The Not So Ordinary King

There are many things that God does that I question. Not because I think He was wrong in doing it but why He did it. I wonder why God made the Earth like He did or why He made the sky blue but the question that I ponder the most is why Jesus had to die young and on the cross. Why could He not have lived longer so that He could spread the gospel longer. Jesus living longer could have satisfied some doubt that Jesus is real; however, I know that God had a plan when He sent Jesus down. God’s plan always proves itself to be better than our own and His plan for Jesus’ death was. By Jesus’ death we are forgiven of our sins and are alive again. In Athansius’ book, On the Incarnate, It explains the reason that Jesus had to die a gruesome death at a young age. These reasons include that illnesses would make Jesus look weak, it fulfilled prophecies, and He paid the price for our sins. 

Powerful, decisive, humility and knowledgeable are all qualities that come to mind when thinking of a king; however, weakness is not a characteristic that a king should possess. One of the reasons that Jesus died on the cross was that any other way would make Him look weak.  Athanasius says, “For this reason also diseases come upon them, and, weakening, they die. But the Lord is not weak, but the power of God, and the Word of God, and himself Life” (72). Diseases come to people that seem to be weak, but Jesus is not weak. Jesus and God are all powerful so why would They not be able to heal Jesus if he contracts a disease. This would not allow Him to go through death to die for our sins if He was to heal himself. 

Jesus dying alone or in private would have interfered with God’s plan, most importantly the resurrection. It is written, “Because it was for this reason that he had the body, and it was unfitting to prevent it, lest the resurrection should also be hindered ” (72). Jesus having all the power could have avoided death or even just died alone peacefully but this would have hindered the plan that God had in place. Through the way of the cross and then through resurrection, it was shown that Jesus could actually defeat death. Athanasius writes, “And thus it happened that both things occurred together in a paradoxical manner: the death of all was completed in the lordly body, and also death and corruption were destroyed by the Word in it” (71). By defying death and resurrecting three days later, he was able to defeat death and to take away all sins. This is one reason why it was essential for Jesus to die by the cross. 

Jesus’ death on the cross fulfilled many prophecies. Athanasius writes, “Nor is even his death passed over in silence, but rather it is indicated exceedingly clearly in the divine scriptures” (85). There are prophecies that foretold about Jesus’ birth, life, and also his death. If Jesus was to die peacefully in a corner like many people and kings before him, the prophecies would not be fulfilled and then it would be said that God was wrong. One of the prophecies that Jesus fulfills with his death is that he is crucified among sinners. Psalm 22:16  says, “For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet” (ESV). For this prophecy to be fulfilled, Jesus has to be crucified among sinners. At Jesus’ death, He is crucified between two criminals and even takes the place of a criminal on the cross. This proves that God had a plan to have mercy on his creation and to destroy the threat of the law by His grace. 

Jesus’ death pays the price for all of the sinners before and after his death. God sends his son to die on the cross so that the sins of others can be covered by the blood of Christ. Athanasius writes, “He it is who is the Life of all, and who is like a sheep delivered his own body to death as a substitute for the salvation of all, even if the Jews do not believe” (89). Jesus is the ultimate sacrifice for all who have sinned; everyone who has lived has broken the laws that God puts in place so we should die. God having mercy towards his creation and children, sends his only son so that He can pay the price for our sins. Athanasius says, “But he takes that which is ours, and that not simply, but from a spotless and stainless virgin, ignorant of man, pure and unmixed from intercourse with men… And thus, taking from ours that which is like, since all were liable to the corruption of death” (57). Jesus is sent to be the sacrificial lamb so that many would not die the death they deserve. This is one of the most important reasons that Jesus was to die on the cross. 

Even though I wish that Jesus could be around now and performing miracles for all of the disease ridden people, I know that Jesus had to die on the cross. The way that he died was all for us and it benefits us more than if He was still alive and teaching God’s word. It was only possible for Jesus to carry the burden of our sins on the cross. Athanasius writes, “it was not for another to turn what was corruptible to incorruptibility except for the Savior himself” (70). Since God made the rules and his people did not follow them, Jesus dying on the cross was the only way that our sins could be forgiven. The death that Jesus died also fulfilled the many prophecies that foretold his death. And lastly, the process of Jesus’ death was the only way that would allow Jesus to be portrayed as strong rather than weak. After He resurrected, death was defeated so all could live eternally. These are some of the reasons that Jesus had to die on the cross.