1.1.23 Luke 2:21
21 After eight days passed, when the child was circumcised, he was named Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
Usually at the end of a calendar year you see “Top 10” lists of things that happened during the year. If you were to ask people for their “Top 10” things that they remember about Jesus, it probably wouldn’t be his circumcision and naming. This verse might seem small and insignificant in the big picture of all the things that happen in the Bible. There’s no miracles. No one is being raised from the dead or being put to death. It’s something that almost all males go through. Yet when something, even the smallest thing happens with Jesus, just one day in the humble life of God’s Son is powerful, even as an infant. Today is no different. In what might seem like a routine act in the life of a Jewish infant boy, we can find some amazing things to think about.
The 8th Day of Jesus. What a Day!
First of all, let’s think about circumcision. Where did it come from within Jewish culture and faith? God said to Abraham in Genesis 17: 12 For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner—those who are not your offspring. . . My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. When God told Abraham to do this, he connected it to the promise that ALL NATIONS would be blessed THROUGH HIM. In other words, the offspring of Abraham would eventually bring forth the Savior of the world. So circumcision was changed from a purely physical act to perhaps prevent infection and disease into a spiritual promise. Jesus was the fulfillment of this promise. This Messiah would break the chain of sin and put an end to it.
Why eight days old? There is some interesting speculation when it comes to the eight days. If you think about the way God designed this world to function, we revolve our lives around a regular 7 day work week, from Sunday to Saturday. In the original story of Creation, after every day you hear Moses summarize it by saying, “There was evening, and there was morning, the 1st, 2nd, 3rd day” etc. But the seventh day is left open. There is no “evening and morning, the 7th day.” Why is that? Perhaps it is in anticipation of something new to come, an 8th Day, after the 7-day cycle of Creation is over, when the end of the world comes. Fast forward over 4,000 years after the Fall, and Jesus sheds His first blood on the 8th Day. When Jesus comes and dies on a Friday, rests in the earth on a Saturday, and rises on a Sunday, this is done on what could be designated as the 8th Day. He ushers in a new creation through His death and resurrection for the world of sinners.
There’s another interesting connection to the number 8. When Noah and his family got on and off of the Ark, there were 8 of them. In the Bible, Peter compares baptism to the Flood, when sinners were drowned and saints were raised in order to be saved. Now, when every Christian is baptized into Christ, he or she is put on the boat of the church and brought into the new creation through faith in Jesus. When we are baptized into the death of Christ, we are washed in His blood. And the first time Jesus shed His blood was on the 8th day. New life begins on the 8th day. It is for this reason that many baptismal fonts have 8 sides to represent this symbolism of the 8th day, the beginning of a new life.
It’s kind of amazing when you take a few minutes to look down the rabbit hole of 8 days and circumcision what can be found! It doesn’t have to be that deep, and maybe it’s not. It could simply be that His parents were keeping the law of Moses and fulfilling the rite that the law required. Paul wrote in Galatians 5:3 that “every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law.” When Jesus was being circumcised, he was being obligated to obey the whole law, for us, and He did. This in and of itself is a significant thing. As sinners who fall short of fulfilling God’s law every day, we needed Jesus to fulfill the law in our place. So it might seem strange for us to crowd around Jesus on His circumcision and watch the pain that this little Baby is going through, but it’s for us. God shed His baby blood for us. It’s always for us. His entire life was for us. It was never for Him. The only thing for Him was the joy of seeing us be saved.
This little cutting of the flesh also trains us to look at the little things that happen in the realm of the Word and take a special look at them. As circumcision set the Israelite boy aside and kept the hope of the Messiah alive, so also baptism sets all of our children aside and makes them children of the promise. It might seem like just a little bit of water over the head of the child, but through the Word of God we realize it’s so much more. The child is being buried and raised with Jesus, clothed with Jesus, and connected with Jesus. We don’t have to shed blood, because Jesus shed His blood. You can’t see all of this but by faith.
It was also on this 8th day that something else happened, in connection with the shedding of His blood. He was named Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. Think about when someone is born, they will just refer to him or her as “the baby.” But when they receive their name, the baby then becomes personal and unique, officially becoming a part of the family with the name.
Sometimes names have meaning behind them, given in memory of a grandparent or a close family friend. Sometimes they are only chosen because of the sound of it. Some parents like them to come off the tongue easily in conjunction with the sound of the other children in the family. Some are gluttons for punishment and like to have the names all start with the same letter. When it comes to God’s Son, God didn’t ask our opinion. The angel told Mary before she was pregnant and Joseph after she was pregnant the exact same thing. “You are to give him the name Jesus.” There would be no arguments over it.
