Please turn in your Bibles to Luke chapter 2 and verses 1 to 21. Luke chapter 2 and verses 1 to 21. This sermon, Son of Circumcision, concludes our Advent and Christmas series. We've looked at son of a woman, son of Abraham, son of David, son of Joseph, and now this morning, son of circumcision. And as we come to the reading and the preaching of God's word, let me pray for us. Father, in your light, we see light, and so we pray that you would come now and by your Holy Spirit, illuminate the reading and the preaching of your word so that we would see Jesus more clearly, love him more dearly, and follow him more nearly. And we ask this in his precious name. Amen. Luke chapter two and verse one. In those days, a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem. because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. And in the same region, there were shepherds out in the field keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them. And they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a savior who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you. You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, glory to God in the highest and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased. When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.' And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen as it had been told them. And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. The grass withers, the flowers fade, but the word of our God endures forever. Verse 21 of Luke chapter two is perhaps the most passed over verse in the Christmas story. I mean, have you ever heard a Christmas sermon on the circumcision of Christ? We hear sermons on the angels, the shepherds, the wise men, even the donkey has had sermons on it. And it's not even mentioned in the gospel narratives. But have you ever heard a sermon on the circumcision of Christ? And yet Luke includes it as part of the Christmas story. In fact, in the Reformed tradition, the circumcision of Christ has been observed on January 1st, eight days after Christmas Day. It's one of the evangelical holy days that are observed in the Reformed tradition. And so this morning, I thought it would be good for us to ponder the circumcision of Christ. In fact, Luke gives us three things to ponder in this passage. And I say ponder because that is what Mary does with all the happenings surrounding Christ's birth and the shepherds who visited her. She ponders them, verse 19, in her heart. So here are three things for us to ponder in our hearts this Christmas week. Number one, ponder the census and the city. Ponder the census and the city, verses one to seven. Verse one, in those days, a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria, and all went to be registered, each to his own town. That opening line in verse one is like hearing in the days of George Washington. In other words, this was an important moment in history. Caesar Augustus was not just any local ruler. He was the ruler of the known world at this time. Following the reign of Julius Caesar, the Republic of Rome was left in turmoil with rival rulers trying to take control of it. But after 20 years of civil war, Augustus, the adopted son of Julius Caesar, was victorious and became Augustus Caesar, or Caesar Augustus. Augustus means supreme one. His reign was so successful that it led to a period of peace across the Republic that became known as Pax Romana, the Peace of Rome. Peace was the epitome of his reign, but so too was progress and expansion. Augustus Caesar expanded his domain beyond the region of Rome. It included Europe, North America, not North America, North Africa, and yes, even Palestine in the Middle East. Caesar Augustus was the emperor who founded the Roman Empire that went on to last for 1,500 years. He was so successful that his other title was Savior. His citizens viewed him as a god. He had built a temple for his father Julius Caesar to be worshipped in. And since he was the son of Julius Caesar, he became known as the son of God. His status as savior and son of God was viewed by the people as a kind of gospel. One inscription about him read, the birthday of the God, Caesar Augustus, has marked the beginning of the good news for the world. So this is how Luke begins chapter two of his gospel, with a passing comment about the Caesar who reigned at the time of Christ's birth. It was Caesar Augustus, the supreme one, the son of God and savior, whose birthday was good news for the world and whose reign had brought peace on earth. One way that Caesar Augustus sought to exercise his rule was by instituting a census in which everyone in his empire would be registered and required to pay taxes. The census was conducted region by region to ensure every person living in the Roman Empire was known and registered. Hence the reference to Quirinius, governor of Syria, who oversaw the census in Palestine. And yes, it affected literally everyone, including an ordinary carpenter called Joseph from an unknown town in Nazareth in Palestine. Verse three, and all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. The trip to Bethlehem was not a small one for Mary and Joseph. It was 90 miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem. 90 miles from Philadelphia is like making a trip to Middletown, New Jersey, or to Columbia, Pennsylvania. No small distance. But at least we have cars. Back in those days, 90 miles was a four-day journey on foot, and that's if you walked eight hours a day, which clearly Joseph and Mary didn't do because Mary was heavily pregnant. Hence why the donkey. has entered into the story of Christmas, even though no donkey is ever mentioned in the Gospels. It would have taken them up to a week to make the journey. And so we can appreciate what an inconvenience this was to this couple. For Mary, there was the inconvenience of such a long trip just before childbirth, and then having to give birth somewhere random other than the comfort of her own home. For Joseph, there was the inconvenience of being without pay for at least two months. Mary would have to wait 40 days after giving birth before she could go to the temple and present her firstborn son. So this was about an eight-week trip, which meant Joseph would not have been earning any money, and they were already a poor couple. This was a major inconvenience for Mary and Joseph, and yet it was not outside of God's providence. A major inconvenience, yes, but all part of God's providence. Because in order for their baby boy to be king, as had been predicted, he had to be born in Bethlehem. Nazareth wouldn't do. Since the time of David, who was born and brought up in Bethlehem, an anointed king in Bethlehem, Bethlehem had become known as the city from which Israel should expect their future Messiah. Here's how Micah the prophet put it, chapter 5, verse 2 of his book. But you, O Bethlehem, Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel whose coming forth is from of old from ancient of days. For Jesus to be this ruler in David's line, he would have to be born in, oh, little town of Bethlehem. But there was only one problem. His mother is eight and a half months pregnant, and she's living 90 miles away in Nazareth, and she has absolutely no reason to go to Bethlehem. in the last weeks of her pregnancy. And this is where we see the connection between the census and the city. Because it is the census of Caesar Augustus that gets Joseph and Mary to the city of Bethlehem. It was Caesar's wish to have a census, but really it was God's will. It was Caesar's decision but really it was God's decree. The supreme God in heaven was using the supreme ruler in Rome to fulfill his plan for an unborn baby in Nazareth. Proverbs 21 verse one comes to mind. The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord. He turns it wherever he will. In this case, he turned Caesar Augustus' heart to ensure that Joseph and Mary arrived in Bethlehem just in time for Jesus to be born there, and therefore to qualify to be the ruler of Israel. We should also not miss what this census entailed. It was not just a counting of heads. It was a counting of coins. It was a new form of empire-wide taxation. In other words, Jesus was born at a time of debt paying. So if we take a step back, we can see that we have here a census by a Caesar that sends a couple to a city in a time of debt paying. This is what we should ponder this morning. God bent the Roman Empire to prepare for the salvation of his people. Because in order for Jesus to save his people, he had to be the king of his people. And in order for him to be the king of his people, he had to be born in Bethlehem. And in order for him to be born in Bethlehem, his parents had to relocate from Nazareth. And the only thing that would get them to move from Nazareth to Bethlehem was a census by Caesar in Rome. This is what we should ponder this Christmas week, the census and the city. In the days of Caesar Augustus, a baby boy was born in Bethlehem at a time of debt paying. Number two, we should ponder the Christ and the cradle. We should ponder the Christ and the cradle, verses eight to 20. Now, boys and girls, how did you go with your quest for some chocolate this week? You remember I said if you remembered your three points from last week's sermon, you might get some extra chocolate. Jesus is God, Jesus is King, Jesus is Savior. Well, my kids took that offer to the next level this past week. I'm not joking. As I was tucking into my British chocolate this week, they appeared numerous times every day. Jesus is God, Jesus is King, Jesus is Savior. I even had Hannah pointing like a preacher at me. I think I got converted about 23 times. Well, if you don't remember the points, boys and girls, they're repeated for us here in Luke chapter two, but in reverse order. Listen again to what the angel says to the shepherds. Verse 10. Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ, The Lord. Do you hear who they say is born in Bethlehem? A savior who is Christ, another title for king, who is the Lord, another way of referring to God. Same three points as last week. Jesus is savior, Jesus is king, Jesus is God. This is the good news that the angels say is for all people. which leads to them conducting an open air service of worship on a hillside outside Bethlehem. Verse 13, and suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, glory to God in the highest and on earth peace among those with whom he is well pleased. or perhaps better translated among whom those with whom he shows favor. But do you hear the echoes of Caesar Augustus in the background here? Remember he was seen as the supreme one, a savior whose rule brought peace on earth and whose birthday was good news for the world. Well, here is Luke presenting Jesus as the Son of the Most High, a savior whose birth was good news for all people, bringing peace on earth. Do you see what Luke is saying? A rival king was born in the days of Caesar Augustus. A rival kingdom had dawned to usurp the kingdom of Caesar Augustus. Through a baby boy born in Bethlehem, God launches an attack on the empire of Rome, all the while using the decree of the emperor of Rome to do so. It was his own self-destruction. In the days of Caesar Augustus, a baby boy was born in Bethlehem at a time of debt paying whose birth was good news for all people, bringing peace on earth. But how were the shepherds ever going to spot the boy? Bethlehem had a population of about 1,000 people in those days, and no doubt there would have been a handful of newborn babies at this time of year, all swaddled up in their parents' arms or in their cribs. So how would the shepherds ever find a newborn baby that the angel had told them about? Well, just like the wise men were given a sign, do you remember what it was, boys and girls? It was the sign of the star in the sky. Well, the shepherds were given a sign. Verse 12, and this will be a sign for you. You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. The sign is not the swaddling clothes. Every newborn baby would have been wrapped in those. No, the sign is a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. That is, in a feeding trough for animals. Luke tells us three times that Jesus was laid in a manger. Verse seven, verse 12, verse 16. The reason for this manger for a crib is because of the comment we read at the end of verse seven. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger because there was no place for them in the inn. Whether this was a stable beside the inn where the animals were kept or a basement room under the inn where animals were kept or a cave on the hillside where animals were kept, we don't really know. Scholars debate all three options. What we do know is that when Jesus was born, He was wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a feeding trough. He was born among the animals, which is why the shepherds would easily recognize him, given their occupation. Now again, we need to take a step back and see what's going on here. We need to take note of the details. I'm sure you've heard of the saying, the devil is in the details. Well, one of the things I teach my students at Westminster is that God is in the details in scripture, every single detail. We're told twice about swaddling clothes. Why do we need to be told that a second time? We're told thrice about the manger. Why do we need reminded about that? Because Luke wants us to see that what we have here is a savior born and laid on a piece of wood, in a bark of a tree, as Sinclair Ferguson puts it, with his arms and feet bound in swaddling clothes. A baby boy. laid on a piece of wood and bind. In the days of Caesar Augustus, a baby boy was born in Bethlehem at a time of debt paying and he was bound and laid on a piece of wood. But this alone did not secure the peace on earth that the angels announced. The incarnation alone was not enough. The census and the city, the Christ and the cradle were not enough to save people from their sins. There must be something more than just the arrival of baby Jesus in the city of Bethlehem. The fact that he is born in Bethlehem but dies in Jerusalem suggests that the baby boy in a cradle is not enough to save us. He will have to journey to a cross in Jerusalem to save us. Which brings us to the third thing we should ponder this morning. Ponder the circumcision and the cross. ponder the census and the city, ponder the Christ and the cradle, and third, ponder the circumcision and the cross. Verse 21, and at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given him by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. I laughed to myself this week as I thought of people walking past the notice board outside, seeing the title of this week's sermon, Son of Circumcision. Maybe you had a little giggle to yourself as you walked into church this morning. I was imagining people walking by looking at that thinking, what do they teach at 10th Presbyterian these days? Has it become a Jewish synagogue or something? Well, no, we haven't become a Jewish synagogue, but we do affirm the circumcision of Christ as a fundamental part of the Christian gospel. And yes, I just said a fundamental part of the Christian gospel. And that is because of what circumcision symbolized. One way of thinking about the symbol of circumcision is to think of it a bit like a jewel in an engagement ring. Sinclair Ferguson has called baptism a jewel in the engagement ring of God's covenant people. Well, circumcision is just the Old Testament equivalent of baptism. And like a jewel, it has