While reading back through the previous post, I began thinking again about God’s sovereignty.
We had been considering the difference between someone being given into another’s hands and someone being taken captive. But even when people take, their actions do not place them beyond God’s authority.
Jesus came to mind. He was delivered into hostile hands and put to death, yet Scripture also describes God’s purpose and Jesus’ willingness within that same event.
That brought two passages into my thoughts: Isaiah’s words about Jehovah being pleased, and Paul’s statement that the rulers would not have crucified the Lord of Glory if they had understood.
Delivered Over According to God’s Purpose
Acts 2:23–24 places God’s predetermined plan alongside the actions of those who crucified Jesus. Their actions are still described as lawless. God then raises Him from death.
I find that distinction important. God’s purpose does not make their intention righteous, and their wrongdoing does not mean His purpose has failed.
Here, the account goes beyond simply saying that God allowed something. It describes a purpose already present when Jesus was delivered over.
This deepens the question we have been following. Being handed into someone’s power does not tell us everything about whose purpose will finally be accomplished.
Jesus Also Gives Himself
In John 10:17–18, Jesus describes laying down His life willingly, with authority to take it up again, according to the command received from His Father.
His own response belongs within the account.
Those who crucified Him acted against Him, yet His willingness was not theirs to create or control. Their outward action and His giving of Himself meet within the same event, with different purposes involved.
This makes me consider how easily an observer could see only what the hostile power appears to have achieved.
What Does “Pleased” Mean Here?
The passage I was remembering is Isaiah 53:10–12.
The LSB says that “Yahweh was pleased to crush Him.” Its footnotes also offer wording involving desire and will.
I want to read that statement with what follows: the guilt offering, the servant’s seed, the prolonging of His days, the bearing of sins, and many being declared righteous.
My understanding is that Jehovah’s pleasure concerns the fulfillment of His purpose through the servant’s suffering. I am not reading it as pleasure in pain for its own sake.
The passage gives me reason to look beyond the suffering alone and consider what is accomplished through it.
What the Rulers Did Not Understand
In 1 Corinthians 2:7–8, Paul describes God’s hidden wisdom and says that, had the rulers understood it, they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory.
This is the connection I wanted to explore.
Could what they intended to accomplish have served a purpose they did not understand?
Reading these passages together, I see reason to consider that. Paul does not explicitly identify his statement as an explanation of Isaiah’s wording, so I am following a comparison rather than claiming that he makes the connection for me.
Returning to Authority and Belonging
This thread belongs within our larger study because we have been asking what occupation, control, and outward power actually establish.
Jesus’ death brings those questions into sharper focus. Human intention, God’s purpose, and the willing response of the one delivered over can differ within the same event.
I cannot assume that I know God’s particular purpose in every instance of suffering or captivity. Here, however, Scripture gives us something specific to consider.
The hands that received Jesus did not determine the final outcome. The account continues into resurrection.
Threads to Follow
Given, taken, and delivered over
God’s purpose alongside human responsibility
Jesus’ willing giving of Himself
Jehovah’s pleasure in Isaiah 53
Hidden wisdom and the rulers’ lack of understanding
Apparent control and the outcome God establishes
The books were opened…
🌿 By Maria Emilia
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