As strange as the events at the temple must have seemed to Mary and Joseph, imagine if you were Simeon or Anna. They had spent years waiting to see the Messiah. I don’t think this poor family, who couldn’t even afford a lamb to sacrifice, were what they were expecting. Don’t you figure that they expected that the promised child would arrive with all of the fanfare of royalty?
Remember, we have all of the drama of Luke’s first chapter and a half to know who this baby is. Simeon and Anna did not. After years of waiting for what they expected to see, all of a sudden they see something completely different and believe it when the Spirt of God told them that this babe was God’s son, that this poor babe was the one promised.
More often than not, God doesn't show up like we expect Him to, but we can be assured that He keeps His promises and, if we look for Him, we will find Him.