If you are within the Christian community or even if you are not, you most likely know that Jesus died. The Bible tells us Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and rose again (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). As the years have gone by, the meaning of Jesus' death has been explained, yet very rarely will anyone talk about why Jesus had to die in the first place.
Since Jesus is God, He could have fixed everything without having to undergo the painful death He endured, right? Many of us wonder about this from time to time; thus, it is important for us to know why Jesus had to die.
The death of Jesus was a tragic event that shook history. The disciples' hearts were broken when the Lord died on the cross. The Lord had already previously told His disciples that He was going to have to suffer and die, yet He also told them that He would be raised back to life in three days.
This meaning was hidden from the disciples until after Jesus had been resurrected from the dead. After Jesus' resurrection, the disciples understood what Jesus had taught them concerning His death, burial, and resurrection.
Jesus was put on trial before the Roman government and condemned to death. Although Jesus was not found guilty because He did nothing wrong, He was condemned by the people. The Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, was going to release one of the two prisoners.
One of the prisoners was Jesus, and the other was Barabbas. Barabbas was a notorious criminal and a murderer. The people said they would rather take Barabbas than Jesus, so Pilate released Barabbas to the people. Jesus was left to be condemned to death for no crime of His own.
Jesus committed no crimes, and in fact, Jesus never sinned. He was tempted just as we are, but He never sinned. The death Jesus was to face was the dreaded crucifixion.
Crucifixion was reserved for only the worst of the worst criminals. In this horrible way of death, the victim was hung on a cross with nails through his hands or wrists and nails through his feet or ankles.
As one can imagine, this alone would be painful. As the victim hanged on the cross, they would slowly lose any ability to breathe, and they would slowly lose blood because of the wounds in their hands and feet.
Jesus was also spat at, and a crown of thorns was placed on His head. There were also insults hurled at him, and many made fun of Him. When we reflect on these truths, we can see just how much Jesus endured for us. He didn't take the easy path.
Instead, He willingly died for our sins in order for us to be redeemed of our sins. He bore our sins on the cross in order for us to be saved. He was the propitiation for our sins, which appeased the Father's wrath.
Ever since the Fall of Man, mankind has been separated from God. It is only through Jesus' great sacrifice on the cross that we could be forgiven of our sins. Jesus had to die the death we deserved in order for us to live.
Without Jesus' death and resurrection, we would have no hope. We cannot earn our own salvation. No matter how many "good" things we do, we can never outweigh the bad things we do. We are all born into sin, and we all freely commit sins (Romans 3:23).
Since this is true, we are all in need of a Savior, and our Savior is found in Jesus Christ. If anyone places faith in Him by believing that He died for their sins, was buried, and rose again, then they are eternally saved.
No longer does the Father see sin and separation when He looks at us. Instead, He sees His Son and the redemption we have through His Name. Jesus reconciled us to the Father, and He made it possible for us to start new.
Once you place faith in Christ, you are no longer defined by your past. You are a new creation in Christ, and He has great plans for your future.
Jesus had to die in order for us to be given salvation. Without dying, Jesus couldn't have provided forgiveness of our sins. Jesus offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for our sins, and He completely redeems each of us the moment we place faith in Him.
Pastor Thabiti Anyabwile summarizes why that perfect sacrifice was so important:
(Transcript of the video above, edited for readability)
"The death of Jesus was necessary for a number of reasons. One, to pay the penalty for sinners to pay the debt that's owed because of our rebellion against God, our sin against God.
Our sin is personal. It's not sort of floating out there in the air, a sort of wrongdoing done to no one in particular. It is an assault. It is a rebellion against God himself. And because God is holy and just and righteous, then His holiness and his justice need to be satisfied. His anger against sin is right, and so Christ has to die in order to pay the penalty that we cannot pay in order to reverse the curse that we've owned. He has to die in order to take our place and to make reparations, as it were to God the Father on the cross. That's what's happening. The Son of God is being crucified. It's been slain, and the wrath of God against sin is being poured out on his son. And because Christ has lived a perfect life and now has taken upon himself death as to curse, he's satisfying God's wrath and he's reconciling sinners to God. He's making a way, as it were, for those who have been torn apart from God, broken away from God in our sin. To be returned now to God, to be raised from death to life, to enter into a new and indestructible life. An eternal life with God.
So there's a great transaction happening on the cross where Christ is taken upon himself our sins and our guilt and the penalty that we owe. And we through faith in Him, by God's grace, are being... his righteousness is being accredited to our account. The cross is what achieves that. It's the only thing that can achieve that: perfect man, perfect God. Taking the place of sinners, standing in as their substitute to make atonement between God's people who are alienated from him and his righteous and holy God, who will not suffer sin."
(First published as "Why Did Jesus Have to Die?" on July 2, 2010)
Jesus' death is also important because without His death, there would be no resurrection, and without the resurrection, there would be no hope. As it is, there was a resurrection, and this proved that Jesus is God because only God Himself could arise from the dead.
While it is sad that Jesus died, the story doesn't end there. His resurrection occurred, and through the resurrection, we have eternal hope. Just as Jesus was resurrected, one day, we will also be resurrected in our glorified bodies. We don't have to fear death because Jesus has already defeated death.
Jesus' death is what ultimately brought us back into relationship with the Father. No longer is our relationship with the Father broken. It is now healed and restored because of Jesus. We don't have to be afraid anymore because the Lord is with us, and He is watching over us.
Not only are we pleasing in the sight of the Father and are given a relationship with Him, but we are also given the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is permanent, and He will never go away.
He guides us, instructs us, and convicts us. We would not be able to have the Holy Spirit if Jesus had never died. As we can see from all these facts, we can know that Jesus' death held great significance.
He didn't die for nothing. In fact, He died in order for all of us to have the chance of salvation. Salvation is open to everyone, but it is up to us if we are going to accept His free gift of salvation.
If you want to accept Jesus' free gift of salvation, you can today. You can place faith in Jesus by believing that He died for your sins, was buried, and rose again. If you believe this, then you are eternally saved, and you are given a personal relationship with God.
If you don't feel as though you are ready to make this commitment, take time to think it over. You don't have to make the decision right away. Read the Bible, talk to Christians you know, and research matters for yourself.
The Lord loves every single person, including you. He wants you to come to know Him and build a relationship with Him. While it can be difficult at times, nobody ever regrets coming to know the Lord and accepting Him as their Savior.
There are many faith systems in the world, but only in Christianity do we see someone being resurrected from the dead. Jesus died and was resurrected in order to redeem us from our sins. He doesn't want us to pass this offer by. He wants us to believe in Him and follow Him.
For further reading:
How Old Was Jesus When He Died and Why Is it Important?
How Has Jesus Come to Give Abundant Life?
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/urzine
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