that go back to Old Testament law in Deuteronomy about charges being brought against someone. Paraphrasing, but basically says that word of one person isn’t enough. You need at least two or three. Then as I was reading, John 8:17 was brought to my attention. It says, “In Your Law it is written that the testimony of two people is true.” This was Jesus himself talking.
Now, as I think back to Simeon and Anna in the temple being men and women of faith in the coming Messiah, I can’t help but be in awe of the fact that God used two people in the temple that day to proclaim Jesus as the Christ child, the Messiah! Simeon took the child in his arms and said he “could die in peace” and “my eyes have seen your salvation.” Anna was quick to tell anyone who would listen about the Messiah who was in the temple! These two were the confirmed word of the consolation of Israel!
Before I go, I want to leave you with a thought and a challenge to grow in faith…
These two seen the promises of the Lord be manifested in their lives. Simeon seeing the face of the child before His death as the Holy Spirit promised. Anna trusting that her devotion to prayer and fasting would bring a result. You have seen the promises of God manifested in your life, too. Are you telling people about Jesus like Anna? Are you blessing God like Simeon for the peace that is found in Him? Do people trust your word and listen to you because the Holy Spirit is upon your life?
The unrivaled witness about who Jesus is can be validated because of the devotion of Simeon and Anna. The testimony of the these two pillars of faith confirmed this child in the temple as the Messiah. Does our words about Jesus match our devotion? Can the credibility of our words about Jesus be enough to convince other because they have seen our love for Christ? Simeon and Anna lived such Godly lives that when their testimony came forth it was easy to believe it and trust it. A question we could ask ourselves…is that the same for me?
