Gimme some Comments

I figure this is a good day to talk a little about Jesus' sacrifice. I am fascinated by the parallels between the sacrifice of Jesus and Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac. If you want, read this article about how the Abraham/Isaac sacrifice was linked to the temple sacrifices.

Below, I copied a section I especially like.

From a Jewish source,
Instead, "Yitzchak's [Isaac's] fire" can refer to the spiritual reality and commitment he personally "ignited" that day when he, recognizing that he was to be the sacrifice, abandoned himself completely to the will of His Father in Heaven, and his father on earth. This, the commentators explains, is the meaning of the verse:

" ... And they walked together as one."

That is, with a single heart (Rashi) ... even after the realization that the "missing sacrifice" that Yitzchak had asked about was in fact not missing at all, but was he himself.

What is the "wood of Avraham"? Wood is fuel for the fire, and this is what Avraham had provided his son. It had been Avraham's test to bring Yitzchak up as an offering to G-d; who had set up the situation so that Yitzchak could choose to be bound and offered to G-d. This is the ultimate "gift" a parent can give to a child: the opportunity to know G-d, to love G-d, and to choose His way.

And here are some snipits from a discussion in the comments section of Why Not Remember?:

No One You Know said...
So, this has just been going around in my head for awhile, and I'd like to get your perspective on it: It's the story of when God tells Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac. God tells Abraham to break one of the commandments. Now, I understand why Abraham could obey God, knowing that God would keep His promise no matter what. But, it's still murder. How can God tell Abraham to premeditate a murder, when God has forbidden this?

Joshua said...
I like to focus on Isaac in this occurrence. How much wood does it take to completely burn a person? Probably a whole lot. Isaac was strong enough to carry it (Gen 22:6). Many commentaries say that Isaac was pretty grown up at that time. Possibly 33. There was no way that Abraham could have overpowered Isaac and tied him to the altar (without supernatural intervention). Isaac had to submit to being the sacrifice.

The Word of God that Abraham had was God’s Voice. And he obeyed that Word no matter what his understanding was, and no matter what he saw around him.

No One You Know said...
I don't believe God ever intended for Abraham to kill Isaac. I think Abraham knew God's heart well enough to know that God would either provide a way out of the death of Isaac or raise him from the dead. Plus, Abraham clearly heard God's voice, so there wasn't confusion over whether or not it was God telling him to do it like there would be today.

Joshua said...
A question for you: How is Jesus’ death just? Is it righteous to kill the innocent in place of the guilty?

No One You Know said...
Good question about Jesus' sacrifice, which brings up another question, did Jesus choose to die for us. I mean, Jesus and God knew what it would take to bring restoration to the world, so did Jesus choose to be the sacrifice and God allow it? Or, did God make Jesus be the sacrifice? Do God and Jesus have a free will? Could Jesus have decided He did not want to die on the cross?

So, what do you think about any of this?