Jesus Did It All

Why Did Jesus Die?

Some literary compositions present the death of Jesus as if it were only the death of a martyr, as if He was just a victim of evil men’s cruel deeds.  Though it is true that Jesus was unjustly condemned by perverse judges, still He freely chose to die, thereby finishing the work that His Father gave Him to do:  Which is the only work that can save humans from their sins. 

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God,”  

Ephesians 2:8.

“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Spirit,” Titus 3:5.

In the Gospel according to John, in particular, the Scripture points out that there was this certain calm determination that Jesus had at the moment of His seizure in the Garden of Gethsemane, John 1:1-12.  When the soldiers came to capture Jesus, He didn’t try to escape.  He stepped towards the soldiers and asked them, “Who are you looking for?”  They answered Him, “Jesus of Nazareth.”  Twice Jesus answered them saying that He was that man.  The soldiers then suddenly felt the Presence of something majestic or divine and stopped, retreated a bit and then fell to the ground.   

“When the wicked, even my enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell,” Psalm 27:2. 

Then, at such an extreme moment, He protected His disciples, saying to the Roman soldiers, “If you are looking for me, let the others go.”  With these words, Jesus allowed Himself to be arrested, but ordered that the soldiers let His followers go free.

Why would Jesus keep His disciples from being arrested with Him?  He answered that question when Peter drew out his sword and tried to defend Him, “The cup that my Father has given to me, should I not drink from it?”  Jesus didn’t resist this arrest and by so doing, made sure that the Love of God could reach out to all that would come to Him by faith.  The Bible clearly states the mission of Jesus, 

“For the Son of man came to seek and to save that which was lost,” Luke 19:10. 

“And hope makes not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given to us,” Romans 5:5.

 “Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth, and said unto them, ‘Whom seek you’?” John 18:4.

“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under Heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved," Acts 4:12.

“How shall we escape, if we neglect so great a salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard Him,” Hebrews 2:3.

We might ask, “What is Salvation?”  Well, Salvation is a choice set before us by God.  We respond to the truth of God and the acts of Jesus, His Holy Son, choosing to either to believe in Him, accept what the Bible tells us or we choose to refuse to accept the truth of God and therewith choose to spend eternity separated from Him, in hell, with satan.  Salvation is the free gift of God, in Christ, allowing us to go to Heaven.  It is the choice between an eternal life with God in Heaven or an eternal life of suffering in hell.  Salvation is a gift of forgiveness and life and it is FREE and cannot be earned.  We simply and honestly believe to receive.