A Needless Death

Hebrews 2:5-18

Much as been written on the subject of the work of Christ on the cross. Words like atonement, propitiation, and justification rise to the surface for followers of Christ as we meditate on what most of the world assumes was just another needless death. Many simply hold the death of Jesus on the cross as a perfect model of martyrdom for a cause, giving your life to push people closer to relating to one another in love. Many others just see a waste of a life, another example of bad government leaders abusing their power, that Jesus’ death only holds value in stacking evidence that rocking the boat of the rich and powerful will only end one way.

But if that’s all it was, where does that leave us with our own sin and death problem? The author of Hebrews takes us to a different destination when it comes to the cross. We see in verse 10 of chapter 2 that it was fitting for the one who created us to live among us and suffer as one of us so that Jesus could in fact provide a salvation for us, to become the answer to our sin and death problem.

Because Jesus was tempted like us, yet without failing like us, He could pay our debt. The death we see on the cross was not an abuse of power but an exhibition of power. The power to free us from the chains of slavery to sin and death! Hebrews 2:17 says that Jesus made propitiation for our sins. His death satisfied the wrath of God, a wrath that must fall on sin and would have fallen on us had the “needless” death of Jesus not occurred on that dark Good Friday.

The death of Jesus on the cross was not just another death and now our life need not be just another life. Through the victory earned on the cross on our behalf we can find victory in life, to live our life not for the ordinary but for the eternal glory of God!