The Circumcision of our Lord

Sermon by the Rev Kerry Buttram

 

Romans 4:8-14       St Luke 2.15-21

 

Johann Sebastian Bach is considered by many to be the foremost composer of sacred music since King David. This grew out of his long years of music ministry in various churches.  While he was Cantor of St. Thomas church in Leipzig, he composed his Christmas Oratorio. The fourth cantata is based on the text from our gospel reading.[1]

^“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)

Long before our Lord shed his blood on the cross, he shed blood in circumcision. Through circumcision, Jesus becomes the true seed of Abraham. He is the embodiment of Israel, Yahweh’s first-born son. He is the appointed heir of the promise made to Abraham. In his circumcision, Jesus takes upon himself the vocation of Israel to be a light to the nations.

God had promised Abram in Genesis 12 when he was called to leave his homeland that he would “make [Abram] into a great nation, ….and all peoples on earth will be blessed through [Abram].” (Genesis 12.2a, 3b)

The Biblical scholar James Edwards writes that…

Jesus’ submission to circumcision signifies his full identification with humanity (as St Paul describes it “in the likeness of sinful humanity,” Rom 8:3), indeed, his full identification with Jewish humanity (“made like Abraham’s descendants in every way,” Heb 2:17). And Paul captures both aspects of Jesus’ identification in Gal 4:4—“born of a woman, born under the law.” ^[2]

 

Cyril of Alexandria, the early church father, says:

“It was the custom on the eighth day to perform the circumcision of the flesh. For on the eighth day Christ rose from the dead, and conveyed to us a spiritual circumcision, saying, ‘Go and teach all nations, baptizing them.’” (Matt. 28:19.)^[3]

…and Hebrew language scholar, Chad Bird, writes:

“When Jesus, the messianic seed, finally arrived, he himself was circumcised (Luke 2.21). the lawgiver kept his own law. In him, we too are circumcised, (male and female), but ‘with a circumcision made without hands by putting off the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ’ (Colossians 2.11). How? Paul goes on: ‘Having been buried with [Christ] in his baptism’ (v.12). We ‘dead in [our] trespasses and the uncircumcision of [our] flesh, God made alive together with [Christ}’ v.13). Our baptism into Christ is the indelible, lifelong gift by which we belong to him.” [4]

With his circumcision and naming, the One sent by God to bring salvation is identified. This salvation is provided by none other than Jesus of Nazareth, born of the Virgin Mary as conceived by the Holy Spirit. The circumcision of Jesus provides a concrete reminder that Jesus took upon himself human flesh. This was not merely a ‘spiritual’ arrival.

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” (John 1.14a) 

This salvation is manifest through an actual human baby who is none other than God’s own Son—the Savior of the world. Jesus, (or Joshua) means ‘Yahweh is Salvation.’ This child would grow up to take on all the struggles of humanity, to know suffering, even to be subject unto death—“the death of the cross.” (Philippians 2)

St. Peter says that—

”Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4.12)

Jesus! When we speak his name, we speak the name of God’s salvation. When we believe in the name of Jesus, we express our trust in the salvation of God. When we call on his name, we set our hope on the salvation of God. No matter what language we use—Y’shua in Hebrew, or Jezus in Dutch, or Iesous in Greek, or Isa in Arabic, in this holy name we name our salvation.[5]

This is perfectly in tune with the Psalmist whose words we sang this morning.

² ”The Lord has made his salvation known
and revealed his righteousness to the nations.
³ He has remembered his love
and his faithfulness to Israel;
all the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation of our God.” (Psalm 98.2-3)

This salvation is intended to extend across the whole of this world. As St Paul sings it in his letter to the Philippian church—

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 acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2.9-11)

Returning to Bach’s Christmas Oratorio and the fourth cantata taken from the Circumcision of Our Lord…, it is preceded by a chorus in which the congregation is entreated to “fall down with praise” followed by a prayer of adoration sung by a bass soloist.

Emmanuel, O sweet word!

My Jesus is my shepherd,

My Jesus is my life.

My Jesus has given himself to me,

My Jesus will always hover in my sight.

My Jesus is my joy,

My Jesus restores my heart and breast.

 

In the final chorale of Part IV, the singers and congregation sing:

Jesus direct my beginning,

Jesus remain ever near me,

Jesus, curb my senses,

Jesus be my only desire,

Jesus, remain in my thoughts always,

Jesus, never let me falter![6]

 

On this this first day of the new year let the faithfulness of Christ assure and strengthen you to continually trust in his unfailing love.

Prayer:

God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, he is exalted as Your Son, yet humbled himself to take on human nature, being born among us and dying for us. Circumcise our hearts and minds to hear your Word and receive your life in Christ as we begin afresh this new year. Amen.

 

 

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[1] Gordon Giles (2006) O Come Emmanuel, Paraclete Press, p. 128.

^[2] Edwards, J. R. (2015). The Gospel according to Luke (D. A. Carson, Ed.; pp. 81–82). William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company; Apollos.

^[3] Thomas Aquinas. (1843). Catena Aurea: Commentary on the Four Gospels, Collected out of the Works of the Fathers: St. Luke (J. H. Newman, Ed.; Vol. 3, p. 78). John Henry Parker.

[4] Bird, Chad R. (2020). Unveiling Mercy 1517 Publishiing, p.38.

[5] Paraphrased from The Anticipated Christ: An Advent Devotional by Brian Zahnd, 2022.

 

[6] Gordon Giles (2006) O Come Emmanuel, Paraclete Press, pp. 128-130.