The Willing God

"No one can take My life from Me. I sacrifice it voluntarily..."

~John 10:18 [NLT]

Among the many reasons for which we love our elder Brother, Christ Jesus, surely the greatest of them all is the fact that everything He does for us, He does willingly. Christ's great heart has not a vein of grudge against us but beats with love unreservedly for His people like a large dam from which bursts forth endless torrents of water. But sweeter still, Christ is all the more magnified in our eyes because He gave knowing He would receive great suffering in loving us.

Christ Jesus is the great Friend of sinners (Matthew 11:19) who chose His disciples knowing that they would betray and deny Him (Matthew 26:31). He earnestly sought after and wept for those who refused to come under His wings (Luke 19:41). He freely loved those who burned with hatred towards the meek and lowly Saviour. He had compassion on the selfish, unbelieving crowds who doubted Him (Mark 8:2, John 6:41-43). Christ lovingly instructed and evangelized to those who were insincere and sought to test Him (Mark 10:21, Luke 10:25). He is that Pearl of great value who was willing to be trodden underfoot by us sinful swine (Matthew 13:45-46). He is the Son who is graciously sent by the Father to His own vineyard knowing full well that the owners of the vineyard would kill Him (Luke 20:14).

He willingly offered His back to be beaten and gave His cheeks to be struck and to have His beard ripped out (Isaiah 50:6). He forgave those who hung Him on a cross by nails in His limbs (Luke 23:34). He gave His face to be spit upon and spilt His blood that His enemies may be spared from wrath and judgment (Romans 5:8). He is the seed that was willing to die in order to bring forth new life (John 12:24).

The God of the universe is a God who gives of Himself freely and entirely to rescue mortal, wicked creatures of the dust who are here today and gone tomorrow. He bares His heart open to the world's hatred and His body to be tortured. And in it all, He had no anger or a shade of hatred towards us but willingly went up to the altar as the Lamb of God and laid Himself quietly on the altar to be bound and die.

Do not the hearts of my readers melt to hear of the great love of Christ towards us? We struck Him on the cross and like the rock in the wilderness, out flowed more love and forgiveness to sinners. Any rational human being having seen the love of their Maker must concede and say: "The love of Christ compels me. I simply cannot live any longer for myself but will gladly live wholly for Him who died for me."

I gave My life for thee,

My precious blood I shed,

That you might ransomed be,

And raised up from the dead;

I suffered much for thee,

More than your tongue can tell,

Of bitterest agony,

To rescue you from hell;

I gave, I gave my life for thee,

What have you given for Me?

I've borne, I've borne it all for thee,

What have you borne for Me?

~ Frances R. Havergal (1859)

*[The reference to the pearl and swine is from verses in different contexts where Christ warns against wasting our resources on those that reject & dishonour Biblical truths; but here they are linked to show Christ's willingness to plead once for all with those who would reject Him. Beyond this of course, lies judgement for them.]