Hello, my “Walking with Jesus” friends on this last Friday of ’23.
What a year this has been, I’m sure you agree! And so, I wonder how you are preparing for the New Year of 2024 which will begin at midnight Sunday? For American’s it will be an election year which I’m sure will bring fireworks of all types. Our world transitions into ’24 with great concern as too many places in our world are in violent turmoil. Who will be the voices of God honoring REASON and PEACE in this next year?
I left you yesterday in the public courtyards of the great Temple in Jerusalem about 40 days after the birth of Jesus. If you visit Israel today, what is referred to as the “Temple Mount” is that very location and the Golden Dome Muslim structure is almost exactly where the Jewish Temple itself stood in the days of Jesus. Yesterday we witnessed a devout man named Simeon, holding Baby Jesus in his arms, as he proclaimed a very powerful prayer over Jesus, which both declared Jesus to be the long-awaited Jewish Messiah, and commissioned Joseph and Mary to the great challenge of parenting this unique Child.
As Simeon closed his prayer, he turned his attention to Mary with words that were I’m sure frightening: “This child is destined to cause the rising and falling of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.” (Luke 2:34,35)
While those were profound words predicting what was going to be happening right there, in that very Temple area, 30 years later, when that Baby would be grown up Jesus performing miracles and challenging the religious leaders who refused to accept Him as their Messiah; Simeon’s words were also pointing far forward, to the years and centuries that would follow the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus.
So, may I invite us to personalize Simeon’s words for a moment? What are the deep thoughts and attitudes of your heart and mine, that the Holy Spirit would like to reveal to us as needing our attention as this turbulent year draws to a close?
As Simeon handed Baby Jesus back to Mary, I wonder if she was trembling as she absorbed the frightening words this old man of God had spoken. Remember Mary was probably only about 16 or 17 years old, and her only support was Joseph for we have no record in Scripture that her parents or other friends in Nazareth were in any way helpful to her. Suddenly, Mary felt a hand on her shoulder and turning she saw an old woman standing before her with eyes wide in amazement. Who was this woman and why was she looking so amazed as she looked at the Baby in Mary’s arms?
Dr. Luke gives us this insight in Luke 2:36-38. Her name was Anna, and she was 84 years old! She’d been a widow for many years and spent most of her time in the Temple area praying and worshiping God. Like Simeon, she had never met Joseph or Mary before and would have no reason to know anything about who they were or all that had happened in what we call the Christmas story. However, like Simeon, Anna was very devout, and she was a God honoring woman and evidently the Holy Spirit of God had given her unusual insight into the true story of this Baby in Mary’s arms. No sooner had Simeon handed baby Jesus back to Mary then Anna approached them. Perhaps Anna had been watching and praying nearby as she watched Simeon pray consecration over this Baby. As she approached Mary, “Anna gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.” (Luke 2:38)
Now that tells me Anna was not just speaking with Joseph and Mary, but to Simeon and anyone else whom she knew was also seriously anticipating the arrival of God’s Messiah. Luke gives us no insight into what she said to them, but we can assume she fearlessly proclaimed what the Holy Spirit had shown her about this Baby being the long-awaited Messiah.
Like Simeon, we can assume Anna had been waiting all her life long to see with her own eyes, the fulfillment of the ancient prophecies predicting that someday God would send His Messiah to bring God’s Truth into their darkness and God’s Help into their desperate needs.
As Joseph and Mary turned to leave the Temple area, I wonder if Simeon and Anna walked with them to the Temple Gate, embraced them one final time, and bid them farewell, watching them blend into the crowded Jerusalem street. We presume Joseph and Mary headed back to Bethlehem, for it was to Bethlehem, several months later, a caravan of camels came, bearing Magi who had traveled a long distance from an unnamed eastern land. They were searching for an infant who they understood from their studies would be the “King of the Jews”.
If you like to follow the chronology of the Bible, then I suggest you write Matthew 2 in the white space between Luke 2:38 and Luke 2:39, for the events of that very significant chapter 2 in Matthew took place before Joseph and Mary moved to Nazareth.
As Joseph and Mary walked that dusty road south from Jerusalem back to Bethlehem that afternoon, what do you suppose they spoke about? What more had they learned about this Baby from Simeon and Anna? How should they care for Him, help Him grow? Oh, they knew their future would be adventurous and challenging. It would of course be anything but normal with “Immanuel” growing up in their home! Times were unpredictable in the Roman Empire then, just as they are all over our world today. But as they walked, I believe Joseph and Mary had a strong sense that God was watching over them every step of the way, ready to help them do the impossible…raise the Son of God!
Do you and I have that same sense of God’s Presence and His leading in our lives? Let’s walk with them and look closely at ourselves to see how prepared we are for the new year ahead as Jesus walks with us, and here’s a powerful word-song to help consider all these things… He’s not just a Baby is HE?
Today’s Scripture is Luke 2:36-38.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
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Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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