Son for Sacrifice

Among all great relationships in the world, a father-son relationship is very special. Every father loves his child more than himself and would dare to sacrifice anything for his benefit. I’ve seen how my dad always used to and still keep the best for me even though I don’t care to do that to him. The children are very secure when their father is around because he is a source of strength and encouragement. A little boy once said, “I was so embarrassed on stage during my first piano recital. But among the serious staring crowd I saw my dad smiling and waving at me. I got all the courage and my fears flew away that instance”

There’s another incident when the father dropped his kid at school and promised that he would be back to pick him up. The kid took those words to his heart. Later that day there was an earthquake and the kid was stuck deep down. But he kept pondering on his father’s promise to come and pick him up for sure. He waited patiently. His dad arrived and somehow spotted his son’s class room among the debris and started to dig through. All the fire-fighters gave up and requested him to give up as there was no more hope that anyone could be alive any longer. But the dad kept digging. Two days later when he moved a wooden plank he saw his kid sitting inside confidently waiting for his dad to rescue him. When the kid saw him he didn’t seem to show much of a surprise as he was sure his father’s going to come and pick him up at any cost.

The Bible talks about so many father-son tales and one story caught my attention, Abraham and Isaac. Isaac was born to Abraham when he was 100 years old. Imagine what kind of a special kid he would’ve been in the family. His father couldn’t take his eyes of his kid. He admired, loved, cared and gave the best for his special son. Isaac felt secure with his father and considered him his best friend. But things went the other way when God asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. It should’ve been the most painful request to fulfill. But Abraham quietly decided to do it for the Lord. In Genesis 22, Abraham and Isaac took off for the sacrifice. In this whole incident Abraham kept his cool and proceeded. The key is v8, when Abraham replied Isaac “God himself will provide a lamb for a burnt offering”. Somehow from the beginning he kept trusting God that He will not forsake him. He was sure that he will climb down the mountain with his son Isaac. God honored his faith and at the moment when he was about to sacrifice his own son, the angel of the Lord shouted “Stop”, the word Abraham was dying to hear. Isaac on the other hand did not even speak a word even when his father was tying him to the altar because he knew his father would never let him down. Both were honored that day and left the hill happily praising God for his wondrous acts.

Several millenniums later a similar incident took place. John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son…” If you watch closely it is similar to the Abraham-Isaac tale. But unlike for Abraham, God the Father didn’t have anyone to run for solace. Like Isaac, Jesus quietly obeyed His father and somewhere deep down had faith that God will not forsake him and so prayed at the Garden of Gethsemane (Mathew 26:36). His sorrow was so much to the point of death that he knelt down and cried, “Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me”. I am not able to control my tears as I write this when the Father on seeing His son cry to Him for help, turned His face away and let Him suffer, something that no other father would dare to do. Jesus humbly accepted that denial from His father and went ahead to suffer and die on the cross for us.

That's the key! “For Us”. God, the creator and the very form of grace couldn’t use that grace to save His son. He had to see His son suffer right before His eyes. It’s because “He loved the world i.e. You and Me” more than His son and was willing to sacrifice Him. Abraham had a father to trust on but God didn’t. Isaac’s trusted his father and so did Jesus. But Isaac was spared but Jesus wasn’t. That is the power of sacrifice on the Cross of Calvary.

During this season of Good Friday and Easter, could we ponder on God’s sacrifice and how precious it is because He denied His only son for us? Such is the sacrifice. I was deeply touched by this song by Stuart Townend “How deep the father’s love for us”. Please take time to listen to every word so that you understand how great His love is for us. Amen.