The Life of Christ

for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed — 35 and a sword will pierce even your own soul — to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

The prophet Simeon had been promised by God that he would not die until he saw the coming Messiah.

• We assume he was already advanced in years and hoping to make his soon departure into the next life.

▪ It seems he was a prophet in that he lived a life style described as, “the Holy Spirit was upon him.”

• However, he had one more prophetic assignment before his departure; from the temple he was to find the child Messiah and proclaim that He would be a “light unto the Gentiles.” As the prophetic anointing would continue, he would also tell Mary that a sword would pass through her soul.

• We don’t know how many times the old prophet gathered himself together and made his daily trek to the place in the temple where newborns were dedicated.

• This may have been his daily routine for months or even years; however, on this particular day the Spirit of God revealed to him that this common infant, in line amidst many others, “was the One.”

Lk. 2:36-37 (NKJV) Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity; 37 and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.

We calculate Anna’s age by adding together the given components:

Marriage at 14-15

•

• She lived with a husband 7 years: (age 22) • She remained a widow for 84 years: (age 106)

This estimation is also confirmed by Marshall’s commentary entitled, The New International Critical Greek New Testament .

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Mt. 2:1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying,

Scholars who have researched the term tell us they were priests or spiritual advisors among the Medes, the Persians, or even possibly from India.

• Their background was primarily in astrology, which meant they were serious stargazers.

• They often held high positions as “court astrologers,” there to help guide the king in making important decisions. • They were also known to travel from country to country as ambassadors whenever a new king was crowned.

• When they would do this, they often brought special gifts to welcome the new head of state.

• When they arrived at Jerusalem, Herod gave them serious attention knowing the high status these men held; they were known as “wise men.”

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