The Testimonies of Simeon and Anna

For mine eyes have seen thy salvation.—Luke 2:30

Contributed

When Jesus was forty days old, Mary and Joseph brought him to the temple to make an offering to God. It was an expression of thanksgiving for the birth of their first born. It also represented a hope that when their son became of age he would devote his life to the heavenly Father’s service. This custom was followed by Jewish families at that time because they had been divinely instructed to dedicate the woman’s first born son to the Lord (Luke 2:23).

The Law also stated that, according to the wealth of each family, the parents could give to the priests at the door of the tabernacle either a lamb, a pigeon, or a turtledove as their offering (Lev. 12:6, 7).

Mary and Joseph were poor; they could not afford a lamb but instead, we are told, they brought a pair of turtledoves. Our Lord, who was created in great glory in the heavenly courts, not only humbled himself to be born in a manger among animals and poor shepherds but to earthly parents who could not even afford to bring a lamb to the temple as their sacrifice of thanks (Lev. 12:8).

When Jesus was brought to the temple the priests did not know that he was the Savior whose birth had been foretold throughout the ages by the holy prophets. Even though these Levitical priests were closely following Daniel’s prophecy as to when the coming of the Redeemer would be, their eyes were blinded to the reality that their Restorer would emerge at his first advent from such humble parentage and poor background. Naturally they were looking for a king to come in great glory and power like previous reigning monarchs, such as Solomon.

Simeon

The Luke account tells of a devout and reverential man in Jerusalem named Simeon who had great faith in God. He was anxiously awaiting the restoration of Israel and its coming Messiah (Luke 2:25).

The holy spirit made it known unto Simeon that he would not die until he had seen the promised Messiah (Luke 2:26). Thus his heart was in proper accord to acknowledge the Savior in whatever way God would reveal him.

Additionally, Simeon may have spoken under divine inspiration through the holy spirit as did many of the ancient servants of God at that time, even though spirit begettal did not occur until Pentecost (Acts 2:18). However, the ability to speak as a result of the holy spirit’s revelation did not imply that Simeon fully understood everything he said regarding the purpose of the Master’s miraculous birth. Similarly, Daniel did not comprehend the scope of his end time prophecies (Dan. 12:8).

Simeon’s noble proclamation upon seeing the baby Jesus, "For mine eyes have seen thy salvation," is a testimony that he believed the infant in his arms would grow to be Israel’s promised Redeemer.

How wonderful it must have been for Mary and Joseph to witness this beautiful blessing and prayer upon their son by such a consecrated man of God. How their hearts must have been uplifted and overjoyed when Simeon stated that the Lord was to be a light to lighten the gentiles and a glory to the people of Israel (Luke 2:32).

Mary, who initially doubted Gabriel’s message that she was to give birth to the Son of the Highest, may have appreciated the truth in his words after hearing Simeon’s great testimony. She marveled once again about the declaration that her newborn son was indeed chosen to rule over the throne of David and to reign over the house of Jacob (Luke 1:28-34).

Simeon’s statement that the Lord was to be a light to lighten the gentiles additionally reaffirms the divine promise: he is to be the Savior of all mankind in the coming kingdom (Isa. 9:6, 7). We are thankful that God’s plan is not merely a redemption for some but that all of Adam’s posterity will have the opportunity to receive life in the Millennial age—both Jew and gentile.

It is interesting to note that even though Simeon prophesied about the Lord’s coming and not about his death, he spoke about the "piercing of the sword," which would not only penetrate our Lord’s being but would symbolically pierce Mary’s as well. It is doubtful that Simeon understood the words he uttered. This may well refer to the Master’s sacrificial ministry and the ignominious death he was to suffer. Such would be a difficult trial for him but an especially painful experience for his mother, Mary, to witness.

The Fall and Rise of Israel

Furthermore, there is no evidence that Simeon understood the impact of his saying that the child was set for the fall and rising again of Israel. When did the fall of Israel occur? This probably can be dated from A.D. 33 when Jesus stated that their house had been left desolate unto them (Luke 13:35). This repudiation by the Lord after Israel rejected him as the Messiah ultimately resulted in the scattering of the nation from their homeland. Although a regathering process commenced late in the nineteenth century and Israel attained statehood in 1948, to this day the Jews remain without their temple to offer sacrifices, without a High Priest, and without the ability to trace their lineage to one of the twelve sons of Jacob. When Pilate yielded to the demand for Jesus’ crucifixion, little did the people realize that their chant, "His blood be on us and on our children" would be heard in the heavenly courts and would subsequently bring about their sentence of condemnation (Matt. 27:25).

Prominent among the experiences which befell the Jewish nation as a result of rejecting the Lord are the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 by Titus and his army and the scattering of their people throughout various European countries. The exile from their homeland reached a climax when they were violently persecuted by political leaders, such as Mussolini and Hitler, who may have been the hunters described by the prophet Jeremiah as being sent to hunt them from every mountain and from every hill and out of the holes of the rocks (Jer. 16:15, 16).

