Luke brings forth the witnesses of Simeon and Anna to give testimony of the glory of Jesus Christ, even as an infant. We can learn from them how we can be witnesses to Christ today.
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2 Spirit-Filled Witnesses
Luke 2:21-38
Thus far in our study of the gospel of Luke, we have seen the announcement and birth of the single greatest person ever to be born into the world. Gabriel told Zacharias that he would be the Lord. Gabriel told Mary that He would be called the Son of the Most High, and that He would reign on the throne of His Father David, and His kingdom would have no end. When Elizabeth prophesied to Mary, she called the child growing in her womb “her Lord.” When Zacharias prophesied, he referred to Jesus as “the horn of Salvation, and the Lord God of Israel, and said He would visit, redeem, save, forgive and illumine His people. The angel appeared to the shepherds on that Judean hillside and told them that this babe would be the Savior, Christ, and Lord! The united testimony of Gabriel, Elizabeth, Zacharias, and the angel of Luke 2 is that this baby was to be the One who would save His people from their sins.
Well, here in Luke 2:21-38, the Lord gives us two more witnesses to the glory of Christ – Anna and Simeon. It is a principle in a court of law that where you have two or three independent corroborating witnesses, their consistent and united testimony is considered to be credible and true. In Scripture it is required that there be two or three witnesses before a man is indicted for a crime, or a believer is disciplined, or an elder is publicly rebuked. Well, here God is piling up witness after witness after witness to confirm the glorious identity of this baby that He has brought into the world – Gabriel, Elizabeth, Zacharias, and the angel of the Lord.
Now, lets get an overview of the two witnesses that the Lord brings to confirm Jesus’ identity. They are both elderly saints. Simeon is old and close to death. Anna is 84 years old. In addition, they are both righteous. When you listen to the testimony of a witness the one thing you want to know is that he/she is honest. Well, in both cases the glimpse we have of these 2 elderly saints is that they were righteous and honest. Their testimony can be believed because of the character of their lives. Simeon was “righteous and devout” (Luke 2:25), and Anna “never left the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers” (Luke 2:37). We really couldn’t ask for witnesses with greater integrity, now could we?
Before we take a look at their witness, let’s notice the setting. Verse 21 tells us that Jesus’ parents gave Him the name Jesus on his 8th day, right before his circumcision. By doing this, they were indicating that they believed the message the angel had delivered to both of them. The angel told Joseph, “You shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins.” The angel to Mary, “You will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.” So, by naming the baby, “Jesus”, Joseph and Mary were testifying that they believed the message of the angel, and were expecting wonderful things from this Child. In obedience to the covenant that God made with Abraham, Joseph and Mary had Jesus circumcised when He was 8 days old. Jesus was born under the Law, not for any benefit to Himself, but to redeem all those who are under the Law. Circumcision was just the first step He took to keep God’s Law on behalf of His people.
Then, 32 days later, Mary brought Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem to publicly dedicate Him to the Lord. You see, according to Leviticus 12, after a woman had a baby boy, she was unclean for 40. During this time, she was unable to go into the sanctuary. However, after that period of uncleanness, it was incumbent upon the parents to present their baby to the Lord. When the Lord delivered Israel from the destroying angel in Egypt, and passed over their homes with the blood on the door, ever afterwards He laid claim to the firstborn of the Israelites. God said, “the firstborn are Mine!” However, over a period of time, the Lord allowed the Levites to take the place of the firstborn. The parents of a child who was not a Levite, could redeem him by paying 5 shekels to the Levites. In this opening scenario, we see both things taking place. Joseph and Mary offer up a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons for Mary’s purification, and they publicly presented Jesus to the Lord, and then paid the 5 shekels to redeem him.
Interestingly Joseph and Mary had to sacrifice birds for the burnt offering, indicating that they were too poor to afford a lamb. I guess they never heard Joseph Prince or Kenneth Copeland’s teaching that they could be rich if they had enough faith! No, material wealth is not promised to the Christian. But spiritual wealth and continual fellowship in the Living God is, and that’s far better!
That brings us to the testimony of these 2 Spirit-appointed witnesses to the glory of Jesus Christ. Let’s take the account of Simeon first.
