Saturday, January 1, 2011

The Circumcision and Name of Jesus: A Devotional Commentary


Numbers 6:22-27 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, ‘This is how you shall bless the children of Israel.’ You shall tell them, ‘Yahweh bless you, and keep you. Yahweh make his face to shine on you, and be gracious to you. Yahweh lift up his face toward you, and give you peace.’ So they shall put my name on the children of Israel; and I will bless them.”

Galatians 3:23-29 But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, confined for the faith which should afterwards be revealed. So that the law has become our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. For you are all children of God, through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to promise.

Luke 2:21 When eight days were fulfilled for the circumcision of the child, his name was called Jesus, which was given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

Eight days after He was born, Jesus was circumcised for you. In His circumcision, Jesus shed His blood for you. And on this name Jesus was given His name. The name Jesus means Savior.

By nature we are all sinners and find our identification in the name of the first Adam and have earned the wages of sin--death. We sin because we are sinners. In baptism we put on Christ. We wear the righteousness of Jesus. We receive His name. We are no longer slaves to sin and we receive all the promises given to Abraham because we are slaves of Christ. Baptism shows that He owns us. Because Jesus owns us we receive God's blessings. His face shines upon us and gives us peace. Jesus gives us the same blood to drink that He shed at His circumcision to drink for the forgiveness of our sins.

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