PRIESTHOOD IN LUKE'S GOSPEL (3)
PRIESTHOOD IN LUKE’S GOSPEL (3)
JT There is another feature needed to be brought forward in order to understand the facts relative to the imperfect time, that is the time of law, leading up to the perfect time which is sonship in Christ and the assembly; and so it is thought that we should read about Simeon and Anna as important in the service in the time of law, but very near to the time of perfection. We cannot stress too much the idea of what is perfect, absolutely conforming to God and His will and pleasure, in contrast to that which, although in measure pleasing God and being of Him, is imperfect. There can be no doubt that many nominal believers are in the imperfect class, some of them not possessing the Holy Spirit, and hence they are uncertain and indefinite in their outlook and movements, and not of the assembly actually although subjects in measure of God’s work. So that what is to be stressed in that regard is perfection, involving the incarnation and the work of Christ in redemption, the ascension and the gift of the Spirit — these are the great facts of perfection, the great facts of the present dispensation. And so in view of all this it is thought that we should look at this scripture in Luke 2 as leading up to and almost at the conclusion of the imperfect time; indeed, arriving at Him who is perfect, Christ, of whom it says in Hebrews, “God ... at the end of these days has spoken to us in the person of the Son”. That is, the perfect Speaker, God Himself, is speaking, so we have arrived at the time of perfect speaking. Things are disclosed; the Son being the final Speaker, the final word is with Him. It is thought, too, that Simeon [p. 342] and Anna may be taken to represent the closing moments of the imperfect time, the time of law, and to introduce (inclusive of John the baptist) the time of perfection, the time of Christ. They arrive at the forty-two generations marked as reaching Christ, as seen in Matthew, they were “unto the Christ”. Of Simeon it is said, “there was a man in Jerusalem”. That is to be noted, the person and where he is; it says, “whose name was Simeon; and this man was just and pious, awaiting the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him”. It was not the time of the Spirit but this fact marks what we have been saying, showing how God intervenes in time to bring in what is always perfect. The period alluded to is just before the perfect time had arrived, the time of sonship, and so it is said that “it was divinely communicated to him by the Holy Spirit, that he should not see death before he should see the Lord’s Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple; and as the parents brought in the child Jesus that they might do for him according to the custom of the law, he received him into his arms, and blessed God, and said, Lord, now thou lettest thy bondman go, according to thy word, in peace; for mine eyes have seen thy salvation”.
Ques Does the fact of the Holy Spirit apparently moving to us in His own divine prerogative suggest the readiness of divine Persons, as having come into the economy, to link on with any who may be ready for further developments?
JT That is what I was thinking, and how we may compare with this the nearness of the coming dispensation, because we are very near to it. But we are in the greatest dispensation now and when it changes there will be a drop publicly in the level of God’s doings and ways; whereas now we are on the very top, as it were, at the very summit of things in which God [p. 343] is operating.
AR Do Simeon and Anna represent what is perfect in themselves?
JT Well, in measure. Certainly Simeon is very near it because he is an example for us almost at any time, he dwelt in Jerusalem. It is not simply that he dwelt but that he was in Jerusalem; “and this man was just and pious, awaiting the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him”. He had communications from the Spirit so he was almost up to the time of perfection, the time of Christ. Similarly we see in John’s writings, where John the baptist is speaking in chapter 3, that it is difficult to distinguish his words from the actual wording of the apostle himself, showing that John the baptist was very near Christianity.
WFK Is there any reason why Simeon’s genealogy is not given whereas Anna’s is?
JT Well, I suppose it is noteworthy that he is called “a man”, not ‘a Jew’, which is in accord with what we are saying, that he has practically arrived at the time of perfection. He is in Jerusalem where great things are about to be and where great things have already come about; the Lord says in John, “Thou shalt see greater things than these”.
WL Would you say he was a greater man than Zacharias?
JT I would think so very decidedly. What is said of him shows how spiritual he is.
