Have you ever wondered why Jesus had to die? Why didn’t Jesus show His true identity like the super heroes. Surely everyone would bow down and worship Him. Or would they?
I too struggled with this question and asked every pastor, missionary and Bible professor I knew. After a lifetime of asking, even going to Bible college and Seminary, and still having no satisfying answer, I decided I would find out for myself. As I diligently studied, God revealed the truth about Himself through His Word and an amazing study tour in Israel. It was in Israel I first experienced the ancient culture of biblical times. When I kept the Bible in its culture and the bigger context of God’s story rather than imposing my own ideas into the text, everything became much more clear.
The answers to God’s amazing story begin to unfold in Genesis 12 – 17. To show His great love, God was willing to work within the culture man had created. It wasn’t perfect, but that was what man understood. God chose a 75-year-old childless man named Abram and made a promise that if Abram would leave his home in Ur and follow to the place God would show him, God would bless him, make him the father of a great nation, and through him the whole world would be blessed. (Genesis 12:1-3)
Abram obeyed God. He left Ur and traveled along the ancient trade route, until he reached Shechem in Canaan. “Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your descendants.” (Genesis 12:6, 7) “Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith.” (Genesis 15:6) But 25 years later, at age 99, Abram was still childless, without any land and wondering if God really meant what He had promised. So Abram questioned God. What happened next must be kept in its culture to understand the full impact of what God was doing.
“Then the Lord told him, “I am the Lord who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land as your possession.” But Abram replied, “O Sovereign Lord, how can I be sure that I will actually possess it?” The Lord told him, “Bring me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” So Abram presented all these to him and killed them. Then he cut each animal down the middle and laid the halves side by side; he did not, however, cut the birds in half.” (Genesis 15:7-11)
Notice in the text that God only told Abram to bring these five animals. Based upon his culture, Abram knew that he was about to enter into a binding covenant with God of the universe. Abram brought the animals as God asked, then cut them in half and placed the pieces in a way that allowed the animal blood to flow together.
This covenant was based upon God’s promise that He would make Abram into a great nation and that through him the whole world would be blessed. But, what was Abram’s part?
Abram was to walk before God and be blameless. That meant Abram and all his descendants must obey God completely. (Genesis 17:1-9) How well do you think Abram would do with complete obedience? How well did Adam and Eve do?
After preparing the animals and while he waited on God, “a thick and dreadful darkness came upon him.” (Gen. 15:12) That meant Abram was terrified. Why? Because a covenant was sealed in blood and to break your part of the covenant meant that you would pay with your life.
To seal the agreement, called cutting a covenant, each person must walk barefoot through the blood of the animals as a graphic reminder of how serious this was. If either party failed to keep their part, then the penalty was their death to be carried out by the other party. Look at the text in Genesis 15:17: “After the sun went down and darkness fell, Abram saw a smoking firepot and a flaming torch pass between the halves of the carcasses.” Smoke and fire are symbols for God in the Old Testament. God passed through the blood twice, taking both parts of the covenant commitment. God knew Abram could not fulfill his part so rather than making Abram walk through the blood which would condemn him to death, God accepted the penalty for failure of either party. On that day, God sealed the death warrant for Jesus. God guaranteed payment of the penalty so His promise would be fulfilled. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
I discovered Jesus did not have to die, but chose to give His life to fulfill His covenant promise to Abram made so long ago. That promise guaranteed that through the seed of Abram a child would be born. That child would be God Himself, and He would die in our place so that all who believe in Him could be reconciled to God.
Think about that! Think about how much God loves you, that He was willing to come into His own creation for the purpose of dying by the hand of man, to pay the penalty so that you and I could have a relationship with God. The relationship intended when He created Adam and Eve.
Dear Lord,
I am humbled and awed by your great love for me. Thank you for taking my place so that I could come into your very presence as your loved child. I pray that my life will always reflect your great sacrifice and bring honor to your name. In the name of my Savior and Lord, Your Son Jesus Christ, Amen.