And if she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take two turtledoves or two young pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement for her, and she shall be clean." (Leviticus 12:8)
And when the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord
(as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord")
and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, "a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons." (Luke 2:22-24)
Note from the verse from Leviticus that one of the doves is a "sin offering", and that it is "for her". Whatever else one might say about Mary, the gospel does record that she did present a sin offering for herself.
This is a very good catch but I fear that the Marian will simply point to the Baptism of Jesus as an example of someone not needing a baptism but getting it for a different reason. John's (that guy who is the greatest of men born of women) baptism was one of repentance which the Lord certainly didn't need.
Nice try. :)
You remember that when the Lord Jesus was born, his mother brought turtle-doves because the poor could bring them as an offering. She had to have an offering because she was a sinner; she was not sinless. She brought an offering. But there was no offering for the Lord Jesus. No offering was ever made for Jesus or by Jesus. He is the sinless One. He was the offering for the sin of the world. He is the Lamb of God.
Luke:2 [21] And when eight days were fulfilled for circumcising him, his name was called JESUS, which was so called by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
[22] And when the days of their purification according to the law of Moses were fulfilled, they brought him up to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord
[23] (as it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord),
[24] and to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.
[25] And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
[26] And it had been revealed unto him by the Holy Spirit, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.
[27] And he came in the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, that they might do concerning him after the custom of the law,
BigMack
IF the lurker wants an answer, let him post it himself!
(Oh, that's right, you're the pugnacious one.)
Note from the verse from Leviticus that one of the doves is a "sin offering", and that it is "for her". Whatever else one might say about Mary, the gospel does record that she did present a sin offering for herself.
The answer is simply that Mary followed the Law, as any person obedient to God did.
Is it this "lurkers" position (or yours) that childbirth is a sin which requires atonement? OR is it simply a ritual cleansing?
SD