For the Jews the sacrifice of Abraham is the climax of their covenant relationship with God. It is seen as a double sacrifice. First there is the sacrifice of the father, Abraham, willing to give up his own son. Then there is the sacrifice of the son who willingly gives up his life in accordance with his father’s will. Isaac was not a helpless child. He would have been old enough to put up an effective struggle against his elderly father. Isaac offered up his own life freely.
God did not spare His own son for the sake of us all. The Father fulfills His promise to give us everything. The sacrifice of Abraham, the sacrifice of the father, is united perfectly with the obedient sacrifice of the Son, in order to do exactly that, give us everything. God is so completely with us and for us that no juridical judgment can stand against us.
The Transfiguration is one of the great manifestations of the Holy Trinity. The Father shows the true nature of the Beloved Son, whom He has not withheld from the slaughter. The Son, the new Isaac, is perfectly obedient even unto death. And all is veiled in divine mystery by the overshadowing of the luminous cloud of the Holy Spirit.
The dark days of the passion lie ahead. But full knowledge of what the Father has done for us, the totality of the sacrifice made for us, will strengthen us as we proclaim the Good News.
Pax Vobiscum
Second Sunday of Lent
Illustration of the Transfiguration by Jos Speybrouck, 1932