Why Was Jesus Hung On The Cross

Why Was Jesus Crucified?

The tale is well-known among Christians: how one of Jesus’ closest companions, His disciple Judas, betrayed Him in exchange for a sack of silver pieces, and then orchestrated Jesus’ arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane. After being mocked, beaten, and tormented, Jesus was forced to carry His own cross to the summit of Golgotha, also known as Calvary, where He was nailed and hung to die in a terrible and humiliating death, similar to that of a regular criminal, as punishment. The guards mocked him, telling him to get off the cross.

I guess you aren’t all that fantastic after all.

But why was Jesus killed in the first place?

And, more importantly, how does His death offer significance to my own existence?

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Why Was Jesus Crucified?

There are a variety of possible explanations for Jesus’ crucifixion, ranging from those addressing practical, human, and political problems to those involving the divine. First and foremost, Jesus was crucified—that is, put to a cross to die—because it was the customary method by which the Roman government dealt with public executions of non-Romans. “Only slaves, the most heinous criminals, and those who were not Roman citizens were killed in this method,” according to the NIV Study Bible, which also notes that the convicts were chained to a pole or cross before having heavy wrought-iron nails hammered into their wrists and heel bones.

As for the reasons why the Roman authorities consented to crucify—or otherwise execute—Jesus, it appears to have been motivated by political considerations and public demand.

According to Luke’s Gospel, Pilate then summoned all of the religious leaders and members of the public together and declared, “You have brought me this man as one who is inciting the people to revolt.” I have examined him in your presence and have determined that there is no foundation for your allegations against him to be true.

  • As a result, I shall punish him first and then free him” (Luke 23:14-16).
  • A number of factors contributed to his decision to order the crucifixion.
  • In reality, Pilate “took water and washed his hands in front of the throng,” according to Matthew.
  • The obligation is entirely on you!'” (Matthew 27:24; Mark 10:24).
  • Last but not least, from a human standpoint, Jesus was killed because people did not accept that Jesus was God’s son, as the Bible teaches.
  • God’s answer is this: What was the purpose of this element of God’s plan?
  • Was it truly necessary for Him to be crucified or executed in the first place?

Another thing to keep in mind is that Jesus had to die in order to be raised from the dead. And, yes, the resurrection is the most important thing.

What Does the Bible Say about Jesus’ Crucifixion?

There are a variety of possible explanations for Jesus’ crucifixion, ranging from those involving practical, human, and political reasons to those involving divine considerations. First and foremost, Jesus was crucified—that is, put to a crucifixion and allowed to die—because it was the customary method by which the Roman government executed non-Romans in public. “Only slaves, the most heinous criminals, and those who were not Roman citizens were killed in this method,” according to the NIV Study Bible, which also notes that the convicts were chained to a pole or cross before massive wrought-iron nails were hammered into their wrists and heel bones.

For the most part, political considerations and public support seem to have motivated the Roman government’s decision to crucify or otherwise execute Jesus.

Pilate then summoned the religious leaders and the people together, according to Luke’s Gospel, and declared, “You have brought me this man because he is inciting the people to insurrection.” I have examined him in your presence and have determined that there is no substance for your accusations.

  • I will punish him in this manner and then free him” (Luke 23:14-16).
  • Numerous factors contributed to his decision to execute Jesus.
  • Even Pilate “took water and washed his hands in front of the audience,” as Matthew describes it.
  • ” (2 Chronicles 20:23; Matthew 27:24).
  • And, at the end of the day, from a human standpoint, Jesus was killed because people did not accept that he was God’s Son.
  • If Jesus had not been crucified, wouldn’t his message have been transmitted just as effectively?
  • The simple answer is that God, who is good, had a plan to redeem an otherwise lost people via Jesus, and Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection are all integral parts of that plan on a variety of different levels, as explained in the Bible.

Ponder the fact that Jesus had to die before he could be resurrected as another factor to consider. And, certainly, the resurrection is the sum total of all events.

How Does Jesus’ Crucified Life Give Meaning to My Life?

According to John 1:29, Jesus is referred to be “the Lamb of God, who wipes away the sin of the world.” A variety of animals, mainly lambs, were offered to God throughout the Old Testament, including as a thank you, as a payment for sin, as an acknowledgement of His awesome might, and a variety of other reasons. We are, nevertheless, weighed down by our sins, and there is nothing we can do to earn a position in paradise. In addition, there is no sacrifice we can make that will be sufficient to do this.

