The way most of us view the death of Jesus on the cross is like some terribly acted “Good Cop, Bad Cop” scene from a crime thriller movie, except now it is “Good God, Bad God.”
They agree in a back room (before the foundation of the world) that they’ve got to get the bad guy in the interrogating room (all humans) to confess to his numerous crimes. Here is how the planning went:
God: I know what I’ll do. I’m going to tell him that although I’m only looking out for the good of the universe, and since I’m so holy and just, I just cannot stand evil and sin, and I’m gonna have to shoot him.
Jesus: Yeah! And then I’ll come in, all humble, meek, and mild, full of love and care, and say, “God loves you so much! But you are so sinful, He’s gonna have to shoot you if you don’t fix up your life and tell us all the bad stuff you’ve done.”
God: That’s good. And then maybe when he says that he is doing a pretty good job, and he doesn’t know why he’s been arrested since he hasn’t broken any law, you can raise the bar on him a bit. Blame it on me, though. Because I’m so holy.
Jesus: Okay. I could say that although you commanded them not to commit adultery, what you are really concerned about it lust. And although you said, “Don’t murder,” if they call someone a fool, it’s the same thing.
God: Right. Just improvise a bit on all that. Just make sure you blame it on me and my holiness. That’s key. And then, after you live such a great life on earth for a few years, maybe two or three, I’ll step into the room, pull out my gun, and yell, “Enough! This man is evil. Stop beating around the bush and make him confess!” And I’ll shoot him.
Jesus: Sounds good. And that’s when I jump in front of the bullet, and die in a bloody mess right there in front of everybody. It will be great. I’ll get on the news. I’ll be the talk of the town for thousands of years. People will write books about me. Of course, you’re not going to leave me dead, right?
God: Don’t be silly. Of course not. The resurrection is the grand finale. After I shoot at the man, and then you step in front of the bullet, he will be so shocked at your love for him, especially after you laid all that guilt on him, that he will be amazed at your love. And then when I raise you from the dead—oh man, he’ll just drop down and start worshipping us. It will be awesome!
Is that how it went down? Not even close.
How it all went down
First of all, while there was a plan, the plan did not include God and Jesus playing off each other like this. They were of one mind and will toward humanity,with love as the primary motivation.
Second, while God is just and holy, and while the death of Jesus did satisfy the holiness of God in regard to our sin, this was not the only — or even the primary — reason for the death of Jesus on the cross. This is called the “appeasement theory” or “satisfaction theory” of the atonement, and is the idea that the death of Jesus appeased the wrath of God.
Such an idea comes more from Greek Pantheistic mythology than it does from Scripture. The Greeks believed (as do most religions), that the gods are angry and need to be appeased (aka bribed) in order to act nicely toward humans. This idea could not be further from the truth regarding the God of Scripture.
Why did Jesus die?
Why did Jesus die? Not to appease God, but to cleanse us from sin, and deliver us from its power. The death of Jesus was a rescue operation where He broke into the prison of our bondage where we were rotting in filth and decay, and through His life, death, and resurrection, demolished our chains, picked us up on His shoulders, and carried us to freedom outside of the prison walls.
If we want to liken what Jesus did to a movie, it is not a “Good Cop, Bad Cop” scene we should imagine, but Chuck Norris breaking Prisoners of War out of a military prison camp – except without all the shooting and killing. On second thought…maybe Chuck Norris isn’t the best example, but you get the idea.
The death of Jesus on the cross was to break the power of sin in our lives, and recapture for us the relationship with God that they have always wanted with us. And that is something that is Oscar-worthy. Or worship-worthy.
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