Luke 2:21
And at the end of eight days, when he was to be circumcised, he was called Jesus,
the name given to him by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
Today is the eighth day after Christmas.
The days after Christmas are a strange thing.
Most years I find myself wanting to sit and be quiet
and world wants to go right on as is nothing has happened.
This year I have wanted to get right back to my work
and train strikes and rail work
have forced me to sit uncomfortably still.
Sometimes God puts us in uncomfortable situations
so whatever is on the inside becomes visible.
And sometimes you see good things
and sometimes things that need a little healing.
So we come back to the birth of Jesus
and the eighth day.
On the eighth day,
Jesus was circumcised.
This was the commandment
that God gave to Abraham.
Every male in his family would be circumcised
as a sign of the covenant between Abraham
and God.
Because out of this family,
all the families of the earth would be blessed.
And Jesus,
the fulfillment of that promise
is a member of that family.
And again,
Jesus did not come to abolish the law and the prophets,
Jesus came to be the fulfillment and the full expression
of the law and the prophets.
So in his flesh,
he is marked physically as a son of the covenant.
He is a son of Abraham.
And then he is named.
And this name is the name given to him by the Angel Gabriel.
And you shall call his name Jesus
because he will save his people from his sins.
In Hebrew and Aramaic
this phrase is a pun.
The name Jesus--
the Latin transliteration of the Greek
IESOU
which is the tranliteration of the original
Y'shua
means "salvation."
You shall call his name salvation
because he shall save his people from his sins.
Christ John Otto directs Belonging House, an international community of artists and creative people. You can find out more at https://belonging.house Get our Friday email, https://christjohnotto.substack.com If you enjoy these teachings, share them with your friends or buy a coffee to show your support. https://www.buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto
A Circumcised Heart