February 3, 2025
A Light to Lighten the Gentiles - Part 1
Luke 2:22-24
02/03/2025
22 And when the time came for their purification
according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up
to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord
23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, Every
male who first opens the womb shall be called holy
to the Lord)
24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said
in the Law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves, or
two young pigeons. (ESV)
Yesterday was Groundhog Day, a celebration of spring that
has its roots in the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple in
Jerusalem. This sounds far fetched, but this week we will be
looking at the Presentation, and some of the traditions
surrounding this day.
The Presentation of Jesus, also known as the Purification of
Mary, happens forty days after Christmas. Saint Luke recorded:
And when the time came for their purification according
to the Law of Moses, 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 first opens the womb shall
be called holy to the Lord) and to offer a sacrifice
according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, a
pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.
Jesus came to fulfill God's Law on our behalf, not to
abolish the Law. This included His circumcision and naming on
the eighth day of His life, which we discussed on January 1.
This included the rites of purification for Mary, forty days
after the birth of a male, and the redemption sacrifice required
for a first-born son.
On His fortieth day, therefore, Jesus was in the Temple, a
dove was sacrificed on His behalf. Jesus was under the Law for
our benefit. He took on the requirements of the Law for our
salvation.
May our Lord grant that we see Jesus as our Savior, the
perfect Son of God. Amen.