Why Did Jesus's Death Have to Be So Brutal?

Why did Jesus need to die in such a brutal way? That's just one of the questions we'll be answering on today's edition of Core Christianity. Hi, it's Bill Meyer along with Pastor Adriel Sanchez, and as we head into the Easter weekend, this is the radio program where we answer your questions about the Bible and the Christian life every day. Our phone lines are open and you can call us at 833-THE-CORE.

That's 1-833-843-2673. You can also post your question on one of our social media sites, and you can always email us anytime at questionsatcorechristianity.com. First up today, here's a question that came in from one of our listeners named Jimmy in Texas, and a good one because it's so practical for this weekend. He says, Is there anything that's in Scripture that says it's okay or not okay to do egg hunts at church?

Wow, great question, Jimmy, and totally a relevant one. I know that there are many churches this upcoming Lord's Day, this upcoming Sunday, that will do some kind of a fun Easter egg hunt, maybe after the service or have a bounce house for the kids. Is there anything in Scripture that says, you know, well, you can't do that? Well, here's what I would say. One, I think that worship, you know, when we're talking about what's taking place on Sunday morning in the context of the service, I think that that's prescribed for us by Scripture. In other words, we should focus on those things that are outlined in the Bible, the preaching of God's Word, the singing of Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, the prayers, you know, devotion to the apostolic doctrine, an offering, you know, giving for the work of the ministry, for the care of the poor.

Those are the things that are the elements of worship. And it's not for us to say, well, now in the liturgy, we're going to have the Easter egg hunt or whatever, you know, it's not for us to change worship. Now, if after the service, you know, families are getting together and enjoying a barbecue and doing something like an Easter egg hunt, I have no problem with that. I think that's cool. I think that's great. There's nothing wrong with it. Maybe an opportunity for fellowship.

If you have the eggs outside in the sun and there's chocolate inside, you got to be careful because you don't want the chocolate to melt. But otherwise, I would say, I don't think it's that big of a deal. I do think what we do in worship is a big deal, and it should be guided by the Scriptures. And so, you know, when worship, when the service gets gimmicky and we start doing, you know, you know, weird things in the context of the worship service, in the context of the liturgy, that's where I would have some serious questions. But if people want to do stuff after the service at a park nearby or whatnot, I don't see any problem with that.

Bill, what do you think? Well, I think if the youth pastor dresses up like a giant bunny, that's probably not a good thing to do at the church. Yeah. Yeah. So we shouldn't do that this Sunday.

You're saying, Bill, you're, yeah, no, you're, I mean, that's the thing, right? Like with worship, the focus needs to be on the Lord. And so playing dress up, probably not the best idea. Now, again, if after the service, you know, the senior pastor wants to make the youth pastor dress up like a bunny, then, I don't know, maybe, you know. I just hope I'm not the youth pastor at that church. That's all I can say. That's right.

That's right. Lord help us. This is Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez.

Let's go to Daniel, who's calling in from Kansas. Daniel, what's your question for Adriel? Yeah, I guess in trying to figure out the right theology to have, I was pretty much raised in a dispensational setting. And I'm just trying to understand how the different theological views affect your perspective on the kingdom of God. So if you're dispensational or covenant or new covenant, or however that plays out, you know, how does, how does the kingdom of God and his reign in general kind of adjust or come into play in each view?

Okay, excellent question. And, you know, I don't think I could get into all of them, but maybe I can just touch base on, you mentioned the dispensational view, so maybe I can touch base on that and then talk about other views, maybe the more covenantal view with regard to the kingdom of God. But, I mean, depending on the dispensationalist you ask as well, because there's even a variety among dispensationalists. But the idea, essentially, that Jesus came offering the kingdom to the Jews, and that they rejected that kingdom, and so in one sense the offer was retracted, and that kingdom is not going to be fully established, or truly established, we might say, maybe truly would be a better word there, until Christ returns and he establishes the millennial kingdom described in Revelation, in Revelation chapter 20. And so there's an emphasis on the future of the kingdom and its establishment, and Jesus reigning from Jerusalem on the throne of David, and a minimizing, in one sense, of his present reign and the present reality of the kingdom.

