Prophetess Anna’s prayer

Anna also, along with Simeon, accepted that Jesus was the promised Messiah. There are several noteworthy points about Anna. She is called a prophetess. At that time, there had been no prophets in Israel for several hundred years, so the title “prophetess” carried great weight. Anna was from the tribe of Asher. The tribe of Asher was one of the ten northern tribes. Anna seems to have preserved her genealogy in some form and was able to prove that she was from the tribe of Asher. She was waiting for the Messiah, and like Simeon, she gave thanks to God because of Jesus. Among the Israelites of that time, there were people who, from the moment of Jesus’ birth, confessed that He was the Messiah. What about the Jews of today? Many Jews are still waiting for the coming of the Messiah. Although the Messiah has already come, they do not recognize Him and continue to wait. Herein lies the tragedy of the Jewish people. Let us pray that their spiritual eyes may be opened. And let us also examine ourselves to see whether, because of unbelief, we are missing the blessings of promises that have already been fulfilled by God.

Jesus’ growth

Luke emphasizes that Jesus’ parents fulfilled all that was required by the Law. After that, they returned to their own town of Nazareth. Concerning Jesus’ childhood, there is only a brief description: “Now the Child continued to grow and to become strong, increasing in wisdom; and the favor of God was upon Him” (v 40). From this short passage, we can learn important truths. Jesus did not grow up like a superman. As an ordinary child, He grew physically, mentally, and spiritually. As it is written, “Who, as He already existed in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself by taking the form of a bond-servant and being born in the likeness of men” (Phil. 2:6-7). The ideal image of a human being, as taught in the Bible, is a state in which the three elements – body, mind, and spirit – are in harmony. Jesus grew in a whole-person way by the grace of God. How about you? Are any of the three elements – body, mind, or spirit – being overemphasized or neglected? A life that has lost balance can never truly reflect the glory of God.