JRH Would you say that morally and spiritually priesthood is touched in this man?
JT That is exactly what I was thinking, that he affords us an example of priesthood. First it is said of him that “it was divinely communicated to him by the Holy Spirit, that he should not see death before he should see the Lord’s Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple”. And in keeping with that it is said that he took the Child in his arms and blessed God, that is priestly.
SJH [p. 344] When you emphasise that he was a man, do you imply that all his senses were fully developed?
JT Well, the Spirit of God uses that word of him, not calling him a certain man holding an office, like Zacharias or John the baptist, but just a man, and it is indicated that he was in communion with God.
AB Would the meaning of his name help us in that way, according to what Leah says in Genesis? ‘Hearing’ is the meaning of his name and he is in expectation, waiting on God.
JT That is good, because all these matters have a bearing backwards, showing how early God began with His thoughts. They bear as indicated on the beginning of things, and then they bear on the perfect state of things, too.
JRH Do you think that it is possible for someone to have a revelation from God at the present time as to the coming of the Lord?
JT I do not think we need to expect that in any definite way, only a revival of ministry, especially of prophetic meetings which I would regard as epochal, extending back some twenty-five years now. The time of revival of prophetic ministry is taken up from the book of Samuel, the beginning of prophecy being in that book, although others spoke before; but Samuel marks off the time of prophetic ministry in the ways of God in the Old Testament. And that has now taken place in our own times, the idea having been revived of prophetic ministry according to 1 Corinthians 14 where the whole assembly comes together in one place and prophecy results, and a man comes into the Christian assembly and is convicted of all. The brethren are all affected but the man is convicted, and he falls down and worships God and says that God is among you of a truth. I think that having happened would indicate that the coming of the Lord is very near. Our spirits are [p. 345] affected by it although we may not have formal prophetic indications or prophecies.
Ques Does it not seem that what is priestly, when it comes into expression sufficiently, has a distinctly prophetic touch about it? This man Simeon takes a Child into his arms and how much more he says about It than what is apparent, speaking of the salvation of the Lord before all the people! There is a prophetic touch in that, is there not?
JT Quite so, and what a beautiful indication of affection, taking the Child into his arms and saying things about Him! He might have left Him in His mother’s arms; the magi did not take Him into their arms. I think it is a distinct mark of spirituality and affection, almost reaching on to our own times, that is to say, to the time of the Spirit. So “he came in the Spirit into the temple; and as the parents brought in the child Jesus that they might do for him according to the custom of the law, he received him into his arms”. I doubt whether there is anything to equal this in Old Testament times because it concerns no less a Person than the Messiah Himself, the Christ. We have indications of the place that Jedidiah, or Solomon, had with Jehovah, but no child had such an affectionate reception as Jesus here.
Rem It would seem that the peculiar affection that is developing among us now for the Lord Jesus would have a prophetic touch in it in that way, indicating that what stands related to the prophetic map may start to unroll any time.
JT It is a time of love, as we had it this morning. The Lord coming in was a movement of love, and He was affectionately received. The time of the assembly is a time of love, it is peculiarly so with Christ and the assembly. This man Simeon is marked by piety and expectation, awaiting the consolation of Israel; he is up to the mark, you might say, as to what God is doing, fully up to it and ready for it, especially in [p. 346] affection, in keeping with Anna, the feminine side of the position.
AAT The Spirit calls him a man but he speaks of himself as a bondman. Is there anything in that?
JT Well, it is an expression that any one of us ought to be free to use, if we are that.
AR Is he not characteristically a man? He knows what to do and what to say. One finds we are tested in the assembly as to what to do and what to say.
JT Yes, we are tested. We thought of it this morning, how the mind God has given us enters into the service of the Lord’s supper. The heart comes in in time, in its own place, but the mind is what is to mark us first, “the calling of me to mind” (see the Darby Translation note to “me” in 1 Corinthians 11: 24). The expression “we have the mind of Christ” implies that we know what to do at any time.
