Why Jesus had to die and why He had to rise from the Dead

As parents we are responsible for cleaning up our kid’s messes when they are small. Why? Because they are unable to do it on their own. We love our children more than our own lives. We will do whatever it takes to ensure their safety.

In like manner, Jesus did whatever it took to secure the salvation of His children by dying in their place; becoming a substitutionary sacrifice for their sins. We can never cleanse our own sins. We must remember sin always requires death (Romans 6:23). In the Old Testament, countless animals were sacrificed on behalf of the people of Israel. The animal’s blood had to be shed because the life of the flesh is in the blood (Leviticus 17:11). The death of the innocent animal was substituted for the sinner. The daily sacrifices were a constant reminder of the nation’s sinfulness. These sacrifices were foreshadowing the once and for all sacrifice of Christ on the cross (Heb 9:28;1 Pet 3:18).

Only Jesus can eradicate the world’s sin dis-ease. Sin is a mess man can never clean up. Why? We are the ones that created the mess so we cannot be the solution, too can we? No. Someone else has to pay the price for our rebellion against a holy God. The Father decided in eternity past to send the Son to save us from His (the Father’s) just wrath and punish His only begotten sinless Son. Jesus’ death actually defies all human logic. Why? Because the innocent died for the guilty and the sinless died for the sinful. On a human level there is no way this is fair.

But wait a minute! We are not dealing with human fairness or our secular justice system. The events surrounding Jesus’ death are literally out of this world. We are dealing with heavenly things, celestial matters. We are witnessing a love so transcendent that it boggles the mind. God the Father had the “nerve” to allow His only Begotten Son to be humiliated, beaten, spit upon, flogged so severely that his back was split open and his flesh was ripped from His body. As a matter of fact, David a thousand years before Christ prophesied of this event in the twenty second Psalm. David said regarding Christ, “I can count all my bones” (Psalm 22:17).  Lastly, He was stripped naked, nailed to cross with His “crime” written above Him, “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews” (John 19:19).  Jesus obviously did not do this for His own benefit for He had no sin (2 Cor 5:21).  He was forsaken by God for the sins we committed (Psa 22:1; Matt 27:46).

We put Jesus Christ on the cross. What an indescribable love! It would be blasphemous not to declare it always.

The crucifixion of Christ serves as a reflection of the punishment that every human being that will ever live deserves but is unable to pay. Jesus’ death was repugnant, inhumane and profane. It is naturally the most offensive event in human history because the God-Man switched places with us and gave up His life. But God the Father would only accept a sin sacrifice from a perfect and sinless human being so Christ’s death was absolutely necessary. That is why the second person of the trinity had to come, become a man, and shed his sinless blood to satisfy the wrath of God’s anger against sin. Jesus accomplished that task which provided forgiveness of sins to all who repent and believe in what Jesus did for them.

Why did Jesus have to raise from the dead?

Death cannot hold unto an innocent man. Jesus committed no sin so death could not ultimately prevail against Him. Secondly, His resurrection proves that the Father’s wrath against the Son because of our sins was satisfied. Had Christ remained in the grave, there would be no reason to believe that He was the sinless Son of God.  His mission would have been a failure. His death would be no different than that of any other criminal.

Listen to what Hebrews 9:13-14 says, “For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”

This is what the writer of Hebrews is telling us, in the Old Covenant they had religious ceremony that would symbolically purify the flesh and declare one clean. Jesus’ sacrifice which was a once-for-all transaction entered into the heavenly Holy of Holies and offered His blood on the eternal mercy seat which cleansed the soul forever and made the recipient accepted by God and brought into His kingdom (Hebrews 9:23-26). The Old Covenant ritual was never designed to cleanse the soul. Only the life blood of Christ can do that.

In the final analysis, both the death and resurrection of Jesus had to occur.  Our sins made both events imperative. He died because of our sins, and He was raised for our justification (Romans 4:25).