  1. Jesus, on the other hand, offered himself in our place as the sacrifice.
  2. Priests give blood sacrifices to atone for the sins of the people on a daily basis.
  3. “When this priest had completed his one sacrifice for sins for all time, he was seated at the right side of God, and he has been there ever since, waiting for his adversaries to be made his footstool.
  4. In his epistle to the Romans, the apostle Paul describes how we may all be forgiven of our sins through the sacrifice of Jesus.
  5. “Through the shedding of his blood, God offered Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, to be accepted only through trust in him.
  6. The magnificent gift of eternal life is explained by Jesus himself to the people in John 3: “Just as Moses brought up the serpent out of the desert, so the Son of Man must be hoisted up, so everyone who believes in him may have eternal life in him” (NIV) (John 3:14-15).
  7. Anyone who believes in him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe already has their judgment passed against them because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son (John 3:18).

He gave his life as a sacrifice for us.

We will be able to go on in the spiritual realm with the Father indefinitely.

Although His death was a tragic event, we believe that it was part of God’s plan, a piece in the larger puzzle of God’s design.

Then He was raised from the dead.

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Her novel, The Memory Garden, was nominated for the 2018 American Christian Fiction Writers Genesis Award, which she received for her work as a Christian novelist.

Jessica Brodie’s fiction may be found at jessicabrodie.com, as well as her religious blog.

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Located inside our broader Holy Week and Easter resource collection, this page is focussed on the events leading up to and following the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

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Why was Jesus crucified?

QuestionAnswer There is an earthly cause for Jesus’ death, as well as a heavenly motive for his death. Simply expressed, the worldly explanation for this is that mankind is a bad bunch of people. God is good, and this is the heavenly reason for this. The reason Jesus was crucified on this world was because mankind is bad. Men of evil plotted against Him, falsely accused Him, and assassinated Him. The officials of Israel had a variety of motives for wanting Jesus to be put to death on the cross.

  1. Because they were concerned that Jesus would garner an excessive following, the Roman authorities may descend on the nation, forcing them to lose their positions, they sought to prevent this from happening (John 11:48).
  2. And when He claimed to be the Son of God, they felt He was blaspheming (Luke 22:66–71).
  3. Because the Romans were in charge of carrying out Jesus’ crucifixion, he was crucified rather than stoned, hung, drowned, or otherwise punished.
  4. It was customary to affix the accusations against the condemned to the cross of the condemned.
  5. The Jewish leaders manufactured this claim in order to provoke the Roman governor into ordering Jesus’ execution.
  6. The divine cause for Jesus’ crucifixion is that God is good.
  7. Despite the fact that the act of crucifying Jesus was wicked, the crucifixion was nonetheless God’s intention to atone for sin on the part of mankind.

In the instance of the crucifixion, it was not a matter of evil getting out of hand.

The powers of darkness were given heavenly authorization to carry out their plans (Luke 22:53).

God exploited the bad desires of evil men to accomplish the greatest good possible: the provision of redemption for all of mankind via the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

There is nothing in the Old Testament prophesy that necessitates that the Messiah be crucified in order to save the world.

When Paul writes in Galatians 3:13, he is referring to the death of Christ and applying Deuteronomy 21:22–23.

John 19:37).

Leviticus 17:11).

John 19:36).

Every one of us has committed crimes, and we are all deserving of death; nonetheless, Christ died in our place.

In order to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus, he did this in order to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, because he had forbeared in leaving the sins committed previously unpunished—he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time in order to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.” After all is said and done, the reason that Jesus was crucified is the explanation that each of us must come to comprehend and accept by faith: Jesus was killed to pay the penalty for my sin, allowing me to be forgiven and restored to right standing with God.

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Why Did Pontius Pilate Have Jesus Executed?

“What is truth?” Pontius Pilate asks Jesus of Nazareth in the Gospel of John, and Jesus responds with a question. It’s a question that may be raised regarding Pilate’s own personal background as well. According to the New Testament of the Christian Bible, the Roman ruler of Judea was a shaky judge who originally exonerated Jesus before bowing to the will of the multitude and condemned him to death as a result of his actions. Non-Biblical sources, on the other hand, present him as a barbaric commander who wilfully rejected the traditions of the Jewish people under his command.

WATCH: JESUS: A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE VaultJesus before Pilate, just before he was crucified.

Pilate’s early life is a mystery.

