Why the family of carpenter? (Luke 2:21-27)

21 And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.2 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 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.” 25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would 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, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, 

Luke 2:21-27 ESV

Ever wondered what it would be like if we could choose what family to be born into?   As a young child, I used to secretly wish that I could be in my next door neighbor’s family, because they were more fun to hang out with, and they had good food😅.  I know that was wishful thinking.  The assignment of families is not by our choice.  But what about baby Jesus?  Out of the whole universe, He was the only one who could choose His family on earth. Which family did the Almighty Creator choose to entrust His only begotten son to?  When the Son of God became Son of Man, He did not choose to be born into a family of wealth or genius. Yet He entrusted himself to a lowly family of carpenter. 

The phrase “according to the Law of Moses” or “Law of the Lord” appeared multiple times in the passages we read today.  Though having the son of God in the household, Mary and Joseph did not find any shortcut or exceptions for themselves to bypass the Law. Out of their faith and obedience to God, they followed the Law closely and did everything they could to fulfill it.  At the temple, they brought two turtledoves or young pigeons for the offering of purification.  Leviticus 12 instructed the Israelites to bring a sacrifice to the temple of one lamb, and one turtledove or one pigeon. For families that were extremely poor, they could offer two turtledoves or two pigeons instead.  Mary and Joseph were poor and did not have much to offer, but out of their faith and obedience to God, they gave what they could.   This was the family that the Almighty God found for His son – a lowly family of carpenter who could only offer two turtledoves in the temple, yet a family who would take God’s word seriously, and were obedient and faithful to Him.  In Matthew 5, Jesus said He came to this world to fulfill the law.  Mary and Joseph may not have known, but their obedience fulfilled this purpose for the little baby Jesus.  

God may not be looking for another family for His son, but He’s still looking for people to do His work and fulfill His divine purpose.  We may feel that we are limited in many ways.  Not enough time, not enough money, not enough energy, not enough understanding…Mary and Joseph might not have had much of the above either.  But when they exercised their faith and obedience in God, they were blessed in ways that were beyond their understanding.  God is an expert of giving strength to the weak, and turning dried bones into mighty army.   God’s grace was enough for Mary and Joseph, His grace is still enough for us.   If two turtledoves are all you can give, God will be pleased to accept them and multiply its blessing.  Let’s finish 2020 strong by trusting and obeying Him. 💪🏻

Dear Lord, when you came, you chose the manger, and you chose the family of carpenter. You are not looking for our wealth or anything according to our outward appearance. You look in our hearts. Help me to stay faithful and obedient to you. Guid me with your words and guard me with your grace. Your grace is enough!

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