Venturing Into Enemies’ Territories!

When Saul sought David’s life, David fled to Saul’s enemy Achish’s territory (the king of Gath), pretended to be a madman, and escaped the wrath of Saul. Similarly, when Ahab threatened the life of Elijah, Elijah didn’t flee Ahab’s territory but rather went into his capital. Much later, when Antipas imprisoned John the Baptizer and killed him, Jesus entered his territory of Galilee and spread the gospel. Like emergency responders who run into danger rather than fleeing from danger, godly people run into dangerous situations, trusting in God’s protection.

Joseph and Mariam circumcised Jesus on the eighth day of his birth, most likely by a local priest in Bethlehem who came to their home to perform the ceremony. At that time, they named him Jesus.

“When the time came for them to purify him according to the law of Moses, they took him to Jerusalem to present him before the Lord since the law of the Lord said: ‘Every male that opens the womb of a mother [i.e., the firstborn] is called “Holy” to the Lord, and to offer the sacrifice which is foretold in the law of the Lord: a pair of beasts of burden, turtledoves, or two young pigeons.” (Luke 2:22–24)

By the law of Moses, this event would have happened third-two days after the circumcision or the fortieth day of Jesus’s birth. As covenant keepers, Mariam and Joseph took Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem to present him to the Lord since every firstborn male child was set apart for the Lord’s work and to offer sacrifices allotted to redeem that firstborn from God’s service to daily living.

Centuries earlier, God had decreed every firstborn male of Israel belonged to him ­and set apart (“holy”) for his work. But counting them became tedious. The Lord offered another option: to substitute all the males in the tribe of Levites as his priests in the place of the firstborns of Israel (Numb 3:11–13). Such a “swap” had to be done in the temple, where the parents offered a price to redeem their sons from temple priesthood and pass on that responsibility to the Levites on their sons’ behalf. This price, swap, or redemption payment was based on their wealth. If they were wealthy parents, they offered a pair of beasts of burden like donkeys or bulls. If the parents were poor, they offered a pair of turtledoves or young pigeons. We are not told which offering the parents gave, but they offered the sacrifices as instructed in the law of Moses and YHWH.

The Scholars date the birth of Jesus between the 25th of December (5 BC) and the 6th of January (4 BC). The fortieth day would have been between the 3rd and 9th of February of 4 BC. Herod the Great, who sought the life of baby Jesus, died around April 10th (4 BC). Joseph, Mariam, and Jesus were in the temple in Jerusalem just two months before his death. The magi would have already visited him, and he was searching for baby Jesus. Joseph and Mariam trusted God that they didn’t fear Herod and walked into his city, meters from where he lived, and fulfilled the duties the law required.

Faith that can move mountains doesn’t fear earthly enemies when God is on one’s side. God can prevent the eyes of the enemies from seeing God’s people right before them.