Jesus's Death and Burial
A guest post by Chad Ramsey.
Jesus Knew He Would Die and Be Raised.
During His ministry, Jesus frequently predicted His death and resurrection. Reporting this, Mark 8:31 states:
“And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.”
Elsewhere, Mark recorded Jesus’s own prediction:
“The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him. And after He is killed, He will rise the third day” (Mark 9:31).
Reiterating this truth, He declared:
“Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him to the Gentiles; and they will mock Him, and scourge Him, and spit on Him, and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again” (Mark 10:33-34).
Jesus’s Determination to Do the Father’s Will.
It is not possible to read Mark’s biography of Jesus without noticing our Lord’s awareness of what He would eventually face. This does not mean Jesus viewed death without dread, for He expressed physical reservations when He prayed: “Take this cup away from Me” (Mark 14:36; cf. Mark 10:38).
Even so, He was determined to do the Father’s will (Mark 14:36).
Emphasizing Jesus’s resolve as He gave His life for us, the author of Hebrews described Jesus as “the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).
Perspectives on the Lord’s Death.
The death of Jesus can, and perhaps should, be viewed from more than one perspective.
An Unjust Event.
There is a sense in which the death of Christ Jesus was the most unjust event to ever occur in human history. He did not deserve to hang upon the Roman cross—the vilest instrument of cruelty known to man. The only perfect man to ever live became “a curse for us” (Galatians 3:13).
As Paul put it: God the Father “made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
A Glorious Event.
At the same time, however, the death of Christ Jesus is one of the most glorious events to ever occur. Sinfulness could not derail God’s plan. Forgiveness is available because Jesus shed His precious blood. This is why Paul could also write:
“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7).
No wonder Paul reminded the Corinthians:
“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18).
We weep because Jesus died a death upon the cross He did not deserve; we rejoice because our Savior transformed an instrument of death into an instrument of hope.
Chad Ramsey preaches for the Gloster Street Church of Christ in Tupelo, Mississippi. You can access their Bible classes and Chad’s sermons on Gloster Street’s YouTube page.
Chad was - and still is - “my preacher” from when I spent my high school and early college years at Gloster Street. I’m thankful to be able to share some of his writings with you.
