12302020A – Luke 2 – “The Prophetess Anna”
Sure!
Everyone knows Simeon. He sings one little song, and immediately it goes viral…he gets like a million likes every other day. People flock to him.
Facebook, YouTube, WeChat, Instagram,TikTok they all adore him. It seems like every single day his popularity is increased. WHY he even makes it into MOST church HYMNALS.
It’s a man’s world…still today and this is the year 2020.
You would have thought BY NOW in this rather “enlightened age and time” that women and men would be equal. Equal wages. Equal Salaries for equal work. Why the continued disparity?
I tell you, Anna was “a pace-setter.” She was out there. Free. Unencumbered. Not afraid to speak her mind. She was a trendsetter…setting the standards for others…to follow.
Anna was “the real deal.” More than a prophetess. More than a spokeswoman. She took “the lead” and ran with it. And she was A WOMAN…and A WIDOW…to boot!
This was a scene that was repeated and witnessed over and over again in Israel…the “Presentation” they called it.
While they all were “special” this one was EXTRAORDINARY!
Simeon and Anna arrive at the Temple independently…but “both of them” seem to be led and guided by divine intervention. It is the spirit of the living God that leads them both.
Naturally, Simeon arrives first.
Naturally. He’s the guy! Boo! Hiss-hiss!
But the Gospel writer is making some pretty “interesting comparisons” about the two of them.
Both of them are elderly. He is old…but she is 84 years of age, a very specific detail. We do NOT know the age of Simeon.
Simeon PRAISES the Lord.
Anna offers THANKS to God.
Simeon prophesies…
BUT Anna is called A PROPHET…while he is NOT! And remember, she is female.
Anna happens to be the only female prophet mentioned in the entire EARLY CHRISTIAN WRITINGS.
That, is huge. In and of itself!
And in yet another interesting twist and turn Luke gives to us her father’s name.
WHY?
Phanuel was her father’s name.
Phanuel is a Hebrew name that means, the “FACE OF GOD.”
It is also the name given to the four archangels of God: Michael, Raphael, Gabriel and Phanuel.
Obviously he was a well-known and well-respected Jew of the time. Luke fails to give us her husband’s name. Curious!
We also are told the TRIBE from which Anna comes…
It is the tribe of ASHER. Which again puts ANNA in some exceptionally great company.
In the Early Christian Writings only FOUR individuals are associated with their CLAN.
Jesus is of the house and lineage of David and is therefore from the TRIBE of JUDAH.
Saul of Tarsus, who becomes PAUL the Apostle, is of the TRIBE of BENJAMIN.
We are told that BARNABAS who accompanies PAUL on his THREE MISSIONARY JOURNEYS is from the TRIBE of LEVI.
And, Anna a WOMAN is of the TRIBE of ASHER.
(Again, curious)
We also know that she was married for only 7 years. And widowed thereafter, and now she has achieved the age of 84 years of age.
She never leaves the Temple.
She is constantly there.
She prays day and night.
She fasts, probably out of necessity, because as a widow, there was no one to provide for her…
She relies on the good will of the people of God.
And we know that regarding her, Luke provides but three terse little verses that manage to vividly depict her as a woman deserving the HONOR bestowed on the ELDERLY in the ANCIENT MEDITERRANEAN WORLD.
As a prophetess she “OUT RANKS” Simeon – just a guy praised as being RIGHTEOUS and DEVOUT.
And SHE outranks HIM! WOW!
But there is still one more thing to think about when it comes to this little elderly woman.
In LUKES’ curt, blunt, brief mentions of her in just a handful of verses we ACTUALLY KNOW more about her, than we do about any of the 12 disciples of JESUS.
Quite an honor.
And the fact remains, she was a woman. 2,000 years ago, and still today she is known and respected.
Amen.