Circumcision and Name of Jesus
January 2nd, 2017
Messiah Lutheran Church, Keller, TX
Luke 2:21
“He Was Called Jesus”
It's not every year that the 8th
day of Christmas falls on a Sunday. But in observance of what
actually happened to Jesus on his 8th day from birth, we
take today to commemorate his circumcision and naming.
The Gospel reading is short, but it
still gives us much to consider. We may notice, first of all, that
Jesus being circumcised would have been very normal and expected for
any newborn Jewish boy. It was a custom of the Jews from the time of
Abraham. It was a visible sign of the covenant, and it marked you
(irreversibly) as part of that covenant people. To be a Jew was to
be circumcised. To be uncircumcised was to be a Gentile.
But you might say, “so what?” Why
does the fact that Jesus underwent this odd Jewish ritual have
anything to do with me? Why does the church bother celebrating it,
and why does Luke even mention it?
Well remember this little aphorism:
Everything Jesus does, he does for you. So too, his circumcision.
By this event, mentioned by one short verse in Luke, Jesus begins
fulfilling the law on our behalf. He goes through everything, every
step, every stage of human life that we do – in order to redeem all
of us. At every turn he kept the commandments. On every occasion he
did what God expected. And he did all things well.
Furthermore, this event is the first
time his newly-formed human body would shed his holy precious blood,
but it wouldn't be the last. It was a foreshadowing of the suffering
he would endure at the cross. There he would pour out his blood as a
ransom for many, and for you. Even now, the shadow of his
crucifixion destiny is beginning to fall upon him.
And don't pass over the significance of
the 8th day. Christians have long understood the special
significance of this number – 8. If 7 is the number of creation
(for the world was made in 6 plus a day of rest), then 8 is the
number of the new creation. It is the number of eternity, the number
of heaven. It is what we inherit through Christ.
It is also the number of holy baptism,
which Paul connects to circumcision. The number 8 seen on many
octagonal shaped baptismal fonts. This connection is recalled in
Luther's flood prayer in the baptismal rite - that on the ark God
saved Noah and his family, 8 souls in all. Both circumcision (then)
and baptism (now) are initiation rites for the people of God. But
baptism is the circumcision of the heart, and a blessing given to
both male and female Christians. Baptism even more clearly expresses
the nature of God by using his Triune Name, place that name upon us.
God's been placing his name upon his
people for a long time. It goes at least as far back as the Aaronic
Benediction from our Old Testament reading in Numbers 6. “So shall
they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them”.
Paul makes it even stronger in Galatians when he says, “as many of
you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” To have his
name upon us, then, is to be blessed by him. To have his name upon
us is to be identified with him, to be united with him, to be
accepted by him.
But perhaps most importantly, God
places the name “Jesus” upon his son. Of course, it was through
the angel Gabriel that this name was given, but as a messenger of God
above. For the father typically has the naming rights. Speechless
Zechariah had to confirm that his son would be named, “John”.
Adam named the animals, and also his wife, as an exercise of his
authority. Even today, children don't name themselves, but we all
receive names from our parents, the ones who have the authority over
us.
That Jesus was named “Jesus”, and
not Joseph or something else entirely... it is a confession of his
divine origin and lineage. He is the Son of God. So God alone has
the naming rights.
And as we noted, not too long ago in
the Advent season, the name “Jesus” also teaches us who he is,
and what he does. It means, “God Saves”. And in this little
child, God had come to save.
Implied in all of that, is that we need
saving. Underlying the circumcision of God's people of old, and the
Baptism of his people today is this universal truth: we are by
nature apart from God in our sin. We are born outside of his
kingdom. We are conceived in the rebellion that we inherit from our
fathers, all the way up the rotten family tree back to the first man
who was named - Adam.
But Jesus is the Second Adam. And he
gives us a new name. His baptism makes us children of God, for in
it, we “put on Christ”. No longer are we imprisoned under the
law, held captive by its accusations. No longer are we bound to the
hamster wheel of trying to justify ourselves by works, as if we ever
could. No. Faith has come, and through faith we are all sons of God
in the name of Jesus.
God saves. God saves, by his son
Jesus. Jesus saves. Jesus saves by his death on the cross. And by
that cross, God saves, Jesus saves... you. All that is wrapped up in
the name, “Jesus”.
And when you talk about God's name,
there's always that pesky Second Commandment: You shall not
misuse the name of the Lord your God.
What
does this mean? We should fear and love God that we may
not curse, swear, use witchcraft, lie, or deceive by His name, but
call upon it in every trouble, pray, praise, and give thanks.
Leave it to sinful humans to abuse even
the most precious gift. Leave it to us to find a way to corrupt what
is holy, and try to use it for selfish gain. Even some thing like
God's holy name. Jesus – the name of Jesus – even becomes a
curse for some who would misuse it. May it never be so amongst us
Christians!
Rather, let us not misuse, but properly
use the name he has given us. Call on him in every trouble. Every
trouble? Yes. None too large or small that he doesn't care to hear.
Pray. Praise. Give thanks. Even when the going gets tough?
Especially then. You have a precious hotline to heaven in the name
of Jesus. Your prayers are acceptable to God in Jesus' name. Why
not do as he desires, and call upon your merciful Father in the name
of his beloved Son? Why not live according to that name that is on
you in baptism? Why not shine forth a reflection of the blessings he
speaks upon you? Don't neglect the name that God gave to him, a name
he invites you to call.
And this is why we so often pray, “in
Jesus' name”. As Christians, all our prayers are spoken, “in
Jesus' name”. That is to say, none of our prayers are acceptable
to God without Jesus. But through Jesus we not only have access to
the Father, but he is favorably inclined to us. Jesus is our one
true advocate with the Father, and so prayers in his name are
precious to God. We don't pray in our own names, but in the name
that is above every name. Could it get any better?
So this 8th day of
Christmas, give thanks to God for the name of Jesus. A name he
received from God. A name which he places upon us. A name which
means what he does – God Saves. And remember that this savior, has
come to save you.
In Jesus' Name, amen.
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