(as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord"),
Mary and Joseph complied with these regulations as observant Israelites. Mary apparently offered two birds suggesting that Mary and Joseph could not afford the more expensive lamb sacrifice. [Note: Ibid., 1:149, 195.] Luke may have mentioned this to help his readers understand the Jewish regulations. He did not stress the economic condition of Mary and Joseph.