We’re well into that special time of the year when our focus turns to the celebration of Jesus’ birth (Luke 2:1-20). The world has never been the same since that sacred night in Bethlehem so many years ago.
Once you get past Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem, however, and press on into the record of His ministry years, the gospel accounts make it clear that Jesus knew He was born to die. He spoke of His death early and often (Mark 8:31; John 2:19-21).
Sometimes I find myself asking, Why? Why did Jesus have to die, and at the young age of 33? Couldn’t He have accomplished so much more if He had lived a few more decades and died of natural causes?
Imagine all of the diseases and physical impairments Jesus could have healed! Picture the mind-boggling miracles He could have performed. Think of the additional teachings He could have provided and the problems in the world He could have righted if He hadn’t been struck down in the “prime” of His life.
But it wasn’t to be. God had something more in mind. Jesus died when He did so that we wouldn’t have to. He needed to die so that He could rise from the dead and defeat death. He willingly gave His life so that we could be friends with God (Romans 5:8-11).
As we celebrate and remember the miracle of Jesus’ birth, let’s also remember why He was born to die. We desperately needed Jesus to give His life so that we could live (Romans 6:4). The apostle Paul summed it up this way: “Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone” (Romans 5:18).
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Philippians 2:1-18
More:
In the face of our own mortality, the apostle Paul wrote that death will be “swallowed up in victory” through the resurrection of Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:54-57).
Next:
How has Jesus’ death and resurrection changed your life? Why is it vital that we often reflect on His death?
Gene on December 3, 2012 at 7:33 am
Thanks Jeff for reminding us of the real reason for the season. These are powerful verses in Romans about what God had planned. The gifts brought to Jesus (Matthew 2:11), especially Myrrh, also hint of God’s perfect plan.
tom felten on December 3, 2012 at 9:05 am
Good insights, Jeff. One thing that comes to mind is the fact that an evil ruler savagely took the life of innocents after Jesus had been born (Matthew 2:16). Then, at the end of this life, the Innocent, Holy One—Jesus Himself—was brutally crucified that we might live. May the life and restoration He brought fill our world today—bringing the peace and life and light that overcomes evil and darkness!
winn collier on December 5, 2012 at 6:20 pm
thinking of his death (and the life to follow, of course) as the “something more” – that’s a thing to ponder.
daisymarygoldr on December 7, 2012 at 4:28 pm
Good post, Jeff Olson! If it was only to heal, perform miracles, provide additional teachings, right the wrongs and resolve all the problems in the world, Jesus could have simply appeared on this earth. He did no such thing. The birth of Christ was to provide Him with a body that He would sacrifice to pay for our sins (Hebrews 10:5). God is Spirit and cannot die. Therefore He became flesh—for only as a human being could He die, and only by dying could He break the power of the devil, who had the power of death (Hebrews 2:14-15).
The question still remains: why did Jesus die as a young man at 33 and not at the ripe old age of 103? The birth and death of Jesus Christ was not an isolated event that occurred at some point in history. The provision of a Savior was planned by God even before the world began, was foretold and foreshadowed in the sacrifices of the Old Testament. God did this so all may know that Jesus Christ is the One to save us from sin and death.
As the perfect, young, male “Lamb of God”, Jesus fulfilled all the requirements of the Passover sacrifice. Hence, the birth of the Lamb of God who would eventually die for the sins of the world was announced to shepherds who watched over sacrificial lambs that would soon die on behalf of sinful men. Sacrifice is to give God the very best—and to die of natural causes is no sacrifice. Thus, it was in the prime of His life Jesus willingly submitted Himself to fulfill the will of God.
Jesus was born to die so we may not die but live. Live to eat, drink and have a merry Christmas all the days of our lives. Right? Wrong. Jesus Christ is our example and we must follow His footsteps. We are also born (again) to die. In other words, we too must die—to sin, if we are to live. God is the source of life and we are alive only in a right relationship with Him. To be in right relationship with God, requires obedience to do what is pleasing to the Lord. And what is not pleasing to Him, He considers it sin or disobedience.
Jesus became obedient to the point of death for our sins. Let us also be dead to sin and live for what is right (1 Peter 2:21–25). This is why we always reflect and proclaim the Lord’s death by putting to death the deeds of our sinful nature by the same power of the Spirit that raised Jesus alive from the dead. The purpose of Christmas i.e. Christ’s birth was His death for sin and being dead to sin is the purpose of our second birth in Him.