There are few questions more important than this: Why did Jesus have to die? Not just why did He die, but why did He have to die? Could there have been another way? Why couldn’t God just forgive us? Couldn’t Jesus have simply taught us how to live better, to love better, to do better – and left it at that? These questions go to the heart of our faith, to the very centre of the gospel. They come into especially sharp focus as we gather at the Lord’s Table to observe Communion. The bread and the wine are not empty symbols. They carry with them the weight of divine love, justice, mercy, and sacrifice. They point to a death that had to happen – and then we must ask: Why? Why did Jesus have to die? It is a profound question, but it is actually not a difficult question. In fact, I can give you at least six reasons why Jesus had to die.
1. Because sin is real and deep
To understand the necessity of Jesus’ death, we must begin where the Bible begins – with God creating the world good and humanity in His image. Humanity was made for relationship with God: to walk with Him, reflect Him, and glorify Him. But sin shattered that relationship. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they didn’t just break a rule – they broke communion – they poisoned a relationship. That breach passed down to every generation, infecting every human heart with rebellion, selfishness, and pride. Every human born into this world from day forward, was born broken.
Sin is not just a matter of moral failing. It is rebellion against God. It is us saying, “My will be done,” instead of, “Thy will be done.” The biblical view of sin is not a superficial view of mistakes or slip-ups; it is a diagnosis of a deeper disease. David cried out in Psalm 51, “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.”
We are not sinners because we sin; we sin because we are sinners. Understanding the difference between those two statements is absolutely foundational for us to embrace the truth of who we really are as humans. The result of sin is not just personal guilt – it’s cosmic brokenness. Sin affects our relationships, our communities, even creation itself. Romans 8 tells us that the whole creation is groaning, waiting to be set free from the bondage of corruption. The ripple effect of sin is enormous – and no human effort, no religious ritual, no moral effort could reverse its curse. This is why Jesus had to die. The wages of sin is death – someone had to die. Sin is far worse than we think. It is not something we can manage or escape. It must be dealt with decisively, and that’s what Jesus came to do.
2. Because God is holy and just
The whole problem facing humanity from the very beginning, comes back to the nature of God. Let me remind you of the most terrifying and confronting truth in all of Scripture. I have shared this before. This is a truth which is stated over and over again and yet we don’t realise how terrifying it really is. The most terrifying and confronting truth in all of Scripture is this: God is good.
Why is that very positive truth so confronting? What’s so terrifying about God being good? Well, the answer is as simple as it is shocking. It’s terrifying to know that God is good, because we are not. So if we truly want to understand the Gospel, the good news, we must first understand the bad news and that is, God is good, but we are not. This is, in essence, why Jesus had to die.
God is good because He is holy; because God is holy, He is just; because God is just, He cannot do anything other than reject that which is unholy – and that includes us. So the problem for God from almost the beginning of humanity, is that He is good and we are not. God cannot violate His attributes. He cannot do something that contradicts Who He is. God is a righteous God and that is a good thing. We certainly would not want an evil God to be in charge of the universe, would we? It is a profoundly good thing that God is good, righteous, pure, holy and just.
Herein lies a huge problem for God, Who loves us and desires that we will dwell in His presence for eternity. If God is just, then what does He do with us? What does a good God do with sinners like us? Yes, politically incorrect as it may be to even suggest such a thing today, we are sinners. We’ve sinned against God; we’ve sinned against each other; we’ve sinned against creation; we are sinners by nature. We are sinners from birth. All of creation calls for our condemnation. So if this holy, pure, righteous God is truly just, then what does He do with us? If a just God simply pardons the wicked, He is no longer just. What do you call a judge who sweeps your crime under a rug? Righteous? No, he is corrupt! In the same way, if a holy God calls the wicked to Himself to have fellowship with Him, then He’s not a holy God. Holiness and sin cannot occupy the same space any more than you can go forward and backward at the same time. It’s just impossible.
Therefore the greatest question running through the whole Bible and all of human history, is this: how can a just God pardon wicked men and women and still be just? How can a holy God call unholy sinners into fellowship with Himself for eternity and remain holy? The answer is found in the beautiful, terrible cross of Jesus Christ. In that old rugged cross, we find this revelation of the fullness of God’s attributes. God is just so He must condemn sin – but God is also love and so He does whatever it takes to save His lost, rebellious, much-loved children and bring them home.
In order to satisfy His justice, God’s love compels Him to become one of us and that man, Jesus, does what none of us could ever do – He lives a perfect, sinless life as a human being, and then goes to the cross where the sins of the whole world are cast upon Him. So the justice of God, the full wrath of God against all unholiness, came down upon one man, Jesus Christ, God’s Son and our Saviour. The exact measure that was required to fully satisfy the justice of God, was brought against Jesus. As He took His final few breaths as a man, Jesus declared, “It is finished.” When He spoke those profound words, Jesus was not just talking about His human life as it came to an end, He was talking about His mission to secure the salvation of God’s lost children.
