The Mystery and Magnitude of Jesus’ Sacrifice: A Love That Transcends Death
In exploring the depth of Jesus’ sacrifice, we encounter a deep mystery: How could Jesus’ death on the cross truly be a sacrifice if He was raised from the dead and lives eternally as part of the Trinity? This question unveils layers of truth that go beyond human understanding, touching on His sovereignty, His eternal love, and the immeasurable grace that He extended to us.
The Christian faith teaches that Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection are central to our salvation. John 3:16 encapsulates this, saying, “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.” Yet, how do we reconcile this gift with the reality that Jesus is alive today, having conquered death? Let’s delve into what it means for Jesus to have sacrificed Himself, not merely in His death but in His incarnation, suffering, and enduring love.
The Nature of Jesus’ Sacrifice
Sacrifice is often thought of as a permanent loss, but in Jesus’ case, it’s rooted in His choice to endure suffering and separation out of love. His sacrifice involved far more than physical suffering; it was also a spiritual agony as He bore the weight of humanity’s sin. Philippians 2:6-8 describes His humility, stating, “Though he was in the form of God, he did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant… He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”
On the cross, Jesus endured the anguish of separation from the Father. When He cried, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46), He experienced the ultimate effect of sin: separation from God’s presence. Yet, this separation was not an actual division within the Trinity but rather a relational experience of forsakenness as He bore the full weight of humanity’s sin. As 2 Corinthians 5:21 tells us, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
The Incarnation: An Act of Permanent Sacrifice
Before His incarnation, Jesus, like the Father and the Spirit, existed as a purely spiritual being, unlimited by physical constraints. Yet, in the incarnation, He chose to fully experience human life with all its limitations, taking on a human body and nature while never ceasing to be fully divine. Hebrews 2:17 affirms this, saying, “He had to be made like His brothers in every respect.”
In taking on humanity, Jesus did not give up His divine nature or attributes; rather, He willingly set aside the independent use of His divine privileges, choosing to live in humble submission to the Father’s will and under the Spirit’s empowerment. This humility and self-limitation, often described as “emptying Himself” (Philippians 2:7), was not a loss of His divinity but a voluntary embrace of human limitations. Jesus clarified this in John 5:19: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.”
Throughout His ministry, Jesus consistently emphasized that He spoke and acted only according to the Father’s direction. In John 12:49-50, He said, “For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken. I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.”This commitment to the Father’s will was part of His choice to embrace the full human experience—enduring hunger, fatigue, and sorrow—while remaining fully God.
By submitting to the Father in every word and action, Jesus lived as the perfect servant, exemplifying humility and obedience. His life, while fully human, was also a revelation of God’s character, showing us how divine love willingly enters into our humanity. Even in His resurrection, He retains His glorified human body, an eternal reminder of His sacrificial choice to become like us. Jesus’ resurrection body is not merely symbolic; it is part of His ongoing, sacrificial identification with humanity. After His resurrection, He invited Thomas to touch His wounds (John 20:27), showing that the marks of His sacrifice remain with Him forever—a lasting testament to His love and eternal commitment to us.
The Voluntary Nature of His Death
In John 10:17-18, Jesus said, “No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again.” This statement underscores the sovereignty of Jesus in His death; He chose the moment to die. Even as He hung on the cross, He was fully in control. When He cried out, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46), He consciously surrendered His spirit, timing His death according to His will and fulfilling the Father’s redemptive plan.
This choice makes His sacrifice all the more powerful. Jesus was not a victim of circumstance; He willingly bore the sins of the world out of His boundless love for humanity. His sacrificial obedience was in alignment with God’s redemptive plan, as Philippians 2:8 describes, “He humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross.”
A Mystery of Unity and Love in the Trinity
This depth of love is a mystery within the unity of the Trinity. While Jesus experienced the feeling of separation, the divine essence of the Trinity remained unbroken. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit acted in perfect harmony to accomplish redemption, even as the Son experienced the full weight of human sin. Conservative theologians often highlight this aspect, holding that Jesus’ experience of separation did not fracture the Trinity but was an expression of His role as Savior, bearing humanity’s sin and its consequences.
