I’ve always been intrigued by the brief story that we get with Anna the Prophet. The writer of Luke firmly calls her a prophet before we are even told her name or that she is a widow (2:36). What had she been up to in the 60 or so years since her husband died in order for her to be called a prophet above all else?
Anna’s personal tragedy coincided with the political tragedy of her country. Roughly 60 years before the holy family’s arrival at the Temple, Jerusalem fell to Pompey the Great when Romans soldiers stormed and looted the Temple and abolished the Hasmonean monarchy. Judea was then established as a Roman client-state. In the coming decades, Roman power would only increase. Did Anna come to pray in the Temple for all of those decades? If she had, I can imagine her being intimately familiar with the scars of violence left behind in this holiest place.
Just as all the Marys in the Gospels are actually named Miriam, Anna is named after Hannah, the mother of Samuel. It is interesting to see a nod to Hannah’s story here when Mary’s Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55) is clearly inspired by Hannah’s song of praise at Samuel’s birth (1 Samuel 2:1-10). In Anna, I see the impulse of Hannah to present “… herself before the Lord” (1 Samuel 1:9) in her suffering and to pour “… out [her] soul before the Lord.” (1 Samuel 1:15). Anna sought the Lord’s presence and the Lord’s provision throughout the course of her life.
As far as we can see as readers, Simeon’s song of praise, immediately preceding the introduction of Anna, is shared only between Simeon, Mary, and Joseph. Anna sings no song of praise, in fact, no words are placed directly into her mouth, but we are told that she does “…speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.” (Luke 2:38) Though the reader hears no direct speech from Anna, she is the one who shares the good news about redemption. It is intriguing to imagine who these people were and where Anna met with them. In my mind, the people who heard Anna’s good news shared at least one common characteristic: that they treated an old woman with kindness and dignity. How else would they find themselves in a conversation of import with an elderly widow?
In the concept of redemption alone, there is enough to write many sermons. In the BibleProject Podcast episode “What Redemption Means in the Bible,” the idea of redemption connects back to two Hebrew words – ga’al and padah. Though both, in different ways, carry connotations of redeem, take (custody), rescue, or liberate, ga’al has a particular meaning of a family member helping another family member in a dire situation. Boaz is a key example of ga’al because he redeems Naomi and Ruth by taking them into his household (Ruth 2:20). The example of another widow in a dire situation brought me back to Anna. As a widow herself, the idea of redemption carried personally important connotations with it, whether she had experienced that kind of mercy or not. Anna’s prayer within God’s house could have been her ongoing prophetic act as Jerusalem fell deeper into Roman control. Anna’s voice petitioned for the redemption of her people and herself. In the infant Jesus, she met her Redeemer.
Prayer of the Day
Our Redeemer, when we face the hardships of our lives, help us to be faithful in prayer. In prayer, may we be met by Your consolation, as when Anna met Jesus. All the days of our life, may we rest assured that You are working to make all things right. Amen.
Hymn Suggestion
“I Love to Tell the Story” Text by Katherine Hankey
A Blessing
Like the prophet, Anna, may we see that every moment of our life is another moment when we can turn to You in prayer. With our own eyes, may we see the greatness of Your love. May we find the listening ears of those who want to hear the story of what we’ve seen. Amen.
