"God Isn't Ashamed of His Law": the Role of Circumcision
Every male Jewish baby was to be circumcized on the
eighth day of his life, in accordance with the Mosaic Law. Circumcision was a
sign of his belonging to the God's chosen people. Our Lord Jesus Christ went
through that ritual, too, For verily I
say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no
wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. (Matthew 5:18). The Lord
came not to break the Law but to fulfill it because He is the Lawmaker. It was
him that Moses concluded the Covenant on Mt. Sinai with.
The Church of Christ hailed the Lord for his wise
stewardship and utmost condescension to us with unparalleled beauty and
theological depth. The Bride of the Lamb conveys the immense experience of
prayerful contemplation and spiritual insight, which inspired her best sons.
Let's quote some of such spiritual insights and be amazed at the bountiful
wisdom of God, which enlightened the hearts and minds of the greatest Orthodox
authors.
The
all-good God was not ashamed to be circumcized. He gave himself as the image
and example for the salvation of all: for the Lawmaker submits to the law and
the prophecies of the prophets. O Lord who holds everything in his hand and is
swaddled in cloth, glory to You!
This wonderful sticheron by a monk named John is sung
during the Vespers of the holiday. The holy father aptly underlines God's
goodness and the fact that He wasn't ashamed of this ritual but performed it
for the sake of our salvation, as ancient prophets had foretold. The book of
Psalms contains the following words, Then
said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to
do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart (Ps. 40:7-8). God
came to earth and although He holds all universe firmly in his hand, He willed
to be born as a small and vulnerable baby, wrapped in cloth.
Not as a
God-opposer but as the performer of the Law, the incarnated Christ appeared and
voluntarily submitted himself to circumcision on the eighth day.
This troparion of Ode 3 of the feast canon stresses a
very important fact of the Christian faith, which was frequently doubted both
in ancient times and nowadays. The Lord goes through circumcision, which means
that He doesn't oppose Old Testament regulations. He does not oppose the God of
the Old Testament: in fact, He came to accomplish his Father's will. We often
hear, “The God of the Old Testament is bitter and angry, while in the New
Testament God is gentle and merciful, and therefore they are two different
gods.” We can't agree with that because the entire Old Testament preaches the
imminent coming of the Messiah and the establishment of the Kingdom of God on
earth. I and my Father are one, said Jesus. Moreover, according to the
Christian revelation, the God of Old Testament spoke with the forefathers and
prophets via his Son, his divine Logos.
The
Master is circumcized on the eighth day as a baby and adopts the name of Jesus,
for He is the Savior of the world and its Lord.
The Lord takes the name ‘Jesus’ which means ‘God
saves’. The Church instructs parents of newborn babies to name them on the
eighth day of their lives, the day when the Lord was circumcized. What is the
connection between the name of God and naming of a baby on the eighth day? The
answer lies in the prayers from the Book of Needs. Protopresbyter Alexander
Schmemann explains the meaning of the Sacrament of Baptism and related rites
and points out that the eternal life, the overabundant life consists of knowing
the Name of God and glorifying it with one's entire life. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God,
and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent (John 17:3). It is for the sake of
this life that we get a name on the eighth day, the day that symbolizes
eternity and plenitude, which means that our names and our personalities must
be sanctified by the Name of God and lit up by the knowledge of God and his
will. That's why the Lord came into this world and willingly submitted himself
to circumcision and swaddling. Let's praise his holy Name and do everything we
can to please God.
By John Nichiporuk,
a Bachelor of Theology,
specialized in Biblical Studies.
The Catalog Of Good Deeds, 2018
