The Death That Changed the World

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life" (John 3:16).

The world's greatest demonstration of love, which began with the birth of Jesus, culminated in the death of Jesus. His ultimate death, in fact, was the purpose of His birth. "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up" (John 3:14).

Death is commonplace. Of the estimated 100 billion people born since the beginning of time, 93 billion of them have died. Apart from the rapture, the same fate awaits the 7 billion who now live. While other factors in life may vary greatly, the mortality rate is 100%.

With death being so ordinary and universal, what made Jesus' death different? Why did His death change the world?

First, Jesus was no ordinary person who died. He was God incarnate. In his sermon, Stephen calls Jesus "the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become" (Acts 7:52). People die, but gods don't die. Even the death of a renowned person such as a king is noteworthy. How much more the death of the Son of God!

Second, Jesus' death was prophesied in abundance and in great detail. These prophecies began way back in Genesis 3:15: "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise Him on the heel." Additional prophecies include the following: Jesus would be betrayed by a friend, the amount paid for the betrayal, the brutal treatment of Jesus, His silent response, His identification as a criminal, the method of His death, the battered condition of His body, the gambling for His clothing, the separation from God, and the facts of His burial.

Third, Jesus knew He would be killed. As the time approached, He knew when it would happen, and He continued willingly toward the cross. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, full knowing that the event would set in place the steps toward His death (John 11, especially vs. 4, 8, 47-57). Days later, He acknowledged, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified" (John 12:23). In His knowledge, Jesus tried to prepare His disciples for His imminent death (John 13:3, 19, 33, etc.).

Fourth, Jesus was executed although innocent. While some regimes and cultures throughout history have certainly been exceptional, execution is not a common way to die. According to Amnesty International, in the range 2007-2012, just over 3,000 people were executed world-wide, not including estimated thousands in China. There are cases where those accused are executed wrongfully, but the vast majority are guilty at least to some degree. Not only was Jesus innocent, but He was the most innocent person ever to walk on this planet. "He had done no violence, nor was there any deceit in His mouth" (Isaiah 53:9). Rather, it was well-known that He had performed "miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him" (Acts 2:22). Even the ruler who condemned Him to death proclaimed, "I find no guilt in Him" (John 18:38).

Fifth, Jesus gave up His life. As God, He had the power to hold on to life. In general, people fight to stay alive. The two other men crucified at the same time as Jesus clung to life. Soldiers had to break their legs to hasten the process of death, but Jesus was already dead. "The soldiers came, and broke the legs of the first man and of the other who was crucified with Him; but coming to Jesus, when they saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs" (John 19:33-34). Jesus was already dead because He had chosen to die. "He said, 'It is finished!' And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit" (John 19:30).

Sixth, extraordinary events accompanied the death of Jesus. Darkness fell for three hours in the middle of the day. The veil of the temple was supernaturally torn from top to bottom. A rock-shattering earthquake shook the area. Dead saints were temporarily resurrected to walk through the city. As the centurion and other guards with him observed "the things that were happening, [they] became very frightened and said, 'Truly this was the Son of God!'" (Matthew 27:54).

Seventh, Jesus rose from dead. Because He was God, the grave could not hold Him. After three days, angels rolled away the stone that covered the door of Jesus' tomb. When they did so, they revealed an empty tomb, as the Savior had taken His life back again. "I lay down My life so that I may take it again. No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again" (John 10: 17-18).

Eighth, the death of Jesus results in salvation for mankind. The holy Son of God died not for His own transgressions, but for those of others who had no hope of ever saving themselves. "He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed" (I Peter 2:24). No one else could have done what Jesus did. The gift of love that began at the season celebrated as Christmas culminated in the gift of love that was fulfilled at the season celebrated as Easter. Through God's love and through Jesus' death, the greatest possible gift has been offered to all who will accept it. "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name" (John 1:12).

Hallelujah! What a Savior! Hallelujah! What a death!