1. Simeon:
He Longed for Jesus
Verse 25 says, “he was looking for the consolation of Israel.” The consolation of Israel is a title of the Messiah. The Jews referred to the Messiah as “the consolation of Israel” because of Isaiah 40:1-3, “Comfort, O comfort My people,” says your God. Speak kindly to Jerusalem; and call out to her, that her warfare has ended, that her iniquity has been removed, that she has received of the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.” This is a prophecy that the Messiah would comfort God’s people by making peace, ending the spiritual warfare between Him and sinners, and putting away her sin.
Simeon longed for Jesus. He expected the Messiah to come. He was looking for the Messiah. He was one of the godly remnant of Israel. Just as he longed for Jesus to come the first time, the Bible says that the Lord will award a crown of righteousness to all those who love His appearing at His second coming.
He Was Led To Jesus
The end of verse 25 says, “and the Holy Spirit was upon Him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple.” It’s interesting to notice how often the Holy Spirit is mentioned in this section. He is mentioned in verse 25, 26, and 27. The Holy Spirit was upon Him. He Holy Spirit had revealed something to him. The Spirit led him into the temple. The Holy Spirit supernaturally revealed to him that he wouldn’t die until he has seen the Messiah. Then that same Spirit supernaturally guided and led him to the temple on the very day that Joseph and Mary brought Jesus to the temple to present Him to the Lord. In all of this we see the hand of the Lord upon this situation. God was deliberately bringing one of His saints to see, hold, and testify concerning the glorious identity and calling upon this baby boy.
Folks, I believe God can and does do the same kind of thing today. We see Him giving direction to Paul and his missionary team not to go into Bythinia and forbidding them to go to Asia, and then He gives him a dream of a man in Macedonia telling him, “Come over and help us.” We read of the prophets and teachers in Antioch ministering to the Lord and fasting, and the Holy Spirit said, “Separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” We read of an angel of the Lord speaking to Philip to get up and go south to a desert road, and when he gets there the Spirit tells him to go up and join the chariot coming down the road. There is nothing in God’s Word that says that at some point He would stop guiding His people through the supernatural ministry of the Holy Spirit. Let’s trust Him to guide and direct our steps.
He Looked on Jesus
Verse 26 says that “he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.” Later in verse 30, Simeon cries out, “My eyes have seen Your salvation.” Not only did he long for Jesus, and then was led to Jesus, but now with his own eyes he actually looked on Jesus. He saw His salvation, the salvation that he had been eagerly waiting for his entire life.
You know, the same thing happens to every child of God. There comes a time when he looks at Jesus with the eyes of faith. “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit” (2 Cor. 3:18). “For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” There comes a time when we really see Jesus and His glory by faith.
He Lifted Up Jesus
Notice what happens next. “And he came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to carry out for Him the custom of the Law, then he took Him into his arms, and blessed God” (Luke 2:27-28). After Simeon longed for Jesus, and was led to Jesus, and looked on Jesus, he lifted up Jesus. He embraced Jesus. There was touch. There was affection. There was a cradling. There was the warmth of personal touch in which reverent love was expressed. Simeon took the consolation of Israel up into his own arms and personally held the Son of God!
Oh folks, how we all need to personally embrace Jesus Christ for ourselves! We must touch Him. We must not just be led to Him, and see Him for who He is, but we must make contact with Him. We must be vitally united to Him. We must receive Him and embrace Him with the hands of faith. Have you? Have you embraced Jesus Christ as your Savior, King and Treasure? Is he your parents’ Savior, or your friend’s Savior, or is He your Savior?
He Was Liberated By Jesus
As soon as he took him up into his arms he said in verse 29, “Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace, according to Your word.” Simeon didn’t pray, “Lord, let me cease to exist in peace.” He said, “Let me depart.” He knew he was leaving one realm of existence and going to another. The word for depart can refer to the releasing of a prisoner, or the untying of a ship from the harbor, or the striking of a tent, or the unyoking of an ox. In every one of those senses, it refers to being liberated. The prisoner is liberated from captivity. The person is liberated from having to live in a tent. The Ship is liberated from its being moored to the dock. The ox is liberated from its yoke.
Death for the child of God is a liberation. It is a liberation from this body of sin, and this world of sin, and it is an entrance into a sphere of perfect joy and delight and fellowship with God. James tells us that the body without the spirit is dead. That is the Biblical definition of death. It is not when your heart stops beating, or your lungs stop breathing, or when there is no more brain activity. It is when your spirit leaves your body. And when your spirit does leave your body, it is liberated to go to God and enjoy Him unhindered forever!
