Simeon abd Anna Testify of Jesus and His Mission

By revelation from the Holy Ghost, Simeon and Anna recognized the infant, then but forty days old, as the promised Messiah; and they so testified. Not to all men everywhere, but to a devout few—chosen vessels who prepared themselves by obedience, fasting, and prayer—was the Holy Spirit revealing sacred truths about Christ and his mission. Such had been, was, and is the Lords method of sending forth the truths of salvation to mankind generally.

Luke 2:25. The consolation of Israel] An idiomatic expression meaning the Messianic age, the era in which King Messiah would come to bring comfort and solace to the people and to relieve their mental and physical distress. The Messiah himself, as the bearer and personification of these blessings, also may properly be called, the Consolation of Israel.

Luke 2:30; 30. Thy salvation] Salvation is centered in Christ. Through his atoning sacrifice all men are saved in the sense of resurrection, while those who believe and obey his laws become, in addition, inheritors of eternal life. Thus to see Jesus and to recognize him as the Lord's Christ is to see salvation for he is the personification of it. It was as though Simeon had said, 'Mine eyes have seen Christ.'

Luke 2:32; 32. To lighten the Gentiles] Blessings coming in and through the Messiah were for all men, not just the chosen seed of Israel.

Luke 2:35; 35. I. V. 35. Except perhaps in a figurative sense, no sword was to pierce Mary; rather, a spear was to pierce her Son, to the consequent wounding of her own soul.

Luke 2:36; 36. A prophetess] A woman who has received revelation from the Holy Ghost certifying that Jesus is the Christ. (Revelation 19:10; Mormon Doctrine, pp. 544-547.)

Luke 2:37; 37. Great age] Assuming she married at the age of twelve, which is possible in the East, Anna thus would have been at least one hundred and three.

Luke 2:38; 38. All them that looked for redemption] Apostasy was not universal among the Jews. A small minority understood the Messianic prophecies and prayed for the spiritual and temporal redemption that becomes available through faith in the Holy Messiah himself. To them redemption meant, not just relief from Roman imperialism, but a ransom from the temporal and spiritual effects of the fall of Adam.