When
eight days were fulfilled for the circumcision of the child, his name was called Jesus, which was given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. When the days of their purification according to the law of Moses were fulfilled, they brought him up to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”), and to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, “A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.”
Luke 2:21-24
Luke 2 [15.] When the angels went away from them into the sky, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem, now, and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” They came with haste, and found both Mary and Joseph, and the baby was lying in the feeding trough. When they saw it, they publicized widely the saying which was spoken to them about this child. All who heard it wondered at the things which were spoken to them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these sayings, pondering them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, just as it was told them.
Luke 2 [21.] When eight days were fulfilled for the circumcision of the child, his name was called Jesus, which was given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
Luke 2 [22.] When the days of their purification according to the law of Moses were fulfilled, they brought him up to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”), and to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, “A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.”
Luke 2 [25.] Behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. He came in the Spirit into the temple. When the parents brought in the child, Jesus, that they might do concerning him according to the custom of the law, then he received him into his arms, and blessed God, and said,
Meaning:
After the visit of the shepherds, Luke records three acts of obedience to the law of Moses: the circumcision and naming of Jesus on the eighth day, the purification of Mary, and the presentation of Jesus as a firstborn son. Joseph and Mary are shown as devout Jews who did everything “according to the law of the Lord.” Paul summed up the meaning: “God sent out his Son, born to a woman, born under the law, that he might redeem those who were under the law” (Galatians 4:4-5).
- “When eight days were fulfilled for the circumcision of the child”
The law said, “In the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised” (Leviticus 12:3), following God’s command to Abraham (Genesis 17:12). Circumcision marked a boy as a member of God’s covenant people. John the Baptist had been circumcised on the eighth day in the same way (Luke 1:59). Jesus, the Son of God, became fully part of Israel and placed himself under the law he came to fulfil. Paul later wrote that believers receive “a circumcision not made with hands” in Christ (Colossians 2:11).
- “his name was called Jesus, which was given by the angel before he was conceived”
Mary and Joseph did not choose the name. It had been given by Gabriel to Mary (Luke 1:31) and by an angel to Joseph, “for it is he who shall save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). Jesus means “Yahweh saves.” From the beginning his name declared his mission.
- “When the days of their purification according to the law of Moses were fulfilled”
After giving birth to a son, a mother was ceremonially unclean for forty days in all. Then she was to bring an offering to the priest, who would “make atonement for her; and she shall be cleansed” (Leviticus 12:7). This was a matter of ritual purity, not of moral sin. Bethlehem was only a few kilometres from Jerusalem, so the family went up to the temple.
- “to present him to the Lord”
The law said, “Sanctify to me all the firstborn, whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel” (Exodus 13:2). God had spared Israel’s firstborn when he struck the firstborn of Egypt, so every firstborn son belonged to him. Parents redeemed their firstborn son by paying “five shekels of money” to the priests (Numbers 18:16). Luke does not mention the payment. Instead he stresses that Jesus was presented to the Lord, much as Hannah gave Samuel to the Lord at the house of God. Jesus truly belonged to God and would give himself completely to his Father’s will.
- “A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.”
The normal offering was a year-old lamb and a pigeon or turtledove, but the law made a provision for the poor: “If she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take two turtledoves, or two young pigeons” (Leviticus 12:8). Mary’s offering shows that Joseph and Mary were poor. The one who would be “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29) was presented with the offering of the poor. Paul wrote, “though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor” (2 Corinthians 8:9).
The Significance of Luke 2:21-24
- Christ fulfilled the law for us
Jesus was circumcised, presented and redeemed according to the law. From his infancy he was obedient to God’s commands. He fulfilled the law perfectly so that those who could not keep it might be redeemed and adopted as God’s children.
- Faithfulness in small things
Joseph and Mary had seen angels and heard prophecies, yet they did not consider themselves above the ordinary commands of God. Their faith showed itself in careful, everyday obedience.
- God welcomes the poor
The law made room for those who could not afford a lamb, and the Son of God came into a poor family. God’s grace is not limited to the wealthy. What matters is a heart that gives what it can.
Cross-References:
Leviticus 12:8: "If she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take two turtledoves, or two young pigeons;" the offering of the poor.
Exodus 13:2: "Sanctify to me all the firstborn," the law of the firstborn.
Galatians 4:4: "born to a woman, born under the law," Christ placed under the law to redeem.
Matthew 1:21: "You shall call his name Jesus," the name given before his birth.
Conclusion: On the eighth day Jesus was circumcised and given the name the angel had chosen. After the days of purification, Joseph and Mary brought him to the temple in Jerusalem to present him to the Lord as a firstborn son, and offered the sacrifice the law allowed for the poor. The Son of God was born under the law and fulfilled it from the beginning of his life.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible