Despite all the miraculous pronouncements and portents surrounding Jesus' birth, Luke never allows his narrative to soar too far away from the essential Jewish roots of Jesus' heritage. Luke is never too shy to claim a miracle. But he also refuses to allow the occasion of miracles to be a shortcut around law and tradition. Thus it is that Luke's birth narrative celebrates and glorifies the extraordinary events that accompanied Jesus' nativity the special prophecies and messengers and guests only quickly to bring back into focus the traditional aspects of Jesus' arrival. After the angelic messengers and shepherd admirers depart, Jesus was, like any other Jewish infant, circumcised on his eighth day. Additionally, also according to honored Jewish tradition, Jesus is presented in the temple f…