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Commentaries
English
Luke
  
JESUS CIRCUMCISED
AND PRESENTED TO GOD IN THE TEMPLE
(Luke 2:21-38)
21And when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the child, His name was called JESUS, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.22Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord23(as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord"),24and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, "A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons."


The Son of God is delivered from the law, for in his unity with the Father and the Holy Spirit he put all the laws and their judgments from eternity, to lead the sinners into repentance and faith through the sacrifice. Christ is the Lawmaker and the Lord of the Sabbath. He has the right to change and to fulfill the judgments. But as the Son of Man and the Deputy of mankind, he was subject to the ordinances of the law, bore our sins, and suffered from the wrath of God, as Paul wrote in (Galatians 4:4-5) about his birth.
In the Old Testament, circumcision means three things:

If we apply these three principles to Jesus, we will see that in performing this rite he accepted to die in the wrath of God for our sins. As our representative he opened the door of entering into covenant with God, for he who was chosen from the beginning continued in his covenant with his Father, and did not need a new acceptance. Furthermore, in his circumcision he proved giving up his self-will voluntarily to his Father’s praise service in his chosen ones who are the new family of God (John 1:12; 1 Peter 1:8-22).
Study these lawful secrets, and you will find their summary in the name of Jesus, which he was given during this rite. His name means that God helps the world only through reconciliation in Christ, which began on the day of circumcision. People only called him "Jesus" after the lamb of redemption was put on him. Then the name of the Holy One appeared.
Joseph had his adopted Son Jesus circumcised and given his name eight days after his birth in Bethlehem.
However, Mary, his mother had to perform the rite of purification according to the Old Testament. Forty days after their isolation, the holy family traveled to Jerusalem, where Mary brought two pigeons for herself: one as a burnt offering, and the other as a sin offering (Leviticus 12:8). The sin offering symbolizes that all people are born in sins and need God’s forgiveness. By Mary’s making this offering she showed her poverty, for the rich were required to offer a lamb for a burnt offering, whereas the poor were permitted to slay two pigeons; and Mary offered this sacrifice voluntarily, in proportion to the financial ability of the family. Though the Savior was pure from any moral defilement in his conception and birth, Mary knew her situation as a human being, and brought the sin offering for herself.
In these words, we also read about fulfillment of a third ordinance of the law, that is redeeming Jesus from the office of priesthood, for every first-born male child was regarded as "holy" to the Lord, and was dedicated to minister to him in the temple as long as he lived. However, all the firstborn were delivered from this service through the appointment of the tribe of Levi in the place of the eldest sons, to serve in the sanctuary (Numbers 3:13,40). In remembrance of this truth, that every firstborn is automatically made holy to God, a firstborn male child was to be presented in front of the face of God, and his parents had to pay the redemption-money for him, five shekels, equivalent to a carpenter’s wages for forty days (Numbers 3:47).
In spite of Jesus’ redemption from priesthood ministry, he remained the High Priest to all people, and had always consecrated himself to God, for all the provisions of the law were not only fulfilled in him, but he himself fulfilled them through his love, truth, and sacrifice more than all people and deeper than the letters of the law could speak.

Prayer
Our Lord Jesus, we thank you because you fulfilled the law by your circumcision and redemption in the temple, and delivered us from the judgments of the Old Testament to so that we may serve God’s love under the sprinkling of your holy blood.
Question
How did Jesus’ parents fulfill the law of the Old Testament?