And so, again, depending on the dispensationalist that you ask, you're gonna, you're gonna get maybe some variation there. But, by and large, this idea of the kingdom was offered, they rejected it, and so, you know, that that offer, okay, it's off the table, but when the Jewish people are restored at the end of the age, and when Jesus returns and establishes the millennial king, that's really when we're gonna, you know, when the kingdom is gonna be cooking with peanut oil, as they say. Now, it's not my view, and I'm not saying that those who hold that view are not Christians or anything like that, but it seems to me like Jesus is very clear that he did actually establish his kingdom when he came. Now, it didn't look like the people were expecting, but there's a very real sense in which the kingdom is already, is present through the redemptive work of Jesus, in particular, his death on the cross and resurrection from the dead. And there is, there is a future element to the kingdom as well, the consummation, we might say, when he returns, but that doesn't mean that the kingdom and the new creation isn't already here in one sense, and so sometimes you'll hear people talk about the kingdom being already and not yet, and I agree with that. There's a sense in which it is, in fact, already here, and we see it through the ministry of the church, the proclamation of the gospel, the sacraments of grace, the work of the spirit, bringing about the new creation as people turn to Jesus and believe and repent of their sins. But we also know that there's a fuller dimension to the kingdom that is coming that won't be fully realized until the final judgment, and so we're looking forward to the not yet of the kingdom of God, which again, that's going to happen at the resurrection.

And Paul talks about this in places like 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and in other places as well, and so yeah, those would be some of the the big distinctions, some of the big differences in particular between dispensationalism, how they understand the kingdom, and maybe more covenantal views. Let me just say this, with regard to the kingdom of God, the best way to define it is as the new creation. This is what Jesus came to establish. This is what the kingdom is in its fullness. It's the new creation where the Holy Trinity, God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit reigns forever in the presence of the redeemed and of the angels and the new creation. That's the kingdom of God, and that kingdom is already breaking in on this present evil age, as the author of the Hebrews says in Hebrews chapter 6.

It's already here, mysteriously, through the preaching of the gospel and through the work of the Spirit, and Jesus is reigning right now from the right hand of God the Father Almighty. This is what we read in the book of Acts, and again, this is what we read even in places like 1 Corinthians chapter 15, and so I appreciate just a really well thought out question, Daniel, and I'm going to give you an opportunity to, if you have a follow-up, just because I love this question. Does that make sense? Is that a helpful distinction there?

Yeah, I'm in the middle of work, but took a break, so yeah, that's perfectly fine. I think I'm leaning more towards the covenant side. My view is still that Israel is like Jesus, even though I'm not dispensational, and I'm still on the not already but not yet camp. I still am kind of leaning towards the thousand year reign of Christ coming and still reigning in Jerusalem for a thousand years, so is that, I don't know, is that problematic for a covenant perspective, or would I? Well, what I'll say is, I mean, just right, this is a wonderful thing about studying the Bible and looking at these particular passages and thinking, okay, how does this apply, how does this fit with other texts of scripture, our eschatology, how we understand the end times, what's coming in the future, and that question in particular, Revelation chapter 20, and the nature of Christ's millennial reign. Is it a present reign right now from heaven? Is it this future reign that's going to happen while Jesus is on the earth? That's a whole other can of worms, and so I'm going to recommend our Revelation Bible study, which is a great resource. My view is that Christ is presently reigning right now from heaven, and that's actually what John is getting at in Revelation chapter 20. But again, we can have great discussions about this and encourage each other as brothers to dig into the scriptures and to search those scriptures so that we might be faithful to the Word of God.

So hey, appreciate your question, and get back to work, it sounds like, and may God bless your day. Hey, Daniel, thanks so much for calling Core Christianity. Adriel mentioned our Core Bible study on the book of Revelation.

It's excellent. If you want to know more about the last days, the end times, boy, this is a great thing to dive into. You can find that at corechristianity.com. We'd love to go to your call. If you have a question about the Bible or the Christian life, you can leave us a voicemail 24 hours a day at 833-THE-CORE, and when you call, let us know your name and where you're calling from.

Let's go to Eric, who's calling in from Iowa. Eric, what's your question for Adriel? Hi, I have a question about, I'm a member of a church in my community, it's a Missouri Synod Lutheran Church, and I'm reading a book, and in the book, it's mentioned that the author is a Calvinist, and it's mentioned that she studied several Calvinists. So I was wondering, what is the difference in beliefs between people that are Calvinist and, say, someone like myself who goes to a Lutheran church, Missouri Synod, and I was wondering, what are some denominations that are Calvinist? Eric, thank you for that question.

