Around Easter we often speak, and rightly marvel at the extent of Jesus’ love for us that he would voluntarily and willingly submit himself to a grotesque death to buy our freedom from the Kingdom of darkness, sin, sickness, addiction, relational breakdown and sadness. As he faced what was about to happen to him, such was the stress he was under as he prayed in the Garden of Gethsamane, that it is recorded that his sweat was like drops of blood falling from his forehead. Yes, despite this, he submitted to his Father’s will and was obedient.
As we focus on Jesus in the chain of events it is possible for us to imagine the Father, cold and removed, thinking only of the verses that speak of Jesus’ blood satisfying God’s wrath at sin (Rom 3:25, 1 John 2:2) and God being pleased (Is 53:10) to punish him for our sins. We can almost imagine Father taking some sort of vindictive pleasure in seeing Jesus broken for our freedom.
While it is correct to imagine Father’s pleasure at Jesus sacrifice, it it not vindictive pleasure but rather joy at sin being dealt with is the same way as we are told Jesus endured the cross for the joy set before him (Heb 12:2).
However, given what we know of the Father’s perfect love for the Son (Jn 17:26) and that the Father and Son had been in perfect communion since eternity (Jn 1) how much must it have pained the Father to give his only son as the sacrifice. How much must it have grieved him to watch his son suffer. What pain must have been in His heart as he poured out his righteous anger on his beloved son, how his heart must have broken as he heard that cry of anguish “My God, My God why have you forsaken me”.
As a father I sometimes look at my children and wonder how one could ever love someone so much that you would give up your own child to see them set free. How you could ever love someone so much that you’d let your own child die as a trade for their salvation or their healing or their freedom.
I have to admit that love is theoretical to me at the moment and it’s a little bit scary. Love like that can make you do crazy things.
Incredibly, there is evidence in the bible of people who knew God so well that they were able to love like that.(Gen 22) Abraham was prepared to kill his only son, the miracle child he’d waited years for, the one all his dreams and God’s promises to him were wrapped up in, because a) God asked him to and b) he trusted God to raise his son from the dead (Heb 11:19)
Paul says (Rom 9:1-5) that he wishes he could sacrifice his own salvation and be cut off from Christ so that the Jewish people could be saved. These are the same Jewish people that have tried to kill him, had him flogged, imprisoned, stoned and outcast. Paul’s love for them is so great that if he could he’d sacrifice his own salvation, and it’s not hyperbole as he emphasises the point saying “I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying”.
While this sort of love scares me a little right now, I want to know it. I want to know Him so well that I am intoxicated by this crazy love.
God so LOVED the world that he GAVE his only son that whoever believed in him would not die but have eternal life.
