And if she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take two turtledoves or two pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering. And the priest shall make atonement for her, and she shall be clean.” (Leviticus 12:8 ESV)
Payment
The Old Testament Law had careful and complete requirements for offerings and sacrifices, all of which were intended to cover every unrighteous thought, word, and deed.
And that felt comfortable.
Sin? Here are instructions for what to do.
Somehow became unclean? Here are instructions for what to do.
Had unrighteous thoughts, words, or deeds? Here are instructions for what to do.
The thing is, those things did not really do anything.
Perhaps they made those who brought the offerings feel better, but nothing really changed.
Those instructions simply and merely pointed to the One who WOULD make things right, the Messiah.
But for the people who wanted THEIR work to count, THEIR sacrifice to count, THEIR actions to count… that Messiah, when He arrived, was hard to take.
But Jesus the Messiah was the only way.
And that turned the religious world upside down. It still does.