I'm happy to try to provide some insight here. Of course, when we're talking about the difference between Calvinists, you mentioned, you know, denominations typically, more Reformed or Presbyterian denominations, they're coming from that stream of the Reformation where you had guys like John Calvin and other Reformers who were writing and teaching and preaching and talking about theology, and so those are some of the church denominations that are more associated with Calvin's theology. But, you know, here at Core Christianity, one of the things that we try to emphasize is, one, the unity, as much as we can, the unity that we have around the Gospel and the core doctrines of the Christian faith, and as it pertains to the Creed, you think of the Apostles' Creed, you think of the Nicene Creed, those are things that we can affirm, that you'll find affirmed in Calvinist churches and Lutheran churches, and so those are what we typically try to highlight on this broadcast because we want people to really grow in the core doctrines of the Christian faith. Now, that doesn't mean that there aren't some significant differences between these, you know, various traditions. You know, the one that comes to mind right off the top for me, in particular, when we're thinking about the Lutheran Christian tradition or the Reformed and Presbyterian Christian tradition, is how they understand the sacraments.

Both traditions believe in, you know, baptizing infants, for example, but they don't view baptism in the same way. You know, both traditions will make a case that Christ is present, you know, in a unique way with us through the sacrament of his body and blood, through the Lord's Supper, Holy Communion, or the Eucharist, but there were some pretty heated debates in Calvin and Luther's day about the manner or the mode of Christ's presence in the Supper. And so there are differences related to the sacraments, there are differences related to theology with regard to predestination, the doctrine of predestination and reprobation, but again, you know, we try to share the love on this broadcast and not try to lean into the differences as much as we try to lean into the things that we have in common. But it's good to know those differences and it's good to know what you believe and what your particular church believes, the tradition that you're a part of. And I would say this to everybody who's listening, for each of us, let's be Berean, let's think about, okay, the church that I'm a part of, in the light of scripture and searching the scriptures and studying the scriptures and wanting to follow the Lord, not according to human tradition but according to what he's revealed to us in his word.

And of course we're going to have differences, people are going to differ on exactly what that is that he's revealed, you know, we might argue about a particular passage, and that's okay, but let's make sure that the authority, the ultimate authority that we're going to is the word of God. Eric, thanks for your question, God bless you and God bless your church as well. You're listening to Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez as we head into this Easter weekend. We have a great resource that we want to offer you, it's absolutely free and it's on an event that actually took place after Christ's resurrection. Yes, the resource is called The King is Crowned, 10 Ways Jesus's Ascension Matters for You. It's funny just, you know, thinking about Eric's question, the ascension was also, you know, with some of these debates that were being had about the way in which Jesus is present with us today, the ascension was and played an important role in that discussion, that debate, because Jesus bodily ascended into heaven. He's, you know, he didn't, you know, that question in particular relates to some of these other doctrinal issues and even these doctrinal disputes, and so get a hold of this resource again, it's called The King is Crowned, 10 Ways Jesus's Ascension Matters for You, and it's a free digital download over at corechristianity.com forward slash offers.

Love to have you check out our website for all of our great resources, many of them absolutely free, you can find those at corechristianity.com. Well, as we head into Easter, here's a good question from Nick in San Diego, and he says this, why did the crucifixion have to be so brutal? I understand that historically it was a common method of execution used by the Romans. I suppose my question is more why God chose this particular moment in history, and what is the significance of the brutality of the cross? Yeah, excellent, excellent question. You asked, you know, why did God choose this particular moment? You know, Paul talks about Jesus coming, you know, in the fullness of time, God sending his Son, born of a virgin, born under the law, and that phrase there, under the law, is important. Jesus came and was born under the law, the same law that condemns us, because we don't keep it.

He's born under the law, and what does he do? He keeps the law of God perfectly, flawlessly, something that no man has ever done. This is, I mean, what he's doing is what Adam should have done way back in Genesis, in the Garden of Eden. Adam should have obeyed, and God gave him those commandments. It was up to him to obey, to listen to the word of the Lord, and instead he sinned, and sin entered the world, and all of us in Adam fell and sinned and are dead in sin because of Adam. So Jesus comes under the law as a new Adam, the second Adam, and he obeys, and he fulfills the righteous requirement of the law perfectly, and then he is murdered, crucified. And the cross in particular highlighted for us the fact that Jesus was taking upon himself the curse of the law for having sinned against God.

