Scripture: St. Luke 2:21 (NKJV)
21 And when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the Child, His
name was called JESUS, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in
the womb.
Devotion
Circumcision identified the root cause of mankind’s dilemma. It’s not that we
have certain sins we need to “prune off the tree.” It’s the tree itself—its
root—its origin that is corrupt. And so, by commanding that 8-day-old boys be
circumcised, God emphasized that His concern isn’t just with sins we commit,
but the inherent, sinful nature of our condition—which is present even before
it manifests itself in outward acts. And so, circumcision points to the
helplessness of the Old Adam: the plague of original sin.
But why Jesus? Why did He have to be circumcised? Surely He didn’t need to be
reminded of His sinful nature! Conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the
Virgin Mary, He had no sin, nor any sinful condition that needed to be marked.
So why did God allow His infant Son to be carried off to the temple and be
permanently labeled like all other Israelite males? It would be this: the rite
of circumcision was to begin Jesus’ work of identification and substitution.
Jesus not only identified Himself with Abraham and his descendants. He not only
solidified His claim as a fully obedient man of Israel, but He became the
replacement for all humanity. He put Himself in the place of all sinners
everywhere to make atonement by the shedding of His blood. Only through such
action can forgiveness be won. By His bleeding, Jesus declares you to be His
own, giving you the right to be called a “son or daughter of God.” By such
blood He has brought you from the darkness of sin into the light of His own
family.
The Lutheran Herald is a publication of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of
North America. These daily devotions are authored by the bishop, pastors, and
deacons of the diocese. Daily posts are provided by The Reverend Jeffrey A.
Ahonen.
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