God is Pleased

Good Friday: God Is Pleased
John 19:17-30

Read John 19:17-30

There were all sorts of reactions to Jesus’ crucifixion in the first century

· Pontius wavered
· The Pharisees hated and were jealous
· The mobs were amused
· The Soldiers mocked
· His mother grieved
· The disciples fled
· Peter Denied him
· Judas regretted

But what was God’s reaction? We know that at one point God was repulsed by His Son. Mark 15:34 says that:
at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"--which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

I personally believe that that moment may have been the most agonizing moment of the passion of Christ. We are so material minded- when we think of the brutality of that day we often imagine the whips and the beatings and the agony of asphyxiation.

But we can’t even begin to grasp much less explain the immeasurable spiritual anguish Jesus suffered when he took our God forsakenness for us.

He who knew no sin became sin for us and the Father withdrew His presence from the Son and Jesus took our hell.

But as boundless and as painful and as wrathful as that forsakenness may have been, there was a deeper more encompassing and long lasting feeling that God was expressing for Jesus as he hung humiliated at Calvary- pleasure!

No, not pleasure in the agony of the passion, “God does not take pleasure in the blood of bulls or of lambs or goat” (Is 1:11) but God does take pleasure in the Son who willingly and obediently submitted to it.

“But wait a minute,” you say, “God does not take pleasure in the death of the wicked, nor does he take pleasure in anyone who dies! Why would God take pleasure in the willingness of His Son to die?”

First of all, God does not take pleasure in the Son the way that we take pleasure in things. God pleasure in the Son is a unique pleasure that He shared with the Son in Eternity past.

Twice we are told in the gospel that the Father delights in his son:
· At His baptism- “Behold my son in whom I am well pleased…”
· Ay His transfiguration- “Behold my son in whom I delight…”

But the Bible also says that God was pleased in the Son at the cross. Look at Colossians 1:19-
…it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.
John 3:16 says that because of God’s love for the world, he gave his only son to the world, not only did God give His son to world, be he sent him in to the world. And not only did God send Jesus into the world, but God sent him to the cross.

Isaiah 53 says, “it pleased the Lord to bruise Him”

Because it is the chief end of man (who reflects the image of God) to exalt God and enjoy him forever, it is all the more God’s chief end to exalt Himself and enjoy Himself forever. “The Father loves the Son”.

And the greatest expression of the exaltation of God is Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, then the greatest expression of God’s self enjoyment must also be at the Cross.

As Jesus hung on the cross and cried out, “tetellestai” …paid in full… it is finished. God’s response was “I am satisfied.” In other words, in all his shame and humiliation, and the indignity of his suffering and in the exchange between the Father and the son we see the ultimate display of God’s pleasure.

That’s God’s reaction. What’s yours? May it never be apathy.

’Tis finished! all the debt is paid;Justice divine is satisfied;The grand
and full atonement made;God for a guilty world hath died.
Death, hell, and
sin are now subdued;All grace is now to sinners given;And lo, I plead the
atoning blood,And in Thy right I claim Thy
Heaven!

(Charles Wesley)

God is pleased.