They brought Him
(Jesus) up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord…and to offer a sacrifice…a
pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons. Luke 2:22b, 24 (NASB)
Climbing
to the upper level of Grandpa’s barn, my cousin and I were excited because we
had never been that high before. As I turned around, I noticed a nest with two
tiny birds. We called down to tell Grandpa, but he warned us,
“Don’t
touch those baby turtledoves or their mother will not take care of them. They
will die.”
Later,
Grandpa explained that if our human scent contaminated the baby birds, their
mother would abandon them and they would starve to death.
As
I reflect upon that childhood memory, I am reminded that Jesus left the
perfection of heaven to be born into our fallen, human world. Under the Law,
every firstborn male baby was called holy to the Lord and a sacrifice of a pair
of turtledoves or pigeons was to be offered.
How
ironic that my human touch would result in the death of the baby turtledoves I
found, but turtledoves were offered as a sacrifice for the baby Jesus.
The
Old Testament sacrificial system required that sacrifices be made repeatedly
for the sins of the people. But in the New Testament Jesus shed His blood as
the final sacrifice for our sins and ushered in the new covenant. There is no
longer a need for the shedding of the blood of birds and animals because Jesus’
sacrifice satisfied God’s anger toward our sins. We have been redeemed by the
blood of the Lamb. When He touches us, we come to life.
Father, as we
celebrate Jesus’ birth, may we remember His sacrifice for us.
©
2013 Diane E. Hussey
1 comment:
Diane, isn't it wonderful to feel the deep love of Jesus and to read once again of His deep love for us even 2,000 years ago? Jesus looked into the future and saw us even then. He has blessed us beyond belief. We are truly rich because we know Him and love Him. God's blessings be upon you now and into the New Year.
E. Bonnie
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