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Luke 2:22–26
“When the time came for [Joseph and Mary’s] purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought [Jesus] up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord” (v. 22).
Jesus came as the perfect representative of His people who would succeed at every point where they failed and be established as the last Adam and head of a new humanity (e.g., see Rom. 5:12–21). Thus, the New Testament emphasizes His sinlessness and His perfect keeping of God’s law. Jesus Himself said that He had to “fulfill all righteousness” (Matt. 3:15), meaning that His entire life had to conform to the commandments given to Israel through Moses.
Our Lord’s conformity to the law began even before He was old enough to consciously keep God’s statutes, as we see in today’s passage. Luke 2:22–26 informs us that Jesus was brought to Jerusalem after His birth to be presented to the Lord. This was in keeping with God’s prescription that every firstborn male Israelite had to be redeemed. Our Creator laid special claim to the firstborn sons of Israel, for in the exodus from Egypt He had passed over them, not killing them as He killed the firstborn of the Egyptians because of the sacrifices of lambs in their place (see Ex. 12). Instead of killing their own sons as sacrifices, the Israelites were told in Exodus 13:1–2 and Numbers 18:15–16 that they could redeem their firstborn sons from death by paying a redemption price of five shekels. (Levite children were not redeemed but were ordained to the priestly ministry in old covenant Israel; see Num. 18:1–7.) One of the reasons that Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to Jerusalem not long after His birth was to fulfill this obligation (Luke 2:23), and in so doing they guaranteed that their Son was being conformed to the law even in His infancy.
The other reason that Mary and Joseph came to Jerusalem was for their purification. Childbirth rendered a mother, and anyone else who came into contact with blood during the birth, ceremonially unclean, and restoring ritual purity involved animal sacrifice forty days after the birth (Lev. 12:1–8). Ordinarily, the animal sacrificed was a lamb, but if a family could not afford a lamb, two turtledoves or pigeons could be offered instead. Mary and Joseph offered up birds, not a lamb, indicating that they were not wealthy and that Jesus would grow up not among the rich but among the poor (Luke 2:22–24). Joseph and Mary’s concern to keep the law of purification shows also that Jesus was being raised in a godly home.
Today’s passage concludes by introducing us to an elderly man named Simeon, to whom God promised to reveal the Messiah (vv. 25–26). We will learn more about him in our next study.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
Mary and Joseph were sinners like us, but they were concerned to keep the law of God. No doubt, Jesus, according to His humanity, learned much about godliness from His imperfect but faithful parents. Our own children can learn much from our example as we seek to keep God’s Word and instruct them in it. Let us do so diligently and, if we do not have our own children, seek to help the parents in our churches raise their children in all righteousness.
for further study
- Deuteronomy 6:4–9
- Psalm 34:11
- Proverbs 22:6
- Ephesians 6:4
the bible in a year
- Exodus 5–6
- Matthew 17