A novel, a movie, a television show, each has a cast of major characters and minor characters. Often the mark of a good story is a strong supporting cast, where the minor characters make an important contribution to the overall plot. For example, think back to The Beverly Hillbillies. Now, I realize some of you younger folks may have never heard of the show, but it is one of the three most popular TV series of all time, and occasionally, reruns show up on the cable networks. One of the characters, minor characters, on the show was Mrs. Drysdale, the banker's wife. But she played an important role by showing that the eccentricities of Beverly Hills high society were almost as great as the eccentricities of Tennessee hillbillies. Mrs. Drysdale was a minor character, but an important one.
When the Holy Spirit inspires Luke to record the events surrounding the birth of Jesus, he tells us of Mary and Joseph, the angels and shepherds and, as we saw last Sunday, a man named Simeon. But before he finishes his account, he tells us about one more individual, Anna. Now everything we know about this woman is found in three verses of Luke 2. She is not mentioned on any other page of the Bible. Anna is a very minor character in the Christmas story. Yet, she is important because she is a wonderful model for Christians of all ages to follow. Today we will see that her response to Christmas, to the first coming of Jesus, is one which God desires each of us to imitate. Let's pray God would use His Word to shape our lives to be more like Anna's.
Our text today is Luke 2:36-38. Last week we explored Verses 21-35, where Luke tells us about Mary and Joseph bringing Jesus to the temple. Mary and Joseph had brought Jesus to the temple about six weeks after His birth for two reasons. #1) So that Mary could go through purification rites that Jewish women went through after childbirth, and #2) so they could consecrate, or dedicate, Jesus to God. While they were there, they meet Simeon, a godly man who is thrilled to see the Messiah. As Simeon holds the Baby Jesus, he speaks a prophecy about the Messiah, and at that time Anna comes up to them.
Verses 2:36,37 There was also a prophetess, 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. Luke tells us four facts about her. #1) She is a prophetess. That is a very significant title. It had been 400 years since the last Old Testament prophet, Malachi. That is a long time. And now God has raised a prophetess, which would seem to make her a very important individual. But, Luke doesn't focus on the title, he simply mentions that this is who Anna is. #2) She is a Jewess. As we read in Verse 36, she belongs to the tribe of Asher. That is one of the ten tribes of what had been the northern kingdom, but Anna had apparently been able to keep track of her genealogy. #3) She is an 84-year-old widow. Luke says she was very old, but 84 was a little older then than it is now. Apparently she was married seven years before her husband had died, which means she had spent many, many years alone. #4) She was a very devout woman. Luke says, 2:37b She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Some of you think you spend a lot of time in church. It is uncertain whether Anna actually had an apartment within the temple or if she simply came to the temple daily, but this woman pretty much lived there. Her life focused on worshiping the Lord.
Part of the reason Luke tells us about Anna is because he wants to make sure we understand that Jesus is a universal Messiah. He is the Messiah and Savior of all kinds of people. That includes women who often were not really respected in the ancient world, that includes widows who were often unable to support themselves financially, and it includes devout, religious Jews. Later on in Jesus' ministry, Luke will report that the Jewish religious establishment, the Pharisees and others, were very much opposed to Jesus. But, Anna and Simeon illustrated that some of the religious people welcomed the Messiah with open arms.
Indeed, as the angels had told the shepherds a few weeks earlier, Jesus' coming was good news of great joy for all the people, for all kinds of people. Luke tells us Jesus is the Messiah for shepherds, the kind of crude, low-class type of folks who would probably never show up to church, except for maybe a wedding or a funeral. And Luke says Jesus is the Messiah for Simeon and Anna, devout, pious people who practically lived at church. He has pretty much covered people from A to Z. The gospel, the good news, is for all people.
What we want to focus on, however, is Anna's response when she sees Jesus. Luke doesn't give a lot of details, but simply says, 2:38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. When Anna sees Jesus, and recognizes He is the Messiah, she does two things. She thanks God, and she tells other people what has happened. Or we could say that she praises and proclaims the Messiah. Luke doesn't record every one of the precise words Anna spoke, but her response is most appropriate. The Christmas season is the highlight of the year for many people. There are all sorts of things happening, and a wide variety of thoughts and emotions go through our minds and hearts. But Anna helps us understand what the focus of our reponse to Christmas should be. This is simple, but important.