Retaining a Glorified Human Body: Part of His Eternal Sacrifice
Jesus’ resurrected body reflects His eternal commitment to humanity, setting Him apart within the Godhead as the incarnate and glorified Son. Unlike the Father and the Spirit, who remain purely spirit, Jesus forever possesses a glorified human body. In Hebrews 7:24-25, we see that He “continues forever” and “always lives to make intercession” for us, fulfilling His ongoing role as our High Priest and Mediator. His permanent embodiment is both an act of sacrificial love and a promise that we, too, will share in His resurrection.
His wounds, retained in His glorified form, serve as an eternal testament to His sacrificial love. These scars, visible reminders of His crucifixion, reveal the depth of His commitment. Rather than returning to a purely spiritual existence, Jesus chose to retain His human form in a glorified state, foreshadowing our own future resurrection and eternal life with Him (1 Corinthians 15:20-23).
Jesus' Sacrifice and Resurrection: A Victory, Not a Loss
The resurrection does not negate Jesus’ sacrifice; rather, it completes it. In His resurrection, we see the victory over death and sin—a triumph made possible through His willing surrender on the cross. His life, death, and resurrection together fulfill God’s plan of redemption, offering us not only forgiveness but a new life lived through Him (Romans 6:4, Galatians 2:20).
Because He lives, His sacrifice continues to impact us today. The scars He bears and the life He offers are present reminders of His unending love and commitment. He lives to intercede for us (Hebrews 7:25), ensuring that we are never alone, and that His sacrifice continues to cover us.
Final Reflection: Living in the Light of His Sacrifice
In John 15:13, Jesus says, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” His love transcends even this ultimate act, as He not only laid down His life but took it up again, forever changed in His glorified form, a testimony of His love for us. The choice to lay down His life was a sovereign, redemptive act, revealing a love that willingly endured separation, suffering, and death for our sake.
Let this vast mystery and truth encourage us. Jesus’ sacrifice is more than a historical event; it’s a living reality, an invitation into His life of grace, love, and eternal fellowship. His sacrifice was not simply in His death but in His willingness to live forever with the marks of that sacrifice, embodying a love that will never fade, a commitment that will never waver. Jesus did not merely endure the cross—He chose it, and in doing so, He secured for us a life that we can now live in Him.
A Note on the Orthodoxy of This Reflection
For those who may find parts of this discussion surprising, rest assured that these themes are deeply rooted in traditional Christian teaching. The core ideas here align with foundational doctrines held by the early church and supported by centuries of Christian theology.
The Nature of Jesus' Sacrifice and Resurrection: Jesus' sacrifice was complete in His suffering and death, and His resurrection confirms and completes this work (1 Corinthians 15:54-57). This view aligns with penal substitutionary atonement, a widely accepted doctrine among Christians, which holds that Jesus bore the penalty of sin on our behalf.
Jesus Retaining His Glorified Body: After the resurrection, Jesus retained His glorified human body, which He showed to His disciples as a testament to His ongoing identification with humanity (John 20:27). His glorified form is the “firstfruits” of our own future resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:20-23), symbolizing His eternal commitment to humanity.
Unity Within the Trinity: Jesus’ experience of feeling forsaken on the cross is traditionally understood as relational, not an actual division within the Trinity. This aligns with orthodox beliefs about the indivisibility of God, as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit remain one in essence (Matthew 27:46, 2 Corinthians 5:21).
The Voluntary Nature of Jesus’ Death: Jesus’ control over His life and death, as seen in John 10:17-18, aligns with His divine sovereignty. His death was not a tragic end but a conscious act of love, revealing His obedience and love for the Father’s redemptive plan.
May this truth encourage and strengthen you. Jesus' choice to lay down His life, bear our sins, and continue interceding for us in His glorified form speaks to a love that is both eternal and ever-present. We live each day not striving for God’s favor but resting in the assurance of His accomplished work. His love, sacrifice, and resurrection are powerful reminders of the life we now live in Him—secure, forgiven, and forever loved.