The “Why of Good Friday

"Nevertheless..." A Moment of Meditation on Jesus' choice to die for you.

Many of the contemporary books seem to focus on something at least partly false--that Jesus was killed, murdered by wicked men, that God ordained this, and He had little choice. Much is made of the fact that the Father put in motion the machinery that led to His death. However, that's only partly true: Jesus made quite clear that HE chose the path, that He AND the Father consulted together, and that He was NOT a pawn in the hands of God.

Here are some passages:

John 10:18: No man takes [My life] from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.

Philippians 2:6-8: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not something to hold on to--His equality with God, But made himself of no reputation, and took upon himself the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 

Yes, it was the Father's will--this is clear from dozens of passages--but it was the Son's choice. Even at the very end, just before His death, Jesus said, "Don't you know that I could call to My Father and He would send more than 12 legions of angels?" One of the old songs says, "He could have called 10,000 angels to destroy the world and set Him free--but He died alone for you and me." (it's paraphrased from Matthew 26:53)

He CHOSE to die--because without His death, we could not have His life.