Before his time as Roman governor of Judea, from 26 and 36 A.D., nothing is known about Pilate’s early life and career. While most believe he was born into an equestrian family in Italy, certain tales indicate that he was actually born in the Scottish Highlands. From the Jewish philosopher Philo of Alexandria emerges one of the earliest—and most damning—accounts of Pilate’s reign as governor. Around the year 50 A.D., he denounced the prefect for “briberies, insults, robberies, outrages and wanton injuries, executions without trial, constantly repeated, endless and extremely severe brutality,” among other things.

Patterson describes Pilate’s rule as “corrupt and full of bribery.” Patterson is an early Christianity historian at Willamette University and the author of several books, including The Forgotten Creed: Christianity’s Original Struggle Against Bigotry, Slavery, and Sexism.

“Philo is a really dramatic writer,” she observes, “and one who has very apparent biases: persons who maintain Jewish rules are documented in highly favorable ways, whereas people who do not uphold Jewish laws are represented in quite bad ways.

MORE INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND AT: The Bible asserts that Jesus was a real person. Is there any further evidence? Prior to his crucifixion, Jesus had been tortured, and this was the culmination of that suffering. courtesy of DeAgostini/Getty Images

Pilate clashed with the Jewish population in Jerusalem.

A pair of gilded shields inscribed with the name of the Roman Emperor Tiberius were allowed into King Herod’s former palace in Jerusalem, according to Philo, despite Jewish tradition. Writing more than a half-century later, the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus related a similar story, claiming that Pilate allowed troops bearing military standards bearing the likeness of the emperor into Jerusalem, despite Jewish law prohibiting the carrying of images in the holy city. A large number of people traveled to the Judean capital of Caesarea to express their displeasure, and they laid prostrate around Pilate’s palace for five days until he finally relented.

  • This account has the ring of a rookie governor experimenting with his powers and entirely underestimating the depth of local opposition to graven images.
  • Josephus related another incident, this one with a bloodier conclusion, in which Pilate used funds from the Temple treasury to construct an aqueduct to bring water to Jerusalem.
  • They were successful.
  • More information may be found at: Where Is the Head of Saint John the Baptist?

The Gospels portray an indecisive Pilate.

Josephus also referred to Pilate’s well-known role in agreeing to Jesus’ death, which he had played previously. After being gravely concerned by his teachings, the Sanhedrin (an elite council of priestly and lay elders) arrested Jesus while he was celebrating the Jewish festival of Passover, according to the Gospels. They hauled Jesus before Pilate to be prosecuted for blasphemy, accusing him of claiming to be the King of the Jews, which they said was false. And they exerted pressure on Pilate, the only person who had the authority to sentence someone to death, to order his crucifixion.

According to the Gospel of Mark, Pilate intervened on Jesus’ behalf before caving in to the demands of the mob.

MORE INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND AT: Discovering the Early Christian Church’s Conversion Tactics from Within “Mark’s goal isn’t truly historical in nature,” Patterson explains.

Mark blamed the Jewish rulers in Jerusalem for the city’s collapse since the high priests and officials had turned their backs on Jesus when he had arrived in the city.

courtesy of DeAgostini/Getty Images Following this, according to the Gospel of Matthew, Pilate washed his hands in front of the assembled throng before declaring, “I am innocent of this man’s blood; take care of yourself.” When the Jewish people heard this, they yelled out, “His blood be on us and our children.” For millennia, it would be used to punish the Jewish people, and it is still being utilized now.

As Bond explains, “Matthew claims that, while Romans were accountable for carrying out the action, the Jews were liable—a line of thought that, of course, has had fatal ramifications ever since.” When Jesus was making problems during a gathering like Passover, when the city was packed to capacity, I don’t believe Pilate would have spent much time worrying about what to do with him.

According to the Gospels, the people preferred the criminal Barabbas than Jesus.

The so-called custom of freeing a prisoner on Passover has been investigated by scholars, but so far, according to Patterson, “they have not discovered anything in regard to this so-called ritual.” More information may be found at: Early Christians Didn’t Always Take the Bible Literally (Discovery).

Pilate disappears from history after his rule.

Following the use of disproportionate force to quell a suspected Samaritan rebellion, Pilate was dismissed from office and transported back to Rome, according to Josephus and the Roman historian Tacitus. Pilate vanished from the historical record as soon as he arrived in Rome. According to various legends, he was either executed by Emperor Caligula or committed suicide, with his remains being thrown into the Tiber River after his death. In fact, the early Christian author Tertullian said that Pilate had become a disciple of Jesus and had attempted to convert the emperor to Christian beliefs.

