Do you see that Jesus was “oppressed” by Satan and “judged” by God for you? Do you know that He was “taken away” for you? Do you understand that He was “cut off” from the land of the living for you? Do you see that He was punished for you?
He was oppressed so that your spirits may be lifted, He was judged so that you would be forgiven, He was taken away so that you would be brought near, He was cut off so that you would be “grafted in” (Romans 11:19) and He was punished that you might be pardoned!
This is “the circumcision of Christ,” where He was “cut off,” where He was “circumcised” for you. Oh, friend, really consider everything Jesus went through for you on the cross and let it sink deep into your heart. Remind yourself, “He did this because He loves me!” He endured oppression and judgment because He loves me! He was taken away because He loves me! He was cut off because He loves me! He was punished because He loves me!
The passage in Colossians 2:11 tells us that, because of our union with Jesus Christ, we participate in this “putting off the body of the flesh.” In other words, when Jesus died on the cross, He was “cut off” from the land of the living (Isaiah 53:8), and we were also “cut off” in Him. That is, our “old self,” our entire “old nature” was cut off and discarded. Think of the cross as an upside-down sword, the sword that God used to circumcise His Son, and us in Him.
But why did this need to happen? Why the cutting off? Please watch this short video explaining the “why” of circumcision.
You remember that under the Old Covenant, if you were circumcised, you were part of God’s covenant family and were entitled to all the blessings of God’s covenant with the nation of Israel. In fact, they always carried around on their bodies the reminders that they were part of the family. “Your bodies will bear the mark of my everlasting covenant” (Genesis 17:13).
So hear this fantastic news today: no matter what you have done, no matter the sin you have committed or how often, through Jesus’ death on the cross and your faith in Him you are part of God’s new covenant people, you are “in the family!” This means you are entitled to all the covenant blessings purchased at the cross. Do you see the benefits that accrue to you because Jesus was “circumcised”? Do you see how God looks at Jesus’ circumcision and sees it as your own?
And if you ever forget this, look at the marks of Jesus! See the wounds on His hands and feet, see the piercings of the crown of thorns, and the opening in His side, and remember His death in your place. He still bears in His body the marks of His suffering (Revelation 5:6), and those wounds are proof of your circumcision. They are a reminder that you are in God’s family and receive all the covenant blessings He purchased for you at the cross.
Question 5. What does the understanding that in Jesus’ death, your whole sinful self was cut off, do for your heart just now?
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