What's in it for Him?

Jesus showed his supreme love of the Father in His obedience to death (John 10:14-15,17-18). But how did the Father show His love for the Son? What made the crucifixion of the Son an expression of fatherly love?

Answer: The joy set before Him (Hebrews 12:2), namely, the intimacy, acceptance, mutual love and trust with the elect. The reward for Christ’s atoning work was the restoration of perfect love between Creator and creature (John 10:27-29). To the degree that Christ showed His love for the Father in His obedience to the Father, the Father showed His love for the Son by granting Him this desire (John 17:24 ) and drawing the Church home (John 6:44).

You may be weary from disappointment with human love. You may feel distant from God. You may be crashing from the sugar high of indulging in created things. If so, have you considered this? What more does He need to say? Look to the greatness of Christ and to the Cross of Christ until your soul is warmed again. His desire is to do more than forgive. Forgiveness is not an end; it is a means to an end. Yes, the display of His glory is His first objective, but how is that glory most clearly put on display? Answer: In His perfectly-loving, personally-loving, and justice-satisfying sacrifice that brought you to God and secured your joy in Him forever. To get that, He endured the Cross and mocked its shame.