A Thrill of Hope Day 1: The Purpose of Jesus

Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” 

“Here I am,” he replied. 

Then God said, “ Take your son, your only son, whom you love - Isaac - and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.” Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out of the place God had told him about. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 

He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.” 

Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”

“Yes, my son,” Abraham replied. “The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”

Abraham answered, “ God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together. When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 

But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”

“Here I am,” he replied.

“Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear 

God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.” 

The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time and said, “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.” Genesis 22:1-18

What a beautiful example of love and trust. Abraham loved and trusted God, and in turn, his son, Isaac, loved and trusted him.  Abraham loved God enough to sacrifice his one and only son, but assured his son that God would provide. Isaac did not question this answer, even when no lamb was being taken up the mountain as the sacrifice. 

Just as the book of Galatians makes this connection, this is foreshadowing for Jesus and his purpose here on earth. 

Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.” Galatians 3:8

Jesus recognized his purpose on earth, and knew he was the sacrifice for mankind. I often wonder when this was revealed to him and how. We all know, as humans, that our time on earth is a vapor (James 4:14) and we will pass away. However, Jesus was born to die. When did he know he was the sacrifice? 

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. John 3:16-17

Jesus trusted his father, just as Isaac trusted Abraham. God did not withhold his son, his only son, just as Abraham was not going to withhold his from God. Isaac was not a small child when this situation occurred. He was able to carry the wood for the offering, and could have easily overpowered his aging father. Just as Isaac could have stopped the sacrifice, Jesus could have called on his father and the angels and stopped the sacrifice. However, he did not. He recognized he was born for this purpose - to be the savior of the world.

Although Jesus was born to die, and suffered in death for us, let us not forget the freedom we received from his sacrifice. This Christmas season, as we celebrate the birth of Jesus, remember his purpose, and rejoice! He reigns forever!