Jesus Is Presented in the Temple

Luke 2:21-24

When the baby was eight days old, he was circumcised and was named Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived.
Now when the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, Joseph and Mary brought Jesus up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. [Note]
(just as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male will be set apart to the Lord”).
So they offered the sacrifice required in the law of the Lord – “either a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”

Exegetically the plural pronoun “their” creates a problem. It was Mary’s purification that was required by law, forty days after the birth (Lev 12:2-4). However, it is possible that Joseph shared in a need to be purified by having to help with the birth or that they also dedicated the child as a first born (Exo 13:2), which would also require a sacrifice that Joseph would bring. Luke’s point is that the parents followed the law. They were pious. [←Back]