Sermon Tone Analysis

We are quickly coming to an end on this series of lessons on the “Life of Christ.”

Today, we will be studying the “reason for” Jesus’ crucifixion.

As Jesus had been saying to his disciples for several years now, his ministry was about the “kingdom of God” and our “reconciliation.”

This would only be possible through his sacrifice which had been prophesied over a thousand of years earlier.

This prophecy and that of Isaiah 52-53 are some of the most comprehensive on the Messiah’s sacrifice but there are tons of prophecies in the Old Testament.

The Messiah’s back was to be beaten and his hands and feet nailed to the cross (Isaiah 50:6; Psalm 22:16).

His garments would be divided and he would be given vinegar and gall to drink (Psalm 22:18; Psalm 69:21).

The Messiah’s bones were not to be broken because he was the antitype to the passover lamb (Exodus 12:46; Psalm 34:20; John 19:33; 1 Corinthians 5:7).

It was even prophesied that the Messiah would receive a burial which was very uncommon for anyone crucified (Isaiah 53:9).

So as you can see Jesus’ crucifixion should not have been “unexpected.”

A question people often ask is “why the cross?”

Why was Jesus hung on a cross when the Jews were familiar with many forms of capital punishment?

The Jews were not “unfamiliar” with crucifixions and had used them in the past but typically, historically speaking, they preferred stoning, burning, decapitation, and strangulation over crucifixion.

So again we ask the question, “why the cross.”

First, the Messiah had to die in some fashion that involved the shedding of blood, because without this there is no removal of sin.

Because the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23) and all mankind has sinned who has reached the age of accountability (Romans 3:23) and deserves to then die; it was determined that God’s Son would offer his life in exchange for mankind’s.

Secondly, under the Old Testament, hanging a body on a tree or cross was a curse on that person (Deuteronomy 21:23).

Crucifixion then was a most shameful punishment and was by design meant for the worst criminals (Galatians 3:13).

The reason the cross is called “a tree” so often is biblically by design to put everyone back to Deuteronomy 21:23.

Why, because Jesus not only died to take away our sins but to remove our shame and curse of death sin brought us.

Lastly, the cross was chosen because there needed to be a witness.

The “cross” became a silent witness for who was really a Christian.

It transformed from a symbol of embarrassment to a symbol of the saved which is why we are to “take up our cross daily” (Luke 9:33).

The cross, which had been prophesied would be the Messiah’s sacrifice, was chosen because it allowed blood shed to remove our sins, it allowed for the removal of our shame and guilt, and it provided a witness that could stand the test of time.

Next week we will dive closer into what Jesus physically went through on that Friday of his crucifixion.