God’s Plan from the Beginning

Some think the crucifixion of Jesus was a rude interruption of what appeared to be the ministry of a great humanitarian and moral teacher. But the Bible tells us something different: the cross was the goal of Jesus from the very beginning.

The wise men brought Him unusual gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. They brought Him gold because He was to be a king, frankincense because He would stand as a high priest between us and the Father, and myrrh, an embalming element, because He would go to the cross.

Even before His birth in Bethlehem, a decision was made in heaven that God would have to come to this earth and take drastic measures because of the dilemma humanity had gotten themselves into in the Garden of Eden. The decision was made that Jesus would come to earth and go to a cross. Revelation 13:8 says He is “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”

And in the gripping Old Testament account of Abraham and his beloved son, Isaac, we have a classic picture of what took place at the cross from God’s perspective. Isaac’s name actually means “laughter,” and that is what he brought into the home of the aged Abraham and Sarah. So imagine what a shock it must have been when God came to Abraham one day and told him to take his beloved son and go offer him as a sacrifice.

There was nothing greater God could have asked from Abraham. And as Abraham took Isaac to that place of sacrifice, he prophetically said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb” (Genesis 22:8).

That is exactly what happened at the cross. God provided for Himself the Lamb when He gave His Son—His only Son, whom He loved—for us.