Yes, Jesus was circumcised. Luke 2:21 records, "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." God had commanded that Abraham, every male in his entire household, and his male descendants for generations to come be circumcised as a sign of the covenant (or promise) He made with His people (Genesis 17:10–14). God repeated this command when giving the Law to Moses in Leviticus 12:3.
Because Mary and Joseph were devout Jews, they were diligent to ensure that "they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord" (Luke 2:39). So when Jesus was eight days old, they made certain Jesus was circumcised according to the law and that He received the name the angel had commanded. Both circumcision and naming occurred during a ceremony known as b'rit-milah that is still practiced by Jews today.
Interestingly, Luke recorded as well in his gospel account that Mary and Joseph also obeyed the law to redeem the firstborn son and the purification of the mother. Luke 2:22–24 says, "And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, 'Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord') and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, 'a pair of turtle doves, or two young pigeons.'" So Jesus was both circumcised on the eighth day and then redeemed during a ceremony known as pidyon ha'Ben at one month old.
Later in His ministry, Jesus declared, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them" (Matthew 5:17). Jesus did indeed fulfill the Law perfectly and thus was "holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners" and therefore able to "offer up himself" as a sacrifice on behalf of sinful humanity (Hebrews 7:26–28). Circumcision was only a small part of the Law Jesus kept, but it was important enough that Scripture recorded when and where He was circumcised so we can know for certain that Jesus was circumcised.
Copyright 2011-2024 Got Questions Ministries - All Rights Reserved.
