Who really delivered up the Lord Jesus to die? It was not the devil, though he certainly hated the Father and the Son of God. It was not Judas who despised the Master and was willing to receive a small pittance of thirty pieces of silver for his vile deed of betrayal. It was not Pilate who would have released Jesus, but refused to do the right thing because he was fearful of the people. It was not the Roman soldiers who received some sort of debased satisfaction from crucifying felons, making men suffer the cruelest form of capital punishment of that day. It was not even the Sanhedrin whose hatred and envy were aroused because Jesus of Nazareth exposed their self-righteousness and He was accumulating more followers than they were. Who really delivered the Son of God up to die?

“It pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He hath put Him to grief” (Isaiah 53:10).

     The Father delivered Christ up to die. He designed in eternity past and brought to pass in time the death of His only begotten Son; this was the only way to save sinners. The Lamb of God must die in order to rescue the objects of the Father’s everlasting love. Justice must be satisfied in the punishment of sin; divine grace must be made known in the salvation of the objects of God’s affection. Observe the cross of Calvary and behold the purpose of God being fulfilled. See the One who suffered, bled and died on that tree. His sacrificial death honored justice, fulfilled God’s determination to save and actually reconciled to God all of those entrusted to Him in the everlasting covenant of mercy.

“He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32)