By Pastor Ryan Stockstrom

Harvest Church

Easter week is here! As we take time to celebrate this year, I wanted to pause and reflect on the why.

If you believe that God revealed Himself in history through the person of His Son, Jesus Christ, then it naturally leads to another question: Why did Jesus endure what He did?

And if you don’t believe, I would encourage you to take another look at the myriad of evidence surrounding the person of Jesus. His legacy transformed the world—and continues to do so today.

Chuck Colson, one of the Watergate scandal conspirators who later became a follower of Christ, said this about Jesus’ resurrection:

“I know the resurrection is a fact, and Watergate proved it to me. How? Because 12 men testified they had seen Jesus raised from the dead, then they proclaimed that truth for 40 years, never once denying it. Every one was beaten, tortured, stoned, and put in prison. They would not have endured that if it weren’t true. Watergate embroiled 12 of the most powerful men in the world—and they couldn’t keep a lie for three weeks. You’re telling me 12 apostles could keep a lie for 40 years? Absolutely impossible.”

C.S. Lewis, author of the beloved Chronicles of Narnia among many other works, addressed the idea that Jesus was merely a “good teacher”:

“Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being only a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”

I think both Chuck and C.S. offer us provocative thoughts regarding the historicity of and belief in Jesus.

I would also strongly encourage anyone who remains skeptical to simply read through the New Testament.

But I digress.

What I really want to write about is the why—why Jesus chose to die.

Here’s the amazing thing Scripture reveals: Jesus’ why was you.

This God-man, who lived a perfect life—the only one ever to do so—was beaten, spit upon, tortured with Roman flagellum, and then nailed to the hideous death penalty device we now hold up as a symbol of hope and freedom: the cross.

He bore our brokenness, our sins, our disease upon His body. He chose the nails.

Why?

If I were a god who created a race of beings made in my image, and they chose to rebel, ignore me, and do whatever they wanted—I wouldn’t respond like God did.

But God chose to love us, rebellious and stubborn as we are. So much so that He gave His most precious gift—His only Son.

And Jesus embraced it.

His why was you.

Hebrews 12:2 says:

“For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

I believe this shows that Jesus’ joy was not only in His resurrection—but in ours.

The joy set before Him was the redemption of all mankind—the redemption of your life and mine.

It reminds me of a scene with a fighter pilot during wartime, with a picture of his loved ones taped to the dashboard of his plane. As he’s going down—or simply longing for home—he looks at that picture, knowing his sacrifice is worth it for them.

They are his purpose, his reason, his joy.

As Jesus was “going down,” perhaps He looked ahead to the days of your life and said, “It’s worth it. Their eternal saving is worth my dying.”

Jesus taught:

“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13, NIV)

And the rest of the history goes like this: Jesus truly died for you and me—but He did not stay dead.

Death could not hold Him. The grave could not keep Him.

He was raised to eternal life—the first of all who believe to be resurrected to eternal life.

What does He ask of us this Easter season in response? Belief. Trust. Surrender.

Think about it—who has ever loved you like this?

I have many people who love me—but only one who proved it by dying for me.

I can place my faith in a God who gave His all for me.

I pray you are able to as well.

Happy Easter!