Happy Presentation Day!
Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI
Biblical Authority Ministries, January 4, 2026 (Donate)
January 4 is the tenth day of Christmas! It is also called Anna
and Simeon’s Day where Jesus was presented at the Temple. Sacrificial lambs
needed to be inspected to make sure they were without blemish. Jesus, being the
final and ultimate Passover sacrifice, he too was inspected by Simeon and Anna.
The Scripture
Luke 2 (NKJV, formatted)
“Now when the days of her
purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to
Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the
Lord,
“Every male who opens the womb
shall be called holy to the LORD”), and to offer a sacrifice according to what
is said in the law of the Lord, “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”
And behold, there was a man in
Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and
devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon
him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see
death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. So he came by the Spirit into the
temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him
according to the custom of the law, he took Him up in his arms and blessed God
and said:
“Lord, now You are letting Your
servant depart in peace, According to Your word; For my eyes have seen Your
salvation Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, A light to bring
revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.”
And Joseph and His mother marveled
at those things which were spoken of Him. Then Simeon blessed them, and said to
Mary His mother,
“Behold, this Child is
destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will
be spoken against (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that
the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
Now there was one, Anna, a
prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great
age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity; and this
woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from
the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. And
coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all
those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem.”
Timings
Based on Leviticus 12:2-6, Jesus, being a male child, had to
be presented at the Temple after 40 days (after 33 days beyond the initial 7
days). So, Anna and Simeon would have seen Jesus after this point, and then made
their perspective proclamations. Jesus was indeed perfect!
Of course, Anna and Simeon, being later in age, would have passed
into glory long before Christ was later sacrificed on the Cross. This would have
occurred about
37 years later.
But let us celebrate the Holy Spirit’s work through Anna and
Simeon on this day. Happy Presentation Day!
Bodie Hodge, Ken
Ham's son in law, has been an apologist since 1998 helping out in various
churches and running an apologetics website. He spent 21 years working at Answers
in Genesis as a speaker, writer, and researcher as well as a founding
news anchor for Answers News. He was also head of the Oversight
Council.
Bodie
launched Biblical Authority Ministries in 2015 as a personal
website and it was organized officially in 2025 as a 501(c)(3). He has spoken
on multiple continents and hosts of US states in churches, colleges, and
universities. He is married with four children.
