The Christmas Priesthood Of Believers

We continue our meditation upon the Scriptures that speak about the birth and early life of our Lord Jesus.

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 according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, "a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons." - Luke 2:22-24 ESV

According to Jewish law, the firstborn male child belonged to God (Exod 13:2-18), and the parents had to "buy him back" on the 40th day after his birth by offering a sacrifice of "a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons" (Luke 2:24) in the temple (thus the "presentation" of the child).

Luke refers to the story of the Exodus when the Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt. During the tenth plague the LORD passed over the Israelites when he killed all the firstborn of the Egyptians. From that time onward all the firstborn were to be set aside for the LORD. 

The verb to pass over is also a commentary on the pagan practice of child sacrifice. Pagans of the ancient Near East would take a child and pass him over or through the fire as a child sacrifice. The LORD forbad such barbarism. 

There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer - Deut 18:10 ESV (cf. 2 Kings 16:3)

Rather than child sacrifice the LORD wanted the firstborn to be set apart and devoted to His service as the priests of God. The Israelites were not to pass over their first offspring in the fire to death, but they were to pass them over to God to life. As the LORD passed over the Israelites during the plague, so now they were to pass their first offspring over to Him as priests who would teach, judge and offer sacrifices on behalf of all of Israel. In fact, the LORD wanted all of Israel to be a kingdom of priests. He declared: 

You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel." - Exod 19:4-6 ESV

However, Israel forfeited her priesthood when the people were unfaithful to the covenant and fell into idolatry by worshipping the golden calf (Exod 32:1-6).  Because of this great sin, they broke covenant with the LORD and lost the privilege of being His firstborn priesthood. They failed to reflect the LORD's holy character. So instead He chose the Levites who rose up on that day to stand on the LORD's side.

. . . then Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said, "Who is on the LORD's side? Come to me." And all the sons of Levi gathered around him. And he said to them, "Thus says the LORD God of Israel, 'Put your sword on your side each of you, and go to and fro from gate to gate throughout the camp, and each of you kill his brother and his companion and his neighbor.'" And the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And that day about three thousand men of the people fell. And Moses said, "Today you have been ordained for the service of the LORD, each one at the cost of his son and of his brother, so that he might bestow a blessing upon you this day." - Exod 32:26-29 ESV

From that day forward the tribe of Levi served as the priests. The law about the firstborn remained, however, as a reminder of the LORD's intention that the whole nation was to be set aside for the LORD's service. As noted above, parents could "buy the firstborn back" on the 40th day after his birth with a pair of turtledoves or young pigeons.

The New Testament picks this up, pointing out that Jesus Christ is the pre-eminent firstborn. 

He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. - Col 1:13-18 ESV

We who are reborn into Christ, we who are the members of His body, are now the restored priesthood. We are set aside (the meaning of the word holy) for the LORD. We are priests who serve in a living temple whose cornerstone is Christ. So the Apostle Peter writes:

As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in Scripture: "Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame." So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone," and "A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense." They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. - 1Pet 2:4-10 ESV

This then is how we celebrate Christmas and every day of the year. Set aside, made holy in Christ, our entire lives are devoted to Him. We are the priesthood of believers.