What Motivated Jesus to Die?
What motivated Jesus to die?
Here is a simple, but somewhat inaccurate answer, “Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:8) Reading this, think also of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane praying to the Father with “Not my will, but yours…” Such obedience implies the Father commanding the Son to die—like a commanding officer on D-Day commanding the troops to storm the beach.
But the Scriptures speak of broader motivations. Motivations which guide my heart to worship for the wonder of it all.
I’ll start here with this record from David’s life:
David had a craving and said, "Oh that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem which is by the gate!" So the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines, and drew water from the well of Bethlehem which was by the gate, and took it and brought it to David. Nevertheless he would not drink it, but poured it out to the Lord; and he said, "Be it far from me, O Lord, that I should do this. Shall I drink the blood of the men who went in jeopardy of their lives?" Therefore he would not drink it. These things the three mighty men did. (2 Samuel 23:15-17)
“Oh that someone…” David wants water from a well in Bethlehem, where he was born. Though he commanded no one to fetch the water, his mighty men did so because they desired to fulfill his wishes out of affection for him. David would not drink and likely regretted being so open with his cravings.
We do things to fulfill the will of others by reason of knowing what they want.
There is a parallel concerning the Father and the Son written in Hebrews. The Father expresses a desire and the Son responds:
For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Therefore, when He [Jesus] comes into the world, He says, "Sacrifice and offering You [the Father] have not desired, But a body You have prepared for Me; In whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You have taken no pleasure. Then I said, 'Behold, I have come (In the scroll of the book it is written of Me) To do Your will, O God.'"
After saying above, "Sacrifices and offerings and whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You have not desired, nor have You taken pleasure in them" (which are offered according to the Law), then He said, "Behold, I have come to do Your will." He takes away the first in order to establish the second. By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. (Hebrews 10-5-10)
The Father looks down on the sacrifices His people were making for sin and He says, “I never wanted this.” To which the Son, Jesus, says, “I can take them away by dying and in doing so fulfill Your will.” Jesus loved the Father and He loved us. If the temple sacrifices were inadequate for mankind, He had another idea. This is far above the mere obedience of a soldier.
It is an obedience not of commanding but of responding voluntarily and with initiative. Jesus was motivated by love for the Father and love for us.
More tomorrow.