GMcP Is there some thought in relation to the last phrase of chapter 2: 14 which speaks of good pleasure in men? Would Simeon be the kind of man that would afford God good pleasure?
JT Yes.
EAK Is the reference to the temple a matter that bears in any way upon the close of the dispensation? Special attention has been called to that lately in the prophetic word.
JT Yes, the temple of God is really part of the revival of the last days to which we have often alluded. “Do ye not know that ye are the temple of God?” It does not say that you should be but that you are that, the Spirit of God dwells in you. The indwelling of the Spirit implies the temple so that there ought to be spiritual communications, and all these communications would comport with the idea of the prophetic word as in Simeon.
FC Is Simeon particularly distinguished in this way as usable by the Spirit? The word is first communicated [p. 347] to him by the Holy Spirit which is direct communication as I would understand from the note in Matthew, and then he came in the power of the Spirit into the temple. Would he be an intensely spiritual man?
JT I think he is marked off in that way as nearer our own dispensation; and others, of course, would be in accord with that, but these two are singled out, Simeon and Anna. We had Zacharias yesterday, also Mary and Elizabeth, and they have their own distinction; but these two as regards formation, it seems to me, are on an even higher level.
RWS Does Simeon have in mind, in speaking by the Spirit in verse 32, our dispensation and the coming one, “a light for revelation of the Gentiles and the glory of thy people Israel”?
JT That is what is predicated of the Child, “mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples; a light for revelation of the Gentiles and the glory of thy people Israel”, which implies that the veil has been removed that lay on the face of all peoples, the time has come now for God to have to say to the Gentiles. The light is there for revelation, which means the idea of removing a veil so that you can see things that were not to be seen before; the Gentiles are coming into the view of God, the time has come for that, and hence the gospel is wrapped up in this.
JRH Do you see in the fact that he put the revelation of the Gentiles before the glory of God’s people Israel some indication of spiritual understanding beyond his time?
JT Just so, the Gentiles were getting priority, although the facts of the book of Acts would show that it was the Jew first. That is to say, God ordered it that in His consideration for His ancient people they should have first place and so Peter’s first address is to them; he lifts up his voice and speaks to the [p. 348] men of Israel, but then he also speaks to all that hear. But the mind of God according to Simeon places the Gentiles in priority and on the principle of light. That was predicated of the Babe held in his arms, that He should be for a revelation of the Gentiles and for the glory of God’s people Israel.
TW Would you say how it is that a little one in the kingdom is greater than such a one as Simeon?
JT That is said of John the baptist and it helps greatly in all we have been saying, because the greatest of the old dispensation is less than the least of the new, showing the extraordinary superiority of the present dispensation of the Spirit, the dispensation of sonship really.
APT In Acts 28 the apostle Paul in referring to the prophetic word in Isaiah speaks to the Jews and then says, “Be it known to you therefore, that this salvation of God has been sent to the nations”, and the note in the Darby Translation to ‘salvation’ refers to this verse in Luke 2. It is remarkable that it is linked on in that way with the Gentiles; the note says, ‘Rather “that which saves” than salvation itself: see Luke 2: 30 ...’ And that word is, “mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples; a light for revelation of the Gentiles”, Luke 2: 30 - 32. So that Paul in turning away from the Jews at that particular time would say that that light, the salvation of God, was sent to the Gentiles and they would receive it. Therefore from that point onward the distinction is made as to the present period, the day of salvation, the accepted time, the day in which God is reconciling the world to Himself. All these things enter into this matter and bring out what we are, so that Simeon has peculiar light and he is in keeping with it, too, and near to the present dispensation.
VHC How do you reconcile the word in Matthew by the Lord Jesus to the Canaanitish woman in which He said, “I have not been sent save to the lost sheep of Israel’s house”, with what Simeon says, “a light for revelation of the Gentiles”?