A portion of a carved stone with Pilate’s name and title etched in Latin on it was discovered face down in an antique theater, where it had been used as a stair.

According to a November 2018 article in Israel Exploration Journal, improved photography showed Pilate’s name engraved in Greek on a 2,000-year-old copper alloy ring recovered at Herodium, which was previously thought to be a Roman coin.

Why Did They Crucify Jesus?

When I hear the various sweet-sounding clichés that are thrown about nowadays, one that I hear frequently is that Jesus was crucified because he was incredibly inclusive and gentle. It is reported that Jesus was crucified because he welcomed the outcasts. He was slain because he was hanging around with prostitutes and half-breds, among other things. He was slain because he was showing such bravery in his love, and his opponents couldn’t take it any longer. There is a lot of truth in these remarks.

However, this does not imply that the platitude is accurate, nor does it imply that it is harmless.

Jesus was executed because of his godlike behavior and his wild claims to deity, which is something that the gospel authors all across the world strive to downplay or embellish.

But Jesus remained deafeningly silent.

Nevertheless, I assure you that from this time forward, you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power and ascending on the clouds of sky.” Then the high priest tore his garments and cried out, “He has spoken blasphemy against the Most High.” What further witnesses do we require?

“How do you feel about it?” They said, “He is deserving of death.” In Luke 15:2, the people expressed displeasure with Jesus for dining with sinners and tax collectors (Luke 15:2), but they executed him because he claimed to be God’s Son and the King of Israel.

Let us know whether you are the Son of God by coming down from the crucifixion.” Likewise, the top priests, together with the scribes and the elders, made fun of him, saying: “He rescued others, but he cannot save himself.” His title is “King of Israel,” and if he can come down from the cross today, we will accept him as our Messiah.

  • Because Jesus declared, “I am the Son of God.” Although Jesus’ teachings on Torah repeatedly infuriated Jewish rabbis, it was his self-identification that prompted them to murder him.
  • Rather of assuming that Jesus was most despised because he was so kind and forgiving, we should remember that the Jews stated unequivocally, “It is not for a good job that we are going to stone you, but for blasphemy, because you have declared yourself to be God” (John 10:33).
  • Yes.
  • Yes.
  • He did, in fact, do so.

The claims to Lordship, the posture of authority, the exalted titles, the exercise of Messiahship, the presumed right to forgive, the way in which Jesus placed himself at the center of Israel’s story, the delusions of grandeur, the acceptance of worship, and the audacity of man claiming to be God were the things that infuriated the establishment the most.

The reason he died was because he behaved and talked in the manner of the incarnation Son of God, and because he refused to deny that he was the incarnate Son of God when the world despised him for being that Son of God.

He is married and has two children (Charlotte).

Kevin and his wife, Trisha, have nine children: Ian, Jacob, Elizabeth, Paul, Mary, Benjamin, Tabitha, Andrew, and Susannah. Kevin and Trisha have nine children: Ian, Jacob, Elizabeth, Paul, Mary, Benjamin, Tabitha, Andrew, and Susannah.

Was Jesus really nailed to the cross?

The crucifixion of Jesus is undoubtedly one of the most well-known images to have emerged from the Christian tradition. The ceremony takes place on Good Friday, which is considered to be one of the holiest days in the Christian calendar. But what exactly was the crucifixion? And what was the reason for Jesus’ death in this manner? The crucifixion was a technique of punishment used by the Romans. Suspended from a massive cross, a victim would finally succumb to asphyxiation or weariness — it was a long, drawn-out, and excruciating process that took several hours.

Because, as King of the Jews, Jesus threatened Roman imperial dominance (Matt 27:37; Mark 15:26; Luke 23:38; John 19:19–22), the Gospels describe this as the reason for Jesus’ death.

In Christian tradition, it is thought that the limbs of the cross will be nailed to the wood of the cross, with dispute centered on whether nails would puncture the hands or the more structurally solid wrists.

In reality, the only archaeological evidence for the practice of nailing crucifixion victims comes from the grave of Jehohanan, a man who was crucified in the first century CE, and it is an ankle bone from his tomb.

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Gospel accounts

It is possible that certain early Gospels, such as the Gospel of Thomas, did not include the tale of Jesus’s execution, preferring to concentrate on his teaching instead. However, one of the few things that all four of the canonical Gospels agree on is Jesus’ death via crucifixion. The events surrounding the crucifixion are depicted in significantly different ways in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. There is no mention of Jesus being nailed or tied to the crucifixion in any of the four Gospels of the New Testament.

