The Messiah Anna Longed For

Isaiah 42:1-3 “Behold, My Servant, whom I [a]uphold;
My chosen one in whom My soul delights.
I have put My Spirit upon Him;
He will bring forth justice to the [b]nations.
2 “He will not cry out or raise His voice,
Nor make His voice heard in the street.
3 “A bruised reed He will not break
And a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish;
He will faithfully bring forth justice.

Jesus would bring justice to the nations, but not in the typical manner that a conquering hero would take. He would not come in force. He would not cry out or shout his message on the street corners as the Zealots of his day did. He wouldn’t call out the troops and force the people to obey his rule.

No, he would bring about justice quietly. And in the process, he would be gentle with the most fragile among humankind.

Anna was quite old. Day in and day out she served. Sometimes she had to feel like a bruised reed or a smoldering wick. A gentle savior, one who cared for the weak, the tired, and the elderly, would have meant a lot to her. A savior that could balance compassion and mercy with justice and righteousness, and do it perfectly, could only be God. Only God in the flesh could meet Anna’s needs.

Yes, if you take some of the Messianic prophecies on their own, a solely human descendant of David could have accomplished them. But when you include ones like the passage above or look at all of them as a big picture, only the unfathomable combination of fully God and fully man could fulfill.

Anna, as a prophetess, had to know that. How did she feel looking at the Babe and realizing the Creator of the world lay helpless in his mother’s arms?

Well, as helpless as any child who could call down legions of angels had allowed himself to be.

The combination is amazing, impossible and wonderful!