JT When the Lord spoke to the Canaanitish woman He was here in incarnation, He had not died and redemption had not been accomplished, so the position was that the Jew was first. But now redemption is accomplished and Christ is in heaven and the Spirit is given; what Simeon says is fully verified and the Gentiles have first place. So it is that we have the first place. As a matter of fact there is hardly a Jew in the testimony now; there may be many unseen, there are a few in evidence, but hardly more than that in the public testimony. Therefore it is the time of the Gentiles and it is spoken of in that way in Romans 11.
GMcP Does that help us to understand the place the assembly has in the mind of God?
JT It does, and we need to get it more into our minds that we are in a most wonderful time. We are in it and have to do with it, we are not simply onlookers. The thing is a fact — the presence of the Holy Spirit, the presence of the assembly, and the service of God — these are all facts, Christianity is a fact.
AR There is no synagogue mentioned in connection with Philippi; that is the first idea we get of the Spirit of God moving toward Gentile territory, is it not?
JT Yes, the word was, “Pass over into Macedonia and help us”. It is a time of the Gentiles.
AEL Would Simeon have this unique place because of his spiritual desires and ambitions that he should not die before he should see the Lord’s Christ, not because he was an Israelite exactly?
JT Well, I think he was thoroughly in the mind of God. You feel he was almost fit for the assembly, but he did not come into it, he died. In fact it was told him that he would die, “And it was divinely communicated to him by the Holy Spirit, that he should not see death before he should see the Lord’s Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple”, so he was up to the mark in every respect.
EAK You spoke in London about the Lord’s return being more realistic to us and our not being theoretic about it. One desired to inquire whether it is a legitimate desire to have in our souls that we should be here when the Lord comes. Some of us no doubt will go to be with the Lord, but as a matter of individual exercise and communion with the Lord, as seen in Simeon, is it a legitimate desire to be alive to see the Lord?
JT I would think so. I think that would be quite in order, although there are modifications in a sense. The apostle says, I have a desire to depart to be with Christ; but at the same time he speaks of “all who love his appearing”. That is to say, we ought to make more of the appearing than of His actual coming for us, because it is at the time of His appearing that He enters into all His rights and all the purpose of God concerning Him. Therefore it seems to me that the saints should be concerned about these actual facts that are mentioned, that Simeon is up-to-date, up to the very minute at that time in waiting for the Lord’s Christ and not being ready to depart through death till he had seen Him. We, on the other hand, can speak of the Lord’s coming, but in general what we are speaking of and what we should speak of is His appearing. It is a thing to be loved. I do not think the rapture is spoken of just in that way, it relates to those who love the Lord and His coming for us. But it is loving His appearing that is to be in our minds because so much enters into it for Christ, involving what He is looking for and thinking of.
RWS In Revelation it says, “the Spirit and the bride say, Come”. Does that refer to the rapture or the appearing?
JT I think that is the appearing, it is not the Lord coming for us but coming into His own rights.
Rem In the scripture in 2 Timothy as to the appearing the state of the apostle almost seems to be linked with it; he anticipates the article of death and says he is already being poured out.
JT Yes, the time of his departure had arrived. I suppose he had communications from the Lord about it as Simeon did; we know from Philippians that he was pressed as to whether he should remain or depart. Paul, you might say, was outstanding as indicating the mind of God about the dispensation, but he said, “the time of my release is come”. We cannot all say that. The apostle evidently had a clear indication that he was going to depart to be with Christ, going to die, to be martyred; so had Peter.
Ques What would you say about Paul’s wish to be clothed and not unclothed (2 Corinthians 5: 4)?
JT That fits with what we are saying, for we are not to be unclothed but clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. Therefore Philippians says, “who shall transform our body of humiliation into conformity to his body of glory”. That is all that we look for.
WFK What is “the consolation of Israel”?
JT That is whatever the prophetic word indicated as to the Christ. The consolation of Israel would be the Messiah, that which every heart looks for.
JKP It says His father and mother wondered at the things said concerning Him. Am I right in suggesting that wonderment ceases when the perfect time arrives?
