Luke 2:36-38 36And there was Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in many days, having lived with her husband seven years from her virginity, 37and she was a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, fasting and prayer while worshiping night and day. 38And coming up at that very hour she began praising God and speaking of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.
Joseph and Mary were in for another surprise while they were in the temple for the offering of purification and dedication of the infant Jesus. The next story adds to the list of confirming experiences they had about the identity of mission of Jesus. Luke continues his interest and emphasis upon the prophetic word. Luke describes a special woman who met the family in quite some detail. First, she was a prophetess. There is no mention of the Holy Spirit in this passage, but Luke has built a strong enough case thus far to imply that this woman was guided by the Holy Spirit in this situation. There are many women in the Bible who spoke forth God’s word. God gave her special insight into the identity of the baby in the arms of Joseph and Mary. Her name in the Greek is the equivalent to Hannah in the Old Testament. Luke gives her family connection and heritage to the tribe of Asher, one of the tribes of Israel. This identity shows her to be a genuine Israelite. Her actions also show her to be a model of what Jews should have been.
Luke also gives a rather elaborate description of her age, which draws the attention of the reader to her faithfulness over many years. Verse 36 is a formalized way to say in modern terms that her husband died after they were married for seven years. Verse 37 indicates that she remained a widow until the present time, and her age at this event was 84 years old. One might ask why in that culture she remained a widow, which would have been a difficult life in most circumstances, but Luke gives no other background. It is possible that she had to live off the generosity and care of others as she got older. But what is more of the concern in the story is that she was a very devoted and spiritual person because she stayed in the temple precincts, fasting and praying every day. She may have received care from others while she was in the temple area. To live to be eighty-four years old was a significant milestone when the average life expectancy in that time was mid 30’s.
As a faithful seeker after God, she was spiritually aware of God’s direction in her life. This awareness and sensitivity was due simply to her being in the temple but because of her commitment to seek God. Those who want God’s guidance must seek God in full commitment. Anna provides a model of someone who desired to be in God’s presence, and because of that, she knew when the presence of the Incarnate Son of God came into the temple. Among the thousands of people who were likely in the temple precincts (in this case, the court of women), she could pinpoint the presence and location of Jesus.
Her response also serves as an example of discipleship. The inceptive imperfect tense verbs praising and speaking indicate her response to seeing Jesus and how she began sharing with others about who she had seen. Her testimony answer the longing of the people: the redemption of Jerusalem. This situation fulfills the prophecy in Isaiah 52:9 that refers to the redemption of Jerusalem. Jerusalem was her life and world and possibly all she ever knew. The word itself could also represent the whole Jewish people. Redemption (lytrōsin) refers to freedom from bondage, slavery, or confinement by the paying of a price or ransom. In a spiritual sense, it refers to freedom from sin’s condemnation and control. It is unclear in this verse whether people were looking for political or spiritual freedom. Simeon and Anna show that some Jews understood God’s purposes and saw their greatest need in spiritual salvation.
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