#1) We should express praise to God, give thanks to God for the great things He has done through Jesus Christ. I remember reading an article in the newspaper on the importance of expressing gratitude for Christmas gifts. Even if someone gave you the ugliest tie you have seen, or the worst-smelling perfume on the planet, it is important to acknowledge and express some type of appreciation for each and every gift. Remember, it is the thought that counts, some thoughts count more than others, but it's the thought that matters. Expression of gratitude is not just proper social etiquette, however. It is a moral and spiritual obligation. Perhaps you know the story where Jesus healed ten lepers, yet only one of them returned to say "thank you." The clear implication in the text is that the ungrateful nine are not just impolite, but they are wrong. Over and over again, God's people are exhorted in the Book of Psalms to give thanks to the Lord. To praise the Lord. To fail to do so, to not thank God for the great things He has done, is sin. It may not seem as bad as robbing a bank or committing adultery, but it is still sin. If we came into this room this morning, two days after Christmas, aware that God loved the world so much that He gave us His only begotten Son, knowing that God has given what Paul calls in 1 Corinthians 9 an indescribable gift, it is a sin, a great moral wrong, to not praise God for what He has done.
Now, unfortunately, it is not enough to know that it is our duty to give praise and thanksgiving. Parents usually find out that it is easier to get our children to say the words "thank you" than to get them to really mean it. Adults have the same problem. Praising God involves more than saying words or singing songs. There is an emotional aspect to genuine gratitude. When a seven-year-old girl woke up on Christmas morning and saw a present under the tree for which she had been begging for six months, she did not calculate a response. She didn't think, "Oh, here is the present I wanted. I ought to be happy. I should be grateful. I should thank Mom and Dad for this present." No, her shout of joy, the big hug she gives to each of her parents is a natural response of gratitude. That is the type of response we ought to have toward God because of the great gift He has given us. Praise and thanksgiving should fill our hearts, minds, and lips not just at Christmas, but throughout the year.
So, how do we develop that attitude of gratitude? I guess the first thing we need to do is pray and ask God for it. I'm convinced it is the work of God's Spirit in our lives which makes us grateful people. That is not our natural inclination. So we need to ask God to change and shape our attitude. We can also ponder, think about, the gift God has given us. We can contemplate on how desperately we needed this gift, Jesus Christ, in our lives. This is part of what brings joyful gratitude to many children at Christmas. Weeks ago they saw this toy, hopefully something more than a Furby, on TV, in a catalog, or at the store. They have thought about that toy, they dreamed about that toy, and convinced themselves that life is not complete without it. They have told themselves and their parents that they need that Nintendo 64 game. So, when they look under the tree, often the joy is there not merely because they received something they wanted, but because they now have something which they think they can't live without.
Friends, when we take time to realize how this is really true for us, that we could not live without the gift God has given, that without Jesus Christ we would be lost, without God, and without hope in this world, then like Anna, we will naturally give thanks to God and praise Him for what He has done. We will sing carols with joy and exuberance, not just because we like how they sound, or because they remind us of our childhood, but because it is our way of saying "Thank You, Father, for sending Jesus." When we pray at the dinner table, we will not just mouth words we have heard for years, but we will genuinely praise God for who He is and thank Him for His many blessings. When she saw Jesus, Anna praised God, gave Him thanks. We should be doing the same each day.
#2) Like Anna, we should tell others about Jesus. 2:38b ...she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. All people need to hear about Christ. Remember what the angel told the shepherds in Verse 10. "The good news of great joy is for all the people." Jews and Gentiles, black and white, men and women, young and old, rich and poor, Republicans and Democrats, Packer fans and Viking fans, all need to hear the good news that Jesus the Messiah has come. Even if people don't want to hear the truth, that doesn't mean that we should be silent about what God has done for us through Jesus. Yes, the people Anna talked to believed God was going to send a Messiah, but I don't think that means she was just preaching to the choir. Most of those folks certainly did not believe He had been born six weeks earlier in Bethlehem. I'm sure there were folks who heard Anna and thought, "The poor old lady is losing it." But she kept telling people about Jesus. That is not always an easy thing to do. Many of us are afraid folks will think we are some kind of religious nut if we talk to them about Christ, so we keep our mouths shut. Telling others about Jesus doesn't seem like a natural thing to do. But Anna's joy at seeing the Messiah made it very natural for her to not only express thanksgiving to God, but also to report her discovery to others. Certainly when a child gets the present for which he has been waiting, it is natural for him to call up a friend and say, "Guess what I got for Christmas." Friends, I believe when we understand in our own minds what the coming of Jesus means, when we experience His grace in a personal way, then it should be natural for us to tell not just our family and friends, but everyone, that the Messiah has come.
