The Sacrifice

“‘…My God, My God, why have You abandoned Me….’” (Matthew 27:46, Amplified Bible)

It’s almost Palm Sunday. That means Good Friday isn’t far behind. We think of the great sacrifice Jesus made for us, as we should. But there was another sacrifice, one we often miss: the Father’s sacrifice.

As a mother I cannot begin to imagine how the Father’s heart hurt on Palm Sunday, knowing His precious, innocent Son was days away from bearing the incomprehensible weight of all sin, and the unimaginable pain and suffering of crucifixion. Knowing in just a few days He would see His Son tortured, beaten beyond recognition, and nailed to a “tree”* like a common criminal….

In His holiness, He knew He would have to turn away. His sacrifice – abandoning His beloved Son, breaking what had been constant, intimate communion since before the beginning of time, leaving His wounded Son utterly alone – His sacrifice had to have torn His heart in two, even as the temple curtain was rent from top to bottom.** Yet, He made the sacrifice; He did not intercede. He turned away.

The Father sacrificed His one and only beloved Son for you and for me.

Father, forgive me for overlooking the sacrifice You made on that Friday, a sacrifice I cannot begin to grasp. A sacrifice made with incomprehensible love … for me.

*”…anyone who is hung on a tree is under God’s curse.” (Deuteronomy 21:23, New International Version)
**Matthew 27:51