Jesus’ life was not taken.
Jesus’ blood was not spilled.
No, Jesus gave his life. He poured out his blood as an offering for sin, and he did it all on purpose. The cross was no accident.
Could Jesus have escaped? Certainly. Thousands of angels stood at attention that day. A single word from the Son of Man would have brought them to his side wielding judgment on the sons of men.
Jesus has power over life and death. He could have looked Caiaphas the corrupt High Priest in the eye and said, “drop dead” and Caiaphas would have dropped dead. The same can be said for Herod, Pilate, the Roman soldiers, the Temple guards and everyone else who mistreated him.
He could have called down fire from heaven. He could have ordered the earth to tear itself open and swallow his persecutors. He could have called up floods from the deep to sweep his tormentors into the sea. But he didn’t. In fact, just as had been prophesied hundreds of years before:
“He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.” - Isaiah 53:7 KJV
Jesus could have avoided the cross, but he chose not to. Jesus died on purpose. You see, Jesus death on the cross was not a stop-gap measure enacted by the desperation of God. Adam and Eve’s original sin, their disobedience in the Garden, did not catch God by surprise. Look at this:
“...ye were not redeemed with corruptible things...But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world…” - 1 Peter 1:18-20 KJV
Did you see that? “Foreordained before the foundation of the world” to have his blood shed for the redemption of the human race. God created this world, he created the human race, knowing that we would need a Redeemer. He already had the plan in place.
God knew each of us even before we were formed. Psalm 139:15 brings this down to an even more personal level.
“Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all [my members] were written, [which] in continuance were fashioned, when [as yet there was] none of them. - Psalm 139:16 KJV.
You see, Jesus knows you and me. In fact, he knows everything about everybody. And he loved us anyway, enough to go to the cross. He came to this world on a mission. That mission was to provide you and me a means of escape from eternal judgment and restore us to fellowship with God.
Now, here is something you can do on purpose.
If you don’t know him as your Savior, I urge you to ask him to forgive you of your sin and commit your life to him. Eternity matters.
