Waiting – by Stephanie Bolme
“Why do you shake your head, woman?” Simeon asked the woman he’d always seen at the temple but never before spoken to.
“I shake my head at the foolishness of the young priest you were just arguing with.” Anna answered honestly.
“And why do you say he is foolish?”
“For the same reason you would, if you spoke your mind.”
“And what reason is that?”
“He talks of Messiah as if He’ll be nothing more than a war hero. He seeks salvation from the enemy without and is totally blind to his desperate need to be delivered from the enemy within.”
“He devoutly keeps the Law, he offers the sacrifices required by the law, he does the works God commands. Who is this enemy within that he needs to be delivered from?”
“Don’t toy with an old woman, old man. You know the answer to that as well as I do. I’ve been watching you. You know he could sacrifice every lamb in Israel and it wouldn’t make him clean. You, like me, long for the veil between us and God to be torn away. I see it in your eyes. Before Messiah conquers the world, He must first conquer our hearts.”
Simeon smiled. “Walk with me, woman. I would know how you came to such ideas.”
They walked around the temple mount until the shadows grew long. The more he heard, the more Simeon knew that God’s hand was on this woman. Her knowledge of the prophets rivaled that of men who’d studied a lifetime, and her understanding surpassed them.
“Anna,” he said at last. “May I tell you a secret?” She nodded her head and he continued. “The Lord has revealed something extraordinary to me. He has promised me that I will not close my eyes in death until I have seen His Christ; until I have seen Messiah!”
Anna looked at him for a long moment. “Simeon, I think you and I shall be good friends. I’ve received no such promise, but I feel in my spirit that the time is near.”
“Is that why you are here, night and day, fair weather and foul?”
Anna smiled a sad smile. “My husband, gone so long, whispered one thing to me before he left me alone. ‘Wait for Messiah, my Anna,’ he said. ‘Wait for Messiah. He is coming and He will change everything.’ What better place to wait for Him than at His Father’s house?”
“What better place indeed? You are right, woman. You and I will be good friends.”
———-
And so they were. Every morning it was the same.
“The Lord bless you, Anna.”
“The Lord bless you, Simeon. Is today the day?”
“I will tell you tonight, Anna.”
Sometimes, that was all the conversation they had for the day. Sometimes, they walked the temple mount as they had that first time, discussing the prophecies of the Messiah and what they could mean. Some did say, as that young priest had so eloquently argued, that Messiah would be a conquering hero. But others, the ones that pierced both Simeon and Anna to the heart, talked of Messiah as a servant; a servant who would suffer.
———-
“How did you come to know the scriptures so well, Anna? I’ve wondered since the first time we talked, but I’ve never asked you.” Simeon asked one day as they walked the temple mount.
“I was my father’s only child. He loved the scriptures, especially the prophets, and longed for a son who would study the scriptures with him. But no son ever came.”
“You are better than ten sons. I’ve never known anyone with the hunger you have to learn and to know.”
Anna smiled. “In the end, I think Phanuel may have agreed with you. When I was a child, he sometimes indulged my endless curiosity and answered my questions. But it was after my husband died and left me a widow with no children that we began to seriously study together. My mother died of the same illness that took my husband. Many died that year.”
Simeon nodded. “I remember.”
“It was only my father and I left. I returned to his home and took care of him until his death. We spent countless hours studying and discussing the scriptures. Do you want to know the happiest day of my life?”
“What day was that?”
“The day my father told me that he had never known such joy as the joy he knew when we talked of the things of God. The day he told me that God’s hand was upon me, and that training me in the scriptures was his greatest honor.”
“Phanuel was right. I knew from the moment I saw you shaking your head as that young priest walked away that God’s hand was upon you. I knew that you, alone, would understand my own passion for the prophecies about Messiah and what He will do.”
“Is that why you told me your secret?”
“It was. When the Lord first revealed His promise that I would see Messiah, I was so excited that I told my closest friend. He mocked me! My closest friend believed I was just fooling myself with wishful thinking. I’ve told no one since then; no one until you.”
“You honor me, old man,” Anna told him with a smile.
Simeon laughed at her, and then sobered. “May I tell you another secret?”
“Of course.”
“Sometimes, in the darkest part of the night, I wonder if my friend was right. I am an old man. Messiah had better come soon.”
“You wouldn’t be human if you never worried that you only heard your own desires when you thought you were hearing God. God does not need you to be perfect in order to keep His promise. It depends on His faithfulness, not yours.”
———-
But the day came when Anna herself began to wonder if Simeon had indeed been wrong. For days, he didn’t show up at the temple. She realized that for all their talking, she didn’t even know where he lived. Many times, she’d fasted and prayed. Now she would fast and pray for Simeon. Her answer came on the third day.
“I think old Simeon’s time is up,” she overheard one of the Pharisees say.
“I think you are right,” his companion answered. “I heard his heart is failing him.”
