Digging Deeper: Turtle Doves
11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12 And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” 15 When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” 16 They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. 17 After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. 18 All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, 19 but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. 20 The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.
Luke 2:11-20 (NLT)
TURTLE DOVES
In our house, we do pizza and a movie every Friday night with our kids. We have a local pizza spot called Little Rosa’s, which is awesome if you live near Holly Springs, and we always get the same thing, then race home and watch a movie.
A few weeks ago, we began cycling through Christmas movies. Our family enjoys all of the usual Christmas movies, including the first two Home Alone movies (as far as I am concerned, they only made two). The kids love them, and so do we.
At the end of Home Alone 2, Kevin presents a gift to a lady he befriends in the movie. The gift is a pair of turtle dove ornaments, one of which he keeps and the other he offers to her. He says that as long as they keep them, they will stay friends forever.
I never thought much of this interaction until this week, when I began studying the passage we reviewed this past Sunday. In Luke 2:24, it says Mary and Joseph offered “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons” as a sacrifice pertaining to Mosaic law at that time (Leviticus 1:14).
I then began to study turtle doves and found them interesting. They are called turtle doves in reference to the call they make, which apparently sounds like “tur, tur,” and they are often noted for their monogamous and lifelong relationships. This adds a great deal of context and a sense of sweetness to the Home Alone scene.
At the time of Jesus’ birth, they were considered a worthy substitute for a sacrifice for families who could not afford a lamb. This is what Mary and Joseph could afford, underscoring their truly humble status.
Clearly, there is a significance to the turtle dove that I did not adequately appreciate. As I learned more about them, one of my favorite descriptions said, “Its lifelong pairing reinforces themes of true companionship, while its cooing sound can signify sorrow, making it a complex figure of devotion and gentle melancholy.”
That may seem like a deep description, but I quite liked it, and I love the parallels it draws to the birth of Jesus. He signifies to us lifelong companionship, sorrow, complexity, and devotion. And like the doves offered by Joseph and Mary, he was offered as a sacrifice on our behalf before God.
As Mike said this past Sunday, through Jesus we can find peace with God. I pray this truth settles on your heart this week as we approach Christmas and remember what gift has been given to us.
Lee Wilson and his wife, Deanna, have been NorthStar Church members since 2010. They are parents to Everett, Henry and Roselyn. Lee is passionate about sports (Go Braves, Go Dawgs) and has the pleasure to serve on the worship team as a bassist.