Lying on his back, the sky looked wonderfully blue that day. The lightness of the clouds seemed to mock the heaviness of the moment. He was bound, by the will of his own father, ready to become a living sacrifice. It was all so surreal insofar as he had always tried to please and honor his father … in everything. As a result, he was a mere seconds from tasting death’s sting per his father’s purposes.
Sure, he had the ability to run away from it all, saving his life rather than losing it and thereby eschewing his father’s will for his own. But how could he do that? He had been conceived by supernatural means with God himself announcing his upcoming birth. He was to be an important cog in the intergenerational mechanism known as Israel. He seemed destined for leadership, but it was about to end before it was started. In that moment, he looked at his father, whose raised hand was about to deliver the death blow. He was going to be obedient, even if it meant dying a horrible death. Although the words were not spoken aloud, his submission proclaimed, “Not my will but thine be done.”
Young Isaac was totally obedient to his father’s, Abraham, will. Even though it was going to cost him his only begotten son, Abraham was totally obedient to his Heavenly Father’s will. This story, fleshed out almost 2,000 years before Messiah’s arrival here on earth, was a foreshadowing of the death of another Son at the hands of His Father on the cross of Calvary.
Many Christians wrongly believe that Christ’s crucifixion was Plan B to accomplish what Plan A, as seen in the Old Testament, was unable to do. They could not be more wrong. Everything in the Old Testament, including Isaac’s willingness to die per his father’s will, serves as a picture that points to the Father’s purpose in Christ, which was conceived in eternity past. In other words, Jesus was willing to create a world for which He would one day die.
We see this same picture in the Passover story wherein a young male lamb, without blemish, was chosen. Its blood was put upon the posts and lintels of doorways throughout Goshen so that the coming wrath of Almighty God would pass over them. Finally, the lamb was placed upright on a piece of wood to be cooked. Fast forward around 14 centuries, and we have another young male, the Lamb of God, Jesus of Nazareth. He was inspected and proclaimed by Pilate as one without fault, who would also be hung upright on a piece of wood during the Passover celebration. It is only through His shed blood, applied to the doors of our hearts, that allows us to similarly escape the coming wrath of God upon mankind.
This Easter weekend, we should sit in awe and wonder of a God who would create a world for which His only Son would die. While the mystery in Christ has been revealed, it’s breadth and depth are still too overwhelming to truly comprehend. Perhaps the best way we can get our arms around it is by reading and contemplating the human story of Abraham and Isaac. May each father, son, mother, and daughter have this same level of obedience to do the Father’s will in our their lives.
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