" He suffered under Pontious Pilate,
Was crucified died and was buried…"
Why did Jesus die and whom do we blame for his death?
There are a number of people who could be blamed for Jesus' suffering and death and each for a different reason:
- Judas - he arranged the signal which led to Jesus' arrest.
- Pilate - he let himself be persuaded against what he thought was right.
- Barabus' followers - they persuaded the crowd to vote for Barabus' freedom.
- Lucifer/Devil - provided temptation.
- Religious leaders - some were jealous of his power and so said he was a blasphemer. Others were genuinely worried that he was acting against God's will.
- Adam and Eve - for committing the original sin. If they had resisted temptation there would have been no need for Jesus.
- Disciples - they didn't stand and fight for Jesus.
- Prophets - their teachings were ignored so Jesus was needed to preach so that the people would listen.
- God - he knew what was going to happen and didn't prevent it.
- Jesus - didn't try to save himself.
- Herod - didn't help Jesus.
So which of these groups really is to blame?
In actual fact the blame cannot be placed on one person or group alone because there are several reasons for the death of Jesus and each group had a part to play.
The two main reasons for Jesus' death are:
- Historical/political reasons.
Theological/religious reasons.
Historical/political reasons
- Pilate was afraid of loosing popularity and position in society so he went along with the crowd instead of doing what he thought was right.
- Religious leaders like Caiaphas were afraid of loosing power and authority. They were jealous of Jesus and so turned against him.
- The Zealots gave up on Jesus when he didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary. They turned to Barabus,
- When Jesus did not fit in with the traditional image of Messiah people lost faith.
Theological/religious reasons
- Salvation - Redemption
- Atonement - Sacrifice
- Reconciliation - Substitution
Christians believe that only through Jesus' death would the gap that had been created by original sin, between God and humans would be repaired.
I am now going to go on and discuss some of these theological reasons further.
Salvation
Original sin entered human life through Adam and Eve. God had created them and placed them in the Garden of Eden where they were tempted by the devil. Eve gave in to the Devil and soon after Adam followed. It was at this point that the separation of God and man occurred. God had been disobeyed and this brought the human race much suffering and pain. However God's love remained eternal and he was willing to give us a second chance. God never turns away from humans it is us humans who turn away from God.
Through the gift of life Jesus saved the human race from sin and for God. This is what is meant by the words:
" He died for my sins - to take away my sins."
The image here is that we are all tied down by sin and evil. We cannot get free of it. Jesus neutralises that sin and the power of evil by dying. Sin separates humanity from God we loose our happiness and we will not be able to have eternal life.
Jesus' sacrifice was not limited; it was the greatest and perfect act of salvation. It saved all human beings so they could live eternally with God. That is why Jesus is called the Saviour.
An example in the bible of salvation is in Matthew 26:28, 'The Lord's supper':
"This is my blood, which seals God's covenant, my blood poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins."
Atonement - at one with God
Old Testament background.
Yom Kippur is a day of atonement where the high priest enters the inner most sanctuary of the temple with the blood of the animals which had been sacrificed. A goat was used symbolically to take away the sins of the people. Jesus became the human sacrifice, whose blood really does take away our sins.
Atonement has a similar meaning to reconciliation. To atone is to make amends for something and so restore harmony. When we talk about the atonement performed by Jesus, we mean the way he restored harmony between God and humanity, making human beings one with God again.
By his death Jesus as God made human, pays the full penalty justice demands so we do not have to pay for it.
Redemption
Redemption means to ' buy back'.
In the ancient world prisoners of war were usually enslaved but their friends or relatives could sometimes redeem them buy paying a ransom to their captors.
Christ was a ransom - 1 Peter 1:18-20:
For you know what was paid to set you free from the worthless manner of life handed down by your ancestors."
Christ pays with his life to free us from sin. His death was a substitution for us; he took our place every time. Jesus expresses himself in; Mark 10: 45.
"The Son of Man did not come to be served; he came to serve and to give his life to redeem many people."
Jesus' death was the price God was prepared to pay to set us free. Examples of this are shown in:
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Ephesians 1:7 - "For the sacrificial death of Christ we are set free, that is our sins are forgiven. How great is the grace of God"
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Colossians 1:13-14 - "He rescued us from the power of darkness and brought us safe into the kingdom of his dear Son"
Redemption means that we need never despair that we are beyond Gods loving forgiveness. Jesus' sacrifice was for all people, it is never too late for anybody to be forgiven no matter what they have done, Jesus' love is unconditional for everybody.
Sacrifice
There are two ways of looking at sacrifice:
- You give up something that means a lot to you and you would find difficult to do without.
- You make an offering/gift which causes you inconvenience.
Some biblical passages telling us about Jesus' death are:
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Romans 5:6 - "For when we were still helpless Christ died for the wicked at the time that God chose."
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Romans 5:8 - "It was while we were still sinners that Christ died for us!"
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1 Corinthians 15:3 - "Christ died for our sins as written in the scriptures"
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Matthew 26:28 - "My blood poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins."
All these passages state clearly that Jesus died to bring us closer to God, to show that God loves us. Each one says that Christ died for us to forgive us of all our sins because as human beings are helpless. They show that Jesus died for many reasons; he died for the wicked and the sinners but he also died, as it was his fathers wish and it was planned from the beginning.
