Behold a mystery, great and full of wonder! The
Child is circumcised, and His Name is called Jesus. Why are these two things
thus mentioned together? It would seem that circumcision should rather be for
the saved than for the Savior; that the Savior ought rather to be Circumciser
than circumcised. But behold here the Mediator between God and men, how even
from His childhood He joins the things of the Highest to the things of the
lowest, the things of God to the things of men. He is born of a woman, but her
womb is made fruitful without the loss of the flower of her virginity. He is
wrapped in swaddling-bands, but these swaddling-bands are a theme for the
jubilation of angels. He is laid in a manger, but a bright star stands in
heaven over the place. So also, in His circumcision, the ceremony gave proof of
the reality of the Manhood which He had taken, and that Name which is above
every name proclaimed the glory of His Blessed Majesty. As very son of Abraham
He underwent circumcision; He assumed the Name of Jesus as very Son of God.
Why Jesus bears not that Name as others have borne it before Him, as a vain and empty title. It is not in Him the shadow of a great Name, but the very meaning of that Name. That His Name was revealed from heaven, is attested by the Evangelist, where it is written, Which was so named of the Angel before He was conceived in the womb. After Jesus was born, men called Him Jesus, but angels called Him Jesus, before He was conceived in the womb. The One Lord is the Savior of angels and of men; of men, since His Incarnation; of angels, from the beginning of their creation. His Name, saith the Evangelist, was called Jesus, which was so named of the Angel before He was conceived in the womb. In the mouth therefore of two or three witnesses is every word established; and that word whereof the Prophet spoke as cut short, is set forth at length in the Gospel: the Word made Flesh.
It is no wonder that it should be at His circumcision that the Name of Jesus (which is, being interpreted, Savior is given to the Child Who is born unto us, for it was then that He for the first time shed that sinless Blood Which is the mean whereby He hath chosen to work out our salvation. It is no matter for the speculation of Christians why the Lord Christ was pleased to be circumcised. He was circumcised for the same reason for which He was born, and for which He suffered. Neither one nor the other was for Himself, but all for the sake of the elect. He was not born in sin; He was not circumcised to separate Him from sin; neither did He die for sins of His own, but for ours. Which was so named of the Angel before He was conceived in the womb. The Angel indeed gave Him that title of Savior, but not for the first time. Savior is His Name from everlasting; He hath it of His own proper nature to save. This title He hath in Himself, not by the gift of anything that He hath made, be it man or Angel.
No comments:
Post a Comment