JT Well, we spoke yesterday of the time when Abraham’s servant wondered at Rebecca, and of the [p. 352] time in Judges 13 when the angel did wondrously; and it is said of Christ that “his name is called Wonderful”, all of which pointed to the coming of the Lord and how things that preceded caused wonderment. So we are thankful if anything happens in the way of conversions, and in the way of souls being turned back from unrighteousness, being restored and brought into blessing. We wonder at it and rejoice in it; the Lord often gives us something to rejoice in when perhaps we are dejected because of persons turning away.
RWS Is there not some wonderment in the fact that in this wonderful day in which we are God is not only raising up persons but maintaining older persons, those who have served us well? He seems to be maintaining them throughout the world generally in vigour and spiritual power.
JT Very good. So Hezekiah may be taken as a devoted man in his day, and in his devotedness he puts forward a reason why something should be done in his case as to prolonging his days. He turned his face to the wall and wept, but God gave him reason to have hope, adding fifteen years to his life, and we may surely transfer that thought to ourselves. Moses’ life was evidently lengthened, his eye was not dim at 120 nor his natural force abated; and we may look to the Lord, if it be needed to maintain anyone He may need by lengthening his life. There is really no reason why we should not ask for it; in fact we are encouraged to ask for things like that and the Lord would say to us, I want to give you encouragement, there is something especially pleasing to Me in what is going on. So it was that Paul’s own life was evidently prolonged because it is said that he decided he should remain with the Philippians.
AR What you said last night about the assembly coming so close to Deity causes wonderment.
JT That is wonderful. Perhaps there is more [p. 353] to be looked into than we have thought as to the proximity to Deity. No one has seen God, although God would say of Moses that he had some immense privileges as compared to others; but the fact is stated that no one has seen God at any time. At the same time there is the only-begotten Son and He has declared Him. There are things the Son is doing, and “The Father loves the Son, and has given all things to be in his hand”. He is with the assembly, with His people, and is doing things for us to cause gladness and wonderment. Perhaps we should have more of it if we only looked for it, as Paul says, “Rejoice in the Lord always: again I will say, Rejoice”, Philemon 4. One of the things to be exercised about is that we know very little about rejoicing.
CN Is there an advance of priesthood in Simeon over against Elizabeth and Mary inasmuch as their communications were by the angel, but of Simeon it says that the Holy Spirit communicated to him?
JT I would think so, although they come very near to our own dispensation, just as John the baptist does and, of course Mary and Elizabeth have a peculiar touch to them in the fact that they speak prophetically. Simeon does, too, but Mary and Elizabeth spoke prophetically in the hill country, and where we have that word I think there is something special.
JRH Do you think that in Simeon’s understanding and apprehension of the Lord he rose to the height of the angel’s announcement in verse 11, “who is Christ the Lord”? The footnote in the Darby Translation to “Lord” in Luke 2: 9 says, ‘Jehovah’.
JT Just so. In a personal sense you cannot say much about angels because it is simply given to them to announce. There is no question with them of state or of what they are on moral lines, whereas when it comes to men and women the moral side comes in. God has peculiar pleasure in men, so wisdom says, “my delights were with the Sons of men”, not angels.
JRH Is there not a suggestion of Deity in what the angel announced, “Christ the Lord”, whereas Simeon looked for the Lord’s Christ? “... For today a Saviour has been born to you in David’s city, who is Christ the Lord”.
JT That would be only a prophetic announcement. Angels are sent out as ministers or servants on account of those who shall be heirs of salvation, and the services they render or the distinctions granted to them are not on moral lines; it is a question of God’s purpose. But when you come to men, the peculiar pleasure of God is with them and great things may happen through them because of the order of being they represent. In fact Deity Itself has come into manhood. So angels have not the place we have; it says, “who was made some little inferior to angels on account of the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour”. That belongs to man, the angels are second to that.
EAK Has special light come into Simeon’s soul as a result of receiving the Child into his arms There seems to be a great range in his subsequent utterances.
