Birds for Sacrifice (5)—Joseph and Mary - All The LORD is near Daily Devotionals for 2026

They brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord … and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord: a pair of turtle doves, or two young pigeons.
Luke 2:22, 24 JND

Birds for Sacrifice (5)—Joseph and Mary
The birds offered for sacrifice represent the eternal Son of God who came down from heaven. How striking, then, to see that when the Lord Himself entered this world, two birds were offered. Leviticus 12 outlined how a sacrifice was to be offered for the mother after the days of her purification following childbirth.

The normal offering to be brought was a lamb and a bird. If they could not afford a lamb, they were allowed to bring a pair of turtle doves or a pair of pigeons. Joseph and Mary brought two birds when they came to the temple, showing their poverty.

This should impress upon us the Scripture, “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that for your sakes He, being rich, became poor, in order that ye by His poverty might be enriched” (2 Cor. 8:9). Our blessed Lord, the rich One, came into the poor family of a humble carpenter.

But though He came into such circumstances of poverty, He in His Person never ceased to be the rich One. The wealth of the creation was at His disposal! When some money was needed to pay the temple tax, He could direct Peter to catch a fish that had just the right amount in its mouth. When the marriage feast ran out of wine, He could turn ordinary water into the “best wine.” At the close, our Lord was forsaken by His disciples, and ultimately He was forsaken by His God on the cross. Then He died. This is how poor He became. But it was for our sakes that He, the rich One, chose to become poor so that you and I might be enriched. We are now blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ (Eph. 1:3)! We are spiritually rich! May we worship Him!

-- Kevin Quartell