He Laid Open The Truth About Jesus
Interestingly, first Simeon blessed God and prayed to him in 2:29-32. Then he blessed Joseph and Mary and prophesied to them in 2:34-35.
So, what truths about Jesus does Simeon lay open here?
He declares in prayer that Jesus is God’s salvation. That shouldn’t surprise us because Jesus’ name means “Jehovah is salvation.” God’s salvation is not found in a church, or a creed, or a confession, or a code of ethics, or a religious lifestyle. God’s salvation is found only in a Person – the person of Jesus Christ. Our rescue from sin, death and hell is only in the person of Jesus Christ.
He also lays open the truth that God is the One who prepared this salvation. Salvation is not the result of our effort. It is not man’s idea. It is not of man in any sense of the word. Salvation, from beginning to end, is of God. As Jonah said in the belly of the sea monster, “Salvation is of the Lord” (Jonah 2:9). God devised the plan of salvation from before the foundation of the world. God entered into covenant with His Son in order to effect salvation. God sent His Son into the world in order to accomplish salvation. Then God sent His Spirit into the world to apply salvation.
Simeon also laid open the truth that Jesus would reveal the truth concerning God’s salvation to Gentiles as well as Jews. Now, we take this truth for granted today, but when Simeon first uttered these words, they must have seemed shocking and incredible. The Jews did not understand that God’s eternal plan included taking for Himself a people from every tribe, tongue, people and nation. Simeon understood by the Spirit, that this baby would bring salvation to the entire world. He was Abraham’s seed, and in Him all the families of the earth would be blessed.
No wonder verse 33 says, “And His father and mother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him.”
Simeon went on to lay open the truth that Jesus would either cause men to fall or rise. In other words, every man’s salvation or damnation depends on what they do with Jesus Christ. He will be the Judge on that great Day of Judgment, and He will either receive you into His eternal kingdom, or consign you to eternal hell. You will either fall, or rise, depending on your response to Jesus Christ.
Finally, Simeon laid open the truth that the sufferings of Jesus would bring great pain to Mary. In verse 35 he says to Mary, “and a sword will pierce even your own soul.” No doubt Simeon was looking into the future under the power of the Spirit and seeing the anguish that Mary would feel as she beheld her own Son hanging crucified from a cross. No doubt Mary felt each lash of the whip, each hammer blow of nails, each insult and mockery of the soldiers. As she stood at the foot of the cross and watched her son it was as if a sword were slicing her open.
2. Anna
She Perceived
We are told in 2:37 that she never left the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers. Oh, what a beautiful, godly woman. She was a widow, but in reality she was married to God. He was her Husband. She lived for Him. She spent her days serving Him, praying and fasting, not as a distasteful duty, but as the delight of her soul. And, as a result of Her close communion with God, she perceived who Jesus was when she saw Him. She was a prophetess, who received words from God. Evidently, when she was in the temple, and saw Simeon taking this baby in his arms, she received a word from God, that this was the Messiah. Those that are the most devoted to the Lord are those that experience the closest communion with the Lord. If you want the Lord’s guidance you must seek Him with all your heart, like Anna did.
She Praised
The text says in verse 38, that she began giving thanks to God. Because she perceived the true identity of this baby, she burst forth in spontaneous and enthusiastic praise of God. She praised God for sending His Son into the world to save sinners. She praised God for sending this sinner sunk in sin and misery a Redeemer. She praised God that He had remembered His people, and had compassion on them. She praised God that He was about to restore to His people what their first father had forfeited in the Garden of Eden. Messiah is here!
She Proclaimed
Verse 38 goes on to say “and continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.” Now, what do you suppose she said to them? I’m sure she said something like, “You who are looking for redemption here in Jerusalem. Look no further! I can tell you where to find redemption! It is in that baby over there. He is the Redeemer. He is the Savior. He is the One God has sent to save His people from their sins. He is the Consolation of Israel. He is the Redeemer for all in Jerusalem who are looking for redemption. She spoke, and just like Simeon, her words were all about Jesus Christ. Notice, “she continued to speak of Him!” (2:38). Simeon spoke of “this Child”. Anna spoke of “Him.” A true witness of Jesus Christ has one subject and one message. It is salvation through Jesus Christ. Believers play on a 1 string fiddle. Christ is our all in all! He is our life! He is our Treasure! He is our soul’s satisfaction!
