Beginner Bible Study Lesson 4

LESSON FOUR

WHY DID JESUS HAVE TO DIE?

As the following diagram reminds us, after God made man quite similar to himself so we could know and fellowship with him, man chose to sin, and this resulted in his separation from God.  However, God took the initiative to restore their relationship with himself, promising an ultimate solution through a certain descendant of the woman.  In Lesson Three we saw that Jesus Christ claims to be that promised Messiah, at the same time man and God; that he performed many miracles that proved his claims; and that as he repeatedly predicted, he physically arose from the dead after he was crucified.

It is not surprising that the one who is both God and man could overcome death.  But why did he have to die?  Why would he permit his own murder?

As a step toward understanding that, take a few minutes to memorize Romans 6:23.  Notice the contrasts in the two parts of the verse:  wages versus free gift; death versus life.

I - THE CRUCIFIXION -- PROPHECIES AND THEIR FULFILLMENT

Beginning with Genesis 3:15 there are many prophecies in the old Testament about the Messiah who would someday come to solve the problem caused by man's rejection of God.  We will look at two of them and then compare them with what happened to Jesus.

A.  Old Testament Prophecies

                                                          B.C.     A.D.               

                                        700  600                  0                                           Today

                                Isaiah    Daniel             Jesus

1.     a.    Daniel, who lived about 600 B.C., was given a vision about the Messiah in which he saw "one like a son of man."  What will be given to him?

       b.    How long will his reign last?

2.     a.    Jesus often called himself "the son of man."  Notice, however, what he said in Mark 10:45 about his purpose in coming.

        b.    What two striking differences are there between this and what Daniel wrote about the son of man?

| Isaiah 52:13 - 53:3 |

3.     a.    This prophecy of Isaiah, written about 700 years before Jesus came, gives different impressions of the Messiah than Daniel's does.  In 52:13, what is he called?

       b.    According to 53:2,3, what will he be like, and how will he be treated?

These prophecies of Daniel and Isaiah seem to be inconsistent.  However, they are revealing the Messiah's mission as both king and servant,  and they describe his work at different points in history, including some things still in the future.  But now let us consider how the Isaiah prophecy and what Jesus said about himself in Mark 10:45 were fulfilled in history.  If past prophecies have been fulfilled we can expect future prophecies to also be fulfilled.

B.  The Crucifixion:  What Actually Happened

Read this section to find how Jesus was "despised and rejected" just as Isaiah said he would be.

4.    In what ways and by whom was Jesus despised? See 14:55-65, 15:16-20, 29-30, 31-32.

5.    In what ways and by whom was Jesus rejected?  See 14:50, 64, 72, 15:12-15, 33-34.

C.  The Crucifixion: Why It Happened  

Jesus has said his life was to be given as a ransom.  In reporting how Jesus died, Mark tells only what happened, not why it happened.  Isaiah's prophecy explains why and how it was to be a ransom.

Read the rest of the chapter now, looking for the reasons why the Messiah would have to suffer and die.

6.    a.     In verses 4-6 what reasons are given for the Messiah's suffering? 

       b.    For whose transgressions and iniquities was he afflicted?

7.    What did his punishment provide for us? (v.5)

8.    Whose idea was it to do this? (v. 6,10)

II - THE MEANING OF THE CRUCIFIXION

Repeat together Romans 6:23, thinking about what it means.

We have learned from the Bible that death was the direct result of man's sin against God.  Now let's see the explanation of how life is a gift from God through Jesus Christ.  Refer again to the diagram at the beginning of this study

                        God     - the Creator, promised to solve the problem of sin.

                        Man     - created in God's likeness, sinned by rejecting God and his       word, and                       experienced death, both spiritual and physical.

                        Sin       - separated man from God.  This is why we can't "feel" God     and         don't know              him. Read Isaiah 59:1-2,  which explains this condition.

A.  The Dilemma

God has, of course, other characteristics than those we have seen thus far.  Three of them particularly help us to understand the meaning of Jesus' death.

