Monday after the First Sunday after the Epiphany of our Lord
Posted on January 10, 2022 by under
Scripture: St. Luke 2:39-40 (NKJV)
2:39 So when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth. 40 And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.
Devotion
“So when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord…”
It was very important that Mary and Joseph perform all that the Law of the Lord required of them in regard to our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, He was circumcised on the eighth day. As a firstborn son, He was redeemed with the payment of the redemption price, and the appropriate sacrifice was offered for Mary’s purification (cf. Num. 18:15-16; Lev. 12:1-8).
Why was this important? Jesus fulfilled all the demands of the Law in our stead and then, as our substitute, redeemed us from the curse of the Law by His innocent sufferings and death upon the cross. The Bible tells us that “when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons” (Gal. 4:4-5).
Why did Christ fulfill the Law for us and then go to the cross to redeem us? He did it so we might, through faith in Christ, be forgiven of all sins and “receive the adoption as sons” and a place in Christ’s eternal kingdom.
Prayer: O Lord, we beseech Thee mercifully to receive the prayers of Thy people who call upon Thee; and grant that they may both perceive and know what things they ought to do, and also may have grace and power faithfully to fulfill the same; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
