Luke 2:24

Fourth, with respect to the price offered, it is added: And that they might give for him a sacrifice, according to what is said in the law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons. For this was the offering of the …

Nor do groanings alone commend the turtledove; chastity also commends it. By the merit of this chastity indeed it was worthy to be given as an offering for the virginal birth. For so you have it: "A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons" (Lk …

Now this was the victim of the poor. For the Lord commanded in the law that they who were able should offer a lamb for a son or a daughter as well as a turtle dove or pigeon; but they who were not able to offer a lamb should give two turtle doves or two young pigeons. Therefore the Lord, though he was rich, deigned to become poor, that by his poverty He might make us partakers of His riches.

Or the pigeon denotes simplicity, the turtle dove chastity, for the pigeon is a lover of simplicity, and the turtle dove of chastity, so that if by chance she has lost her mate, she heeds not to find another. Rightly then are the pigeon and turtle dove offered as victims to the Lord, because the simple and chaste conversation of the faithful is a sacrifice of righteousness well pleasing to Him.

But while each bird, from its habit of wailing, represents the present sorrows of the saints, in this they differ, that the turtle is solitary, but the pigeon flies about in flocks, and hence the one points to the secret tears of confession, the other to the public assembling of the Church.

Or the pigeon which flies in flocks sets forth the busy intercourse of active life. The turtle, which delights in solitariness, tells of the lofty heights of the contemplative life. But because each victim is equally accepted by the Creator, St. Luke has purposely omitted whether the turtles or young pigeons were offered for the Lord, that he might not prefer one mode of life before another, but teach that both ought to be followed.

And to offer a sacrifice, according to what is said in the law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons. It is said in the law that for a child, if it is a male, as I have said before, on …

The Law (Lev. 12:6–8) commanded to offer a pair of turtledoves as an indication that the childbearing was from a pure marriage. For it is said of the turtledove that she is a chaste bird, such that, having lost her mate, she does not couple …

Christ was not conceived and born in sin, as others are, so that there was not that occasion in his case which there is in others; yet, because he was made under the law, he complied with it. Thus it became him to fulfil all righteousness.

And to offer a sacrifice,....

And to offer a sacrifice - Neither mother nor child was considered as in the Lord’s covenant, or under the Divine protection, till these ceremonies, prescribed by the law, had been performed. A pair of turtle doves, etc. - One was for a burnt-offering, and the other for a sin-offering: see Lev 12:8. The rich were required to bring a lamb, but the poor and middling classes were required to bring either two turtle doves, or two pigeons. This is a proof that the holy family were not in affluence.

It was in obedience to this "law of Moses," that the Virgin presented her babe unto the Lord, "in the east gate of the court called Nicanor's Gate, where she herself would be sprinkled by the priest with the blood of her sacrifice" [LIGHTFOOT].

The first point which demands our attention in this passage--is the obedience which our Lord rendered, as an infant, to the Jewish law. We read of His being circumcised on the eighth day. It is the earliest fact which is recorded in His history. It is a mere waste of time to speculate, as some have done, about the reason why our Lord submitted to circumcision. We know that "in Him was no sin," either original or actual. (1 John 3:5.) His being circumcised was not meant in the least as an acknowledgment that there was any tendency to corruption in His heart. It was not a confession of inclination to evil — or need of grace to mortify the deeds of His body. All this should be carefully borne in mind. Let it suffice us to remember that our Lord's circumcision was a public testimony to Israel, that according to the flesh He was a Jew, made of a Jewish woman, and "made under the law." (Galatians 4:4.) Without it He would not have fulfilled the law's requirements. Without it He could not have been recognized as the son of David, and the seed of Abraham. Let us remember, furthermore, that circumcision was absolutely necessary before our Lord could be heard as a teacher in Israel. Without it, he would have had no place in any lawful Jewish assembly, and no right to any Jewish ordinance. Without it, He would have been regarded by all Jews as nothing better than an uncircumcised Gentile, and an apostate from the faith of the fathers. Let our Lord's submission to an ordinance which He did not need for Himself, be a lesson to us in our daily life. Let us endure much, rather than increase the offence of the Gospel, or hinder in any way the cause of God. The words of Paul deserve frequent pondering, "Though I am free from all men — yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.

The first point which demands our attention in this passage--is the obedience which our Lord rendered, as an infant, to the Jewish law. We read of His being circumcised on the eighth day. It is the earliest fact which is recorded in His history. It is a mere waste of time to speculate, as some have done, about the reason why our Lord submitted to circumcision. We know that "in Him was no sin," either original or actual. (1 John 3:5.)

And to offer a sacrifice ... - Those who were able on such an occasion were required to offer a lamb for a burnt-offering, and a pigeon or a turtle-dove for a sin-offering. If not able to bring a “lamb,” then they were permitted to bring two turtle-doves or two young pigeons, Lev 12:6, Lev 12:8. Turtle-doves - Doves distinguished for having a plaintive and tender voice. By Mary’s making this offering she showed her poverty; and our Saviour, by coming in a state of poverty, has shown that it is not dishonorable to be poor. No station is dishonorable where “God” places us. He knows what is best for us, and he often makes a state of poverty an occasion of the highest blessings. If “with” poverty he grants us, as is often the case, peace, contentment, and religion, it is worth far more than all the jewels of Golconda or the gold of Mexico. If it be asked why, since the Saviour was pure from any moral defilement in his conception and birth, it was necessary to offer such a sacrifice: why was it necessary that he should be circumcised, since he had no sin, it may be answered: 1. That it was proper to fulfil all righteousness, and to show obedience to the law, Mat 3:15. 2. It was necessary for the future usefulness of Christ. Unless he had been circumcised, he could not have been admitted to any synagogue or to the temple. He would have had no access to the people, and could not have been regarded as the Messiah. Both he and Mary, therefore, yielded obedience to the laws of the land, and thus set us an example that we should walk in their steps. Compare the notes at Mat 3:15.