Do you know the story of Anna? She’s not often included in the Christmas story, and some might say she’s a minor character, but her role is hardly insignificant.
In Israel, at the time of Jesus’ birth, virtually all faithful believers were already awaiting and expecting the Messiah. They were eagerly and diligently looking for Him. However, as we now know, so few recognized Him because He came in a way that met none of their expectations. They were looking for a political leader, or military leader, or king, or maybe something else, but certainly not a baby.
Only a few people recognized Him. What did all of these people have in common? They were humble, unremarkable people. (The Magi were the exception, being rich, powerful, and influential. However, they were not Israelites, but Gentiles.) The Israelites who recognized Jesus at His birth were Mary and Joseph, the shepherds, Simeon, and Anna.
Anna is the final witness that Luke describes in Luke 2. In fact, there’s only three verses in the entire Bible about this woman, but these short verses are enough to tell us much about her life:
There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child [Jesus] to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem (Luke 2:36-38).
When Jesus was still a newborn, His earthly parents took Him to the temple to dedicate Him. When this young, little family arrived, two elderly people met them — Simeon and Anna. Simeon’s story is listed just a few verses prior to Anna’s in Luke 2. Simeon had been told by the Spirit of God that he would not die before he saw the Messiah. When God makes a promise, He keeps it, and Simeon knew that full well. As soon as Simeon saw the baby, he knew it was the Messiah. Luke 2:27-28 says that Simeon took Jesus in his arms and spoke a prophecy.
Anna, who was also in the temple, immediately understood what was happening. Anna was an elderly woman, a prophetess, a widow, and a permanent resident of the temple. Her name in Hebrew is identical to “Hannah,” who was Samuel’s mother in the Old Testament. Her name means “grace,” which is quite the appropriate name for such a godly, dignified woman. Both Hannah and Anna are singled out in Scripture for their practice of prayer and fasting, and both were perfectly at home in the temple. Anna was a prophetess whose heart was prepared for the coming of the Messiah. She was a woman who spoke the Word of God.
Anna is identified as “of the tribe of Asher.” Why is this significant? Asher was one of Jacob’s sons, one of the twelve tribes of Israel. Luke mentions this about Anna because it reminds us that her heritage owed much to God’s grace. She was part of the believing remnant from the northern kingdom, and a reminder of God’s faithfulness to His people.
Anna was a woman who was no stranger to tragedy. She was married (likely at a young age), and her husband died seven years later. She never had children and remained a widow for the rest of her life. The Greek text is not crystal clear about her age, so we are not sure if she was 84 years old, or if she had been a widow for 84 years, which would make her approximately 104. Either way, she lived a long life. Anna likely lived on charity or supported herself from her family’s inheritance. Whatever the case, she lived a frugal, meager, and simple life.
A permanent resident of the temple, she filled her days with prayer, fasting, and worship. She made this a life-long discipline for well over sixty-four years! Her faith was deep, stemming from the fact that she believed all the promises of the Old Testament and was eagerly awaiting the coming Messiah. And she was given the privilege of seeing the Savior!
As Simeon blessed Jesus, Anna was within earshot. She came “in that instant” (Luke 2:38) and suddenly, everything she had been praying and fasting for was right there — she was face-to-face with the Promised One! She immediately began giving thanks to God and praising Him, as decades of petition now turned to praise. We can only imagine how this must have felt!
The Messiah had finally come, and Anna was one of the very first to recognize who He was. Certainly she could not keep this news to herself! She became one of the first witnesses of Christ, telling everyone she knew about His arrival.
This is the last we hear of Anna in Scripture. These three verses are all we know about this remarkable woman. She likely did not live many years beyond this event. However, she was one of the first missionaries to tell of the coming of Christ. Her role in the Advent story, even though short in text, is certainly not insignificant or minor.
Like Anna, all of our hope is placed in one Savior. We believe His promises, and we know that all of life points to His coming. We long to see Him and be forever changed. When we encounter Jesus, may we be faithful and follow the example of Anna to proclaim to everyone that He has come to save. Anna devoted her entire life to worshipping the One True God, and she was given the gift of seeing the Christ-child face to face. We too have great hope that we will see our Risen Lord one day, where worship will never cease. Hallelujah — Christ has come!
