The Profound Mystery
Note: The following Post is taken from the book by Joseph Lenard entitled Mysteries of Jesus’ Life Revealed—His Birth, Death, Resurrection, and Ascensions. For an overview and complete chapter listing of this fascinating study, click here.
This is the final Posting of this book, Mysteries of Jesus’ Life Revealed. After all we have shared together regarding the life and death of Jesus, it seems proper to ask – and attempt to answer – one final question.
The question is this: Why did Jesus come to die?
Popular theologian and author, John Piper, has answered this question in his book, Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die (2006). He has stated the following:
The most important questions anyone can ask are: Why was Jesus Christ crucified? Why did he suffer so much? What has this to do with me? Finally, who sent him to his death? The answer to the last question is that God did. Jesus was God’s Son. The suffering was unsurpassed, but the whole message of the Bible leads to this answer.
The central issue of Jesus’ death is not the cause, but the meaning. What did God achieve for sinners like us in sending his Son to die?