“Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” - Isaiah 53:4-5
Why did Jesus suffer and die on the cross? I think most of us would think this is an easy question to answer. Jesus suffered and died to pay for our sins. Yet I want to go deeper than this. Why, specifically, was such a death necessary to pay for our sins? Why did He have to die on a cross? Why did He have to endure such an excruciating death?
Unless Jesus returns in our lifetime, you and I will die someday. Have you ever thought about how you wish to die? The simplest way is to die in your sleep. It seems rather painless (or so we suppose). However, there are people who will die in horrific ways. Some will die in automobile accidents. Others will die in natural disasters, like a tornado. There are people who will die in a house fire. There are workplace accidents that are lethal. The fact is that we have little or no control over when we will die or how we will die.
Yet Jesus knew when He would die. He also knew how He would die. For this purpose He came to this earth.
Again I return to the original question. Why did Jesus have to suffer? Why did he have to die on a cross ... why not by some other means?
Here are some things for us to ponder.
First of all, Jesus had to suffer because prophecy predicted it. Isaiah wrote, “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” The suffering of Jesus was prophesied. In 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, the Apostle Paul wrote, "For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.” The suffering and death of Jesus were clearly described in the writings of the prophets many years before Jesus came to earth.
Secondly, Jesus suffered because redemption requires it. The Bible says, “Without the shedding of blood there is no remission.” Redemption of sinful men required a blood sacrifice. Leviticus 17:11 says, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.” The life of the flesh is in the blood. Jesus gave His life (and shed His blood), so that we may have life. Our spiritual life is received through His blood. It is the blood of Christ that paid for sins. It is His blood that redeemed us. 1 Peter 1:18-19 states, “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” So many think that they are redeemed by a sinner's prayer or walking the isle of a church. The Bible makes it clear that we are redeemed (paid for) by the blood of the Lord Jesus. Thus, Jesus could not redeem us if He died of natural causes. His blood had to be shed.
Jesus had to suffer because justice demanded it. The redemption of lost men would require such suffering. As humans, we tend to underestimate the nature of sin. We want to classify most sins as being minor blemishes or flaws. We categorize sins by our own standards. Our own sins tend to seem small to us. There is a standard for us to use, but it isn't the standard we want to implement. God has a standard. In fact, it is the standard He will use in judging individuals. The real standard is perfection. Our sins are acts of high treason against God and His reign. Sin is so serious that the penalty of sin is death. In order for His justice to be satisfied, someone has to die for my sins and yours. On Golgotha, the mercy of God and the justice of God met. There on the cross, justice was carried out as Jesus died for our sins. Salvation was purchased there and now is provided freely to every one who believes. Justice could only be satisfied as the sinless Son of God died in our place.
Finally, Jesus suffered because love inspired it. No one has ever suffered like Jesus did upon the cross. His suffering was a divine act of love. John 15:13 says, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” Furthermore, Jesus said, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Jesus suffered because of God's incredible love for you and me. God loved us so much that He was willing to sacrifice His Son to save us. That is love.
Jesus suffered the fate that we should have received. Through His suffering, we have everlasting life.
Such an awesome Savior deserves our love and devotion today!
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