Hope Awakening: Fulfilling the Law
“When eight days were completed for his circumcision, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.”
Luke 2:21
Baby Jesus was fully God, but also fully human. He was born to a young Jewish woman betrothed to a faithful Jewish man. As such, Jesus experienced the required ceremonies of Jewish babies. We learned about the importance of the circumcision ceremony when Zechariah and Elizabeth fulfilled the law for John. This ceremony was a reminder of God’s covenant with His people. Jesus is the new covenant, but he remained faithful to all God commanded throughout his sojourn here on earth. Jesus was exceptional, but he wasn’t the exception to the law. Jesus came to fulfill the law, and he would also fulfill the laws. Are you with me? We also witness this later in Jesus’ life when he is baptized by John before beginning his public ministry. Why would a sinless man need to be forgiven of sins? He didn’t. But Jesus obeyed the laws and commandments to serve as an example for all people.
Unlike Zechariah and Elizabeth’s ceremony, there’s no great discussion or debate (recorded in Scripture) regarding the name of their baby boy. Interestingly, Jesus was a very common name during this period in history. One article I read compared the name Jesus then to the name John now; everyone knows a John! Jesus is a form of the Hebrew name Joshua, which means Savior. It’s fascinating to me that this God-child, born for a very specific purpose, not only had humble beginnings but also had a common human name. Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would have “no majestic bearing to catch our eye, no beauty to draw us to him” (53:2b). We see this even in the beginning, with his name. This common name that will one day hold more significance than anyone could comprehend. One day, every knee will bend and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord!
Luke reminds the audience that Mary and Joseph didn’t name the child; God did. God named His only Son before Mary even said yes to carrying the child! An ordinary name given to what would by all appearances be an ordinary boy with an ordinary Jewish upbringing. Jesus would attend school and be taught all about God and Jewish history (ironic, given that Jesus was present throughout all creation and time!). I learned that around the age of 12, local rabbis would choose boys from school to continue their education. These chosen boys would become disciples of the rabbi. Those not chosen to continue on in their education would learn their father’s trade instead. Jesus, called rabbi by his followers after he began his public ministry, was a carpenter by trade. He spent his years learning carpentry from his earthly father, Joseph. It’s a great possibility that ordinary Jesus had been passed over by his local rabbis, despite the great understanding he displayed (we’ll discuss this later).
All words in Scripture are God-breathed and useful. They may not apply directly to us; often, they don’t. The Bible is God’s gift to us, it’s not about us. In this short verse, Luke emphasizes that Jesus is the Son of God despite how ordinary his childhood would appear. Jesus is anything but ordinary, but he was obedient to both God and Mary and Joseph, just as Mary and Joseph were obedient to God in circumcising Jesus and officially naming him as God instructed.
All praise and glory be to God, forever and ever!
Reflection: We (rightly) focus on Jesus as Son of God, and sometimes overlook his human side. Jesus came down from heaven to be fully human and fully God, so it’s important for us to also remember his humanity. His humble beginnings, his common name. He relates to us! Spend some time today thanking God for His perfect plan to bring us a Savior with whom we can relate, one who understands the hardships we also face today.