Dying to Self and the Call to Missions, The Life of John Paton

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all played a part and they all incurred their own guilt, we must recognize that Jesus had the power and resources to put an end to their evil plot at any time. But he did not do so because it was necessary for him to die.

The second statement this passage makes about the death of Christ is that it was an act of great humility. Crucifixion was the cruelest of all punishments. It was also the most humiliating in that it exposed the naked criminal to public view and the taunting of the people who callously gathered around the place of execution. It was a humiliating way to die. Thus, we see the passage tells us that Jesus humbled himself and gave himself over to die in this way.

Further, it was also an act of humility in that Jesus held back his power and glory and gave himself over as a lamb being led to the slaughter into the hands of sinful men. He allowed them to mock him, spit on him and beat him without mercy. All the while he opened not his mouth to defend his honor or dignity.

When we think about the fact that he had the power to free himself from this death, logic would say that if Jesus could have avoided such a death he should have. After all, consider how great a teacher he was. One only has to read the great “sermon on the mount” to know how inspired his teachings were. He was a young man. Imagine what deep truths he could have unleashed on this world had he remained longer in this life. Some could reason that He surely could have done far more good to stay and continue to teach and give his limitless wisdom to this world.

What about his healing power? Could Jesus not have continued his ministry and brought healing to so many more. Surely there were more blind, more lame, more dying people that could have used his healing touch. And yet he gave himself to die.

What about his benevolence ministry? So many people were fed by his simple prayer and the touch of his hand upon a few fish and some loaves of bread. What about the many starving and hungry people he left behind when he died. Maybe he should have stayed and continued to do them good. And yet he gave himself to die.

Human logic and reason argues powerfully against what seems to be the irrational decision of Jesus Christ to willingly give himself over to die on a cross. Surely, even some of those who admired him the most wondered why he allowed this to happen. Yet, still Jesus obediently and humbly went to the cross. Why?

Because, my friend, the cross is the only way we could be saved from death and hell. No greater teacher has ever graced this earth than Jesus Christ. This world has never seen the likes of the kind of power Jesus poured out on the lame, the blind, the deaf and the diseased as he brought a healing life-flow to them. The world has never seen the likes of one who could feed thousands with a little bit of nothing. But his power to heal, cast out demons, and feed the multitudes could never save one single solitary soul from hell. His great moral teachings could never deliver one of us from the eternal death that our sin brings upon us. It is only through his death on the cross that we could be saved.

This really is the crucial thing isn’t it? No question about it, Jesus could have done many good things apart from dying. It seems to me that one of the temptations that Satan placed before Jesus in the wilderness ... next page »