This Friday we will remember the darkest day in the history—the sacrifice of an innocent Man that takes away the sin of the world. He was rejected, despised, and crushed by the ones He came to save. On that day, evil seemed to prevail. The enemy was on the verge of victory. The sinful men were about to have the last laugh. The disciples were terrified. The dying world was about to lose hope.
Yet the mourning turned into dancing just in three days. A light came out of darkness, giving unfailing hope—not just to mankind, but to the whole creation. History repeated itself—what the enemy meant for evil was turned into something good, great, and glorious. Good has overcome evil. Life has overcome death. Jesus has overcome the world.
People all around the world now celebrate this historical, sacred event as Good Friday.
Scholars and theologians may have debated the exact day of Jesus’ crucifixion on the cross. Yet it has been recorded in history. Many countries have recognized Good Friday either as a national public holiday or a special, observed day by Christian communities (even including Indonesia, the largest Muslim country by population, and Israel, the nation where this event originally took place).
There should be no argument against the reality of Jesus’ crucifixion on the cross. There should be no doubt that Christ’s death is a significant event in history.
But, why? Why did Jesus have to die? This question has been asked throughout history, and we all could likely find the answers quickly using AI today.
However, today I would like to revisit this question and present concise, non-AI-generated answers, that would hopefully give us a good reminder and a clearer understanding of this subject. As usual, I would use an abbreviation so we could easily remember it.
There are at least three reasons why Jesus had to suffer and die. Remember the 3D: Jesus died to satisfy God’s DESIRE, to DEMONSTRATE God’s love, and to DESTROY the power of the devil. Now, let us take a closer look at each point.
Christ’s suffering and death is to satisfy God’s DESIRE.
Long before the fall of man into sin, God has already planned His work of salvation [to be accomplished] through His Son (e.g., 1 Peter 1:18-20; 2 Timothy 1:9). Jesus’ death on the cross is the fulfillment of prophecies in the ancient times (e.g., Isaiah 53, Psalm 22). Salvation was not an afterthought or “Plan B” arranged after Adam and Eve sinned, but it’s an eternal purpose established by God before the creation of the world. God foreknew that humans would fall into sin by their deliberate choices to disobey and rebel against Him, following their own wicked ways. Yet this loving God—not wanting anyone to perish—gave His only begotten Son, so that whoever believes in Him will live forever (John 3:16). This loving God—also not wanting anyone to approach and worship Him by forces—desires us to know His heart. He does not delight in sacrifice [religious works], but is pleased with our repentant heart (Psalm 51:16-17). Love does not force its own way (1 Corinthians 13:5), therefore God gives this invitation to everyone to know and trust in Him and experience life that is abundant and everlasting through His Son, Jesus Christ. God presents Himself freely to us, so that, in alignment with Him, we can also present ourselves freely to Him. Scripture revealed that “it pleased the Lord to crush Him . . . and the Lord’s pleasure shall proper in His hand.” (Isaiah 53:10). God knows the crushing of His Son will bring salvation to many and He exemplifies this principle by giving His own life (John 12:23-25), which is the perfect, freewill gift (offering) for humanity. In/through God’s Son, God the Father is glorified and His purpose is accomplished.
Christ’s suffering and death is God’s DEMONSTRATION of His love.
What makes Jesus outstanding among other prophets, teachers, and religious leaders is His teaching. His words are life-giving and life-transforming, and I have not seen any teachings or wisdom that are parallel to His. The essence of Christ’s teaching is love: to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength; and to love our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:37-40); and to love each other as Jesus has loved us (John 15:12). And Jesus also added, “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13). Think about it: loving someone that loves us is easy, but loving someone that rejects or hates us is extraordinary. Jesus remarkably practiced what He preached: not only He loved His enemies, but He also even died for them! Christ died for those who hate, reject, and rebel against Him. Scripture reveals that Christ died for us while we were still sinners, proving God’s love for us (Romans 5:8). Human love is often conditional or transactional, but divine love is true love (agape) and it is unconditional: it depends not on our performance, but on His character (full of grace and truth). A good parent can relate to this: loving your child(ren) is neither conditional nor transactional. Thanks be to God the Father for lavishing His love on us [who believe in His Son] that we should be called children of God! (1 John 3:1). Now, to unbelievers, my question is this: “How do you know that your god truly loves you?” Stated another way, “How does your god demonstrate his/her love for you?”. God supplying my needs, God protecting my family, or God blessing my life is still not as great as God giving up His own life for me (despite my sin, my rejection, and my rebellion against Him). I am fully persuaded there is no greater [demonstration of] love than the love of God in Christ Jesus. Nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from such amazing LOVE (Romans 8:38-39).
Christ’s suffering and death is to DESTROY the power of the devil.
Jesus, in His humanity, tasted death for everyone (Hebrews 2:9) and only by dying He could break the power of the devil, who had the power of death, and set free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death (Hebrews 2:14-15). The blood of Christ washes away our sins and brings us righteousness, so we become the partakers of God’s holiness. In other words, the blood of Christ brings union among believers, and they become one in Christ—into God’s family. Scripture reveals, “Both the One who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family.” (Hebrews 2:11). Think about it: we were transformed from sinners into saints, from enemies into family members, from criminals into children of God. What an extraordinary [upgrading] transformation! Through Christ’s suffering and death, He brings us—sons and daughters of God—to glory. There is nothing like this glorification in the history of mankind! Through Christ’s suffering and death, we can also rest assured that: (1) God knows our own struggles and suffering in this earthly life and (2) Jesus is able to help us because He has experienced and overcome them all (Hebrews 2:18). Jesus redeems us from the empty way of life with His blood, therefore, since the price has been fully paid, we now belong to Him forever (1 Peter 1:18-19). The enemy has no longer control (grip and power) over us and in our lives because we are safe in Christ’s mighty hand (John 10:28). This power of Christ’s blood was foreshadowed in the biblical story of Exodus, where the Israelites marked their doorposts with lamb’s blood to escape the plague of the firstborn’s death, causing the destroyer “pass over” their homes (Exodus 12:13-28). No wonder the enemy has been defeated by the blood of the Lamb, giving us courage to share our testimony and freedom from the fear of death (Revelation 12:11).
In summary, Jesus had to suffer and die, so we could live—with desire to honor God, with love for God and each other, and with faith [courage, confidence, freedom, and power] in the Son of God—in a perfect communion with Him forever. Praise the Lord!
This article was written on March 31-April 01, 2026 in Port Coquitlam, BC, Canada. The featured image was generated with AI.
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