“Christ’s Necessary Identification with Us As Sinners Since After His Birth 自基督出生之後，祂與我們作為罪人之必须的認同“（Luke 路加福音2:21-24）
On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived. When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, ‘Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord’), and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: ‘a pair of doves or two young pigeons’.
滿了八天，替孩子行割禮的時候，就給他起名叫耶穌，就是他成胎之前，天使所起的。滿了潔淨的日子，他們就按著摩西的律法，帶孩子上耶路撒冷去，奉獻給主。正如主的律法所記：“所有頭生的男孩，都當稱為聖歸給主。”又照著主的律法所說的獻上祭物，就是一對斑鳩或兩隻雛鴿。
Jesus, Mary’s firstborn son, was not born in sin, i.e. was a lamb without blemish and without spot. He could have been excused from the circumcision and purification ceremonies which were necessary as a reminder that we are all born in sin. Yet, we see Jesus, even as a baby after a week, identifying with sinners as He also later did at His baptism and on the cross. This all happened before the ‘wise’ men came from the east because Joseph and Mary would not have offered only two birds (the offering of the poor who could not afford a lamb and a bird instead) after receiving the rich gifts from them.
馬利亞頭生的兒子耶穌並非生而有罪，意即是無瑕疵、無玷污的羔羊，祂本可以免除那些作為提醒我們，記得自己生來就是罪人之必要的割禮和潔淨禮儀。然而，我們看到耶穌即使還是一周大嬰兒的時候，祂就與罪人認同，正如他後來在洗禮和十字架上與罪人認同一樣。這一切都發生在東方的「智」者到來之前，因為收到他們的豐富禮物後，約瑟和馬利亞也不會只獻上兩隻鴿子（代替買不起一隻羊羔和一隻鴿子的窮人祭物）。
Prayer: Abba Father, thank you for the faithful examples of Joseph and Mary being truly devout, obedient parents observing your commands and so did Lord Jesus who, to our great surprise and adoration, began to bear the sins of many in the temple since that day. It is beyond our imagination that He continued every day to lead a life of pain, shame and blood shedding for us and for our children, till He finished on the cross the sin-atoning work you had given Him to do. May we respond to Christ’s amazing grace and love with our loving obedience to Him and His words. Amen.
禱告: 阿爸父啊，感謝你約瑟和馬利亞忠誠的榜樣，他們是真正虔誠和聽從的父母，遵守你的命令，因此主耶穌也是一樣。令我們驚訝和崇敬的是，祂在聖殿那天就開始擔當了多人的罪。超過我們想像的是，祂每天都繼續為我們，為我們的孩子，生活在痛苦、羞辱和流血中，直到在十字架上完成你交給祂贖罪的工作。願我們以對基督和祂話語鍾愛的聽從，來回應祂奇異的恩典和愛。阿們。
