He has Given us to his Son, and also Given his Son for us

The Father’s giving of them to him, to save them declares that he is, and will be, gentle and patient towards them, under all their provocations and miscarriages. It is not to be imagined, the trials and provocations that the Son of God has all along had with these people that have been given to him that saves them. Indeed he is said to be ‘a tried stone’, for he has been tried, not only by the devil, guilt of sin, death , and the curse of the law, but also by his people’s ignorance, unruliness, falls into sin, and declining to errors in life and doctrine.

Were we but capable of seeing how this Lord Jesus has been tried even by his people, ever since there was one of them in the world, we should be amazed at his patience and gentle behavior to them. It is said, indeed, ‘The LORD is very pitiful, slow to anger, and of great mercy.’ And, indeed ,if he had not been so, he could never have endured their manners as he has done from Adam until now. Therefore is his pity and bowels towards this church preferred above the pity and bowels of a mother toward her child. ‘Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee,’ saith the LORD (Isa. 49:15)

God did once give Moses, as Christ’s servant, a handful of his people, to carry them in his bosom, but no further than from Egypt to Canaan. And this Moses, as is said of him by the Holy Ghost, was the meekest man that was then to be found in the Earth. Yes, and he loved the people at a very great rate; yet neither would his meekness nor love hold out in this work. He failed and grew passionate, even to the provoking of his God to anger under this work. ‘And Moses said unto the LORD, wherefore has thou afflicted thy servant?’ But what was the affliction? Why, the Lord had said to him, ‘Carry this people in thy bosom as a nursing father beareth the suckling child, unto the land which I swore unto their fathers.’ And how then? Not I, says Moses, ‘I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me. If thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee, out of hand …and let me not see my wretchedness’ (Num. 11:11-15)

God gave them to Moses that he might carry them in his bosom, that he might show gentleness and patience towards them , under all the provocations with which they would provoke him from that time till he had brought them to their land. But he failed in the work; he could not exercise it, because he had not sufficient patience toward them. But now it is said of the person speaking in the text, ‘He shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young’; (Isa. 40:11). Intimating, that this was one of the qualifications that God looked for, and knew was in him, when he gave his elect to him to save them.

The Father giving him to save them declares that he has sufficient wisdom to contend with all those difficulties that would attend him in his bringing of his sons and daughters to glory. He mad e him to us to be wisdom; yes, he is called wisdom itself (1 Cor. 1:30). And God says, moreover, that ‘he shall deal prudently’ (Isa. 52:13). And, indeed, he that should take upon him to be the Saviour of the people needed to be wise, because their adversaries are subtle above any. Here they are to encounter with the serpent who for his subtlety outwitted our father and mother, when their wisdom was at its highest (Gen. 3). But if we talk of wisdom, our Jesus is wise, wiser than Solomon, wiser than all men, wiser than all angels; he is even the wisdom of God. Christ is ‘the wisdom of God’ (1 Cor. 1:24). And hence it is that he turns sin, temptations, persecutions, falls, and all things, for good to his people (Rom. 8:28).

Now these things which have been discussed show us also the great and wonderful love of the Father, in that he should choose out of this one way so well prepared for the work of man’s salvation.

Herein, indeed, perceive we the love of God. Huram gathered that God loved Israel because he had given them such a king as Solomon (2 Chron. 2:11). But how much more may we behold the love that God has bestowed upon us, in that he has given us to his Son, and also given his Son for us?

John Bunyan, Come and Welcome to Jesus Christ; on John 6 “All that the Father giveth to me shall come to me.”