Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him 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 what is said in the law of the Lord, “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.” (Luke 2:22-24, NKJV).
Our Heavenly Parent, we are looking to You for guidance and direction. We need to know Your perfect will for our lives. Then help us to be willing to offer ourselves “as living sacrifices, holy acceptable” to You. This is our prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
The act of dedicating the first born son to the Lord and offering a lamb to redeem him had its origin in Egypt on the last night of their captivity, just before the Exodus, when all the firstborn of the Egyptians died and God rescued the firstborn of the Israelites. If the parents were too poor to offer a lamb they could offer in its place a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.
I have often thought about the extreme poverty of Jesus and His earthly parents. Too poor to pay for a decent place for the Christ-child to be born. Too poor to have a crib for His bed. Too poor to offer a lamb. When He became a young Man and left the home of His earthly parents He was too poor to have a home of His own. Too poor to own His own donkey. Too poor to have a sepulcher of His own to be buried in. The Prince of Heaven became not only poor but “too poor” for your sake and mine!
Him on whom angels waited to do His bidding came not to be served but to serve. He who could have called twelve legions of angels to His aid allowed Himself to be taken captive and be hung upon a tree; becoming a curse for you and me. He who had stooped in the dust and created humankind allowed the creatures of His hands to beat Him, insult Him, mock Him, spit on Him and nail Him to a tree.
He who could have come down from the cross and save Himself decided to stay on the cross in order to save a malefactor who called Him “Lord” and asked the Savior to remember him when He came into His kingdom. He also stayed upon that cross for you and me. Oh what love! What self-sacrificing, endless, unconditional, undeserved love for a world that did not appreciate nor respond to that love!
May God grant that as we consider the reason He became poor and offered the Supreme Sacrifice so that He could provide for us the riches of heaven – our hearts might respond to His sacrifice of love, and offer ourselves as willing, living sacrifices to Him!