  1. Perhaps it is because of this text that the widespread belief that Jesus’ hands and feet were nailed to the crucifixion rather than chained to it has developed.
  2. Commons image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons The Account of Peter, a non-canonical gospel written in the first or second centuries CE, tells in detail how the nails were taken from Jesus’ hands after he had died in verse 21.
  3. “And they were hearing a voice from the sky saying, ‘Have you made proclamation to the fallen-asleep?'” says the cross in verses 41-42.
  4. Several people have claimed to have discovered the real nails with which Jesus was crucified throughout the course of the last few years.

This obsession with the nails, which has persisted despite the fact that the earliest gospels make no mention of Jesus being nailed to the crucifixion, is a puzzle to me.

Depictions of the crucifixion

Given that crucifixion was a humiliating way to die, it isn’t unexpected that Christians needed some time to accept the picture of Christ on the cross. What is unexpected is that the first depiction of the crucifixion turns out to be a representation of a cross. However, rather than the religious icons with which we are acquainted — representations that commemorate Jesus’ crucifixion – this oldest image looks to be some late second century satirical graffiti that is directed against Christian believers.

  1. Commons image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons The Alexamenos Graffito, as the artwork is known, depicts a person with the head of a donkey standing on a cross, with the words “Alexamenos worships his God” written underneath.
  2. The fact that the graffito was definitely not created by a Christian demonstrates that non-Christians were aware with certain fundamental parts of Christian thought as early as the second century.
  3. This piece of carved jasper from the second or third century portrays a man on a cross, surrounded by magical symbols.
  4. The British Museum is a place where you may learn about the history of the United Kingdom.
  5. The crucified Christ is shown on the Constanza diamond, who is flanked by the apostles.
  6. CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 International License It is believed by scholars that the Constanza gemstone, as it is sometimes called, goes back to the fourth century CE.
  7. Tradition demands this prevalent image of Jesus’ death on the crucifixion since the evidence from antiquity does not give a definitive answer as to whether Jesus was nailed or tied to his cross.
  8. The Crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
  9. It is only in Monty Python’s Life of Brian, which depicts several crucifixion victims, albeit not Jesus, who are chained to their crosses, that it is not assumed that nails were used in the crucifixion.

The cross, rather than the question of whether nails or ropes were used to hang Jesus from a cross, is the image that endures in art and tradition as the most powerful reminder of Christ’s death and resurrection.

Why Did Jesus Die?

According to EveryStudent.com The killing of Jesus Christ through crucifixion was reserved for the most heinous of offenders. In Jesus’ situation, it seems that almost everyone helped in some way. All of the Jewish religious authorities, the Gentile Roman authority, and an enraged crowd of people demanded his execution. Why? It all began in a little town in Israel, not far from the capital city of Jerusalem. Having reached the age of thirty, Jesus began to educate others about life and God. He drew a large number of people to him.

  1. He accepted not only the affluent and powerful, but also prostitutes, the impoverished, the sick, and others who were excluded in society.
  2. “He who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will be illuminated by the light of life,” Jesus says.
  3. As a result of what they witnessed.
  4. He started with a handful of fish and a few loaves of bread and worked his way up to feeding a 4,000-person hungry gathering.
  5. At sea, Jesus arose and ordered the wind and rain to cease, bringing about a brief respite from the storm.
  6. 3On several occasions, he was able to bring the dead back to life.

So Why Was Jesus Crucified?

As Jesus taught the masses, he was also critical of the religious authority in power at the time. They made a show of their authority, insisting on strict adherence to their stringent rituals, rules, and cultural customs. “They bind together huge loads that are difficult to carry and place them on people’s shoulders,” Jesus remarked of them. 4 “You hypocrites!” he said, in a direct challenge to their position. Isaiah accurately saw your future when he declared, “This nation respects me with their lips, but their hearts are distant from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching the laws of men as doctrines.” 5 In the case of the Sabbath, for example, they were very rigid.

  1. It was more limiting than it was soothing in its effects.
  2. In response, Jesus instructed the guy to take up his mat and walk.
  3. “It is the Sabbath, and it is not permissible for you to be carrying your mat,” the Pharisees told him when they spotted him.
  4. He did not take a break on the Sabbath.
  5. 6

Jesus Was Clear about His Deity.

