Jesus is Named and Blessed

Excerpt from Birth of the Messiah by Paul Thomas Smith. 
(reading only)

Joseph and Mary obediently followed the dictates of the Mosaic law in naming and blessing this wondrous child. On the eighth day after his birth, the infant Jesus was circumcised and blessed by a priest and, by heavenly direction, named "Yeshua" in Hebrew—in Greek, "Jesus"; in English, "Joshua" (see Luke 2:21).

The Mosaic law proclaimed that new mothers remained ritually impure for seven days following the birth of a male child. After this, 33 days were spent in preparing for purification (see Lev. 12:2, 4—8). During that time, Mary would not have participated in any religious rituals, waiting instead until she and Joseph traveled to the temple and Joseph presented two pigeons to a priest, who offered them as a sin offering and a burnt offering before the Lord. Then Mary would be pronounced "clean" by the priest. What Joseph and Mary did in this instance was according to the scriptural law of the firstborn:

"And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

"Sanctify unto me all, the firstborn, whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of beast: it is mine" (Ex. 13:1—2; see also 34:19).

From the beginning, all firstborn males of people and of clean animals had belonged to God, either to offer a lifetime of dedicated service, as in the case of humans, or to be sacrificed: "the firstlings of their flocks, for an offering unto the Lord" (Moses 5:5; see also Ex. 13:12—13; Num. 18:15; Mosiah 2:3). The Lord had saved Israel's firstborn from death when the destroying angel passed over Egypt and took the lives of all firstborn animals and sons of the Egyptians (see Ex, 13:12—15). Afterward, firstborn sons of the Levites belonged to the Lord for a lifetime of temple service (see Num. 3:12—13; 8:5—26). Nonetheless, fathers of non—Levites were obliged to redeem their firstborn sons and animals by payment of five shekels (see Num. 18:15—16). Thus it is likely that Joseph and Mary presented Jesus to a priest and made the necessary payment for the ceremonial redemption of the firstborn son.