LUKE 2:36-40

Verses 36-40 “36And 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;
37And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.
38And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.
39And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth.
40And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.”

Here is Anna, another Old Testament Saint, very old and a widow for eighty-four years after a seven year marriage. Given these facts, we conclude that Anna was well over one hundred years old. She is a woman of self denial and prayer who loved the house of God and served Him there day and night. And she is a prophetess, one to whom the Lord revealed important truth. God rewarded her by allowing her to see the Messiah in whom she had trusted. She then went out into Jerusalem to spread the good news to other believers who were also looking for the Messiah to come. Anna is one of the Bible’s holy women of God who set a good example in many ways. Joseph and Mary returned to Nazareth of Galilee, after the presentation of Jesus in the temple. Luke does not mention the visit of the wise men from the east or the flight of the holy family into Egypt. These omissions do not constitute a a contradiction with Matthew. Luke was simply not inspired to write of these two incidents.

The fact that Jesus grew physically and spiritually emphasizes the truth that He was both fully God and fully man. He had to be truly human in order to die for our sins; and He had to be truly God in order for His death to have infinite value to save a world of sinners. As a human He had to be cared for as a baby, just as all other babies must be cared for, being fed, clothed, bathed, and cuddled. As a young child He had to learn things that all other children learned, things like carpentry, mathematics, and manners. But He was filled with wisdom, the grace of God was upon Him, and His development was guided by the Spirit. As a full grown man He became tired, hungry, sad, happy, disappointed, and lonely just as do other men. At the same time as the perfect God, He did miracles, forgave sins, raised the dead, accepted worship, and arose from the dead.