LIVING WATERS
For the proclamation of the Gospel and the edification of the Body of Christ
A Beautiful Figure of the Church
The figure of Anna, the prophetess, in Luke 2, is very beautiful as a type of the church. Let's look at some relevant features:
1. She was a prophetess. The church has the prophetic ministry, for she testifies to the world about its sin, and about the will of God in Christ. As a prophet, she has a word that denounces, warns and shows the way of God.
2. She was a noble woman. She belonged to the tribe of Asher, one of the ten tribes that disappeared. The fact that she preserved her lineage speaks of her nobility.
3. She was a beautiful woman. A rabbinic tradition speaks of the beauty of the women of the tribe of Asher, many of whom married high priests. The church is beautiful because she has the beauty of Christ. She is being washed, and prepared for the wedding day, by "the washing of water by the word".
4. She was an older woman. Like the church, she had a long history, but she was young in spirit, diligent and godly. Age and youth go together in the church, for it has the life of God.
5. She was a widow. A widow is a widow because her husband has departed. So also the church, not because her Bridegroom is dead, but because he has departed, and is momentarily far from her. Because of her widowhood, the church has often been persecuted and humiliated.
6. She had had but one husband, and she was faithful to his memory. The church has only one husband, which is Christ. She has not remarried. The true church has not committed fornication with the kings of the earth, but has remained faithful to Christ, in spite of the widespread opposition of the world.
7. She held a spiritual office. Hannah did not depart from the temple, ministering to the Lord. Thus the church ministers in heavenly things, in the heavenly sanctuary.
8. She was attentive to the movement of God, for she walked in the Spirit. Hannah came at the right time to see the child Jesus, and to praise God for His salvation. She did not need human agreement or notice, for the Spirit led her to the temple.
9. She bore witness to Christ. Hannah bore witness to the child Jesus to all. The church has only one subject, and that is Christ. Her word and her life is Christ.
10. She was waiting for redemption. Hannah was a woman who did not conform to the present time and situation, but waited for redemption. She looked beyond the present disheartening circumstances to the day when the Redeemer would come. So also the church is filled with this expectation, this "spirit of rapture". The church loves the Second Coming, and waits for the Beloved.