“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. When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, ‘Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord’), and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: ‘a pair of doves or two young pigeons’.” Luke 2 v 21-24
The traditional Church have a celebration on January 1stcalled, the Feast of the Circumcision. It is a reminder of how Mary and Joseph from the beginning were determined to bring Jesus up in the way of Jehovah. They were not disobedient to the Law of Moses which clearly stated that the boy needed to be circumcised on the 8th day after his birth (Lev 12:3). He was a child of the covenant of Abraham whose blessing was for the nations. They were not disobedient either to the angel who had instructed Mary to name her son Jesus (1:31). Jesus was also for the nations, for all people, the Saviour, Christ the Lord.
Jesus, name above all names, God incarnate, Saviour to the world … has the foreskin of his penis cut. How can this be in the same verse? How can the holy and the perfect be mentioned in such earthy practices? We are thankful that it is for it shows the humanity of Jesus.
But I want to know about the man who made the cut. Who took the blade and brought the first shedding of the blood of Jesus? In ancient times it would be the father but not by the time of Joseph, he would have taken his son with Mary to a special rabbi, to a Mohel, they still operate today. They would have paid this man to perform this important ceremony.
Mohel’s never make it into the nativity plays even though this man appeared well before the gold, frankincense and myrrh did. But who was he? Did he ever meet the man Jesus? Was he there at the shedding of the blood of Jesus on the cross?
We have to assume the following:
When Mohel cut Jesus, it was one of hundreds maybe thousands that he had done. Jesus was just one of many.
Mohel didn’t see any connection in this procedure and the baby’s death.
Mohel had no idea Jesus was special, that He was the Messiah.
As blood poured from the genital organ of Jesus and as he gave instructions to Mary how to keep it clean so that it would heal quickly and well, Mohel was blind to the sacredness of that moment.
We would not judge Mohel for his blindness.
Mary and Joseph were not blind to the sacred?
But there’s more.
After the birth of a child the mother became unclean according to the Jewish custom and couldn’t be permitted to worship at the Temple or even be seen in public.
If the child was a boy this would last for 40 days and for a girl it would be 80 days.
After this time the parents would have to purchase the sacrificial lamb or birds in order to be clean again. The birds were for the poor people’s offering, which Joseph and Mary at that time were.
Can you imagine what was going on in the minds of these parents knowing they could not afford the lamb? That they had to bring a poor man’s sacrifice?
Mary had given birth to the Son of God, the Christ and he deserved a better offering than they could bring.
Joseph and Mary would never have bought a pair of cheap birds for the sacrifice if they could have afforded more.
However, I see a different picture. I see this couple walking to the temple carrying the Lamb of God in their arms. Their lamb was more superior to all the other lambs.
You see, if you are carrying His presence then you might not have what others have, but you certainly have all that is needed.
Mary and Joseph were not blind to the sacred for they knew they were carrying the most sacred into the temple that day. And that is a beautiful picture.
Missions Paul 