Why did Jesus have to die on a cross?
Excerpt from REDEMPTION: Bible Prophecy Simplified
Why was a cross chosen for Jesus to die on? Why was it necessary for his sacrificial death to take place in so cruel a manner? Couldn’t he have been stoned to death, or beheaded, or executed in a more humane way, besides crucifixion?
The answer to that is, No.
Both the atonement and the way Messiah would atone had been carefully planned in the eternal counsels of the Godhead, to happen just as they did, … and for good reason.
When the Bible speaks of the cross, it usually refers to the atoning work done there, and not to the symbol of the cross itself. But the cross was chosen for a specific and relevant reason.
The symbol of the cross pre-dates Jesus. It is the most ancient symbol known to humanity and traces its origins back to the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, that stood in the center of the Garden of Eden.
That tree represented the conjunction (meeting or mingling) of opposites. The conjunction of opposites relates directly to the knowledge of both good and evil, which is what Satan tempted the first couple with. And, by means of which, successfully orchestrated the downfall of an entire race.
The cross that Jesus died on, symbolized Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and the sin that brought death and destruction raining down upon God’s human creation.
The Bible calls the cross a tree in Deuteronomy 21:23, and in the New Testament, the Apostle Paul confirms [in Galatians 3:13] that it is the cross being referenced in the Torah.
The symbol of the cross has enjoyed widespread use by many religions and the occult, as well as by Christians. Satanists wear crosses—and not always upside-down. The symbol of the cross is the symbol of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and represents the conjunction or co-mingling of opposites.
This is in direct opposition to a holy God who never mingles opposites, such as good and evil. We see types of this throughout the Torah. But God gave the first couple only one “Thou shalt not,” which would have kept them completely safe and ignorant of all evil, other than the fact that it existed. That was all the protection they would ever need.
So how did the serpent get to them?
He told the couple they were missing out on something great and that he would help them get it. Iysh stood silently by listening, all the while the serpent was speaking to Ishshaw. Virtually every English Bible correctly translates, according to the Hebrew text, that he was right there with her, listening to the Serpent’s entire pitch –Genesis 3:6.
The serpent directed his words to the woman, but since the man was standing right there, he was essentially speaking to them both. He told them that Yahweh Elohim had lied to them and was holding out on them. He told them they were weak and lacking, because they only knew about the good in life. But if they added the knowledge of evil to the knowledge of good, they already possessed, the combination of the two would complete them and make them powerful. They would become just like God.
There is no common ground upon which good and evil can meet and co-exist peacefully and successfully—not in the same mind, not in the same body, not in the same home, city, country, planet, universe, or dimension.
The symbol of the cross has always been the ultimate symbol of the conjoining of good and evil—the place where opposites met for the very first time on planet earth, at the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, that stood in the center of the Garden of Eden.
The figure of the cross has always represented the lie that the knowledge of both good and evil is necessary to achieve ultimate balance, harmony, oneness, or wholeness. And that is the reason Jesus had to die on a cross.
The symbol of the cross, is the symbol of that tree.
Jesus completely atoned for sin, … by paying the ultimate price for sin, … upon the ultimate symbol of sin, … which was … the cross.
Jocelyn Andersen is the author of several non-fiction books, including, Redemption: Bible Prophecy Simplified, a Study of HOPE.
Note from the editor: I read my Bible every day, always picking up today where I left off yesterday. I call this my “on-track” Bible reading. I have been doing this for over 44 years. It was the best advice I was ever given, and it changed my life. If you are not presently doing the same, I invite you to join me. How much you read on a daily basis isn’t important. It only matters that you read, feeding your spirit with a prayerful dose of the living and powerful Word of God.
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Read more about this commentary HERE.