Eight Days Later

The LORD said to Moses, "Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. If a woman becomes pregnant and gives birth to a son, she will be ceremonially unclean for seven days, just as she is unclean during her menstrual period. On the eighth day the boy's foreskin must be circumcised. (Leviticus 12:1-3 NLT)

Eight days later, when the baby was circumcised, He was named Jesus, the name given Him by the angel even before He was conceived. (Luke 2:21 NLT)

Today my family celebrates the birth of my wife, Traci.  It wasn't that long ago that we were celebrating the birth of Jesus.  Many people "let down" from their Christmas celebration during this time.  Some use up their vacation time through the end of the year.  Students enjoy a "break" from school through the end of the year and the beginning of the next.  Christmas gifts get "enjoyed" and decorations often come down.  The weeks following Christmas seem to be about "packing up" those memories and moving on.

Jesus' parents, however, lived a different several weeks after Christmas.  Celebrating the birth of their son only began that night in the stable when the shepherds interrupted any hope of sleep.  No, that night would only be the start.  This new child would change their lives for a long, long time.

Eight days after his birth, Jesus would be named at his circumcision ceremony.  He would be declared an Israelite, one of God's chosen people, and would bear that mark for the rest of his life.

Mary and Joseph had just traveled from Nazareth to Bethlehem for the census - a trip that brought them 60 miles as the crow flies, probably double that through the mountains...on foot.  Now they had other provisions of the law to fulfill.  The circumcision could have taken place right there in Bethlehem, but by the end of the month they would be travelling again.



After waiting thirty-three days, she will be purified from the bleeding of childbirth. During this time of purification, she must not touch anything that is set apart as holy. And she must not enter the sanctuary until her time of purification is over. (Leviticus 12:4 NLT)

"When the time of purification is completed for either a son or a daughter, the woman must bring a one-year-old lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or turtledove for a purification offering. She must bring her offerings to the priest at the entrance of the Tabernacle. The priest will then present them to the LORD to purify her. Then she will be ceremonially clean again after her bleeding at childbirth. These are the instructions for a woman after the birth of a son or a daughter. "If a woman cannot afford to bring a lamb, she must bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons. One will be for the burnt offering and the other for the purification offering. The priest will sacrifice them to purify her, and she will be ceremonially clean." (Leviticus 12:6-8 NLT)

"The firstborn of every mother, whether human or animal, that is offered to the LORD will be yours. But you must always redeem your firstborn sons and the firstborn of ceremonially unclean animals. Redeem them when they are one month old. (Numbers 18:15-16 NLT)

Then it was time for their purification offering, as required by the law of Moses after the birth of a child; so His parents took Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord. The law of the Lord says, "If a woman's first child is a boy, he must be dedicated to the LORD." So they offered the sacrifice required in the law of the Lord—"either a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons." (Luke 2:22-24 NLT)

All too often, we move past Christmas quickly and move on with "normal life," but for Mary and Joseph this simply wouldn't be the case.  After the purification and dedication ceremony in Jerusalem, they moved back to Bethlehem until the wise men came to visit.  This is quite a bit of travelling for a family who is unable to afford a lamb for the purification ceremony.  But, they had each other...and the promise of God.  It wasn't a problem that their lives were turned upside down.  They were together...with God.

A Christmas Marriage

This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 1:18 NLT)

I've been blogging through the Bible this year, simply "thinking out loud" as I read through the events chronologically.  This week, though, I simply couldn't continue this pattern.  I had to talk about the story of Christmas. :-)

On Sunday, I talked about seeing "A Glimpse of God" in our marriages.  In this talk, I pointed out that people can see God at work from the very beginning of our relationship - how we select our spouse.  Then we have the opportunity to Reflect God's Image in the way we treat one another and multiply His legacy through our children.  This is how we let God work in and through us in our marriages.

Joseph was faced with a real problem.  He selected his wife in a way that honored God.  He even honored God by waiting to share sexual intimacy with his wife until after the wedding took place.  His fiance, it seemed, didn't.  She was pregnant.  He knew he wasn't the father.  What should he do?

God's law gave Joseph an out.  In fact, the law stated that he could make sure she got what she deserved for humiliating him, disgracing her parents, and rebelling against God.

The woman must be taken to the door of her father's home, and there the men of the town must stone her to death, for she has committed a disgraceful crime in Israel by being promiscuous while living in her parents' home. In this way, you will purge this evil from among you. (Deuteronomy 22:21 NLT)

Mary would be dead.  Joseph could move on...or could he.  Clearly he loved Mary enough to not want the death penalty for her.  At the same time, he couldn't bear the thought of marrying a woman who had been with another man - much less raise her child as his own.  In God's law, any scenario that involves the discovery of Mary's infidelity while engaged to Joseph will result in Mary's death, along with her lover.  However, if Mary slept with a man and she wasn't engaged, another law kicked in place.

"Suppose a man has intercourse with a young woman who is a virgin but is not engaged to be married. If they are discovered, he must pay her father fifty pieces of silver. Then he must marry the young woman because he violated her, and he may never divorce her as long as he lives. (Deuteronomy 22:28-29 NLT)

Joseph can save her life by simply breaking the engagement.  That way, Mary can live her life with her lover and they can raise their child together.  So, Joseph made a decision.

Joseph, her fiancé, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly. (Matthew 1:19 NLT)

A marriage is a relationship filled with opportunities to make decisions.  A marriage that honors God will lay those decisions before God.  A spouse that honors God will also choose to serve his or her spouse.  The best decisions are the ones that do both - honor God and serve our spouse.  Joseph was clearly trying to do both.  In the end, he would lose the one that he loved, but his decision would allow her to live.  This was the beginning of a Christmas marriage.