Journey With Jesus: 31 Days Devotion From the Gospel of MarkSample

Why did Jesus have to die

Hanging on the cross with the sins of all mankind upon Him, Jesus cried out to God. Spurned by the very people He came to save, He drew His last breath and died (v37).

Jesus was determined to save us from sin even though it would literally kill him. Why the need to go to such extreme measures? Why did Jesus have to die?

The answer is righteousness. God is holy and just – He cannot tolerate sin and rightfully punishes those who persist in it. When we sin, we deserve God’s anger and are unworthy to have a relationship with Him. Yet, out of mercy, God does not want to leave us like that. He wants to cleanse us of sin so that we can be with Him.

Sin is dirty. Just as a single ink blot mars a clean sheet of paper, so sin stains our life. Just as carelessly discarded waste chokes up a drain, so sin pollutes our relationship with God and obstructs our access to Him.

Sin is deadly. Many trivialize sin as a harmless wrongdoing or a joke. However, the Bible clearly states that the consequence of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Everyone has sinned (Romans 3:23), and thus, everyone deserves to die. If that sounds terrible, it is. Sin is a death sentence that none of us can overturn.

Did Jesus do wrong? Not at all. He is completely innocent. However, Jesus loves us so much that He willingly bore the penalty of our sins (Romans 5:8). He went to the cross for you and me. He has served our death sentence for us.

God’s justice demands a penalty for sin. God’s mercy compels Him to send His Son to be the sacrifice that will pay for it once and for all (Hebrews 10:12-14). At the cross, God’s justice and God’s mercy meet.

Through Jesus, we can enjoy a relationship with God. Because of Jesus, God forgives our sins and blesses us with a purposeful life in Christ.

Celebrate that you can be right with God because of Jesus! How will you express your gratitude to Jesus for what He has done for you?