This is our final part of a series where we are exploring a question asked to us during one of our Lunch & Learns. A Muslim neighbor who attended asked how it was just for Jesus to die for sins. In the first post we looked at some of the deeper meanings of the justice of God and his gracious giving of propitiation. In our second post we looked at prophecies about the death of Jesus, and now we will consider what Jesus himself had to say about his own death.
Pleased
Jesus was pleased to die for our sins because that is what pleases the Father, as evidenced in the prophetic witness to the death of Jesus. Jesus said, “And he who sent me is with me, He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him (John 8:29).” If, therefore, Jesus always does what is pleasing to the Father, and the death of Jesus on behalf of sinners is pleasing to God, then why would Jesus not have willingly done this? Jesus himself said, “For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father (John 10:17-18).” Much of the sting of the argument of whether it was just for Jesus to die as a sacrifice for sins revolves around some brand of “cosmic child abuse” (whether those words are used exactly or not). But, when we realize that the Son and Father are of the same essence, we realize that they are working in conjunction with one another. Jesus’s own words demonstrate this clearly. Jesus willingly, under no compulsion, died for your sins and mine.
To look at this a different way, consider the type of sacrifice that Muslims around the world make today. They choose a blemish free animal as their sacrifice. But why? Is God not pleased with any kind of animal, or does God want and expect the best? Would God accept a flawed animal as a sacrifice? Could it have three legs? Cancer? A withered feature? Why do we bring the best we can to God? Because we know that is what God requires. God requires something that is blemish free; perfect.
So, if God was going to present a sacrifice, what would it be like? It would be the best, wouldn’t it? It would be without blemish. It would be perfect. Jesus is the best of any flesh in all of creation because he was perfect, sinless. How much more valuable to God is moral purity than physical purity? It wasn’t physical impurity that caused Adam to be cast from the Garden; it was moral impurity. It isn’t physical perfection that will grant us eternal life; it is moral perfection. But that’s just our problem – we’re all sinners and are morally impure. This is why the Scriptures say, “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” While we might be inclined to offer the best of a flock or herd to God, God has offered the best of humanity on humanity’s behalf. And he has done this because he loves you.