Simeon and Anna Meet Baby Jesus

When baby Jesus was about six weeks old, Mary and Joseph carried Him all the way to the great temple in Jerusalem. They came to thank God for Him, the way every Jewish family did for their firstborn son. They were poor, so they brought what poor families brought, two little birds as an offering.

In Jerusalem there lived an old man named Simeon. He loved God and prayed every day. For many years he had been waiting for God to send the one who would save His people. And God had made Simeon a special promise: “You will not die until you have seen Him with your own eyes.”

Simeon waited, and waited. His hair turned white. His back grew bent. Still he waited, and still he believed.

That day, the Holy Spirit told Simeon to go to the temple. He walked through the busy courtyard, past the crowds and the priests and the doves, and then he saw them: a young mother, a carpenter, and a tiny baby.

Simeon knew at once. He took baby Jesus in his old arms, and tears of joy filled his eyes. He lifted his face to heaven and praised God:

“For my eyes have seen your salvation.”

Luke 2:30

“Now I can go in peace,” he said. “You have kept Your promise, Lord. This child will be a light for every nation in the world.”

Mary and Joseph were amazed at what he said about their baby.

Just then, another very old person came over. Her name was Anna. She was eighty four years old, and she almost never left the temple. Day and night she worshipped God and prayed. When Anna saw Jesus, her face lit up. She thanked God, and she began telling everyone who was waiting for God’s help, “He is here! The one we have been waiting for is here!”

Simeon and Anna had waited a very long time. But God had not forgotten them, not for a single day.