Many years ago Dr. A. J. Gordon was the pastor of a church in Boston. One day he saw a boy walking in front of the church with a bunch of birds in a rusty cage. Gordon asked him, “Son, where did you get those birds?” The boy replied, “I trapped them in the field.” Gordon asked, “Well, what are you going to do with them?” The boy said, “Oh, I’ll play with them for a while and then I guess I’ll feed them to my cat.”
Dr. Gordon asked the boy how much he would take to sell him the birds. The boy replied, “Oh, you don’t want these old birds. They don’t sing well, and they’re just old field birds.” Gordon said, “I’ll give you $2 for the cage and the birds.” The boy said, “Well, OK, but you’re getting the bad end of this bargain.” Gordon paid the boy, who left happily with his money. Then he walked around to the back of the church, opened the cage and let the birds fly away to freedom. The next Sunday, Gordon took the empty cage into the pulpit and used it to illustrate his sermon on redemption. Dr. Gordon paid the price necessary for those poor creatures, in bondage, doomed to destruction, could go free. He told his congregation, “That little boy said that those birds couldn’t sing very well, but when I released them they went singing into the sky and it seemed they were saying, ‘Redeemed! Redeemed! Redeemed!”
Life Application
So, what does this story of Simeon and Anna have to do with you and I? Simeon and Anna were Spirit-chosen witnesses to Jesus Christ. Friend, if you are a Christian, you are a Spirit-chosen witness to Jesus Christ. God has called every Christian to bear witness of Jesus Christ. He’s called you to make disciples. He’s called you to conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, and make the most of every opportunity. He’s called you to let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person (Col. 4:5-6). He’s called you to always be ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you (1 Pet. 3:15). Just like the early believers, Jesus has promised that we shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon us, and we shall be His witnesses to the ends of the earth. So, since that is true, what do these accounts of Simeon and Anna show us?
Have you ever longed to have your sins forgiven like Simeon longed to see Jesus? Have you ever had a guilty conscience, and you could find no peace in your mind. You longed to have all your guilt washed away. Has the Holy Spirit ever led you to Jesus? Was there a time when an unseen power, began to lead you to the answer to all of your spiritual problems? The Spirit brought you to the only One who could do anything about your miserable condition. Have you ever looked on Jesus in true saving faith, beholding Him as God in human flesh, the Savior and Redeemer come to deliver you from death and hell? Have you ever lifted up Jesus, by embracing Him as your own? Have you come to the place where you received Him in love and faith and affection as your only hope of everlasting life? If all of that has happened to you, then you found that you were liberated by Jesus, didn’t you? He freed you from the penalty of sin. In fact, he freed you from the bondage of the power of sin. He began a work in your heart and soul that caused you to groan under the bondage of sin and cry out for victory over sin. “He who the Son makes free is free indeed!”
Now, if all this is your experience, you need to be doing what Simeon did. Simeon laid open the truth about Jesus. Simeon spoke of Christ. Simeon spoke of God’s sovereign grace. Simeon spoke of Christ being the One through him a man will be eternally saved or everlastingly damned. Simeon was a witness that told the truth about Jesus to others. Will you do the same? Will you follow his example, and witness to the truths, even the hard truths, about Jesus Christ?
Notice Anna. She perceived who Jesus was by the power of the Spirit. Has the Spirit of God opened your eyes so that you know His true identity? Then she praised God. Once you have come to know the true and living God, has it caused praise and thanksgiving to pour forth from your life unto Him? If you know Him, you will praise Him. Well, all of that led to her proclaiming the truth about Him. Anna proclaimed that Jesus was Redeemer. He is the one has come to set guilty, hell-bound, miserable sinners free from the penalty and power, and even the presence of sin. I urge you to follow her example as well. Look for opportunities to proclaim the truth about Jesus. He is the Redeemer. Tell people you know who are bound in their own sin, that there is someone who can free them. Point them to Jesus Christ. Lead them to Him, and pray that the Spirit of God will open their eyes to see Him for who He is. If that should happen, they too will begin to Praise and Proclaim Him to others. This is what we mean by making disciples who make disciples!
There is a story about how a missionary doctor in one of China’s hospitals was able to remove the cataracts from an old man’s eyes, and give him back his sight. That man was so excited, that he went back to his remote village, and told everyone what had happened to him. A few weeks later, 48 blind men came to the doctor, all holding on to a rope, guided by the man who had been cured. He had led them in this way, walking in chain some 250 miles to the hospital! Has Christ healed you of your spiritual blindness? Then find some other blind people and lead them to Jesus!
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