Anna listened no more. She turned and ran as fast as her old body would carry her to her favorite place to pray.
“Oh Lord God, Lord of Hosts! Was Simeon wrong? Was I wrong? I thought I felt Your Spirit confirm with mine the truth of his words.” Tears coursed down her cheeks as she pled with the Lord for the man who had become so dear to her. She pled until she had no more words and then fell silent. In the silence, she heard the words of the son of Israel’s greatest king.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.
“Yes, my Lord,” she prayed, and felt His peace descend on her like rain.
———-
“The Lord bless you, Anna.”
She spun around at the softly whispered words, a broad smile lighting her face.
“The Lord bless you, Simeon! The Lord bless you indeed!”
“Did you begin to doubt?” Simeon asked her. He looked frail.
“The Lord reminded me to trust in Him, and to not lean on my own understanding. How are you my friend? Should you be here?”
“I couldn’t stay away any longer. At first, I doubted too. But like you, the Lord reminded me where to place my trust. Now I am more excited than ever. My body cannot continue on for much longer. Messiah must be at the very doorstep!”
“I am so happy and yet so sad.”
“Don’t be sad, Anna. I am more than ready to leave this old body behind.”
“Are you more than ready to leave this old woman behind too?”
He reached out and tenderly touched her cheek. “If I had known you all those years ago, I would have had my father hounding poor Phanuel night and day until you and I were betrothed.”
“You humor an old woman, but it makes me happy to hear you say it anyway.”
“It’s the truth, I tell you!” Simeon exclaimed, and they both laughed.
———-
The days once again settled into a happy, familiar pattern. Simeon never did fully recover, although he did regain some of his strength. Anna frequently asked to stop and sit for a while on the days they walked and talked, saying she was tired and needed to rest. Simeon allowed her to think she was fooling him. Then one day, it all changed again. On this, the most important of days, Simeon found no trace of Anna on the temple mount.
“Where is she?” he demanded of the first priest he could grab a hold of.
“Who?” the priest asked, alarmed at the flush on the old man’s face.
“Anna! I must speak to her!”
“The prophetess? A young mother came and begged her to come pray for her baby, who is close to death. It’s about the only thing that can get her to leave. She’ll be back shortly. You’re too old to be courting, Simeon,” he added with a chuckle, but Simeon was already turning away.
“Why, oh Lord, on today of all days, is she called away from the temple mount?” he asked the heavens. For today, the Spirit of the Lord had once again come upon him. Today was the day! He was sure of it. Never had he felt pressed so hard to get to the temple. He positioned himself so he could see all who approached the temple. Man after man walked passed him. Simeon scrutinized them all. None stirred his spirit; none were what he was looking for.
When the poor couple approached, a baby in the young woman’s arms, he almost let them pass. Something made him look again.
The man held two pigeons in his hands, the offering for a first-born son for those not wealthy enough to afford a lamb. The woman was so young, barely even old enough to be called a woman. Both had a look about them that said they were carrying an enormous responsibility on their shoulders. Both also had the mark of one who had been touched by God. Simeon’s eyes opened wide.
“Please,” he said, approaching the couple. “May I hold Him?”
“Of course, father,” the man answered. “My name is Joseph; this is my wife, Mary. The Child is called Jesus.”
Simeon barely registered Joseph’s words as he gazed in awe at the baby he held in his arms. “How can it be Lord? It’s too wonderful to imagine! I hold Messiah in my arms, a helpless babe yet destined to be King!” His silent prayers were interrupted. Suddenly, all the prophecies came together. He saw it all. He understood it all. His heart broke as he looked at young Mary, so bright with hope. Did she know what she faced, the mother of this incredible Child? They looked at him expectantly. But the words he finally spoke were to God.
“Sovereign Lord, as You have promised, You now dismiss Your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to Your people Israel.”
He finally turned his attention to the young couple that stood marveling at his words. “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace,” he said, speaking the familiar priestly blessing. He looked directly at Mary before he continued, compassion showing on his face. “This Child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
A soft gasp stopped him. Looking up, he saw that Anna had finally returned. He tried to catch her eyes, to tell her with his own that this was the One they’d been waiting for. But her eyes were locked on the Child he still held. Simeon smiled. She already knew. Of course, she already knew.
“May I?” she asked, reaching for the Child. At Mary’s nod she took him from Simeon. “Oh Lord God, thank You for letting me see this day. Thank You for fulfilling Your promises. Messiah has come! He is the One who will redeem Israel. He is the One who will redeem us all! He will conquer our hearts, and slay the enemy that would keep us apart from God.”
She lifted her voice louder now, speaking to all who would listen. “You come to the temple to pray for the redemption of Jerusalem. Redemption has come! Watch this Child! He is the One who will change everything!”
Redemption did indeed come with Jesus
Keep your eyes on Him
He is the One who changes everything
