"Why did Jesus die?"
As the season of Easter approaches and we reflect on the death and resurrection of Jesus, it is important to remember that there are many people around us today who need to hear the message of the Gospel. Maybe you are one of those people who has never really understood why Easter is celebrated? I want to invite you to continue reading and learn of the greatest joy in life, salvation through Jesus. An important question to ask as we remember this holiday season is, “Why did Jesus die?” When we research this question, we will discover the amazing redemptive plan that God had set out for us from the beginning.
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When Did Jesus Tell His Disciples He Had to Die?
Pastor Doug Bookman highlights the moment when Jesus told his disciples that the crucifixion was coming:
“When we think of Jesus coming to earth, we think of it as coming to die. Amen and amen. But you need to file this away: It is not until three years into a three-and-a-half year ministry that Jesus for the first time talks about dying. And when he does, it’s in Matthew 16. Matthew 16:21. It's that Caesarea Philippi thing. It’s almost three years in. Look, for two and a half years, public presentation, then for about a year, private preparation. But Jesus spends months just trying to get alone with his disciples. He has become such a celebrity that everywhere he goes, he excites crowds and he finally has to go off to a place called Caesarea Philippi.
And there in the foothills of Mount Hermon, he gets alone with his apostles and he gives them their final exam and says, ‘whom do you say that I am?’ And Peter says, ‘thou art the Christ the Son of the living God.’ And Jesus exalted, he said, ‘blessed art thou.’ [In other words,] You got it. Now I've got something more for you. Now we're moving on to the graduate course.
In verse 21 of Matthew 16, it says, ‘from that time forth began Jesus to tell his disciples how he must go to Jerusalem, suffer many things of the chief priest, scribes be killed. And on the third day, he would rise again.’ ”(First published on Christianity.com as “When Does Jesus Start Talking about the Cross?” on August 5, 2010)
Why Did Jesus Have to Die?
In order to understand the sacrifice of death, we must look at the consequence of death. Dying is not a natural experience. This was not the way we were originally created, but sin entered the world and resulted in death.
When God created the world, He gave a clear boundary for man not to eat from one tree because it would lead to death. Genesis 2:16 says, “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, ‘You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.’” Think about if we were in an orchard and someone said that we could pick any of the fruit from the trees except one because it was poisonous and we would die. We want to believe that we would stay away from that tree, but what if someone came along and said that the owner of the orchard tells that tale to everyone so they will not eat from the best tree in the orchard. It might cause us to question the authenticity of the owner. It may even lead us to test out the theory.
Adam and his wife questioned the Creator and chose to sin against Him instead. In Genesis 3 they were tempted by the serpent (Satan) and ate the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The result was unfortunately not just death, but eternal separation from God. You might be thinking, “I thought God was a God of grace? Why could He not just forgive them for that one time?” The Lord is perfect and the problem with even just one sin is that it separates us from Him. Sin is a barrier no matter how big or small we view it.
Genesis 3:21-24 says, “And the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them. Then the LORD God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—" therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden, he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.
Noticed the word “Us.” Jesus and the Holy Spirit (Genesis 1:2) were there from the beginning. God refers to Himself as “Us.” The concern then became if Adam and Eve would eat from the tree of life and live fallen forever in separation from the Lord. Instead, God protected the future of mankind and provided the first sacrifice of an animal, and clothed the man and woman. How amazing that in His kindness God personally performed the first sacrifice for the sins of Adam and Eve and covered them, then sent them away to await His promise of redemption. Our God is so great that He performed the first and last sacrifice on behalf of all the sins of those who put their trust in Him.
What Were Sacrifices Like Before Jesus?
From the time of Adam and Eve all the way up to the time of Jesus, the people of God were awaiting the coming Messiah. God gave His laws through the 10 Commandments and the Pentateuch. (The first 5 books of the Bible) There were regular practices of animal sacrifices on behalf of the sins of the people. These were often performed by priests. Although these offerings never saved the people, their faith in the coming Savior did.
A clear example of this was Abraham. Romans 4:3 says, “For what does the Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.’” An Old Testament example is found in Hosea 6:6, “For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.”
