Sacrifice

Reading in Isaiah one day got me into a very deep thought for many days. Couldn’t focus on anything else. The other sacrifice we sometimes forget was not just Jesus sacrificing himself for the many, but also God. I was reading Isaiah 11 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.

Isaiah 53:2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground.

This stayed on my heart. I thought about God watching his son grow and blossom into a fine young man. Then I thought about all of these descriptions. Stump, branch, roots… Trees. Jesus was hung on a cross. That cross came from a tree. God is all knowing. He knows the very number of hairs on your head. He knew that was going to be the tree that his son was going to die on, and watched it grow every day. Wow. If I knew that one of my children could get hurt on anything around my house or yard, it was gone.. No questions. He didn’t send a bolt of lightning to stick it down. He watched it grow. How much more sacrifice can you ask for? But he didn’t stop there. I also believe that when Jesus was praying in the garden.

Luke 22:42 Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.

God’s heart broke for him. I had a hard time ripping off band-aids of my children. I didn’t want them to hurt. I believe God had so much love and compassion for him that he entered into him fully at that moment. After that you can see, hear and feel with full conviction everything Jesus said and done. He was so bold and brave. God was not going to let him take it all, until he had to. Jesus had to be the ultimate sacrifice. So the curtain could be torn, the gap between humanity and God could be joined. Don’t get me wrong, Im not saying Jesus didn’t feel every little bit of that suffering. He did. Think about when you are in such praise or prayer that you feel so close to God you are overwhelmed with words. That is just a rain drop of what Jesus was feeling. He was so in thronged with God, none of that mattered. Until he had to feel it all.

Matthew 27:45-46  From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came all over the land. About the ninth hour Jesus cried in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”(Aramaic) which means “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”

I still wonder what God was telling Jesus in those 3 hours. Was he giving him all the details of what is to come after he dies? Was he singing lullaby’s to him and rocking his broken son? I don’t know.  Maybe when we are all sitting around having dinner with him in heaven and laughing and telling stories, he will share that very intimate detail with us. Maybe it is just between a father and son. I guess my point is, God is the best Father. He loves us all so much he would let his own son die for us all. I just know there is nothing greater than his love.  Have you made such sacrifices? Do you care enough for God to make real sacrifices to Him? All he really wants is your time. Have you given up your electronics for 15 mins or more, just to spend some quality time with Him. It is not just for him, it is for you. He will give you so much love, and teach you. He is the best father. Please go spend time with your father today