The Father’s Sacrifice
by Fr. David M. Knight
March 1, 2024
Friday (Week II of Lent)
Lectionary No. 234
Genesis 37:3-28; Psalm 105; Matthew 21:33-46
"God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son;
so that everyone who believes in him might have eternal life." John 3:16
Usually we think of Jesus as the one who sacrificed by dying on the cross. What about the sacrifice the Father made by sending him to do that? What does that say about his love for us?
Why did he do it? He did it so that we “might have eternal life.” The Father was willing to sacrifice his Son—his beloved Son, God himself—so that we—human beings he created out of nothing—might live forever.
Not just live forever; “have eternal life.” Only one life is eternal, without beginning or end: God’s Life. And God’s Life is the Father, Son, and Spirit interacting with each other with perfect knowledge and love, in total union of mind and will and heart.
The Father was willing to let someone as precious to him as God the Son die on the cross so that we might take part in that interaction forever. How wonderful must that interaction—that friendship—be?
The sacrifice was only necessary because we rejected God and sinned against him. How great must the Father’s love be? He sacrificed his Son to share the intimate, all-embracing Life of the Trinity with those who rejected him!
That is mind-blowing.
ACTION: Think: would you offer close friendship to someone you know has rejected you?
PRAYER: “By the Lord this has been done. It is wonderful in our eyes."
Reflections brought to you by the Immersed in Christ Ministry
Comments