Knowing Jesus, according to him, was to know God. 7To behold him was to behold God. 8Believing in him was the same as believing in God. 9To accept him was to accept God as well. 10To despise him was to despise God. 11And to honor him was to worship God, for he was the embodiment of holiness. Following Jesus’ popularity, the Jewish Pharisees and Sadducees determined that they needed to get rid of him in order to restore control over the people’s hearts and minds. They captured Jesus and took him before the high priest, who questioned Jesus, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” (Are you the Son of the Blessed?) I am,” Jesus said, and you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, descending on the clouds of sky to meet you.

  1. And they all agreed that he was a murderer who deserved to die.
  2. This means that both Jewish and Gentile people took part in Jesus’ murder.
  3. He thought that Jesus should be freed from his imprisonment.
  4. “Crucify him!” they cried out in unison.
  5. The judgment was death by crucifixion, the form of torture and execution used by the Roman authorities.

Jesus Knew This Would Happen

Jesus was completely unsurprised by all of this. Jesus informed his followers several times previous to his crucifixion that he was going to be arrested, beaten, and crucified, and he was right. His predictions included the possibility of a resurrection three days after his burial. By physically returning to life, Jesus would be able to demonstrate what he had declared about his deity. The soldiers grabbed Jesus and beat him after making a wreath of long thorns and pressing it into his head to serve as a false crown for him.

  1. In many cases, forty lashes were enough to bring down a person.
  2. He died of gradual asphyxia and heart failure while hanging there.
  3. Death on the cross was not only a natural result of Jesus’ miracles and teachings; it was also a deliberate act.
  4. Jesus had previously demonstrated that he has complete control over nature, illness, and even death.
  5. Jesus might have walked away from the crucifixion at any point, given the circumstances.

Jesus made the decision to die. “No one can take my life away from me,” Jesus declared just before his arrest. “I choose to lay it down of my own own.” 14 The decision to do so was deliberate on his part. It had been arranged in advance. Intentional.

Why Did Jesus Allow His Crucifixion?

We operate in ways that are diametrically contrary to God’s methods to varied degrees. Take a short look at the news on any given day and you will see what I mean. Racism, murders, sexual abuse, falsehoods, greed, corruption, terrorism, and wars, to name a few examples of wrongdoing. As individuals, we have a proclivity for causing havoc in our own and other people’s lives. God views us as lost and blind, and he holds us accountable for our actions. Consider how appalled and heartbroken we are to learn that a 6-year-old child has been taken from her family and is being subjected to sexual exploitation.

  • All of human sin, on the other hand, is an insult to a holy God.
  • We don’t even live up to our own expectations, let alone those of another person.
  • So, what would a God who is absolutely holy see?
  • 15 God instructs the Israelites to sacrifice a lamb once a year for the remission of their sins in the Old Testament, which explains why they must do so once a year.
  • However, this was just a momentary reprieve.
  • When Jesus arrived, the prophet John the Baptist proclaimed about him, “Behold, the Lamb of God who wipes away the sins of the world.” (John 1:29) 16 Jesus came to earth to bear the penalty for humanity’s sin, namely for our sin, on the cross in our place.
  • To save us from God’s wrath, condemnation, and punishment for our sin, Jesus came to earth as our Savior in order to save us from ourselves.
  • It was Jesus who bore the penalty for our sins on our behalf.

DaVinci’s Last Supper

You’ve probably seen the iconic artwork by Leonardo da Vinci depicting the “Last Supper,” in which Jesus sits at a long table with the disciples seated next to him on each side of him on either side of the table. The supper that Jesus shared with his followers the night before he was captured and killed was shown by Da Vinci in this painting. As part of that “Last Supper,” Jesus promised his followers that his blood would be shed “for the remission of sins” for all people. 17 On the cross, Jesus, who had done no sin, paid the penalty for our sin.

We weren’t deserving of him taking our position in the world.

The Bible tells us that “God demonstrates his love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” 18

Our Response to the Crucifixion of Jesus

What is it that he expects of us? In order to make amends and gain our forgiveness? No. We will never be able to repay Jesus for all he has done for us. What he demands of us is straightforward. to put their faith in him He urges us to embrace his dying on our behalf, as well as his total and unconditional forgiveness, as a gift from him. Surprisingly, many people do not want to go through with it. They desire to put up an effort to win their salvation. They must earn their way into paradise.

