When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”), and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”
When you read this in your bible, you may notice a footnote here that references Leviticus 12:6-8, where the law was handed down from God to Moses and the rest of the Israelites:
“‘When the days of her purification for a son or daughter are over, she is to bring to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting a year-old lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a dove for a sin offering. He shall offer them before the Lord to make atonement for her, and then she will be ceremonially clean from her flow of blood.
“‘These are the regulations for the woman who gives birth to a boy or a girl. But if she cannot afford a lamb, she is to bring two doves or two young pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering. In this way the priest will make atonement for her, and she will be clean.’”
Did you notice that Mary gave a pair of birds for the offering? According to the law, they were to give a lamb unless they were poor and couldn't afford this. So, we can infer here that Joseph and Mary were poor, and unable to give this offering.
However, looking at this another way, Mary was (most definitely) giving a lamb, in addition to the birds. She was dedicating the very Lamb of God! When Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple, they were offering so much more than anyone could have known.
“Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29b)
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