Luke 2:35-38
"(Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity; And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem," Luke 2:35-38. When Christ is proclaimed, there is always an effect; something that is produced. That which is produced proclaims Who Christ is to us. For some, Christ is just a name that gets them entrance into a certain people group, whether that group is for or against Christ. Either way, Christ proclaimed reveals what is in their hearts.
Let us pick up where we left off last week at the end of verse 35; "that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed." The word "thoughts" in verse 35 means internal consideration; debate; to reason; reflection, thought. There is much that goes on in our minds every day, all day. Our hearts are described as the seat of the desires, feelings, affections, passions, impulses, i.e. the heart and mind. We reflect on what we allow into our hearts and minds. Sometimes we take much time in dwelling on what we see and hear, other times we immediately react. Some are able to keep a straight face, others have their expressions written all over their faces. We know that from the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks, and at some point from the abundance of the heart our life produces actions. What is really in our hearts will come out, and there are some things and some people that really produce those actions. The thoughts of our hearts will be revealed. "May be revealed" in verse 35 means of things which become known by there effects.
"And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity; And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day," Luke 2:36-37. Luke gives us a description of a lady who lived a life devoted to God. She loved God, and this was known by her actions. Anna means grace. Luke gives her the designation of prophetess. This is a great honour and no doubt is a reflection of the life she lived, and her age. According to how Luke describes Anna, she was not a foreteller of divine things, but was a faithful servant of the Lord. She was the daughter of Phanuel, and was from the tribe of Asher. Asher was the second son of Leah's handmaid Zilpah whom she bore to Jacob. Asher was Jacobs eighth son. The tribe of Asher was with the Northern tribes when Israel split immediately after Solomon died. There were ten Northern tribes, and two Southern tribes. The ten Northern tribes were defeated and taken into captivity by Assyria in 721 B.C.. Obviously there were those in the Northern tribes who left and relocated to the Southern tribes. These would be those who loved the true and living God and desired to worship and serve Him. The Northern tribe had fallen into idolatry. Anna's family descended from those who loved the Lord.
Luke tells us she was of a great age. She was old. She was married for seven years, and then her husband died. She never remarried. She was a widow. There is some debate on how long she was a widow and on how old she was. If she was a widow for eighty four years, and was married for seven years, she would be approximately 104 years old. Most scholars say she was 84 years old. Either way, she was old, and she had served the Lord her whole life. She came to the temple every day. Every one knew her, and they knew what kind of lady she was. The word "served" in verse 37 means to serve, in a religious sense to serve and worship God. This was her life. No matter how old she was, she was known for a life of service to the Lord, and the Lord blessed her. "And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem," Luke 2:38. "Redemption" in this means to release on receipt of a ransom. Redemption, deliverance; spoken of the redemption of Israel.
There were those who looked for, expected, the redemption of Israel, but they were few. Notice what is missing here. There is no great proclamation by the temple priests. There are no great gatherings of the common people to praise God for keeping His promises. There aren't any sounding the trumpets to let all know that the Saviour is come into the world. There were very few who were excited about this great news. "For the substance of faith lay in this expectation; and it is evident, that there were few who actually cherished it in their minds." John Calvin.
This brings us back to the end of Luke 2:35, "that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed." The whole nation of Israel was involved in religious activities. They knew the Scriptures. They knew about God; the coming Messiah; but all they had was knowledge. They did not love the Lord. Though they were faithful to adhere to all the customs and laws, they were simply going through the motions. Their religion had become a check list religion. There were very few that actually believed what they had been taught; therefore, there were very few that actually cared about the coming Messiah, as long as He did not mess up their way of life when He came. For the majority of the nation of Israel, when the Messiah came, He was rejected and despised, and for some, He really messed up their way of life. Others lived life like normal. They continued going through the motions, feeling smug about their efforts. We see a good example of this in Acts 28:20-31. "Is waxed gross" means to thicken, i.e. (by implication) to fatten (figurative, stupefy or render callous):- wax gross.
There were very few who were looking and living for the Lord. Their lives showed it. As Christ began to teach and to preach the kingdom of God and on the sins of the heart the hatred towards Him began to grow. This hatred culminated in the crucifixion of their Messiah. The majority of the people were fine with it. How many of us are fine with it? How many view Christ as a get out of the wrath of God card? They align with the name of Christ, but in their hearts they do not really love Him. They are not striving to get sin out of their lives, they do not love the Scriptures, and church attendance just makes them feel good about themselves (II Corinthians 13:5). But then there are those who do love the Messiah. These hate their own sins. They are busy doing kingdom work, and they are longing for the return of Christ, as they continue living for Him. Thank the Lord for this example in the Scriptures. Soli Deo Gloria.
