It has been some time since we visited this theme. There have been some great difficulties along the last few weeks. God is faithful to keep us so we can fulfil His call, especially when it comes to expounding themes that He speaks us through. This theme is akin to our former Advent themes, as we shall shortly dovetail into this Christmas theme.
This instalment, this chapter, is very important, because it anchors the longevity of Anna’s stay in the Temple, and am not sure if she continued after Jesus had passed by her. All in the realm of conjecture. It is logical to expect the birth of something small to precede the big thing God was about to do. God was about to change the whole nature of His dealings with men, their access to His covenant, and the eternal entrance to heavenly life. Anna must have perceived this in her long spiritual journey. She must have wrestled with the meaning of what she perceived in spirit but yet could not fully articulate what and how God was to perform.
What she knew is that what was coming would be totally new, totally different from the religious system of the day. This Messianic figure would come and revolutionise faith. What happens always is that a movement steadily becomes a mechanical monument, a system. Its a human progression of decline spiritually speaking. Anna must have detected divine displeasure with what was started from a restoration became a system very quickly as arrogance had taken over, we see this from the discourse between God’s people and God Himself from the book of Malachi. This attitude must have accompanied also in Anna’s perception, in actual fact we see it very manifest throughout Jesus’ early ministry, we see it in John the Baptist’s confrontation at Jordan.
3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
The Holy Bible: King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009), Ro 10:3.
Ignorance
How were the people ignorant? In contrast to Anna, they did not devote to seeking God, seeking His Word to perceive that there is a way of God’s righteousness. Spiritual ignorance is the worst state we can find ourselves in. It means we have left off the discipline of walking in step with God understanding and discerning the changes He brings to us individually and corporately. This perception stands us in good stead because in the changes we walk into them obediently and intelligently. The people in their ignorance did not discern the arrogance that walked in the Temple, synagogues at that time. They depended on the scribes, pharisees to explain and guide them. We in this day can solely depend on pastors and ministers to preach and teach us, and we can absolve ourselves from personal spiritual pursuits. This leads one to the ultimate state of ignorance.
Establish your own righteousness
When we are ignorant of God’s ways, not committed to any special season of seeking, we can establish our own righteousness because we have not discerned the changes God brings in. In Anna’s day God was already preparing a people to be ready for the Lord. In our day also God is moving away from the conference preaching model of Church. Are we discerning it? If we are not whatever we seek to establish will not be God’s righteousness in Christ. If it is not, then its our own, that is understanding God from a human perspective. There are nations now where Christian churches are being burned down, and meetings cannot be held as they once were, we almost must know Scripture and God’s ways in heart. This will sustain us in times of persecution. In Anna’s day the Romans occupied and subjugated the nations, so they were subject to their ways and customs. Our own righteousness will lead to the kind of end that Annas and Caiaphas lived out. They built a temple system based on money, and extortion. In their complicity in Jesus’ death, they experienced the consequences when the people hated them, the Romans took them away to suffer great consequences. Anna prepared for the Messiah, they persecuted and killed Him. The consequences was peace for Anna, but death for Annas and Caiaphas.
Not submitted yourself
How can we submit to what we have not covenanted and understood? The priests, scribes did not detect the changes the way Anna did. They saw it as business as usual and lived accordingly. If we perceive what God has prepared for us, for us to enter into them we must submit to Him. Many in the days ahead will believe they are doing God’s work, but in the day of His revealing, He will tell them He knew them not, for they did not seek to perceive, did not seek to understanding, to submit. They carried on in their own understanding believing themselves to be just.
The Righteousness of God
Righteousness (tsedekar) and Justice (Mishpawt) are the two pillars of God’s throne.
If you do not submit to both pillars by living in Him, especially righteousness you get the justice of God meted to you, in measure in this life, and fully in the next. We do not submit, we do not pray, we do not study for the discipline in itself, we do it in a love and covenantal way. Anna did not stay in the Temple 84 years because she had to, but because God revealed Himself to her in a special way. We are not seeking Him for anything for ourselves, rather we are centered in a love relationship with Him.
What did Anna perceive her Jesus to be? She had time to pray through her perception, and just like Ezekiel and John, the Apostle, He came to her, just in the same way God gave John the Baptist the sign of the dove coming down upon the Messiah. God reveals Jesus to us in our pursuit. What we can do is mould Him to our expectation, or we can push Him to a symbolic image that has no impending impact to change things. Here with Romans 10:3 because of our religiosity we can miss His Throne, the two pillars of righteousness and justice. There are two places that impact in the Messianic mission, the Cross and the Throne, but the Throne cannot be reached without the Cross.
Revelation 5 tells us this, that noone was found worthy to open the Book of the 7 seals.
Yet the Lion of the Tribe was “found” worthy because of the Cross. Each one of us to partake of His Throne, as Ephesians 2:6 tells us
6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus
The Holy Bible: King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009), Eph 2:6.
He makes us sit, how? Through His Cross. Anna knew full well this reality also, her years of self denial and commitment to prayers, ministrations of adoration, fastings.
And as John looked for the Lion he had to first see the Lamb, as though it had been slain. Then as the seals are broken so the Lion comes into view.
If Anna also saw Jesus the Messiah fully, how does our Jesus seem to us? The proof is in our pursuit of Him, and our perception of His Righteousness. For Jesus to become the Lion He must be the Lamb first. For us also we must capture His Throne via His Cross.
Maranatha!!!!
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