Two thousand years ago, the Romans ruled in every place. However, they did allow local puppet kings some local autonomy. Jesus was born into Israel, the jurisdiction of Herod the Great. Herod had no redeeming qualities. His “Massacre of the Innocents” (Mt.2:16–18) in Bethlehem, says everything about his character.
As each day dawned, Jerusalem’s Temple Courts filled with priests, religious zealots, merchants and pilgrims. While the visitors marvelled at the architecture, and the bored locals shared the latest Royal gossip, an eighty-four-year-old woman walked amongst them. Anna, a prophetess, had been given by God a vision of what was to come. Her message was for everyone, but only those who sought the spiritual “redemption of Jerusalem” were destined to understand. God had spoken!
Luke immortalises Anna in three verses (Lk.2:36-38). Godly women like her would prefer he said nothing; her work was rewarded enough. Assuming that she had married very young, she would have spent the best part of sixty of her eighty-four years serving God at the Temple. If her seven years of marriage, before being widowed, had produced any children, nothing is said of them. Until now, night and day she fasted, prayed and cared for those who couldn’t care for themselves.
The day had come; the moment had arrived. There before her, according to God’s revelation, was the divine object of her worship. Thus, she walked up to Jesus and “began giving thanks to God.” A more spiritually satisfied soul you could not have expected to have found. She had met the Redeemer!
How long her encounter with The Messiah lasted, we do not know. However, Anna was not about to stop her life’s work. Instead, she “continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.”
Till her dying day, she was going to be about her Father’s business.
John Staiger
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