WHY JESUS DIED 

This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all…Now when someone leaves a will, it is necessary to prove that the person who made it is dead. The will goes into effect only after the person’s death. While the person who made it is still alive, the will cannot be put into effect (1Tim. 1:15;Heb.9:16,17NLT).

As the Easter period or the celebration or remembrance of the resurrection of Jesus is drawing near it is important to remind ourselves what necessitated the death of Jesus. In actual fact, and humanly speaking one would question why a person like Jesus who performed many miracles, signs and wonders could be arrested, beaten and nailed to the cross where He died. Humans will think that way.

However, there are genuine reasons Jesus had to die. First, He died so that the old and probably the first prophecy and promise of God during the fall of Adam and Eve in Eden might be fulfilled. Immediately, after the fall when God was passing sentences or judgment on the serpent (Satan incarnate) God said, “And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heels.” (Gen.3:15 NLT). At His death Satan struck Jesus’ but at His resurrection Jesus struck Satan’s head, rendering him powerless thus, “Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death.  Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying. (Heb.2:14, 15). By His death on the cross and His subsequent resurrection Jesus conquered death and Satan. Halleluiah. Second reason why Jesus had to die was that He came to save and to give life to us sinners who would believe and trust in the work of redemption He did on the cross. To achieve this, He had to die because when someone made a will, his/her will cannot be entered or come into effect when that person is still alive. The person must die before the beneficiaries could enforce the will. So Jesus had to die so that those who believe in Him would enjoy the blessing of eternal life which He brought. Thirdly, the Bible says, In fact, according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness Heb.9:22. That was why when Jesus was hung on the cross, “One of the soldier, however pierced his side with a spear, and immediately blood and water flowed out.” (John 19:34 NLT) In fact according to 1Pt.2:24 Jesus, Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.(NKJV) In short Jesus had the power to defend Himself and escape death but if He did that you and I cannot be saved or forgiven we will forever be objects of destruction. He even said ^“No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what my Father has commanded.” (Jn.10:18). For all these let all believers in Christ be willing to make sacrifice of our available resources to make Jesus known to the perishing world and the Lord will bless us as we do this.