many facets to it. It symbolizes many things. But at its most basic level, circumcision symbolizes the covenant relationship between God and his people. And as such, every male offspring who received the sign in the Old Testament was marked as belonging to God. Every male who had the sign of circumcision was a son of the covenant. And therefore, under the obligations of the covenant, here's how the apostle Paul puts it in Galatians 5 verse 3, every man who accepts circumcision is obligated to keep the whole law. So when Jesus was born of Mary and circumcised by his parents, he was marked as a son of circumcision, a son of the covenant, obligated to keep the whole law. All the obligations of the covenant were applied to him. There were two in particular. There was the obligation of a righteous life under the law. And there was the obligation of a sacrifice for sin if there was a breach of that law. As a son of circumcision, a son of the covenant, these were Jesus' two main obligations. He had to live a righteous life under the law and he had to make a sacrifice for sin if there was a breach of that law. The sacrifice for sin entailed a death. for disobedience. The day you eat from the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you will surely die. The wages of sin is death. Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sin. If the law breaker wanted to live, he had to provide a sacrifice for sin. In the Old Testament, this took the form of animal sacrifices. And in each case, the animal sacrifice occurred implicitly or explicitly by the use of a knife. A knife was used to cut the throat of the animal and let the blood pour out as a sacrifice for sin. Sometimes there is no mention of the knife, it is implied. Other times the mention of the knife is explicit. Do you remember when Abraham took the knife and lifted it up to slay his son Isaac as an offering to God to make atonement for his sin? To go under the knife was to go under judgment. Circumcision was thus connected to sacrifices for sin because it also entailed going under the knife. Circumcision was a knife-inflicting, blood-letting ordeal. And as such, it symbolized a judgment for sin. In this respect, by being circumcised, Jesus had the sign of the curse of the law placed on him. Of course, we know that he didn't break the law, and so he didn't need to have that sign placed on him. But he did because he was a substitute for sinners. Just like at his baptism, he receives the baptism of repentance. He doesn't need to repent because he hasn't sinned, but he has the sign of repentance placed upon him. Well, so too in his circumcision. He has the sign of the curse of the law placed on him. And this is why he is named Jesus at his circumcision. Did you notice that in verse 21? For the first seven days of his life, he has no name. On the eighth day, when he is circumcised, he is named Jesus. Why? Because circumcision pointed to salvation and his name means savior. And since circumcision pointed to salvation, he was named savior at his circumcision. This is how Jesus would save his people from their sins. This was the only way Jesus could save his people from their sins. By becoming a son of the covenant and bearing the obligations of that covenant. And so he received the sign of the covenant. Now understanding Christ's circumcision this way helps us understand why Reformed theologians have argued that Jesus' atoning work, his blood shedding, did not begin at his crucifixion, but at his circumcision. Jesus' atoning work began in the cradle. not on the cross. Jesus shed blood at his birth, not just at his death, and all of it was atoning blood. This means that what we have in Luke is a baby born bleeding, a baby born suffering. In other words, Christ's circumcision pointed to his crucifixion. The implicit knife pointed to the explicit kneels and spear. It's all connected. The trickle of blood in his circumcision would become a torrent of blood in his crucifixion. At his birth, when he underwent the knife, it was as if he cried, it is beginning. And at his death, when he underwent the kneels of crucifixion, and just before the spear, he cried, it is finished. Christ's circumcision and Christ's cross are connected. If you were with us for one of the lessons and carol service, then you may recall the beautiful choir item, the infant king. It pictures someone singing a lullaby to Jesus, not wanting to disturb his sleep as a newborn baby. The third verse goes like this, sing lullaby. Lullaby baby, sweetly sleeping, sing lullaby. Hush, do not wake the infant king. Soon comes the cross, the kneels, the piercing. Then in the grave at last reposing, sing lullaby. If you think about it, Mary only got to sing sweet lullabies to her baby boy for seven nights. Because on the eighth day, she and Joseph woke their infant king, unwrapped his swaddling clothes and put him under the knife. They cut him and he bled. Yes, hush, do not wake the infant king because soon comes the circumcision. Then the cross, the kneels, the piercing. Martin Luther said that the manger and the cross are never far apart. Well, we can also say the circumcision and the crucifixion are never far apart. They