Why did Jesus have to die?

Easter is obviously a season when we ponder Jesus's death. But why did he have to die?

In one sense, Jesus did not have to die. He lived a perfect life and did not earn the "wages of sin," which is death.

So then, if Jesus did not have to die, why did he die? I can think of at least two reasons.

First, Jesus died to show us how much he loves us. His death and resurrection showed that he identified with humanity, even in the suffering of the human condition. He wants to be with us, and he was willing to endure hardship beyond our comprehension to do so. In his death, Jesus restored our relationship with God.

Second, Jesus suffered and died to show us the horror of sin. We may consider our sins mild or of little consequence. But we are all bent toward rebellion against God. Selfishness is part of the human condition, just as much as suffering. Jesus's death shows us that sin is no small matter. Our sin is costly in all our relationships. The sickening ordeal of crucifixion, condemnation on false charges, and desertion of friends, helps us understand how damaging our sin is.

The cross is full of meaning and significance. We can spend our whole lives meditating on his sacrificial goodness and never fully grasp his gift of himself.

Jesus the Dinner Guest

Jesus must have been a popular dinner guest. In Luke's Gospel, Jesus dines in the homes of prominent Pharisees at least three times. For some reason they wanted to spend time with Jesus.

I think the Pharisees of Jesus's day are misunderstood by us 21st century readers. We tend to see them as the bad guys, the religious hypocrites who just hated Jesus. But they weren't all bad. You might remember Nicodemus who came to Jesus at night for a shot of Jesus-wisdom (John 3). The Pharisees were sincerely trying to be obedient to God, but sometimes they fell into legalism.

Luke shows us that the Pharisees really wanted to figure out this wannabe Messiah. A man named Simon has Jesus over, but doesn't treat his rabbi guest with the most respect (7:36). He doesn't even offer to wash Jesus's feet, which was the least he could do for a guest in his home. During the meal a woman shows up and anoints Jesus's feet, weeping so much that her tears wet his feet. With her hair she dries his feet. Jesus takes the occasion to explain that someone, like this sinful woman, who has been forgiven for much will also love much. While Simon treated Jesus as second class, this woman treated Jesus like a king, with great love.

Jesus finds himself judged by a Pharisee in Luke 11:37 because Jesus fails to wash his hands before the meal. Jesus picks up on the judgment and explains that the Pharisees only cared about outward appearances. It's as though they would clean the outside of a cup without cleaning the inside. Again Jesus calls out hypocrisy. 

Then Jesus dines with a prominent Pharisee (14:1) on a Sabbath. A sick man happens to be there, and the Pharisees can't wait to see if Jesus would heal him. Healing is fine, of course, but to do so on a Sabbath would go against the Pharisees' Sabbath rules. They wanted to know if Jesus would play by their rules. Of course Jesus did not, and he publicly healed the man.

It's fine to have Jesus as a dinner guest, but expect the unexpected. Jesus challenges shallow religion at every turn. When we think we have this faith all figured out, Jesus digs deeper and shows us the heart of the Father. He cares about those on the margins, and criticizes those who use religion to prove their superiority.

When we get deeper with Jesus, he shows us his love, but he also sets us straight. 

Proving Authority

The Jewish leaders were clearly fed up with Jesus by the time he arrived in Jerusalem. He had been all over the countryside teaching subversive ideas to the masses. This movement had to be stopped. The teachers of the law and elders challenged Jesus with questions designed to trip him up.

They asked him where he got his authority. After all, Jesus had not been through the religious training necessary to be among the religious elite. 

When pressed, Jesus posed a question to them: Where did John (the baptizer) get his authority, from heaven or from men? This was Jesus's own gotcha question for them. They realized that no matter how they answered, they would bring trouble on themselves.

If they acknowledged that John was inspired by God, Jesus would point out their hypocrisy for not believing him. If they denied he was inspired by God, they thought the crowd would stone them. There was no way to win.

So the teachers of the law just backed down. And got more mad.

There is nothing more maddening than knowing you are wrong and not wanting to admit it.