The burnt offerings of the Jews were done in obedience to God. Even with years of sacrifices, there was never an animal sufficient enough to cover the sins of the world. Jesus had to come as a man and live a perfect life in order that humanity would have an opportunity to be reunited with their Creator.
Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
How Did Jesus Die?
Why did Jesus die and how did he do it? On Good Friday, the day after the Passover feast, Jesus died on a wooden cross like the criminals of his day. He was whipped, stripped, spat on, mocked, given a crown of thorns pressed into his head, forced to carry his own heavy cross (but got help from a follower), and hung up on a cross with nails hammered into his hands and feet. There was a sign placed above Him that read, “Hail the King of the Jews” (Matthew 27:37).
After he took His last breath around 3 pm, the sky darkened, the earth quaked, and the veil that used to be the divider between God’s people and His presence tore from top to bottom. A guard made sure Jesus was dead by piercing his side. Then a wealthy man allowed Jesus to be buried in his tomb.
For more in-depth Scripture passages on the crucifixion, please see Matthew 27, Mark 15, Luke 23, and John 19.
What Does the Bible Say about Why Jesus Had to Die?
Why did Jesus die? The Bible says that Jesus’ death was the only way for redemption.
Acts 4:11-12 says, “This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Jesus’ death was not just physical, but also spiritual and emotional. Colin Smith from Crosswalk shares, “He was bearing sin. 1 Peter 2:24 says, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree.” God made him who had no sin to be sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21). In the darkness, the Lord laid on Jesus the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:6). To be our sin-bearer, Christ received in himself the hell that our sins deserve. Klass Schilder says God was “directly sending the torments of hell against the Christ.” This is the deepest mystery in the darkness of the cross.”
Could We Be Saved Without Jesus Dying?
One of the most direct answers to this question in the entire Bible is found in John 14:6 which says, “Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” The world wants to say, “Your truth is your truth” and “all roads lead to heaven.” I am not going to lie; these statements feel good when I have family and friends who are choosing a different path from Jesus. However, I have been given the answer about the reality and the only way to heaven is Jesus. My greatest desire in life is for others to know the truth so that they do not choose eternal separation from God.
Hope Bollinger from Crosswalk shares:
"'But what if we work to pay off our debt? Through good deeds?' every other religion apart from Christianity says.
Here’s why this doesn’t work. First, Scripture says good deeds are like dirty rags, completely worthless (Isaiah 64:6). Also, good deeds, no matter what kind of “debt” they pay (although arguably zero, because our motives would be corrupted by sin anyhow) they cannot repay an eternal debt. We cannot earn our own salvation. We stretched the chasm too wide, and our good deeds, at best, are a 2X2” block of plywood.
So if we go with the second option, that means someone holy and perfect has to die. Someone not tainted by original sin. Someone born of a virgin. God himself.”
Why Is it Crucial for Christianity that Jesus Died?
1 Timothy 2:5 says, “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.”
Jesus’ death is crucial for Christianity because it is through His death and resurrection that we can live forgiven of all of our sins past, present, and future. Even more wonderful, we are given an opportunity to be reunited to our Creator God and we are given His presence through His Holy Spirit the moment when we accept Jesus. If Jesus had not died, then we would be sitting around waiting for hope. Instead, every day we can be actively living out the victory of salvation through our personal Savior Jesus and sharing in relationship with Him. Jesus’ excruciating death, leads to our abundant life.
Further Reading
Why Did Jesus Have to Die for Our Sins?
Why Did Jesus Have to Die for Our Sins on the Cross?
Photo credit: ©GettyImages/Arthit_Longwilai
Learn more about the meaning and significance behind the Easter holiday and Holy Week celebrations:
What is Lent? and When Does Lent Start?
What is Ash Wednesday? and When is Ash Wednesday?
What is Palm Sunday?
What is Maundy Thursday?
What is Good Friday? and When is Good Friday?
What is Holy Saturday?
What is Easter? and When is Easter Sunday?
Easter Bible Verses
The Resurrection of Jesus
Easter Prayers