He never sinned against God, but he's taking the curse of a sinner upon himself. And this is what Paul said in the book of Galatians chapter 3 verse 10. All who rely on works of the law are under a curse, for it is written, cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law and do them. Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for the righteous shall live by faith. But the law is not a faith. Rather, the one who does them shall live by them. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written, cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree.

I think that's the answer to your question. What's the significance of the crucifixion? Jesus being nailed to the tree, as it were. It's that he's taking the curse of the law upon himself, the curse that belonged to you and to me as sinners. He's taking it upon himself so that, verse 14 of Galatians chapter 3, in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles so that we might receive the promised spirit through faith. Brothers and sisters, we have been redeemed from the curse of the law by Jesus and his redemptive work, his sacrificial work upon the cross, taking that curse on himself. And he gives to us the gift of the Holy Spirit, his righteousness as well. He gives us, you know, his righteousness, that track record that he had, that perfect obedience that he offered up to the Father in our place for us. It's imputed to us. That's the theological word that's sometimes used.

It means, that's sometimes used, it means credited. The righteousness of Jesus by faith has been credited to you, and he has taken your debt, your curse upon himself so that we might now walk in newness of life, free from the law, free from its curse and condemnation, and might serve God with joy and with gratitude and with obedience and with love above all else. Thanks for that.

Excellent question. What a great explanation of the gospel just in time for Easter. So thank you so much for that, Adriel. This is Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez. If you ever have a question about the Bible or the Christian life or doctrine, theology, you can leave us a voicemail on our voicemail system. Let us know your name and where you're calling from. Here's the number. It's 833-THE-CORE, and it even operates at night, believe it or not.

1-833-843-2673. Here's a voicemail that came in from one of our listeners named Dennis. My question is, Jesus died on the cross, and it took him three days to ascend into heaven. How could he have told the thief on the cross that today you will be with me in heaven when he wasn't there yet? Well, he wasn't referring to his ascension there, and of course he didn't ascend just three days after he died. When we're thinking about the ascension, you read about it in Acts chapter 1, that's after his resurrection. So he's raised after he dies three days later, and the real question here is, well, where was he at during that period where he had died?

He hasn't been raised yet, and there is, you know, that has been an issue of debate. What we can say is he wasn't in hell suffering. You know, sometimes people say that kind of a thing is, well, he was suffering for our sins in hell.

No. Actually, Peter seems to indicate that he was declaring his victory over the grave, so that he was actually in the place of blessedness, or we might say paradise. So there's no contradiction thinking about Jesus's death on the cross, and then that period of time between his death and his resurrection, what he was doing there. When he tells the thief on the cross today, you'll be with me in paradise, what he said was true, right? That thief, by faith in Jesus, was brought into the very presence of God the Father together with all the angels, not in his body, but in his spirit.

It's what we refer to as the intermediate state, a time in between. And the reason it's called intermediate is because when we die as believers, you know, the souls of believers when they die are, one, they're perfected in holiness. You're made perfectly holy. You pass into glory. You're in the presence of God and the angels.

There's some interesting passages in the book of Hebrews, for example, in Hebrews chapter 12, that really paint the picture for us. And you're waiting for the final resurrection, the final judgment. When our bodies and spirits are reunited, we're raised, incorruptible, glorified.

That day is coming. That's what we look forward to as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. And so it's called the intermediate state because, you know, heaven is not our final resting place. You know, being separated from our bodies for all eternity, that kind of a thing. Sometimes people, when they think about the Christian life, it's like, you know, ask Jesus into your heart so you can go to heaven. And heaven is just, you're going to be floating around kind of as this spiritual being for all eternity, you know, bouncing on clouds or something.

I don't know. But in reality, that intermediate state is not, again, the ultimate resting place. Jesus died, was buried, rose again from the dead. And because he rose from the dead, we have the hope that we, too, will rise from the dead, that our bodies will be raised together with his glorified and incorruptible, and that we'll inhabit the new creation for all eternity. Such a wonderful thing to look forward to. And we praise God for it. Thanks for listening. Be sure to join us next time as we explore the truth of God's Word together.