One common question regarding Jesus crucifixion on the cross is; why would a Father, send his only Son, to die? The answer is both simple, but also very complex. The simple answer is in John 3:16:
“For God so loved the world, he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believe in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.”
The simple answer is God loves us so much, he wants use to live with him in his Kingdom for all time. That he would sacrifice his only son to ensure our eternal life after we die is truly God at his glorious best. That is the simple explanation. But the larger expanse answer is even more illuminating.
In the Old Testament of the Bible, God would have his followers and believers, repent for their sins and pay respect to God with the sacrifice of an animal. The sacrifice for atonement and reverence was followed strictly by believers of God. There were many examples where the believers of God would deviate on who or what they would worship. Some examples were Idols made of Gold and false Prophets. There are so many stories confirming this in the Bible, that you should spend some time and read these sad but amazing stories.
The third book of Moses which is call Leviticus details the sacrificial structure defined by God through Moses.
God speaks in frustration in the book of Isaiah, frustration that the animal sacrifices are too much to bear, that it would be better to just stop sinning and not have a need to repeatedly repent again and again.
Isaiah 1:11; “To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the Lord: I am full of of the burnt offerings of the rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of goats.”
After speaking of his disgust with the animal sacrifices God offers a solution;
Isaiah 1:18: “Come now, and let us reason together saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
God is pleading with the people to stop sinning and be willing and obedient. But the history of the Old Testament is full of examples where people did not hear or follow God’s plea’s. We were and still are a world of sinners and disobedience to God’s word.
Isaiah 1:19 “If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land.”
Isaiah 1:20 “But if you refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured by the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.”
This is pretty clear. If you are willing and obedient, you will live and eat, if not, you will die by the sword.
Clearly missing in this time period of the Bible, God is not offering eternal life in heaven, he is only offering your life on earth.
Later in the book of Isaiah, God speaks of change and the coming of Jesus;
Isaiah 7:14; “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”
Immanuel translates to “God is with us” This means that the coming of Jesus and his sacrifice on the cross was prophesied in the Old Testament, meaning this was the plan all along. God knew the animal sacrifices were not the long term answer for repentance of sin, and that the only sacrifice capable of forgiving the entire world would be his one and only son.
Jesus was born in human form and his 33 years spent on this earth were in human form. He studied, meditated, and prayed on God’s word for most of those 33 years, he was a true scholar on the Word of God, his father. He prayed to his father daily, sometimes hourly, as he would seek out his father’s wisdom and guidance. Jesus was the very word of God.
When Jesus was judged guilty by the Chief Priests and elders of the people, he was sentenced to die by cruxifixction by Pontius Pilate, the governor of Judaea.
Jesus would become the ultimate human sacrifice to pay for our sins. Because Jesus was human, he must have felt fear, anxiousness, pain, and suffering just as we would feel. Jesus could have simply called for an army of Angels to destroy Rome, and ascended to heaven with his father, but Jesus knew that the only way we could have salvation and eternal life would be through his death and resurrection.
Jesus last words on the cross before he died, symbolized his journey and the prophecy of God his father:
Luke 23:46; “And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit, and having said this, he gave up the spirit.”
By giving up the Holy Spirit as he died as a human, and ascended to Heaven, Jesus left us with the Holy Spirit, a spirit who embodies God and Jesus, and is one third of the Holy Trinity. The Holy Spirit is our comforter, teacher and communicator through prayer to God and Jesus. The Holy Spirit becomes more prominent after we repent for our sins and Glorify and Believe that Jesus was sent to earth to ultimately pay for our sins. And through Jesus, we are presented to God in a Holy and Righteous frame, which is a true miracle.
What were the 5 blessings we received from Jesus death?
1. Jesus lived a perfect life while spending his 33 years on earth. He demonstrated love and peace, healing, and was the most righteous man to walk the face of the earth. Only one human could become a sacrifice so magnanimous to pay for all of humanities sins. That one human is Jesus Christ. When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we will receive this unbelievable Peace, Love and Joy.
2. Jesus demonstrated the need for prayer to God our Father. He demonstrated frequency and conviction of prayer. He even said a prayer for his enemies, while painfully suffering on the cross.
3. Jesus demonstrated the power of miracles. He made the blind see, the cripples to walk, the sick to heal, and he raised people from the dead. Jesus demonstrated the power of faith in the Father and instilled in us, even after his death, that miracles are possible in our lives through prayer.
4. Jesus demonstrated after his death on the cross that there is life after death. His ascension to heaven was truly a miracle, but Jesus proved that who so ever believe in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.
5. After Jesus died on the cross, Jesus released the Holy Spirit on the earth. This is critical, because after Jesus left us on earth, he ensured we are not alone. The Holy Spirit is the 3rd member of the Holy Trinity, and God and Jesus reside in us through the Holy Spirit for all eternity.
My prayer is that anyone reading this, who is not saved, will seek out Jesus today, repent for your sins, and believe in the one and only Son of God, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.