  • In response to their rejection of everything Jesus has done for them, Jesus stated they will die in their sin and face judgment.
  • Moreover, everlasting life and an intimate, personal contact with God are also available now, while we are living on the earth.
  • Jesus was not simply absorbing the consequences of our wrongdoing.
  • He was extending far more than just forgiveness to those who needed it.
  • This is analogous to a wealthy billionaire not only canceling a debt owed to him, but also transferring ownership of his whole estate to the individual who was unable to pay the amount back in full.

It is entirely up to us whether or not we accept the gift of a connection with him that he is presenting to us. It was described by Jesus in the following words: “I am the only way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me.” 21

His Offer to Us

Anyone who would invite Jesus into their lives and accept his free gift of forgiveness and eternal life will establish a relationship with him that will last for the rest of their lives. Following Jesus’ crucifixion, they buried him in a tomb and stationed a trained Roman guard of soldiers at the tomb to keep watch over him. Why? Jesus had stated on several occasions that he will rise from the dead three days after his his body. Everything he had declared about himself will be proven correct.

  • After then, Jesus appeared physically to the disciples several times, first to a throng of 500 people, then to individuals.
  • Each of them was murdered for it, in separate parts of the world from one another, because they were so sure of Jesus’ identity.
  • “We have come to know and believe in the love that God has for us,” says the apostle John in his book of Revelation.
  • Whoever lives in love is a part of God.
  • Here’s how you can do it.
  • Please accept my apologies.
  • You have complete control over my life.
  • Amen.” In the case of someone who has only recently asked Jesus into their lives, his crucifixion signifies that you have accepted his gift, that you have been forgiven, and that you have an eternal connection with him.
See also:  Who Plotted To Kill Jesus

Footnotes: (1) John 8:12; (2) Matthew 9:35; (3) (3) 4:41 (Matthew 4:41) (4) Jesus said in Matthew 23:4 (5), Matt 15:9 (6), and John 5:18 (7) John 8:19 (eighth) John 12:45 (eighth) John 14:9 (ninth) (9) John 12:44 and 14:1 are two of the most important passages in the Bible (10) 9:37 (Matthew 9:37) (11) 15:23 (John 15:23) John 5:23 (12) (13) Mark 14:61,62 (KJV) (14) 10:18 (John 10:18) (15) Acts 10:43 (16) Romans 6:23 (17) John 1:29 (18) Matthew 26:28 (19) Romans 5:8 (20) Acts 10:43 (20) Paul writes in Romans 6:23 that (21) 14:6 (John 14:6) (22) (23), John 5:24 (24), John 17:25,26 (23) 1John 4:16,17 (24)

Why did Jesus have to die on the cross?

Ultimately, God is the source of all life; He is light, and there is absolutely no darkness in Him. In 1 John 1:5, the Bible says Satan is God’s polar opposite, whose domain is comprised of darkness and sin. God made it crystal plain from the beginning that sin will result in death. (Genesis 2:17; Romans 6:23; Revelation 21:5)

Sin separates us from God

When Satan, via his cunning, managed to trick Eve and, in turn, Adam into disobeying God, sin entered their nature. This sin, like a curtain, stood between them and God, isolating them from the source of their being. They were spiritually dead in their trespasses and sins, to put it another way. Paul writes in Ephesians 2:10 that As a result of sin entering the planet, which had been cursed, the physical death of all living beings had become inevitable. The sin that crept into Adam and Eve’s essence was handed on to all of their children and grandchildren.

  1. In following this disposition, such as when we are tempted, we will commit sin on our own behalf.
  2. Unfortunately, individuals were exceedingly weak, and not a single person was ever able to keep themselves completely free of sin.
  3. In other words, everyone was guilty, and Satan might use this as a letter of accusation against them, pleading with them to commit suicide.
  4. Anyone who crossed that curtain would perish instantaneously, for no sin could be tolerated in the face of the Almighty.

Forgiveness through sacrifice

God, in His patience, provided the people with a second chance: they might obtain forgiveness by offering an animal that was free of blemishes. Only once a year was it possible for the high priest to enter the Holiest of Holies, bringing the blood of the sacrifice, in order to receive atonement on behalf of the congregation. The debt of sin could be settled only by the shedding of the blood of an innocent sacrifice, according to the Bible. (See Leviticus 17:11 and Hebrews 9:22 for examples.) Blood from animals, on the other hand, was unable to remove the main source of the problem, which was sin in human nature.

Even the high priest couldn’t assist them since he was a sinner himself, and the sacrifice was intended for his own benefit as well as the benefit of the people.

