"Why Did Jesus Have to Die?"

That was the question posed to our church from a pastor 10 Easters ago. We were challenged to write an essay on the subject. Although I was raised in church, I had only recently started walking with the Lord, and the question reflected one that had burned in my heart throughout my life.

So, I took the challenge and added my own twist: I would read through the Passion Week accounts in a parallel of the Gospels - chronologically, on each day reading what occured that day of Passion Week (beginning with the Triumphal Entry on Palm Sunday, ending with the Resurrection on Easter Sunday).

It's a challenge I highly recommend. I ended that Easter with a new appreciation for the Resurrection, and a depth of understanding to that nagging question that no sermon could have given me. Wrestling with the Scriptures, I managed to write an essay that essentially focused on the judicial aspects of the crucifixion; Romans 3 was a key text.

That was accurate of course, but in the decade since my understanding of the Passion has grown significantly. C.J. Mahaney says, "We never move on from the cross - only to a deeper understanding of it." One resource that has helped deepen my knowledge is The Passion of Jesus Christ by John Piper. Piper writes devotionally of 50 reasons why Jesus came to die. The reasons include my initial judicial understanding - to absorb the wrath of God - but also reasons that have nothing to do with me ("To please His heavenly Father"). He covers eternal, spiritual reasons ("To deliver us from this present evil age" as well as down-to-earth, practical ones ("To destroy the hostility between races"). For the past 5 years, reading through this as a devotional for the 50 days before Easter has been a tradition for me as well - one I highly recommend.

It's from The Passion of Jesus Christ that I draw the quote below. Writing about a reason dear to our hearts - "To obtain for us all things that are good for us", Piper heads straight to the heart of the challenge that sometimes bad things happen. Referencing Phil. 4:12-13, Piper observes:

It says we can do "all things" through Christ. But notice "all things" includes "hungering" and "needing." God will meet every real need, including the ability to rejoice in suffering when many felt needs do not get met. God will meet every real need, including the need for grace to hunger when the felt need for food is not met. The suffering and death of Christ guarantee that God will give us all things that we need to do his will and to give him glory and to attain everlasting joy.

What "need" do you have that seems unmet? Reread the quote above. Trust that God will meet whatever your REAL need may be -- and if you're like me, half the time you might not know what that is. But rest assured that HE does. He will always act for your good.

Spend some time this Lenten season reminding your heart of that truth!