JT It is wonderful, because the ark is in mind, which is, of course, the Lord in manhood; the ark represents Him. But at the same time He is spoken of here at the age of twelve in a peculiar way, because He has a place at that age that is most distinctive. It is in manhood that He has that place. And things are not being assigned to Him, as it were, because the Lord says, “did ye not know that I ought to be occupied in my Father’s business?” which does not have in mind something the Father had given Him to do exactly, but that He should be occupied with it, a peculiar kind of voluntary service, as it were, that God could have peculiar pleasure in. [p. 355] Angels are not thus occupied, they are ministering servants.
WFK Is Anna’s long life recorded because she pleased the Lord?
JT I think it is recorded because of the moral importance that attaches to it. “And there was a prophetess, Anna, daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher, who was far advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from her virginity, and herself a widow up to eighty-four years”. Possibly that would bring her up to a hundred or more and God is attaching importance to her longevity; He does not do so in every case when people become very old, but in her case He did. It mentions that she lived with her husband and then other things are said which would mean that importance is attached to her life not simply because she was over eighty-four years of age. These things are not said of Simeon; I believe therefore that Anna has a special distinction, as though God would give variety to us in the sense of distinction.
WFK Is serving night and day priestly service?
JT Just so.
JRH Does she answer the description that Paul gives in Timothy of the widow indeed?
JT Well, it is worth while reading about her again. “And there was a prophetess”, that is the first thing, this sister has that speciality; then her father is mentioned and that she is “of the tribe of Asher” whose foot was to be dipped in oil, and then that she “was far advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from her virginity”. She was married evidently very young and then she was a widow up to eighty-four years; that either means her age or that she was a widow all those years, and it is probably the latter, which would bring her up to the age of about 106, showing that God is speaking to us of the importance of long life as being found in the way of righteousness. I believe [p. 356] that is what He is pointing out here. And then it says, “who did not depart from the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers”, so that she is a woman of great value to the testimony of God.
TS It is interesting that the scripture breaks it down to hourly movements, “she coming up the same hour”.
JT Showing that there are hours of importance. The word ‘hour’ often suggests what is critical and she might have missed this critical matter, but she did not. She came in at the great hour of the appearance of the Messiah, she was there at that hour when He was in the arms of Simeon, affectionately held there, and when things were spoken prophetically that pointed to His glory.
EAL Up to this point in Luke, prior to the mention of Anna, there are five persons mentioned in peculiar relations to the Holy Spirit: John, Mary, Elizabeth, Zacharias, and then Simeon. The Holy Spirit is not mentioned in connection with Anna, but would we assume that she had the Holy Spirit?
JT Well, we can assume that, but she had other things. God says, I have distinctions of glory, there is one glory in the sun, another in the moon, and another in the stars. God loves to speak of them, and these are men and women that have their glories.
GMcP Do the masculine features in Simeon and the feminine features in Anna find their counterpart now in the assembly?
JT Just so. Masculine and feminine features are to be seen in the assembly really as we are now in flesh and blood, but not in eternity, although there will be other features of the same persons. The persons who form the assembly will also be sons of God and brethren of Christ, but the general idea in the assembly is feminine.
Rem The verse following the one you quoted from [p. 357] Deuteronomy in regard to the tribe of Asher says, “Iron and brass shall be thy bolts; and thy rest as thy days”. I was thinking of the strength of the bond that held Anna in daily service and how in serving thus in a quiet mind she found in that service rest. It added to her life.
JT No doubt. God, speaking simply and reverentially, says, ‘See what I have; see what these two are; see Elizabeth, see Mary, see Zacharias, and a host of others!’ God would call attention to His people and how they glorify Him, and how they are glorified just as the stars. There is one glory of the sun, another of the moon, and another of the stars, “For star differs from star in glory”, 1 Corinthians 15: 41. It is the time of glory.
