How Can a Loving God Sacrifice His Son?

Preparing for Easter weekend, I have been thinking a lot about the death and resurrection of Jesus in terms of the plan of God.  Throughout the Bible, in the prequel that we call the Old Testament, we find hundreds of references to God's plan to save the world.  In fact, in their first conversation after the great sin, (Genesis 3:15) God himself previews his plan with prophecy #1.

A few thousand years later, Jesus begins his ministry, and in what has become the most popular verse of the Bible, thanks to posterboard and NFL broadcasts, Jesus says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only-born Son, that whoever believes in him will not perish, but have life eternal."  (John 3:16)

I often read objections to the rationality of this verse.  "How can God be described as loving, while demanding and planning for his Son to die for guilt of others?"  And it does make sense.  We can imagine how a strict, mean, judgmental God might plan such a thing.  But it is difficult to believe that is at all loving.  When we try to imagine how that decision went down, it gets worse.  Did the Father, Son and Holy Spirit gather in the throne room of heaven?  Did the God the Father reveal the strategic plan with charts, timelines and cute PowerPoint animations?  Did they draw straws for the dying part, with Jesus losing?  Or did the Father autocratically assign the roles, reserving for himself the part of "booming voice from heaven?"  It is difficult to imagine and understand.  It gets worse when I imagine it in human relational terms.  I can't imagine myself showing love by choosing and sending my son to die for another.

I have discovered what I believe is the best answer.  It has been a significant insight for me this Easter season.  In fact, I find myself drawn to Jesus more than ever.  If the book of John provides the problematic verse (John 3:16), then we ought to look at what else Jesus says in that same book.  Yes, Jesus describes himself as subordinate to the Father.  However, the whole of the book describes Jesus as fully God, doing all of the things that God does, with Jesus even proclaiming to be "one" with the Father in all things.  Here is why this is a big deal:  The cross was not the Father's plan dumped on Jesus; the cross was Jesus' plan.  Jesus was working out his plan.  Jesus, the Son, loved the world so much, he gave his own life....

Does this answer all of the difficult-to-understand aspects of the cross?  No.  It still blows my mind.  But this Friday, rather than question the love of the Father, I am going to marvel in the self-giving, long-ranging love planned and lived out by Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who gave his life for me.