Week 4 - Why did Jesus have to die?

Sacred Insight: Living it out in community
How does this scripture apply to how you relate to your own community – whether fellow believers or those who are not yet believers?

In our scripture, Jesus asks God to take this burden of death from him. It must have felt so terrifying to know that He was about to be betrayed by His friends, tortured and publicly executed. Who wouldn’t pray to God to avoid that fate? But have you ever wondered why didn’t God just take his cup from him? I mean, if God is the one who ordains and gives everything order and meaning, why couldn’t he just change the script? Why was the death part necessary?

This is a huge question and one that we need to fully understand in order to comprehend the significance of Jesus’ crucifixion in context to the time period in which it happened, and how it impacts us today.

Starting all the way back in Genesis 4, we find the first mention of the idea of sacrifices. Here, we find Cain and Abel making sacrifices to God. As evidence of faith and required by the Mosaic Law, sacrifices continued throughout the Old Testament as a way for man to connect with God, seek forgiveness, ask for peace, give thanks and, of course, to make an atonement for guilt and sin. The idea behind sacrifice is to donate something of great value in order to imply that something of even greater value has been received or will be received. To sacrifice was to tangibly acknowledge God’s sovereignty and our gratitude for it.

This is where Jesus comes in.

When Jesus came to earth, God had this opportunity to take the concept of sacrifice and flip the script. He would display the ultimate act of humility and love by sacrificing the most precious and perfect creation ever to exist – his son, Jesus Christ. That’s right – even though we were the ones who were broken and sinful, God wanted to make a sacrifice to us. And not just any sacrifice, but the most perfect, precious sacrifice ever created – His only son. He did this to show us how much He loves us and wants to offer his forgiveness to us.

John 3:17
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him

If you think about it, it’s the most extreme act of love ever made. If you are a parent, you know that there’s nothing worse than losing a child. A mother or father would gladly die in place of watching their child suffer and die. There’s literally nothing worse. Yet, that’s exactly what our God did for us. That’s why there was and is nothing greater that our Heavenly Father could’ve done, than to make this gesture to us.

Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

God demonstrated to us what real, unabashed love looks like and, even though it brought Himself and his son, Jesus, enormous pain. God knew that there can be no true sacrifice without pain. Pain is precisely what makes sacrifice meaningful.

But the reason why Jesus needed to suffer and die didn’t end with His sacrifice. Remember what happened three days after Jesus’ crucifxion? Jesus defeated death and rose from the dead. This mighty act demonstrated His undeniable diety, His absolute authority over the heavens and the earth and His dominion over death itself. Because He rose from the dead, there could be no doubt that we follow a holy, mighty and Living God – and that, if He could do this for His Son, he could do this for us, too!

1 Corinthians 15: 55 “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”

So. When Jesus asked in his very anguished, heartfelt prayer that this cup be taken from him – do you see now why God’s answer had to be ‘no’? This must happen. This act of Jesus’ betrayal, suffering, death and resurrection was part of a much bigger plan that resulted in all of humanity having an opportunity to know just how redeemed and forgiven we really are.

God’s answer to Jesus’ prayer was – I love you too much to not let you do what you came to earth to do. And I love my creation too much to not make this sacrifice on their behalf, in the hopes that we might be together forever – face to face, in eternal joy and glory.

The idea of sacrifice shows up all throughout the Bible. When you hear the word “sacrifice,” what do you usually think of? How is God’s sacrifice different from human sacrifices?

Put into your own words why Jesus’ request that this cup be taken from him was not granted.

What would be missing if there was not resurrection – if Jesus’story ended at the cross?

This reading says God “flipped the script” by becoming the one who makes the sacrifice. What does it tell us about God’s character?

What would be a true sacrifice for you? In other words, what is something that you really value that would cause you discomfort when giving it away to someone else?

Live It Out:

As you think about the great sacrifice Jesus made for us, think about what sacrifices you can make for the people around you on Jesus’ behalf. How can you serve your community – your church, your neighborhood, your workplace, etc.? Think it through and come up with one actionable item to do this week that will cost you something – whether that’s your time, your energy or a more tangible cost. Write a brief plan in your journal to refer to throughout the week.