God is Holy --

The Bible emphasizes God's perfect holiness.  Think what would happen when a sinner stood before an absolutely pure and holy God. If you were dressed completely in white clothes and a very muddy child ran toward you, how would you feel?  Such feelings are only a tiny measure of a holy God's feelings toward sin.  He cannot welcome or condone it.  What, then, would his holiness require that he do with a sinner?

God is Just  --

Think what would happen when a person guilty of sin stood before a perfectly just God.  What if a judge said to a murderer, "It doesn't matter.  You're free to leave"?  What is the judge obligated to do if he is just?  What, then, must a just God do with a sinner?

God is Love --

God's love is also perfect.  What would happen when a sinner stood before a loving God?  What would God's love prompt him to do for the sinner?

To act in harmony with his own character, God's holiness must say, "Away with you," his justice must punish, but his love would want to forgive, to reconcile.  At first glance his qualities seem to demand irreconcilable things.  Let us see how the Bible says he solved this seeming dilemma.

B.  The Solution

How can a person demonstrate how much he loves someone?  One measure is how much he is willing to sacrifice for the person he loves.  As we consider God's love, notice in the following verses how much he sacrificed for us.

1.    What did Jesus Christ give up for our sake?

As you have seen, Jesus gave up being "in the form of God" in order to become human.  He gave up being served and became one who served.  He gave up his life, not only by dying, but by dying a most painful, dishonorable death.  It is only natural to wonder why he would do this.  The two following references make the reason clear.

2.    According to this verse, what was Christ "bearing" on the cross?

3.    Whom, then, was he representing?  For whom was he a substitute?

Remember the pattern of substitute sacrifice in Genesis 3:21 when an innocent animal was killed to cover the results of Adam and Eve's sin. The same thing is clearly portrayed in Isaiah 53, as we saw.

| I John 2:2 |

4.    According to this verse, to what extent does God consider the death of Jesus to be effective?

"Atoning sacrifice" means that all the requirements of God's attributes have been satisfied.  So, even if some people think it a stupid idea or refuse to believe it, God himself considers Jesus' death to be enough to atone for all the sins of the whole human race.  

So we see that Jesus' death on the cross solved the big problem in this way:

·        The sins that separated us from God are atoned for and gone, so God's holiness is satisfied.

·        Sin was punished, so the demands of God's justice were satisfied.

·        God can now forgive and welcome us back, so his love is satisfied.

What God did at the cross met all the requirements of his character.  And he did all this to make salvation possible for us, to open the way to himself.

III - OUR RESPONSE

Repeat Romans 6:23 together, thinking about what it means.

1.    a.     According to this verse, how does eternal life become ours?

        b.    Did you see both factors? - that God gives it (it is a gift), and it is through Jesus Christ.  But notice the modifying words for Jesus: "our Lord."  If he is your lord, life is yours, too.

God made us with a free will, however, and he will not violate that will by forcing us to accept his salvation.  He offers it as a gift and he waits for our response.

2.    a.     If someone places a gift in front of you, what do you do to make it your own?   What is the basic, minimum thing necessary in order for it to become really yours?

        b.    According to John 1:12, what must we do with the gift God is offering in order to make it our own?

3.     Read also John 3:16, 3:36, and 5:24,  noticing the words which express what we are to do, and the fact that they involve using our will.

As the diagram shows, by what he did at the cross Jesus has become the "way" to God; a bridge from death to life.  If we do accept him as Savior and Lord, our sins are forgiven, we are reconciled to God and become his child, and we have eternal life.  However, Jesus himself said in John 14:6, "I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the father except through me."  This means that if we reject him and what he did for us, there is no other way to God.  Apart from Jesus Christ there is only death, paying the penalty for our own sins.

If you want to receive Jesus Christ now, or later when you are alone, here is a simple prayer you could use.  Any equivalent words will do.

"Lord Jesus, I need you.  Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins.  I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord.  Thank You for forgiving my sins, giving me eternal life, and making me your child."

As you read this, notice what this says to do to be saved.  If we have believed and told the Lord so, we can immediately thank him for saving us.  And you will find                             that if you tell someone else you have done so, it will strengthen your faith.