But, I think Anna's model means we should focus on those who are hungry for good news. Look whom Anna talked to. "All who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem." As I said, not all of these folks would be receptive to Anna's message. But she was speaking to people who recognized their need. People who were tired of the way things were. People who were looking forward to the time when God would do something. Anna spoke to people who, though maybe skeptical, were at least willing to listen to her message, because they were hungry for good news.
Friends, who are the people we know "who are looking forward to the redemption" God has promised? It would include Orthodox Jews still looking for a Messiah. Christians still need to tell Jewish people that Jesus is the Christ, even if that's not a politically correct thing to do. But, I think the broader principle is that we must share the message of Christ, the message of joy and hope, with those who are waiting for some good news. We need to talk to those who realize their life is a dead end and they are getting nowhere fast. We need to reach out to people who are not afraid to admit they need help.
I want to be careful to make sure you understand what I am saying. Yes, we as Christians have the responsibility to share the Gospel with everyone, to call all people on every part of the globe to repent and believe in Jesus Christ. But, many of the people we know are too proud and too self-confident to hear the truth about Jesus. They are convinced they can make it fine on their own, they don't need God. With these folks, it is our job to speak, with love, words that the Holy Spirit will use to convince these people of their need for Christ. Francis Schaeffer used to call it "taking the roof off over someone's head." Or, more precisely, pointing out that there is no roof there. Like the foolish man who built his house upon sand, these people think things are great now, because the sun is shining. But when the storms of life come, divorce, disease, debt, depression, death, these people are going to regret that they have ignored God. But today they are not really interested in the message of Christ.
On the other hand, there are people out there right now who are hungry for good news and are ready to hear about Jesus Christ. God has prepared their hearts and minds so they are ready to listen. Oh, they probably will not come up to you and ask, "What must I do to be saved?", like the jailer asked the apostle Paul. They may not ever be ready to accept an invitation to come to church with you. But they are ready for some good news. And we have an opportunity to share that. Who are these people who are ready to listen? It might be someone who is grieving because they lost someone close to them. It could be someone who is lonely. It may be someone who has gone through a divorce, who is struggling with marriage problems. Maybe it is someone who just had a baby and feels very helpless because she doesn't know about being a parent, or maybe it's the parent of a 14-year-old who doesn't understand teenagers. It might be someone who has hit bottom and realizes that alcohol isn't the solution to his problems, but the cause of many of them. Maybe it is someone who has lost their job and isn't sure how they are going to make the mortgage payment next month.
I'm not suggesting we go out and prey on those who are emotionally vulnerable. But we need to keep our eyes open. There may be people in our lives who are getting hungry for some good news. There may be people we know whose hearts are being softened by God, and whose ears are being unplugged so they are ready to hear the good news about Jesus Christ. When we see these people, like Anna, we need to share with others the great message that Jesus the Messiah has come and brings salvation to all who will trust in Him. Yet, we must remember that our words by themselves can be very ineffective. If people don't see us living out our Christianity, if they don't see a life demonstrating faith, hope and love, they probably are going to label us a "hypocrite" and not pay attention to anything we say. But, no matter how good a life we lead, no matter how nice and kind a person we are, unless we speak words about Jesus Christ, no one is going to understand that He is the One that God has sent to be our Savior.
Friends, when Anna saw the Baby Jesus, her response was to praise and proclaim, to thank God for what He had done and to tell others of God's gracious gift. As we wind down our celebration of Christmas 1998, I hope that will be our response to Christmas as well. In fact, those are very good goals for the year ahead. I encourage you to ask the Lord to work in your life this next year so that you will be more consistent in giving praise to God for who He is and for all His wonderful gifts to us. Ask the Lord to help you be more bold, yes, gentle and sensitive too, but especially more bold in proclaiming to others the good news of great joy which the shepherds heard from the angels that first Christmas. The world desperately needs to hear this truth, so we need to be willing to share it. We need to be willing to go tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere.
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