22. And after that the days of their 1 purification were fulfilled according to the law of Moses, they brought him to Jerusalem, that they might present him to the Lord, 23. As it is written in the Law of the Lord, Every male opening the womb shall be called holy to the Lord: 24. And that they might offer a sacrifice, according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, a pair of turtle-doves, or two young pigeons. 25. And, lo, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and that man was just and devout, 2 waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26. And he had received a revelation 3 from the Holy Spirit, that he would not see death before he saw the Lord’s Christ. 27. And he came by the Spirit into the temple. 4 And when the parents brought the young child Jesus, that they might do according to the custom of the Law for him, 28. He also took him into his arms: and blessed God, and said, 29. Thou now sendest thy servant away, O Lord, according to thy word, in peace, 30. For my eyes have seen thy salvation, 31. Which thou hast prepared before the face of all nations: 32. A light for the enlightening of the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
22. And after that the days were fulfilled On the fortieth day after the birth, (Leviticus 12:2,4,) the rite of purification was necessary to be performed. But Mary and Joseph come to Jerusalem for another reason, to present Christ to the Lord, because he was the first-born. Let us now speak first of the purification. Luke makes it apply both to Mary and to Christ: for the pronoun αὐτῶν, of them, can have no reference whatever to Joseph. But it ought not to appear strange, that Christ, who was to be, made a curse for us on the cross,” (Galatians 3:13,) should, for our benefit, take upon him our uncleanness with respect to legal guilt, though he was “without blemish and without spot,” (1 Peter 1:19.) It ought not, I say, to appear strange, if the fountain of purity, in order to wash away our stains, chose to be reckoned unclean.5 It is a mistake to imagine that this law of purification was merely political, and that the woman was unclean in presence of her husband, not in presence of God. On the contrary, it placed before the eyes of the Jews both the corruption of their nature, and the remedy of divine grace.
This law is of itself abundantly sufficient to prove original sin, while it contains a striking proof of the grace of God; for there could not be a clearer demonstration of the curse pronounced on mankind than when the Lord declared, that the child comes from its mother unclean and polluted, and that the mother herself is consequently defiled by childbearing. Certainly, if man were not born a sinner, if he were not by nature a child of wrath, (Ephesians 2:3,) if some taint of sin did not dwell in him, he would have no need of purification. Hence it follows, that all are corrupted in Adam; for the mouth of the Lord charges all with pollution.
It is in perfect consistency with this, that the Jews are spoken of, in other passages, as “holy branches of a holy root,” (Romans 11:16:) for this benefit did not properly belong to their own persons. They had been set apart, by the privilege of adoption, as an elect people; but the corruption, which they had by inheritance from Adam, was first in the order of time6 We must, therefore, distinguish between the first nature, and that special kindness through a covenant, by which God delivers his own people from the curse which had been pronounced on all. And the design of legal purification was to inform the Jews*,* that the pollutions, which they brought with them into the world at their birth, are washed away by the grace of God.
Hence too we ought to learn, how dreadful is the contagion of sin, which defiles, in some measure, the lawful order of nature. I do own that child-bearing is not unclean, and that what would otherwise be lust changes its character, through the sacredness of the marriage relation. But still the fountain of sin is so deep and abundant, that its constant overflowings stain what would otherwise be pure.