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 who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord") and to offer a sacrifice ..." (Luke 2:22-24a)

It seems odd to me—Mary and Joseph taking Jesus to the temple to fulfill the law about firstborn sons. Because in essence, what they were doing was presenting the Lord to the Lord, right? Even when I take into account the Trinity, this makes me dizzy.

And yet, it was good and right, what they did. Because the law about firstborn sons had its roots in the days of the Exodus, when God set His people free from slavery in Egypt. In those days the angel of death destroyed all the firstborn sons in the country who were not protected by the blood of a sacrificed lamb on the houses where they slept (see Exodus 12). And forever after, Israel's firstborn sons would have to be presented to the Lord in early infancy, and redeemed with an offering.

Now the baby Jesus comes—not to be redeemed, but to be the Redeemer. God in the flesh takes His place, standing for humanity. And He comes not just to save the firstborn of a single country, but to save all of God's children—everyone who will put their trust in Him. Jesus took our death upon Himself on that cross; and because of His resurrection, all of us who belong to Him are freed from death forever.

WE PRAY: Thank You, Lord, for taking my place and saving me. Amen.

Reflection Questions:

* Were you baptized as an infant, or not? Share your experiences.

* What did Jesus take from you when He took your place?

* What did He give you instead?

Advent Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.

Today's Bible Readings: Malachi 1-2    Revelation 21

To Download Devotion MP3 to your computer, right click here and select "Save Link As" or "Save Target As" or "Download Linked File As"