Why did Jesus have to die?
In some ways, Christianity is a very odd religion. For it makes the claim that God Himself, in the form of a young Jewish teacher, was put to death in a manner that was not only shockingly brutal and inhumane but also intensely shameful (crucifixion was reserved for the dregs of society). Even more strangely, His death was not by murder or accident, but by judicial execution (although He was innocent of the charges laid against Him). Since a victim of crucifixion fell under the curse of being “hung on a pole” (Deuteronomy 21:22,23), this death should have disqualified Jesus of Nazareth from any claim to be the long-awaited Jewish Messiah. And yet this is precisely what His followers and worshippers have always proclaimed Him to be – a message that has always been “a stumbling-block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles.” (I Corinthians 1:23) The paradox is so scandalous that Islam, in order to honour Jesus as a prophet, has to deny that He ever died at all…
The Cross has always been offensive. The first Christians were mocked for giving their devotion to a man who died such a shameful death. These days, our more sensitive society is horrified by the sheer barbarity of it. If we’re going to have religion, we want a clean, sanitary religion – not one centred on bloodshed and violence. All manner of evils – even child abuse – have been blamed on Jesus’ crucifixion!
The writers of the four Gospels, however, were not in the least embarrassed by it. Quite the reverse: they all devote a large proportion of their story (from a quarter to a third) to the events immediately surrounding Jesus’ death, which is itself related in considerable detail. And while Jesus’ disciples may have been shocked at the time by what happened, they are at pains to point out that He Himself was not only expecting it but regarded it as somehow necessary. As Mark puts it, “He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that He must be killed and after three days rise again.” (Mark 8:31) His death was no accident or mistake, but part of God’s eternal purpose!
The crucifixion has always been central to the Christian faith. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “What I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures…” (I Corinthians 15:3) Millions of people were crucified under the Roman Empire; but the crucifixion of Jesus has a unique significance. “Christ died for our sins” is, however, a deceptively simple statement. What exactly does it mean?
Fortunately the New Testament supplies us with a number of analogies to help us understand the meaning of Christ’s death:
It is a sacrifice, to remove our sin and guilt and to restore our relationship with God.
It is a ransom, to deliver us from our slavery to sin.
It is victory over the devil (who caused the problem in the first place).
It is important to recognise that these pictures are not mutually exclusive; rather, they interweave with one another. Each one highlights a different aspect of an event that was unique in human history – an event with cosmic implications.
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