Cleaning House

When Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, he simply looked around the city and left. He spent the nights of Holy Week in Bethany, just outside Jerusalem. 

But on the next day, he got serious. He went into the Temple courts and began clearing house. The worship industrial complex was in full swing there. Some merchants were selling sacrificial animals for the worshippers who had travelled long distances. Rather than bring their animals on a long trip, these pilgrims brought cash to purchase local animals. Apparently the merchants were price gouging, taking advantage of supply and demand. They charged unfair prices because they could get away with it. 

Also at the Temple were money changers. They also took advantage of the visiting worshippers. Typically people travelled with Roman currency (denarii), which was useful on their trips. But to pay the Temple tax, Jews needed Jewish money (shekels). Money changers helped the faithful convert their Roman money into Jewish money. And they made a handsome profit in the exchange.

Jesus was grieved to see businessmen taking advantage of the worshippers. They had turned the Temple into a den of thieves, Jesus said. So he turned over the tables and drove out the animals.

I'm sure I have some metaphorical tables that Jesus needs to turn over.

Triumphal Entry

Jesus came into Jerusalem on the first day of Passover week. We call it Palm Sunday because the crowd cut palm branches and brought them as they greeted Jesus. His donkey ride made the people cheer, as they anticipated a big showdown. All the players were in town now: the religious authorities (because they were always in Jerusalem), the Romans (because they always wanted crowd control for the big Jewish feasts), and Jesus (because he was going to, well, do something big).

The tension and excitement were building. The religious authorities wanted to get rid of the upstart, rogue rabbi. The Jesus followers wanted Jesus to humiliate the religious establishment and lead a revolt against Rome. The Romans just wanted to keep a lid on it all for the next few days.

And nobody could have predicted what really happened.

What's it like when God surprises you?

Under Pressure with Friends

Peter was ready to fight to the death for Jesus. I think he relished the thought of swinging his sword to protect his Rabbi, and then watching Jesus pull some miraculous save-his-disciples stunt. 

After all, Peter was convinced that Jesus was the Messiah, and would soon be crowned as king. Jesus's path to the throne was just a matter of fine print. Peter knew how it would end, with Jesus ruling. He was prepared for whatever it took to crown Jesus king.

But he was not prepared for the pressure coming his way. It was not pressure to shrink from battle, not pressure to speak heresy. His test came from the least threatening person he had ever seen. A servant girl noticed him in the courtyard, as Jesus's trial began. She simply asked if he was with Jesus. Peter's Galilean accent had given him away. Apparently Jesus also sounded like he was not from Jerusalem.

Peter, unfortunately, caved under the pressure. He denied being associated with Jesus, not once, but three times. This confrontation with the Jewish authorities was going all wrong, Peter thought, and he could not bring himself to be associated with his friend who was blowing his opportunity to rise to power.

Peter didn't get it, and so he turned his back on Jesus.

I wonder how often I don't get it, and turn my back on Jesus.

Under Pressure at Work

Pilate had a bad day. We call it Good Friday, but it was anything but good for the Roman governor. He was charged with keeping peace in the rebellious Jewish nation, and those Jews needed a heavy hand on their festival days.

He was awakened early that day as Jewish authorities brought some rebel to him for an emergency ruling. Pilate listened to the case against this man, but it didn't add up. It didn't take him long to see that these Jewish power brokers just wanted to get rid of this guy. He tried to placate them by having the rebel beaten, and then releasing him. But the Jewish leaders were not satisfied. They whipped up the crowd to call for the rebel to be executed. They shouted, "Crucify! Crucify!"

Pilate found himself between a rock and a hard place. He could not condemn this man in good conscience. But he could not very well maintain peace if he angered those Jewish rulers. It could all get out of hand. The most expedient course of action would be to condemn the rebel. It would be messy, but only for a moment. Pilate had disposed of Jewish rabble many times before. What was one more Jewish execution?

The governor declared that he would take no responsibility for it, and sentenced the rebel to death. Pilate caved. He could not do the right thing with all that pressure.

He sent to death the only truly innocent man in the world.

Maybe you have pressure at work, too.