Maximillian Kolbe.
One way to discover the meaning of sacrifice is to look at the sacrifice Maximillian Kolbe made for another man.
After Maximillian's actions people started to realise that God is with them. Others were influenced and began to see others as real, living beings who deserved a chance of life. Kolbe's sacrifice had many positive consequences not just instantly but well into the future as well.
There are many similarities between Kolbe and Jesus' death; they both died for others, they both died painful deaths, each death had a positive affect on others, they both died without complaining and the effects of both deaths spread way into the future. However there are also some crucial differences which help us to realise the enormity of Jesus' sacrifice; Jesus rose again, Jesus was God, Kolbe chose to die this way, it had always been planned for Jesus and finally the most important difference of all, Kolbe only died to save one man, giving physical life and making a physical sacrifice, whereas Christ died to save all mankind, spiritually having timeless affects.
Summary
- Jesus died willingly. He accepted and didn't try to save himself or fight back. It was his total obedience and is of enormous value in God's eyes. As Christians we should try to be totally obedient towards God. Jesus' example of bearing suffering can be of enormous help to people suffering illness because it helps them to accept their situation.
- Jesus offered how own life as the perfect sacrifice. He had never sinned.
- His death paid the price of sin and also ensured God's forgiveness.
- Jesus death bridged the gap between God and humans (incarnation).
- Jesus' sacrifice was unique.
Because of Jesus' perfect sacrifice he overcame death and showed us the path to everlasting life.
"I BELIEVE IN GOD, THE FATHER ALMIGHTY,
CREATOR OF HEAVEN AND EARTH"
God
If you were to ask people what their images of God were they would probably come up with some of these ideas:
- A being - friendly
- Old man - immense
- White robes - quiet
- Powerful - wise
In fact, none of these ideas are correct. They have an image of God as a human being. Thinking of God in this way is easy. It is putting him into human terms whereas in reality it is impossible for us to imagine God as it is beyond our human understanding. God is the all-powerful (omnipotent), all knowing (Omniscient) and all loving being who created and loves the universe and everything in it, we are all his creation.
The Father Almighty
The image of Father in the Creed should not be the formal meaning as in the English language but the image of Daddy. This mistake occurred in the translation of the creed from Hebrew to English. When we think of a Father figure we would immediately think of; a man who is deeply respected, a man who must be obeyed, a man who is stern and has authority or even a man you almost fear. Daddy is quite the opposite; a man who is friendly and informal, a man you can talk to and share your problems with or a man who is always there making sure you are safe.
So what is the word "Father" in the Apostles Creed really meant to mean?
To us God should like both a Father and a Daddy figure. We should think of him as having all the qualities of a Father and Daddy in one. He should seem; loving, approachable, understanding, providing, protective and forgiving. But God is also one who is extremely stern, wise and expects obedience.
References to Father/Daddy in the bible:
Mt: 6:7-10 - "Your Father already knows what you need before you ask him."
6:31-33 - "Your Father in heaven knows that you need all these things."
7:9-11 - "You know how to give good things to your children. How much more then, will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!"
These references portray mainly images of the Daddy figure but within them are certain rules and expectations that a father would have. A Father protects his children, a Father will lay down the law for his children, a Father will punish his children and most important of all a Father loves his children. This is exactly how (in human terms) we should see God.
Creator of heaven and earth?
Many people believe it is impossible that God created heaven and earth as it totally contradicts science and the theory of evolution. What they are forgetting is that as God created everything this would include both science and evolution, these things were probably just part of God's original plan.
Religion and science should be viewed as complimenting each other when it comes to explaining creation. We do not need to believe Genesis literally, we should see it as a parable that helps to explain creation, it is symbolic.
The Trinity
The Trinity can also be linked in with this first belief of the Creed. It helps to explain fully what and who God is but it can get very confusing, so we have to understand it as best we can in human terms.
The Trinity is a mystery of faith. It is believed to be made up of three persons - Father, Son and Holy Spirit. These three are all equal, all different, all God and therefore they are all the same.
Father - Creator
Son - Human form
Spirit - Unseen power of God
ALL ARE 100% GOD.
Summary
"I believe in God" - By saying this we are showing that we do believe something is out there, protecting and watching over us. We are saying that we believe in only one God. I think this statement also shows that we respect God. It shows that we are not afraid to say what we believe. It shows that we don't know there is a God but we have faith and believe he exists.
"The Father Almighty" - This shows that we believe that God is our Father, not just someone who has rules and expectations but also an informal Daddy like figure who is approachable, understanding,
providing, protecting and forgiving. All these images are given in:
MT: 6:7-10
6:31-33 (Quotes on page 5)
7:9-11
This statement also tells us that God is the Father almighty, meaning that he is an all powerful, all mighty and all knowing being (omnipotent and omniscient). He is a being which is uncreated. He is natural and infinite.
"Creator of heaven and earth" - This shows that we believe God is the creator of everything heaven and earth. It shows we believe God has been around forever before anything else existed. He knows everything that has happened and everything that will happen. However he does not interfere because that would be like making us into his robots. He guides us but lets us make our own decisions.