The Greek pronunciation of His name is Yay-zoos. It comes from the Hebrew name Yehoshua, which we pronounce as Joshua. There are several prominent people named Joshua in the Old Testament. The most well known is the Joshua who took over after Moses died and led the Israelites into the Promised Land. There was also a high priest named Joshua in the book of Zechariah. He is not known as well. Satan wanted to accuse him of his sins. But the angel of the LORD defended him, took off his filthy clothing, and put a clean turban on his head. He then told Joshua that the Branch was coming, and he would remove the sin of the land in a single day. It’s all in Zechariah chapter 3.
Gabriel is specific as to why the Son’s name would be Jesus. “He will save His people from their sins.” That’s what Joshua/Jesus means - “the Lord saves.” What a calling! Not from war. Not from sickness! From SIN - the source which leads to sickness, death, and hell! How is that done? First of all, by becoming one of US - a HUMAN person! Secondly, by saving us from God’s WRATH over our sins. And how was that done? By dying on the cross in place of us. Jesus didn’t just come to show us how to improve our lives. He didn’t come to make us feel better about ourselves. He came to pay the price we owed to God for our sins. That’s His name.
Even then, it’s also very interesting how all of these things are connected to the name Joshua in the Old Testament. As Joshua led the people into the Promised Land of Israel, Jesus would be the one who would lead the world into the Promised Land of heaven. The high priest Joshua had his filthy clothing taken off of him when the devil wanted to accuse him of sin in Zechariah chapter 3. Jesus would be the high priest who would have our filthy clothing put on Him so that He could be accused in place of us. That would be fulfilled in Jesus. This is how God wanted Jesus identified to the world, as the One who would save the world.
Throughout Jesus’ ministry he was often asked, “Are you the Christ?” Christ was an official title which was the same as Messiah. It meant “the anointed one.” He was the Christ. In His baptism He was anointed with the Holy Spirit and entered into His official office, which actually was a fulfillment of the three Old Testament offices of Prophet, Priest, and King. You might compare it to someone being called a pastor or a doctor or a professor.
Even before His birth the LORD wanted Him known as Jesus, the Lord saves. So it wasn’t ONLY when Jesus was anointed into His office that He saved us. It even wasn’t only what Jesus DID that saved us. It was His whole being and life that saved us. You might know of a police officer who does his job well when the uniform is on. He might be highly respected by his fellow officers. But when you get a few drinks in him and find him at a bar he can be just as much of a jerk as the next guy. The same could ring true of a pastor or a teacher or a mom and a dad as well. You can fill a role when you’re in the role, but behind the scenes? It might be another story. NOT SO with Jesus. Being the Savior isn’t just what He does when He is anointed. It’s WHO HE IS. He was saving the shepherds when they saw Him in swaddling clothes. He was saving Simeon when he held him in the temple. He was saving us when He was being circumcised and shedding His blood. He is still saving us even today in heaven as He intercedes for us as our living High Priest. Why? Because that’s WHO HE IS and who He will always be - the Savior. You can’t separate it from Him. It’s in His name.
Now think of what that NAME means to US! In the Old Testament God had the Aaronic priests speak the name of the LORD over the people. The LORD bless you and keep you . . . and through the speaking of that name the LORD said that HE would put His name on the Israelites and bless them. Isn’t that similar to how and why we baptize? In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. God puts HIS name on us. No blood needs to be shed as it was in circumcision, because Jesus shed His blood instead. Everything that Jesus walked into the water to receive, we also receive by grace. The Father and the Holy Spirit wouldn’t work through baptism were it not for what Jesus did. But because of what Jesus did in His death and resurrection, we get named with Jesus and clothed with Jesus. The identity that we have in this world doesn’t define us in God’s eyes. He sees us as if we were Jesus. We die with Him and we rise. What a powerful name it is! Paul writes about the power of Jesus’ name in Philippians 2:6–11,
6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Some days are more memorable than others. September 11th, 2001. December 7th, 1941. Maybe you have a personal date that sticks in your mind. Today is New Year’s Day, the first day of 2023. But in the Christian Church year, it is so much more than just the turn of the calendar. It’s the 8th Day!
On this 8th day we see how the Son of God was named Jesus and circumcised. It might not be in your top 10 events in the life of Jesus. He hasn’t even really done anything yet. Yet all of this SAYS something to us. It tells us who this child is going to BE and what this child is going to DO FOR US. This child is going to bleed - for us. This child is going to save us from our sins. That’s a pretty big deal - to us! That’s a pretty nice way to start another year.
1 How sweet the name of Jesus sounds in a believer's ear!
It soothes our sorrows, heals our wounds, and drives away our fear. Amen.