AB Moses says of Asher that he shall be blessed with sons, showing how great this sister is.
JT Quite so.
CN Would you say as regards the stars that we have five stars, three sisters and two brothers, Elizabeth, Mary, Anna, Simeon and John?
JT Well, quite so. Sometimes we have five brothers and only a few sisters and that is not so good because the sisters are glorious.
WWM It says of Anna that she did not depart from the temple, and I believe the name Asher refers to happiness or blessedness. You have referred to the fact that we may not know enough about rejoicing, but it may be possibly because we do not know enough about not departing from the temple. Anna by not departing from the temple would evidently show that she had the happiness and enjoyment of divine things in such a way that it kept her there, and no doubt she was a happy sister.
JT Very good indeed. It is exhilarating to hear that, and to realise besides that she spoke of Him, that is of Christ; she was evangelistic to all those who [p. 358] looked for redemption. You might say we ought to go out and preach to the public, and, of course, we should, because the gospel is to all; but at the same time there is the idea of selection and Paul would stress that, too, that there is a man listening to the preaching and he believes, he is converted. He is outside and you do not know him, but presently he comes into the meeting where the brethren are, just as we have been saying about Corinth where a man comes in; he is judged of all and convicted and falls down and worships God and reports that God is among them. When a man is convicted he belongs to the counsels of God, he is not outside any more, we cannot say we do not know him. His place is inside because his name is engraved before the foundation of the world. That is what I think Anna would suggest to us because she made a selection, she spoke to those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem. That is the kind of people she met with and spoke to, persons who were looking for redemption like Simeon himself.
APT Such persons make good assembly material.
JT Just so, we are dealing with assembly material now. In a general way the brethren are not called upon to go out to missionary work, our occupation in the main is with assembly material, potential or otherwise. We are going on with that and it is of value, the names of such are written in heaven before the foundation of the world. We are dealing with those people and they are worth dealing with.
Ques Is that why she did not depart from the temple? Does that mean today that she would move in the circle of the saints?
JT Just so. It does not allude to the shrine but to the public buildings, and one might say she attends the meetings, because the meetings are public places to which anyone can come. If we know a person is [p. 359] looking for redemption he is one of us, and that gives him distinction at once.
BH Anna belongs to the tribe of Asher and it says of him, “let him dip his foot in oil”. What does that teach us?
JT That Asher is a spiritual man. We are told if we live by the Spirit to walk by the Spirit, we are to be spiritual men in our walk.
EAK Is there an intensity about Anna in the fact that night precedes day in her exercise? Those alterations in Scripture are interesting, like fasting coming before prayer. Was the matter very urgent with her in that way?
JT Very good. One is impressed in Scripture with day and night and night and day. It says that “day and night” shall not cease while the earth remains, yet in the beginning the evening preceded the morning. The evening and morning were one day, showing that the exercise of the evening or night precedes the morning; so, too, a horror of great darkness fell on Abraham but then a day of glory appeared.
GMcP This thought of assembly material seems to be an excellent one in relation to Simeon in Jerusalem and Anna in the temple. Would it suggest the principle of being in the assembly and functioning?
JT Just so. How many of us do? We were saying that sisters do not speak in the assembly because Paul says, “I do not suffer a woman to teach nor to exercise authority over man”, but at the same time a sister is a priest and functions too. That is the point that the Lord is laying on our hearts to speak of, that the sisters are not fulfilling their functions, whereas the Spirit of God would stress that it is brothers and sisters, men and women, Adam and Eve, etc. The two sexes are included in the word ‘many’ and God is pleased with man, and He looks for the sisters to fulfil their part. Anna represents [p. 360] one who does it because she is speaking to people. She has not got gift but she is speaking to people who look for redemption in Jerusalem, showing that she is concerned about Jerusalem; and moreover she does not depart from the temple. She would encourage all the brethren by her attention and presence in the prayer meeting and all meetings. The presence of the sisters is stimulating and encouraging to the brethren, and they have a priestly function as well.