Luke 2:36-38

³⁶ Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity; ³⁷ and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. ³⁸ And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem.

Commentary

Along with the elderly Simeon there was also a Godly woman named Anna who also arrived just in time to see when Jesus Christ was being presented to the Lord. Now the Scripture says that she was a prophetess, that is a God chosen spokeswoman for Him, who received Divine revelations and insights from Him. She was the daughter of a man named Phanuel (means face of God). And she too was an Israelite, but of the Tribe of Asher. This woman was of great age, who had been a widow for about eighty fours years, and so she was likely over a hundred years old. Now her life since her widowhood had been dedicated to the Lord, for she did not depart from the Temple, but served God with fasting’s and prayers night and day (vs. 36-37). And so, coming in at that instant she too, like Simeon, immediately recognized the Child Christ for who He was. And so, she also immediately gave thanks to the Lord, and when she went out from Him, she spoke of Him as the Christ (or Messiah) having come, to all those who looked for redemption in Israel. The question then is do you recognize the Lord Jesus Christ for who He is? For He is not hidden Himself from any of us but He has revealed Himself, and does reveal Himself to us all through His Word and by His Spirit to each and every one of us who seeks Him will find Him (Isaiah 45:19, 22; 55:6-7; 63:1; Matt. 7:7-8; Rom. 10:5-13). But even more than our seeking the Lord Jesus Christ is His seeking us and knocking on the door of our hearts, waiting for us to open up our hearts to Him, to receive Him for ourselves (Rev. 3:20). Now to all who do, you will find peaceful fellowship and an everlasting relationship with God through Him alone. Therefore, don’t delay open your heart to Jesus Christ today and be reconciled (restored) to God while it is still the day of salvation (2 Cor. 6:2).

Scripture Quotations

New King James Version. (1982): Thomas Nelson