Why Did Jesus Have to Die?
Steve Annino

Scripture: Psalm 23: 1-6
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.  

Why Did Jesus Have to Die? 

I have been troubled by the question of why Jesus had to die. Yes I know in John 3:16 we are told that God gave his only son so that we may have eternal life. And that is certainly an explanation and one of the answers to the question, but for me, it is not the only answer. I have seen in scripture that God has multiple reasons for why things happen. I am led to believe that eternal life is not the only answer.  

There are certainly other reasons set forth in the Bible. The Bible says that Jesus died for us because He loves us (cf. Rom. 5:8). Because he loved us He wanted to free us from the stain of sin and the reality of death. In essence, He tells us in dying that we are forgiven and that the bond between God and man can never be broken, even by death. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus tells a parable about a shepherd who left his entire flock to seek and save a single lost sheep and bring it back to the herd. The story reinforces the idea that we are never alone and God will do anything to reassure us of that fact.

Still, I wonder why putting his son through the misery of the sacrifice on the cross was the only solution to giving us the promise of eternal life. After all, he is the Almighty and capable of any number of miracles. Surely he could have thought of a better way. He has the ability of doing most anything so why then the sacrifice? He could’ve decided that no matter how we have fallen short of his plan for us He could still grant us the gift of eternal life, despite our sins.

But then what would the message to us be if that sacrifice was made without the sacrifice of his son? Would it be as meaningful? Is there perhaps another message that His willingness to sacrifice his son could be sending to us?  For me there is.

What better way to connect with us and to share our pain and our sorrow when we lose someone so close to us?

To me, there is nothing more relevant than connecting with someone who has faced a similar loss or tragedy. When we realize that our holy father has experienced that same loss, it is so much easier for us to go to him with our own struggle. For me that is an important and significant reason for why, in his infinite wisdom, He sent his son to experience death and resurrection. The pain from loss is a given when we lose someone. But suffering becomes optional when we choose to share our pain with a higher power that knows exactly what we are feeling and shows us that death is not the end. He has created a connection to us that is stronger than death. A connection that provides comfort and strength for us even in the darkest of times. David saw that connection and reminds us of that in Psalm 23.