bookend. the atoning work of Christ. Bloodshedding at his birth, bloodshedding at his death. But why? Why all the bloodshedding? And at Christmas time of all times? Is it not just for Easter? Well, very simply because the wages of sin is death. and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin. The law had been broken and so a debt had to be paid. Jesus was born as a baby boy in Bethlehem at a time of debt paying. The supreme ruler in heaven was owed a debt. The debt of sin. The Lord's loud thunder at Mount Sinai had to be silenced. Mount Sinai's flame of judgment had to be quenched. God's holiness had to be satisfied. A sacrifice for sin had to be made. This was God's demand. And it began, not on a cross, but in a cradle. This is why the angel announces to the shepherds, good news of great joy for all people and why the choir of angels proclaimed glory to God in the highest and peace among those whom he favors because a savior was born who would bring peace on earth through his blood. Caesar Augustus had brought peace on earth through the bloodshedding of others. Christ the child would bring peace on earth through the bloodshedding of himself. And it began in the cradle and ended on the cross. The census and the city that Christ and the cradle were not enough. The incarnation alone could not save us. there had to be an atonement by blood. In the days of Caesar Augustus, a baby boy was born in Bethlehem at a time of debt paying. He was bound and laid on a piece of wood. Then he was cut in the flesh and bled so that he could begin to be our savior. So ponder the circumcision and the cross. Ponder the census and the city. Ponder the Christ and the cradle. Ponder the circumcision and the cross. Because they're all connected. God bends a whole Roman empire to get a poor couple to relocate city so that their child might receive the title king. and then be laid in a manger and visited by shepherds and then receive the sign of the covenant in circumcision that would begin his blood shedding payment for sin that would end on a cross. Ponder the planning and preparation and provision. It is all connected. I want to conclude this morning by pondering one more thing. To whom this good news first came. And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them and they were filled with great fear. The angel said to them, fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a savior who is Christ the Lord. Notice the words at the beginning of verse 11, unto you. They are emphasized in the original Greek. For to you, that is for you, a savior has been born. Usually when a baby is born, there is an announcement in the newspaper or on the church email that goes something like this. A baby boy, Benjamin Arthur, was born to Jonathan and Jacqueline Gibson on August 18th, et cetera. The object of the preposition to are normally the parents. But notice who the objects of the preposition unto are when the angel speaks. He doesn't say, unto Mary and Joseph has been born a savior. No, unto you, shepherds, has been born a savior. In the first century, shepherds were the lowest of the low. They were known for being thieves, liars. Their testimony was not allowed in a courtroom. They were even known for being murderers. They were social outcasts, wandering Bedouins, unkempt and unclean, no longer abiding by the cleanliness laws of the Old Testament. They were rugged and rustic. They were rebels and ruffians. Even today, they are the last roles assigned to children in the nativity play. Who wants to be Mary and Joseph? Who wants to be the angels? Who wants to be the wise man? Who wants to be the donkey? Who wants to be the shepherd? No one wants to be the shepherd. But look what the angels said to them. Unto you is born this day a savior. Unto the least. Unto the lawless. Unto the lowly. For kings like the wise men, yes. For emperors like Constantine, yes. For all kinds of people, yes. But first, first for shepherds, the down and outs, the disobedient, the disregarded, the despised. For you is born this day a savior. who is Christ the Lord. And that's the great good news this Christmas week. If we see ourselves in the shepherds as rebellious, lawless, disobedient, then what the angel said to the shepherds, God says to us this morning, unto you is born this day a savior. who is Christ the Lord. And where do we see his saving work? In his circumcision and in his cross. Christ the child and Christ the man washing us with his blood. The shepherds came that day as unclean men But when they saw Christ, they left as clean men because just a few days later, He was about to bleed for them. Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace among those to whom He shows favor. Let us pray. Father, we bless you for the gift of your son and ask that we would understand in a greater depth and appreciation his infant years and how, even in his circumcision, he began to save us. And so we pray, Father, that you would help us to see the wonder and the glory of the whole life of Christ and the great good news that it is for all people, even people like us. And we ask that you would help us to respond in praise to him. And we ask all this in his precious name. Amen.