Luke 2:36
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 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;
Anna was an aged prophetess who was present in the Jerusalem temple when the infant Jesus was presented by Mary and Joseph. She was one of the pious elderly believers who prayed day and night for the coming of the Messiah and longed to see Him before they died. Through her the spirit of prophecy reappeared after nearly disappearing for centuries, to usher in the Messiah at the close of the Jewish dispensation. Coming in at that moment she confirmed Simeon's testimony with radiant thanksgiving to God, and proclaimed the child to all in Jerusalem who were looking for redemption and waiting for Him to suffer for sinners. God had preserved her life to great age for the joyful privilege of receiving Jesus as the Saviour and testifying in the temple to His divinity as the promised Messiah.
Temple Presentation Context
Luke 2:36 belongs to the dedication when Mary and Joseph presented the infant Jesus at the temple in Jerusalem. Anna was present at that presentation and received Him as the Saviour, God having preserved her life to great age so she could have the joyful privilege of testifying that Jesus was the promised Messiah. She came in during the presentation and confirmed Simeon's testimony concerning Christ, and as he spoke her face lighted up with the glory of God and she poured out heartfelt thanks for being permitted to behold Christ the Lord. The presentation included the offering required for the mother, a lamb of the first year for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or turtledove for a sin offering, with a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons allowed when the parents were too poor for a lamb. The offerings presented had to be without blemish because they represented Christ, showing that Jesus Himself was free from physical deformity, with a strong and healthy body unmarked by any defect, living throughout His lifetime in conformity to nature's laws as an example physically as well as spiritually of what God designed all humanity to be through obedience to His laws. Her great age was visible in her appearance as an elderly woman leaning on a staff, standing apart watching while Simeon held the child in his arms and praised God for seeing salvation.
Faithful Prophetic Witness
Anna stands as an example of the pious, aged Jews who looked, believed, waited and prayed day and night for the Messiah. They longed to see the Saviour before they died, and for ignorance and bigotry to be dispelled from the minds of the people. She watched and prayed at a time when the priesthood was corrupt and God could not manifest His glory and power through it. She trusted that God would not leave His people in that condition to be a reproach to the heathen but would favor them at the set time, as He had raised up deliverers in the past when they called upon Him. From the predictions of the prophets she believed the time appointed of God for the Messiah to come had arrived. She longed for a clear revelation of the divine will that would free doctrine from human traditions and needless ceremonies.
She is identified in Luke 2:36 as a prophetess, and her prophecy is an example of the spirit of prophecy at the time of Christ's incarnation. Through her the spirit of prophecy reappeared at the close of the Jewish dispensation to usher in the Messiah, after it had nearly disappeared for a few centuries because of corruptions in the Jewish church. She came into the temple at the same time as Simeon during the presentation and confirmed his testimony concerning Christ. As Simeon spoke, her face lighted up with the glory of God, and she poured out heartfelt thanks to God for being allowed to see and behold Christ the Lord.
She spoke of Jesus to all in Jerusalem who were looking and waiting for redemption. In this she bore witness to His first advent to suffer for sinners. She received Jesus as the Saviour, and God preserved her life to great age so she could have the joyful privilege of testifying that Jesus was the promised Messiah. As one of the witnesses in the Jerusalem temple, she testified to Jesus' divinity.