MY PERSPECTIVE, Gary Damron
In our series on what the gospels tell us about Jesus, we now come to a four-verse passage about the Law. When God gave Moses the tablets of stone on Mount Sinai (Exodus 31:18), those were the first step in a framework that for centuries guided Jewish conduct and life. Until the time of Jesus' ministry, the Ten Commandments and Levitical rituals - plus regulations imposed by the Pharisees - had revealed needs and sins, and prescribed sacrifices to atone for them.
At Christmas time, we hear the story of the Christ child being born in Bethlehem. But there's more to that than the Nativity scene. The angels proclaimed a new kingdom and a new King. In our scripture today, Joseph and Mary in obedience brought their baby to the temple in Jerusalem. Paul wrote of the significance of this: "When the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law..." (Galatians 4:4-5). That includes us!
The word "redeem" means to ransom, rescue, release, so that anyone who believes in Christ may receive a new relationship as an adopted child, and be reconciled to God. Paul went on in the fifth chapter of Galatians to talk of Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross, a man who died to fulfill all the laws, and who was without sin.
So, our short scripture for today begins, "And when eight days had passed, before His circumcision, His name was then called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb" (Luke 2:21). We remember Joseph being instructed in Matthew 1:21, "'She [Mary] will give birth to a Son; and you shall name Him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.'”
Thirty-three days later, "When the days for their purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord" (Luke 2:22). Because Mary was immaculate, and her Son was the Holy One, neither "required" these rituals. However, if Mary had not gone through the purification according to the Law, and if Jesus had not been circumcised and publicly presented in the temple, neither would have been permitted any connection with others of the Jewish faith.
Verse 23 relates to a law given by God to Moses in Exodus 13:2: "'Sanctify to Me every firstborn, the first offspring of every womb among the sons of Israel, both of man and beast; it belongs to Me.'” Jesus was consecrated, along with other firstborn sons through the centuries, in remembrance of the Israelites' deliverance from Egypt at the first Passover.
The second reason Joseph and Mary came to the temple was "to offer a sacrifice according to what was said in the Law of the Lord, 'a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons'" (Luke 2:24). The fact they did not bring a lamb is an indication that the holy family were not affluent, and throughout His life, Jesus elevated the state of the poor. References in Leviticus chapter 12, "laws of motherhood", outline the prescribed rituals. A lamb, and pigeon or turtledove, were to be brought; if a family could not afford a lamb, "then she shall take two turtledoves or two young pigeons, the one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering" (Leviticus 12:6). Neither mother nor Child would have been considered under divine protection until the ceremonies, prescribed by the Law, had been performed.
But with the ministry of Jesus, everything changed. Jesus proclaimed in the Sermon on the Mount that He came not to destroy the Law, but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17). The Book of Hebrews tells us that the laws, ordinances, and regulations were "only a shadow of the good things to come" (Hebrews 10:1). They had to be administered frequently because "it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins" (verse 4). We don't use blood offerings in our worship services, because "...by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified" (verse 14). Jesus' sacrifice on the cross is perfect and effective, and brings a new and living way to approach God.
John had prophesied, "'As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I ... He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire'" (Matthew 3:11 and Luke 3:16). We cannot add anything more than what Jesus did. He told John the Baptist at the beginning of His ministry, "'Permit it [water baptism] at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness'" (Matthew 3:15). All that Jesus did on earth fulfilled, or completed, the old requirements of the Law - and more.
Paul wrote, "There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For listen to this - the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do...God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin" (Romans 8:1-3). He came in Bethlehem, and brought the "covenant of peace" (Isaiah 54:10) to those who trust Him.
