Why Did There Have to be a Cross? Because Jesus Tasted Death for You

Scripture: Hebrews 2:8-9

YOU HAVE PUT ALL THINGS IN SUBJECTION UNDER HIS FEET." For in subjecting all things to him, He left nothing that is not subject to him. But now we do not yet see all things subjected to him. But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.

Insights: Verse eight above tells the state of humanity before the fall in the Garden of Eden.  Everything was under the dominion of Adam before he sinned against God.  When that happened, his dominion was given to another.  We know that other individual was an angel who fell from his position in glory because of his pride.  His name was Lucifer, otherwise known as Satan.  Satan became the one with dominion over the earth.  So, Jesus had to come to earth and be made a little lower than the angels in order to “taste death for everyone.”  Warren Wiersbe writing about God’s answer to this dilemma of man’s loss of dominion wrote, “Jesus Christ became man that he might suffer and die for man’s sin and restore the dominion that was lost because of sin.  When our Lord was her on earth, He exercised [in other words, took back] that lost dominion.  He had dominion over the fish (Matt. 17:24-27; Lk. 5:1-11; Jn. 21:1-11), over the fowl (Lk. 22:34, 60), and over the wild beasts (Mk. 1:12-13), and the domesticated beasts (Mk. 11:1-7).  As the last Adam (1 Cor. 15:45), Jesus Christ regained man’s lost dominion.  Today, everything is under His feet (Eph. 1:20-23) [brackets mine].”  The apostle Paul describes this condition this way in Romans 5:17, “For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.”  So, Adam lost dominion and brought death, but Jesus came to earth and went to the cross in order to restore dominion and bring life.  The above gives us the first answer to this week’s question as to why there had to be a cross.  Beloved, I pray you ponder over the serious work Jesus did on our behalf.  It was because of His redemptive work that we have eternal life.  Let us show our gratitude to Him for His sacrifice.

Questions:

1. Have you recognized your lost dominion as a result of sin?
2. Have you shown and demonstrated gratitude to the Lord Jesus for taking eternal death from you?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I am so grateful You died for me, so that, I might have life eternal.  What a day that will be when I and Your children are brought eternally to our home in Your paradise.  Thank You for taking back the dominion that was lost by humanity.   Amen.