There are only two verses in the Bible about the ...
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Jesus Among Sinners
Leader Guide
Lesson 1
Anna the Prophetess
Luke 2:36-38
Opening Activity:
Give each member a piece of paper and tell them to write down one fact about themselves that the group probably will not know. Mix up the papers, and allow each member to draw a piece of paper. As they read it, the group will try to decide who wrote the fact. Once the author of the fact is determined ask the identifier how they knew it was that person?
Discuss how we share information with each other. What is the criterion we use to share information? 1. We want to be heard. 2. We have valuable information that needs to be shared. 3. Someone asks us. 4. It is our job to share information. Etc.
Bible Study:
And there was a prophetess, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years and had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage ,
and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers. At that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. Luke 2:36-38 (NASB)
There are only two verses in the Bible about the Prophetess Anna. Only Luke recorded her role in the life of Jesus. He gave a succinct view of her life showing how she was in a position to come into the life and Jesus and then gave the purpose of her life.
Let’s look at the life of Anna.
Anna was the daughter of Phanuel of the tribe of Asher and she found herself a widow after seven short years of marriage. There were no children from that marriage. Anna then left for Jerusalem and lived the rest of her life in the temple fasting and praying.
Why do we need to know about Anna?
If Luke took the time to record these tiny details then they must be of some importance. Lead a class discussion in regard to the importance of knowing about Anna. Surmise what her life might have been like.
The scripture says she lived in the temple. There must have been rooms for widows to live. It is a continual thought that widows who had no one would hope in God. While she lived there she also performed the duties of prayer and fasting. Her attendance at Jesus ceremonial circumcision probably was a common practice. She had possibly attended to many families at this ritual and prayed with them and for their children. Since she had no children of her own she most likely adopted each of the ones she blessed with her prayers. We don’t know a lot about her daily life, but we can assume that she was not wealthy but that she was well known, she was a kind woman whom many loved. We know she was a prophetess so this tells us that God God spoke to her and most likely the priests would inquire of her wisdom from God.
The scripture points out that she fasted and prayed therefore, we know from this she would have been humble in spirit and receptive to the working of God.
The genealogy from the tribe of Asher, shows that she descended from Asher the son of Jacob and Zilpah, Leah’s handmaiden. The name of her father Phanual becomes important in that this name meant vision of the face of God. This is a prophecy of what is to become Anna’s greatest moment.
The other part of the verse tells us that Anna lived all her days in the temple and she fasted and prayed. This could tell us that she served the temple as a prayer warrior maybe a hired griever for funerals, an assistant to the high priest as he performed his duties. Nonetheless, Anna was a full-time minister in the temple the rest of her life.
This tells us that God values the service of women in the temple otherwise her story would not be included in the birth story. Her role was important, perhaps the most important – she prayed for everyone who came into the temple, every child that was blessed, dedicated and circumcised. She stood at every wedding, every funeral and every Passover. She knew all the words to the songs. She was a minister to the people who came to the temple.
But it is the final part of this story that is most thrilling. The New Living Bible states it very well.
She came along just as Simeon was talking with Mary and Joseph, and she began praising God. She talked about Jesus to everyone who had been waiting for the promised King to come and deliver Jerusalem. Luke 2:38 (NLT)
The final part of our story tells how she saw the child Jesus and knew that this was the Messiah. She saw the face of God and recognized Him. Because of her prayers and gifting she was given insight into the identity of this young boy. She didn’t know him just as Jesus the son of Mary and Joseph the carpenter from Nazareth. She was given the supernatural ability along with Simian to recognize that this was the promised Messiah from Genesis 3:15. She knew this was the one that would bring the Jewish nation back into a right relationship with God.
If God gave her this knowledge, the next question would be what did He expect her to do with it?
The answer is that God expected her to be His hands, feet and mouth and tell all the others what God revealed to her. So the two little verses end with an unremarkable but most important phrase.
At that very moment; What moment? The moment Mary and Joseph brought the 8 day old child into the temple, (verse 21-22) At that moment she began to give thanks to God for this child, this Savior because she recognized Him. She knew that God had sent Him to redeem the world. From that moment on, she continued to speak to everyone whom she came into contact with about the Savior and told them He had come and His name was Jesus of Nazareth the son of Mary and Joseph the carpenter from Nazareth. She identified Jesus to all who would listen because she had spent her life in prayer and because she had spent her life conversing with God she saw the face God in the form of a man called Jesus. Anna took Jesus out into the world of sinners with her proclamation that redemption from sin had arrived.
Skip forward to John 1:29 where John the Baptist sees Jesus and announces, “Behold the Lamb of God.” The people then started following Jesus without question. One reason they may have followed him so readily is that 30 years earlier an old woman had identified Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah. As soon as John pointed to Jesus of Nazareth and announced to the public that this was the Son of God, they knew this confirmed the words of Anna, it was not hard to follow Him nor to believe Him because Anna had already been talking about him for the remainder of her years. They were waiting for Him to make the claim and when He did, people followed.
Application-
Lead the group to make interpretation from this story and to discuss it. Some of the points that should be made are:
1. Anna was an ordinary person
2. Anna suffered great tragedy, loss of family and no children
3. Anna had to leave her home, she traveled a long and hard journey
4. We don’t know Anna’s age when she entered the temple but we know she lived there until she was an old woman. Her life was dependent upon God.
5. Anna had daily routine which she performed with humility for many years
6. Anna was given the gift of recognition by seeing the face of God. She did not have to be told this was God.
7. Anna did not keep this news to herself
8. Anna’s ministry began at age 84 when she became the first preacher of the gospel to the Jewish nation.
9. Possibly because of Anna’s proclamation, the people were ready to follow Jesus.
Lead the group to apply these points about Anna to their lives.
1. God uses ordinary people
2. God has a plan for His people from their birth
3. We may live our entire life in daily routine to complete one task
4. God will endure with us through loss
5. God is our hope in whatever situation we may find ourselves
6. Humility to God leads to recognition of Him
7. We have a message to proclaim
8. God gives us an audience to proclaim that message
9. We may never know the results of our obedience in proclamation
10. Jesus came for the purpose of redemption. He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and he is the glory of your people Israel!" Luke 2:32 (NLT)
Class Worksheet (print one for each member)-
And there was a prophetess, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years and had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage,
and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers. At that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. Luke 2:36-38 (NASB)
List all the characteristics that can be found about Anna from these two verses:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Phanuel means vision of the face of God. Do you think this is important?
What does it mean that Anna was a prophetess? What is your spiritual gifting?
What do you think it means when it says she never left the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers?
What moment did she begin giving thanks to God? (Luke 2:21-22)
How old was Jesus when Anna met Him?
Why is this significant?
Who was the first preacher of the gospel?
To whom did she preach?
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