Friday: “On the eighth day, when
it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had
given him before he was conceived” (Luke 2:21; NIV).
In the
Church’s calendar, today is not New
Year’s. No, our New Year started on November 30, the 1st Sunday in
Advent. Instead, the Church celebrates January 1 as the Circumcision of Our
Lord. It’s a strange little celebration. The story takes exactly one verse to
tell and nothing more is ever made of it. What are we to make of the fact that
Jesus was circumcised?
Well, for
one thing, everything is done exactly as it’s supposed to be done. Even before
He is old enough to make decisions for Himself, Jesus is the faithful
descendant of Abraham, the obedient Israelite. In Christian theology we talk
about Jesus’ active obedience, that
is, the manner in which He obeyed the Father in all things. And here He is in
that role.
Others will
note that this is the first time Jesus’ blood is spilled, foreshadowing His
cross and the pouring out of His blood for our salvation. Theologians also talk
about Jesus’ passive obedience,
namely, His submission to the Father’s will that He should be killed. He plays
that role here, too.
A little
verse, a strange observation, but a foreshadowing of the life and death of the
One who is our Savior.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.