Why the cross? Why was it necessary for Jesus to die on the cross? Was it necessary?
I believe the answer to this question is a resounding YES! The cross was necessary. Why?
Reason #2 – It was a brutal form of punishment.
That’s right. God chose a cross because it was the most brutal form of punishment available at that time, and maybe for all time.
Today we live in a world where we desire to be humane in our methods of corporal punishment. I am all in favor of that, but I believe we miss one of the key elements of the cross with that mindset.
The cross was brutal. Many who were crucified could spend three or four days hanging on the cross before they died. It was a brutal, painful, excruciating, and slow death. The purpose of the cross was not just to put someone to death, but to cause them to suffer for their crime, and to send a message to others.
So why would a loving God choose this type of death for His Son? Because it was so brutal.
Many Christians today have lost their understanding of the severity of sin. We have excused sin, overlooked sin, and justified sin in our minds. Yet, God chose the most painful death for His Son to display His opinion of sin.
God chose the brutal death of the cross to demonstrate to mankind that sin is a terrible thing and the required punishment for sin is an extreme punishment.
God chose this to demonstrate what the price of sin really is. The Bible says the “wages of sin is death.” We have heard that for so long that we’ve missed the meaning. What kind of death? An excruciating, painful, brutal death that isn’t quickly resolved. It is a picture of what is required of our sins.
The second part of that verse says, “But the gift of God is eternal life.”
The wage is death – a brutal death. The gift is life forever. The choice is ours.
We either accept the gift or pay the price. The price isn’t a small one. It required a brutal, painful death for Jesus. It will require no less of us if we refuse the gift of Jesus’ salvation.
