Women in History: Anna

I know, you may be wondering, "Who is Anna?" or "is she writing about herself?"... the answer is no... I'm not writing about myself, we're going to explore Anna, a prophetess in Luke 2.

It's okay if you aren't familiar with Anna or have skimmed right over her because she is only allotted three verses in Luke. If we open our Bibles and look for God to speak to us in catchy phrases and big stories, we miss out on what God's word is truly trying to tell us. Have no fear if you have not heard of Anna the prophetess... her story is right here:

Luke 2 36-38: "36 There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 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."

Anna's debut comes when Joseph and Mary take Jesus to the temple for the first time. While at the temple, they are greeted by two people who are instantly aware of who Jesus is and one of them is Anna. Although we do not know much about Anna, we can draw a few conclusions based on what we are told.

1. Anna turned to God after disaster. The Book of Luke tells us that Anna was married and then became a widow after a short 7 years of marriage. Although we do not know about her marriage, we can assume that there is grief and pain when someone you know for that long passes away. Instead of turning away from God, she turned to His love and grace through worship and fasting.

2. Anna is faithful. Verse 37 says "She never left the temple but worshiped night and day..." Anna was bold in her faith. We all know someone who just always seems to be at church or always is worshipping the Lord... that is Anna.

3. Anna recognized Jesus. In 87 years of continuous, non-stop worship, I would imagine that Anna saw a lot in the temple. She probably saw false teachers, as well as very talented teachers but upon seeing Mary, Joseph, and Jesus, Anna knew that there was something special about the child. Anna knew that Jesus would play a role in the redemption of Jerusalem which is something that they had heard about and had been waiting for, for hundreds of years.

4. Anna taught. At the end of Anna's short segment, it says that she spoke to all of those who were listening around her. In history, people have drawn the conclusion that women should not be allowed to teach or preach as if spiritual gifts are somehow gender exclusive. They aren't. Sharing God's word with others should not be limited to only half of the population. As we explore other women we will see that both men and women are blessed with spiritual gifts of teaching, courage, love, grace... the list goes on. Let's celebrate that.

Readers skip over this passage, and many more, when there is so much to be learned just because Jesus wasn't speaking or it isn't action-packed. I appreciate Anna's sweet story, although it is so short. I would love to know more about her and maybe one day, I will have the opportunity to meet her in heaven. Although for now, I will admire her as a daughter of the King who walked boldly and faithfully before me.