The Love of the Crucifixion
Jesus Christ. The tiny baby that was born in a stable. The little boy that terrified His parents by staying behind in the temple. The wonderful man that loved everyone He met, from the unclean people that no one could touch to the children that wanted to meet Him. He was perfect – the only perfect person there has ever been. So why did He have to die? Couldn’t He have escaped it? He was God after all.
Jesus didn’t have to die. He chose to die. He chose to follow God’s will. And why would He do that? Because He loves us.
John 10:14-18
Luke 19:37-42
A week before Jesus was killed, He stood looking over Jerusalem and cried. Jerusalem was the home of God’s people. It was where the temple was and they came to worship God. And yet God’s house was full of people selling animals and changing money into different currencies. Most of the temple leaders wanted to kill Jesus. But Jesus loved them all. So He cried for them.
Mark 2:17
Jesus came earth knowing His purpose. He came to save sinners. He forgave sins and gave sinners a new life. No one understood how He could love them. Many times He escaped when people who hated Him wanted to kill Him. But when His work was about to be accomplished, He knew it. He knew it was time for Him to die.
Luke 22:41-44
Knowing what He had to do didn’t make it easy for Jesus. He didn’t want to die. He asked God if He’d be willing to “take this cup away.” Jesus wanted a different way if there was one. So God sent an angel to strengthen Him.
Matthew 26:44-56
After Jesus prayed three time, He finally let go of what He wanted and was ready for God’s will. Soldiers were coming to take Him. He allowed Judas to kiss Him and mark Him as the Messiah. Then one of the disciple tried to defend Jesus and cut off a servant’s ear. And Jesus tells him, We don’t need swords. Don’t you think I could call on my Father and He’d give me more than twelve legions of angels for protection?
A legion is 6,000 soldiers. So that would have been 72,000 angels. No one could have taken Jesus then. But He didn’t ask for them. He chose to die to save the people He loved.
Mark 15:1-47
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So Jesus let them carry Him away. He stood and listened to them lie about Him. He listened as they made fun of Him. He allowed them to beat Him until He could barely walk. And then He let them nail Him to a cross and hang Him up for everyone to see.
That’s where He took on the sins every person who had ever lived and all the sins of all the people who would live. The pain of these sins broke His heart. And Jesus died. He died because He loves you and me and every other human God has created.
But that’s not the end of the story!
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