Confirmation of Christ's True Identity

Luke 2:36–40 NKJV

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. 39 So when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth. 40 And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.

Who wrote it:

Who was it written to?

For what purpose?

Israel-John 1

Anna (means grace) like Simeon was living very close to God and he granted to her also the gracious insight of recognizing His Son. There has been some arguments that some believe that there are ten lost tribes of Israel (northern kingdom) (those overtaken during the Assyrian Captivity). Here, Anna is mentioning the tribe of Asher and clearly, she did not get lost. It appears that Anna never left the temple-She kept on not leaving. This is to say she never missed a service in the temple. She was clinging onto her relationship with the Lord through this long hard road of being a widow.

Faithful remnant:

John the Baptist—a Levite, the last of the Older Testament prophets, and part of a remnant of the faithful—cried out to his fellow Israelites, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” (Mt. 3:2). Only a faithful few responded.

Simeon and Anna represented a faithful remnant of Jewish people waiting for the “Consolation of Israel.” Simeon was given the privilege of holding the infant Yeshua (Hebrew for “Jesus,” meaning, “salvation”) in his arms while Anna “spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem” (Lk. 2:25–28, 36–38).

Widows didnt have it easy back then. Often they were neglected. Anna devoted herself to serving God by worship.

We must realize people face extremely difficult times and coming to church is literally a breathe of fresh air for them. (Example of someone sleeping in Church).

Throughout Anna’s faithfulness she consistently and regularly gave thanks. -Anna evidently was moved and repeatedly gave thanks and “kept speaking”.

“God’s timing is always perfect. Anna came up just as Simeon was praising the Lord for the Child, so she joined in the song”!-Weirsbe

Reality is, Anna did must more than just sing and worship, she spread the good news among the faithful members of the remnant who were waiting for the redemption of Israel. Anna was a prophetess which indicates she had a gift of declaring and interpreting God’s message.

The account of Matthew tells us what the next event in the life of Jesus was a trip to Egypt. Luke omits this account entirely. We must remember that the purpose of writing is different between the two books. Matthew presents the Christ as King and Luke present Him as the perfect man. Vs. 39

Luke is presenting the perfect man, through the lens of a doctor. He grew physically, spiritually, and mentally.

In the next few verses we see the book growing, and the need for the family to return to Nazareth. “Jesus of Nazareth”.