And [Mary] brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2:7, NKJV
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 ... Luke 2: 22-24a, NKJV
It's significant that Mary and Joseph fulfilled the requirements of the law with regard to their firstborn Son. It's doubtful though that they understood at this point (and perhaps not until after His resurrection) that their Son would do away with the law. Because the law could not make men holy - it could only show them their sin - and because sacrifices had to be ongoing - a better way was needed to forgive men of their sin and bring them into a right relationship with God.
That better way was through the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. But I suspect Mary and Joseph had not even the faintest inkling of what this would mean for their firstborn when they gazed upon Him lying in the manger.
I wonder, as other children were added to their family if they recognised that this Child was different ... or, in the busyness of family life, did they forget the miracle of His birth and not until later, looking back, did they realise just how special He was?
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 ... Luke 2: 22-24a, NKJV
It's significant that Mary and Joseph fulfilled the requirements of the law with regard to their firstborn Son. It's doubtful though that they understood at this point (and perhaps not until after His resurrection) that their Son would do away with the law. Because the law could not make men holy - it could only show them their sin - and because sacrifices had to be ongoing - a better way was needed to forgive men of their sin and bring them into a right relationship with God.
That better way was through the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. But I suspect Mary and Joseph had not even the faintest inkling of what this would mean for their firstborn when they gazed upon Him lying in the manger.
I wonder, as other children were added to their family if they recognised that this Child was different ... or, in the busyness of family life, did they forget the miracle of His birth and not until later, looking back, did they realise just how special He was?
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