Why was Jesus killed? Why did he die? Why did he have to? What purpose did it serve?
We often hear that Christ died for us, for our sins. Over the course of our journey as a pilgrim church on earth, some have said that Christ’s death was a ransom paid for our sins, and through this ransom, we have gained eternal life. But that makes the Almighty God sound like a kidnapper.
Others have said that Christ died as a substitute for us. In this configuration, we are sentenced to death for our sinfulness, and by taking on our sentence, Christ freed us from death itself. But that makes the Alimighty God sound like an executioner.
Still others have said that the message of crucifixion is directed towards us, not towards God. By the lights of this theology, everything Jesus said or did was meant to lead humans Toward that moral change and improvement -- all his teaching and example, especially the inspiring example of his martyrdom on the cross and subsequent resurrection. All these things were meant to cause us to be better, to do better.But that makes the Almighty God seem like a harsh schoolmaster, who uses deadly examples for pedagogical purposes.
Which of these scholarly theologies is the right one, which is the most true, or closest to the truth? If indeed any of them are true...
Perhaps we cannot say for sure why Christ had to die for us, but we can most definitely say that Christ died with us.
In the miraculous mystery of the incarnation, God took on our human form, this mortal coil, with all its limitations, even the limitation of human life itself. So none of us need face the grave alone, none of us need ponder a lonely death. Quite the opposite. The death that awaits us all, the death that heartbreakingly awaits those we love, is not something we or they face alone.
Because the death that Christ died proved to be significantly different that all the human deaths that preceded it. For Christ’s death was not an ending, but a beginning. And because Christ tied himself to our mortal fortunes at his human birth, we are tied to his mercy and grace through his death. And likewise, we have our share in his resurrection.
We may not be able to fully explain the sad and yet glorious mystery of why our Lord and Savior Christ had to die for us, but we can rejoice and be glad that our Brother Jesus did in fact die with us, and thereby he will raise us, and all who go down to the grave in hope, he will raise us all to eternal life.
© The Rev. Mark R. Collins
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