Anna and Simeon

One of my Sunday School kids asked a couple weeks ago:

(We were talking about the 4 gospel writers with their similarities and differences.)

“Wouldn’t it just have been easier if Jesus Himself wrote down everything that He did and said?!?”

I had to laugh.

I mean… YES.

Can you imagine?!

Jesus writing down what He actually did and experienced and said?

Honestly, I think we couldn’t really comprehend it.

It would be too much.

But I got this kid’s point.

Why don’t we have more clear facts about Jesus?

A cohesive timeline about what He did?

A plethora of details that are missing from every story in the four gospels?

That would be so nice for my little mortal logical brain to have and to study.

But we don’t get that.

We get lots of messy, possibly mis-translated accounts from a couple thousand years ago.

Now Anna and Simeon had one of the coolest experiences ever:

They got to SEE baby Jesus at the temple.

But… I guess a lot of people technically probably saw this little infant that Mary and Joseph had with them.

But Anna and Simeon had a testimony-building experience where they witnessed of the Messiah’s divinity.

“She coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.” (Luke 2:38)

“Anna and Simeon were eyewitnesses to the infant, but… their knowledge of his divine mission came through the witness of the Holy Ghost.” -Dallin H. Oaks

That’s the cool part.

We don’t actually have to see baby Jesus.

We don’t actually need an itemized list of what He did and when.

In order to KNOW Him and TESTIFY of Him.

The Spirit can witness to us of Jesus’ reality and divinity.

And we can go and share.

We can have the same experience that Anna and Simeon had in the temple that day in Jerusalem.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black