Do We Long For the Messiah?

 

February 2, 2024 

Feast of the Presentation of the Child Jesus in the Temple

 Luke 2: 36-38

“There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage, and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple, but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer. And coming forward at that very time, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.”

In Luke’s Gospel, we hear about Jesus being presented in the temple as a child according to Jewish law. We hear about Simeon, a righteous and devout man, looking for the constellation of Israel. We are told the Holy Spirit is upon him and when Mary and Joseph bring the child Jesus to the temple, Simeon recognizes Jesus as the Messiah he had longed for his whole life. Simeon cried out, “Lord, now let your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation…”  I’ve often wondered what it would be like to be Simeon, to see the Messiah you were taught to long for from a young age.

I recently came across this picture of the presentation of Jesus in the temple. It doesn’t

show Simeon, but instead the lesser depicted and many times overlooked Anna, who was a prophetess in the temple. This photo struck my heart as a woman and as a mother. The outward expression of Anna’s joy is tangible as she too, recognized the Messiah in the child Jesus. This photo caused me to go back to Luke’s Gospel and read the presentation of Jesus in the temple with new eyes, this time seeing Anna.

The first thing that struck me was that she was called a prophetess! What is a prophetess? She is a female profit, one who proclaims the kingdom of God. We don’t hear much about female prophetesses in scripture, so this is truly a rare glimpse into a special life. Anna, a widow, never left the temple; day and night she prayed and worshipped and fasted. This shows immense devotion to God and faithfulness to a relationship with God. For who gives ALL their time to prayer? Not five minutes a day, not 30 minutes nor an hour, but ALL their time to God? My guess is very few of us. Scripture also tells us that she spoke about the Messiah to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. She lived in a time of much trouble and persecution. She lived at a time of deep longing for a Messiah, who would come and rescue his people. I envision that Anna carried the weight of this longing very deeply in her soul and in her mind. If so, it would make sense that she would have exploded with an abundance of joy when she realized that that longing is now fulfilled.

For Contemplation: Do we wait with such anticipation as well? 

We too are waiting on the Messiah, waiting for Him to return. Do we spend as much time as possible in prayer, building a relationship with God? Will we recognize the Messiah when he comes again? Do we recognize Him now in others around us, especially those on the peripheries of our Church and society? Will we have faith enough to believe a modern-day prophet or prophetess when they proclaim to us a message from God? Do we take every chance we can to talk about the Messiah with all who will listen?

Here’s the behind-the-scenes story about this photo! https://lesteryocum.com/the-prophetess-anna-greets-the-christ-child/