His deepest desire was to be in connection with others and to save them from themselves.

However, despite the fact that there have been virtuous, God-fearing people throughout history, none of them were without fault, and none of them were able to “bridge the gap” that exists between God and humans.

As a result, God sent His own Son to complete the greatest endeavor ever accomplished in human history. According to the Scriptures (Ezekiel 22:30; Isaiah 41:28; Isaiah 60:16; Isaiah 63:5, John 3:16-17),

Jesus: a human being in every sense of the word

However, even though He had been revealed as the Son of God, Jesus freely “emptied Himself” and took on the nature of a human being in every meaning of the term, sharing the same human nature as the rest of us. This implied that Jesus was subjected to the same temptations as we are. However, Jesus was also born of God’s Spirit, and this Spirit remained with Him throughout His life, providing Him with the power to complete the mission He was sent to do. According to the Bible (Luke 1:30-35; Philippians 2:5-8; Isaiah 61:1-3) “And when He was found in human form, He humbled Himself and became submissive to the point of death, even death on the cross,” the Bible says.

  1. While still a man, Jesus had to learn obedience since He possessed His own self-will, also known as sin in the flesh, and was tempted by Satan in the wilderness.
  2. Consequently, He had never sinned and was thus without sin.
  3. He was misunderstood by practically all of His contemporaries, however, since the victory over sin was taking place in His inner character, which was concealed from the eyes of the world.
  4. The pure, righteous, and faultless Man died as a criminal, sentenced to death for offenses he had done but had not acknowledged.

Atonement – and a way to follow

Because Jesus was blameless, the only human being in all of history who was fully pure and without sin, he was the only one who could “stand in the gap,” the only one on whom Satan had no claim because Jesus was faultless. In the end, he was the only one who had not merited death, whether it was physical or psychological. However, in order to accomplish the mission for which He had come to earth, Jesus deliberately gave Himself. In order to be the ultimate, faultless sacrifice, Christ was crucified.

  1. He took the punishment for all of our crimes and died on the cross, the just for the unjust, for us.
  2. 5:10; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 3:18) Not only did He die a bodily death, but He also endured a spiritual death as He hung on the cross, separating Him from the Father.
  3. Despite the fact that Jesus’ death on the cross on Calvary is unquestionably one of the most monumental and profound events in human history, it is essentially only a portion of the Christian tale.
  4. This way, the sin that was present in His flesh was condemned, and He “put it to death,” “crucifying” the lusts and desires that were present in Him.
  5. (See also Hebrews 2:18 and Hebrews 4:16) At the moment of His death on the cross, Jesus said, “It is completed!” As at that moment, every single speck of the sin He had inherited in His human nature had been crucified with Him, and His mission on earth had come to a close.
  6. The obligation had been paid in full, and the path back to the Father was now unobstructed.
  7. In fact, he did not remain in the tomb, but was raised from the dead in a glorified body that included the entire richness of God’s own divine nature.

He ascended to heaven forty days later, where He is now seated at the right hand of His Father, as He has done since then. 2:5-11; Colossians 2:9; Philippians 2:5-11)

Jesus’ brothers!

So, how did Jesus’ crucifixion and sacrifice differ from the sacrifices and forgiveness that were offered under the Law of Moses? What is the mechanism by which Jesus’ death on the cross removes the sin from our flesh? Why do we continue to be tempted? This is due to the fact that forgiveness alone was not the final objective of Jesus’ life, and it is therefore not the ultimate goal of a Christian. In reality, forgiving someone is merely the beginning of the process. “If anyone want to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily, and follow Me,” Jesus stated emphatically in the Gospel of Matthew.

Jesus’ mission was not only to atone for people’s sins, but also to teach them how to live better lives.

We may not be able to follow Him to the cross on Calvary, but we may pick up our cross on a regular basis!

Also in the flesh, we crucify the flesh with its lusts and wants, we put to death the “deeds of the body” by God’s Spirit, and we stop from sin.

The death of Jesus on the crucifixion of Calvary was the conclusion of His magnificent labour of love for us humans (see 1 Peter 4:1-2; Galatians 5:24; Romans 8:13; 1 Corinthians 12:12-14; Hebrews 2:11; 2 Peter 1:2-4).

Death was defeated by Jesus as a result of his death over sin.

May His sacrifice not be in vain, and may He have a large number of disciples who are not ashamed to refer to themselves as His brothers!

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