Dave continued speaking about the importance of Christ’s death and resurrection by looking at 1 Cor 2:1-5 and asking the question why did Christ have to die? In considering the last day of Christ’s life, he looked at John 13, where Jesus washed His disciples’ feet and inaugurated the Last Supper. During this intimate time of fellowship with His twelve disciples, Jesus gave them a vivid explanation of His life and death by inaugurating this memorial service. The bread represented His body and the wine His blood which demonstrated the central importance of Christ’s death to His followers. His divinely appointed death was necessary to bring into being the new covenant prophesied by Jeremiah, a sacrifice which needs to be appropriated personally. The disciples had to partake in the eating and drinking in the same way that the blood of the Passover lamb had to be sprinkled on the door frames for the firstborn of the Israelites to be spared when the angel of death passed over.
Following the time with His disciples in the Upper Room, Jesus moved on to the Garden of Gethsemane, where, with His closest disciples, Peter, James and John, He prayed for the cup of suffering and wrath to be removed if possible. He knew, however, that what was important was His obedience to the Father’s will, for God’s whole purpose was to save sinners and so Jesus embraced the cup of God’s wrath as the means by which mankind could be saved.
Later, at Golgotha, Christ was crucified. The outward darkness which fell from noon until 3 p.m. (in contrast to the angelic brilliance which heralded His birth at the dead of night) was a symbol of the spiritual darkness which Christ endured; He knew what it was to utter the cry of dereliction from Ps 22:1: ‘My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?’ Despite this agony, His victorious cry ‘It is finished!’ shows that Christ’s death accomplished God’s plan of salvation.
The cross reveals to us three things:
1. the terrible effect of our sin, which was so weighty that this was the only way God could reconcile mankind to Himself. We need to see the utter seriousness and helplessness of the human condition apart from God.
2. the depth of God’s love for us which is beyond our comprehension. God’s mercy, grace and love overwhelm us. They are freely offered to all and must be freely received; there is nothing we can do to earn our salvation.
3. There is nothing left for us to pay. The salvation Christ offers us is received by faith. We have to apply what Jesus has done for us by accepting the free gift of salvation and can then know the glory of forgiven sins and receive eternal life. The power of the Cross is such that it relies not on human wisdom but rests entirely on God’s power. ‘There’s nothing more that we can do, for Jesus did it all,’ the old hymn says. Our part is simply to receive the free gift with gratitude and thanks.