God is love – but God is also light. God is good, but He is also just. God is merciful, but He is also righteous. If we lose sight of God’s holiness, we will never understand the cross. God is not a kindly grandfather in the sky, turning a blind eye to wrongdoing. He is the righteous Judge of all the earth. Holiness and sin cannot occupy the same space any more than darkness and light can occupy the same space. This truth about God’s character creates what we might call a divine dilemma. God desires to forgive sinners – but He cannot simply ignore sin. Justice must be done. If God were to let sin go unpunished, He would cease to be just; but if He were to punish sinners fully, no one could survive or be saved. That is why Jesus had to die.
3. Because only a perfect sacrifice could satisfy divine justice
Jesus did what only Jesus could do. He is the Lamb of God; the final and perfect offering; fully God and fully man; He alone could bridge the gap between heaven and earth. He lived a life of perfect obedience. He did what we could never do. And then He laid that perfect life down. The death of Jesus was not an accident. It was not a political martyrdom. It was not merely a moral example. It was an atonement. He died in our place. He bore our punishment. He took the justice we deserved. As Isaiah 53 says, “The Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”
At that moment, something astonishing happened: divine justice was satisfied. The wrath of God, justly aimed at sin, was poured out on Jesus. And the mercy of God, overflowing and unstoppable, was poured out on us. As Paul writes in Romans 3:25-26, God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, “so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.” At the cross, God remained faithful to His character. He did not compromise His justice. But in His love, He satisfied that justice Himself. This is the glorious paradox of the gospel: that God is both Judge and Saviour, both Righteous and Redeemer.
4. Because sin’s power had to be broken
Forgiveness is not the only issue. Even if our sins were pardoned, we would still be bound by the power of sin. We would still be enslaved in its grip. We would still be condemned to repeat its pattern. But Jesus came not only to forgive us – but to set us free! On the cross, Jesus broke the power of sin. He disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He triumphed over them. He shattered the chains of death. In Romans 6, Paul declares that we are no longer slaves to sin, because we have died with Christ and risen with Him into new life. This is not just a metaphor. This is spiritual reality. The resurrection proves that sin no longer has the final word. The grave is no longer the end. We are no longer captives. We are sons and daughters, welcomed into the family of God. Our old self has been crucified, and we now walk in the power of the Holy Spirit. So why did Jesus have to die? Because only His death could kill the power of sin. Only His resurrection could launch new creation. And only His Spirit could bring new life to dead hearts.
5. Because love compelled Him
Behind all of this – beneath all the theology and all the doctrine – is one overwhelming truth: Jesus died because He loves us. Not because He was forced. Not because He had no choice. Not because the Father was angry and needed to be persuaded. No, the cross was a collaboration of love within the Trinity. The Father sent the Son; the Son willingly came; the Spirit now applies that love to our hearts.
Romans 5:8 says it clearly, “God demonstrates His love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” The cross is not God’s anger turned aside by Christ – it is God’s love poured out through Christ. This love is astonishing. It is unearned, undeserved, unconditional. It does not wait for us to get our act together. It moves toward us in our rebellion. It meets us in our sin. Jesus did not say, “Clean yourself up and then I’ll love you.” He said, “I’ll die for you so you can be made clean.” It is the love of Christ that draws us to repentance. It is His love that invites us into communion. It is His love that transforms everything.
6. Because there was no other way
Some people still ask: couldn’t God have done it differently? Couldn’t He just forgive us without all the blood and suffering? Jesus Himself asked that question in Gethsemane. “Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me.” But it wasn’t possible. There was no other way. Why? Because sin is that serious. Because justice matters. Because love does what is necessary. The Apostle Paul tells us in Galatians 2:21, “If righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing.” But He did not die for nothing. He died for everything. The cross is not plan B. It is not divine overkill. It is the only way. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father except through Him, and the path to the Father runs through Calvary.
That’s why Communion is important
This is why we come to the Lord’s Table. Not just as an act of remembrance, but as a powerful act of proclamation. Communion preaches the gospel. It tells the story of Jesus’ death. It speaks to our hearts. It declares again and again to the whole world: Jesus died for you. When we eat the bread, we remember His body broken. When we drink the cup, we remember His blood shed. But more than that, we participate in the mystery of grace. We declare that our hope is in His sacrifice, not our works. We declare that our unity is in His blood, not our efforts or background or status or reputation. We declare in this special meal, that our future is in His promise, not in our performance. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 11:26, “Whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.” We are looking back to the cross – and forward to His return. We are living in the tension of the ‘now but not yet.’ In this sacred meal, we are nourished by grace.
Why did Jesus have to die? Because sin is real. Because justice is required. Because love is relentless. Because death had to be defeated. Because new life had to begin. Because there was no other way. And so today, we come to the Table. Not lightly. Not casually. But joyfully. Gratefully. Humbly.
Come and remember.
Come and believe.
Come and receive.
Come and worship.