GOD’S WORD FOR YOU
LUKE 2:38
38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about him to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.
Anna’s words are not recorded by Luke. On the one hand, Mary may not have remembered the words (her head was still swimming with what Simeon had said), although in view of verse 19 (“Mary committed all these things to memory, and she pondered them in her heart”) it’s more probable that she did, in fact, remember what Anna had said. But another possibility is that the Holy Spirit did not require Anna’s words to be recorded because they did not add anything new to what either the angels or Simeon had already revealed. Whatever the case, the very presence of this woman and the others mentioned here tells us something important: Anna and Simeon weren’t alone in expecting Jesus. There were others, “all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.” These were genuine Israelites, and we might even say “ordinary Israelites.” They were not pulled off into factions like the Pharisees or Sadducees. They were good, Synagogue-going, sacrifice-making, Torah-reading Jews who knew their Old Testament and who were naturally looking forward to the coming of the Christ child. The fact that God had given special revelations to some like Simeon only reinforced their convictions, but they already had faith in their Savior.
The redemption of Jerusalem (that is, of Israel; cp. Isaiah 40:1-2) was their whole concern. It is heartbreaking that so many Christians today belong to churches that downplay, underplay, or ignore the crucifixion of Jesus and the forgiveness of our sins. They are led astray by factions little different from the Pharisees and Sadducees who want them to focus their attention on social issues or personal piety rather than their relationship with their saving God. Paul said, “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2). We must fix our eyes on Jesus, who redeemed us—all of us who put our faith in him. Remember your relationship with him and the condition of your soul, and make your own salvation your greatest concern—you, and the people you love. If you do this, other matters like your outward life and your concern for your fellow man will come naturally. But if you get all this backwards, worrying about your life and not your soul, then Christ doesn’t benefit you at all. Trust in him.
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith
Archives by Wisconsin Lutheran Chapel: http://www.wlchapel.org/worship/daily-devotion/
Pastor Smith serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, New Ulm, Minnesota