When will the rise of Israel occur? This will fully take place when that nation proclaims, "Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord" (Matt. 21:9). It will be at that time when their blindness shall be removed and they will look upon him whom they pierced and wail. Israel will accept Christ as their Deliverer after the church of God has been glorified (Rom. 11:25, 26; Rev. 1:7).

Likely, Simeon may have seen many parents bring their infants to the temple. Yet we know that God revealed to this righteous man that only this one was the true Savior. Thus Simeon could declare, "Lord, now lettest thy servant depart in peace." Simeon’s eyes truly had seen salvation and he felt satisfied to go into death after witnessing the presentation before the Lord of Israel’s promised Redeemer (Luke 2:29, 30).

Anna

Anna was a descendant from the tribe of Asher. She had been widowed for most of her life and probably was over a hundred years old at the time of this narrative (Luke 2:36, 37). She, too, was very religious and had great faith in God. Anna remained in the temple each day fasting, praying, and waiting for the promised Savior.

While Simeon was blessing the baby Jesus, Anna was standing nearby and watching. After witnessing this event, the scriptures indicate that she also was convinced that Jesus was the long awaited Messiah of Israel. Upon realizing this, she gave thanks to God for bringing the baby into her presence. The heavenly Father’s dealings with Anna, the prophetess, and the revelation to her that this was the Savior reaffirm in our minds that there is a place in the household of God for women as stewards. God truly is no respecter of persons and his dealings with women throughout the ages attest to this (Acts 10:34).

Although the gospels do not elaborate upon Anna’s life after she saw the infant Jesus, the scriptures reveal she testified to others about the promised Messiah. Since Anna was a prophetess, she may well have spoken of a coming Redeemer before she saw Jesus. In any event, the Luke account implies that after witnessing this great event in the temple, Anna shared with her Jewish brethren that she had indeed seen the promised Deliverer of Israel (Luke 2:38).

The scriptures attest that both Anna and Simeon were prophets. Luke does not elaborate on their prophecies but the narrative seems to indicate that such included the promised future blessings of Israel by the Savior (Luke 2:32, 38). It would not be difficult to imagine the scorn which may have been their portion at the hands of some Jewish brethren for expressing that the infant Jesus, who was born of poor parents and not in a king’s palace, was to be Israel’s Redeemer. In fact only a remnant of Israel accepted the Master after his baptism in Jordan. Thus, during our Lord’s childhood, any possibility that the Jews recognized him as the coming Messiah would be extremely remote. Even our Lord’s cousin, John the Baptist, did not know that he was the Messiah until after the holy spirit was manifested upon Jesus like a dove (John 1:33, 34).

Not Spirit Begotten

It is improbable, because of their age at the time of Jesus’ birth, as well as the scriptural record of Simeon’s desire to depart in peace after viewing the holy infant, that either of them were alive during the outpouring of the holy spirit at Pentecost more than thirty-three years afterward. Therefore their faith and devotion to God, no matter how strong, will not result, we believe, in their receiving the divine nature.

What more can be said about the testimonies of these two righteous individuals? If Simeon and Anna received a good report at the end of their course, they will be among those who will become princes in the earth. They both demonstrated great faith before and after they saw the infant Jesus. The eleventh chapter of Hebrews indicates that those approved of God prior to the Gospel age will become members of the Ancient Worthy class. These two servants may well be rewarded by becoming earthly judges in the kingdom, because their testimonies pleased the heavenly Father.

In Matthew 11:11 we read that there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist. This singular commendation probably alludes to the great privilege he had of identifying Jesus as the Lamb of God after his baptism. The testimonies of Anna and Simeon in announcing infant Jesus make them excellent candidates for special recognition in the future.

Male and Female

Significantly, God chose both a male and a female prophet to bear witness of his Son during the Lord’s infancy. What could be the lesson here? God has equally chosen from both males and females to develop his new creation. The scriptures tell us how both men and women were baptized into Christ to become members of his royal priesthood and holy nation (Acts 5:14; 8:12). Since both sexes are included as part of the church, both, as saints in the flesh, are responsible for spreading the good tidings during their earthly sojourn.

Although the elders of an ecclesia play a prominent role in terms of shepherding the brethren, it does not dimish the responsibility which sisters have in the church of God. We know that there were women who ministered unto the Lord during his ministry and the Bible also reveals how Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, tended to his needs by anointing his body prior to his crucifixion (John 12:1-3).

When the angel appeared unto the shepherds and said, "Fear not, for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy" (Luke 2:10), we can imagine the apprehension the shepherds may have felt upon beholding such a glorious being, as evidenced by the salutation of the angels for them to "fear not."

Sometimes too, a fear in men’s hearts to believe may be evident when we witness the "good tidings" to them. Like the shepherds, many in the world may be reluctant to accept the grand scope of God’s divine plan. However, we shouldn’t be discouraged by their seeming doubts for the adversary has blinded the eyes of many considering the import of the wonderful gospel message (2 Cor. 4:4).

Our testimonies to mankind should express not only the future greatness of our Savior who humbled himself to a low estate among men, but also the present privilege of calling the elect class to walk as he walked and to suffer, following in his footsteps.