Did It Matter How Jesus Died | Theocast

Hi, this is Justin. Let me ask you a question. Why is it that Jesus had to die on a cross? Why is it that he didn't die via execution in some other way? Why wasn't he stoned? Why is it that he was hung on a cross to be killed?

If you're not sure how you would answer that question, today's podcast is for you. This is a good follow-up to last week's episode where we thought about theological systems and frameworks that help us to understand and interpret the Bible.

Today is a practical exercise in thinking about scripture from a redemptive historical perspective with Christ at the center. And in the members podcast, we consider why it is that we tend to interpret the Bible in so many other ways besides this way.

We hope that this conversation is clarifying for you. We hope that it is encouraging for you and that you are edified in the Lord Jesus as you listen. Stay tuned.

Hey guys, this is a quick reminder if you'd like to join Theocast and helping other people find rest in Christ. A simple way of doing that is simply by leaving us a review on iTunes or your favorite podcast app.

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Welcome to Theocast, encouraging weary pilgrims to rest in Christ. Conversations about the Christian life from a reformed perspective. Our hosts today are John Moffitt, pastor of Grace Reformed Church in Spring Hill, Tennessee.

John is very jovial already this morning, laughing at me on the screen. And then myself, the other hosts today, Justin Perdue, pastor of Covenant Baptist Church in Asheville, North Carolina. John, it's good to be around the microphones with you today, and I'm glad you're in such a good mood,.

Man.

We are just very quickly going to jump into everybody's favorite segment, which is the pro con segment. And we always like to interact with the feedback that we get from our listeners here at Theocast.

And today we have a special treat because we will hear directly from one of you about a very important matter of life and theology.

So John, with that,.

I turn it over to you,.

Man.

All right. Here's our, here's our voicemail. Listen, listen very carefully.

I've got one question for you. Who do you think you are talking about. How chipotle is no good? I was literally on my way home. This is the,.

Uh,.

Does your job matter to God. Episode? I was on my way home with chipotle in the car. You're talking about how disappointing it is. But first of all, you're ordering it all wrong. You got to get a bowl.

Um,.

And you got to get the tortilla on the side. You can make your own burrito. That's not going to explode. And then if you're a small dude like me, you got leftovers for later afterwards. I'll tell you, you just got, you just got to know how to order.

You don't go for the steak. You got to go for the barbacoa or the chicken where you're going to get a better portion than the steak.

You know,.

It's too fatty.

Anyway,.

Just really appalled. I'm thinking about throwing off the reformed traditions, um, strictly because of your taste in food.

Anyway,.

Uh,.

That's all I got. I hope the Lord changes your hearts on this. And my name is Chris Collins from Holland.

Dude,.

That was incredible.

Chris,.

Thank you for that voice.

Hey, yes.

Keep sending in your reviews, voicemail. We love it. It's fantastic.

And just really quickly, I don't think I share the, the strength of disdain for Chipotle that some of my co-hosts share. And I completely agree with Chris's take on how to order.

You,.

You do the bowl with the tortilla on the side and you basically got two meals. I agree with chicken or barbacoa versus steak.

So Chris,.

I think that the Lord has done some good work in my heart already,.

Bro.

As it pertains to Chipotle, we can continue to pray for John and for Jimmy in these regards.

There you go.

I mean,.

The,.

The battle, the battle remains. I'm just going to say there has not been another company in the United States. Who's been in the news more than Chipotle with food poisoning.

We're still here. I can't believe I'm just talking about this.

I,.

There's no way that Chipotle will ever be able to redeem themselves. I just don't think it's possible.

Yeah.

And it's, I'm not saying I eat it all the time, but I do eat it on occasion.

Yeah.

Well,.

There are definitely, we live in the United States. There are definitely better options in my opinion. So there you go.

Taco bell.

No,.

I,.

I don't,.

I,.

I swore never to eat there again. And this last Sunday I had to go pick up some,.

We,.

It was an emergency. We were taking care of some people in our church. It was like, I needed food right here for these kids. So I got a bean and cheese burrito. And as I'm eating it, I'm going, what a waste.

Yeah,.

I don't even know what to say to that. Don't like, I probably have not eaten Taco Bell in 15 years. And I mean,.

Now for all those who listen to us and work at Taco Bell, we love you. We think you're doing such a great service of, you know, doing your job. So that's not a criticism of you by any means.

That's true.

That's absolutely true.

I love all the Taco Bell employees. I love all the Taco Bell employees.

I can make that distinction in my mind. Absolutely.

That's right.

The employees and it, you know, it's, it's not their fault. You know, that no, the franchise has made the decisions that it's made. And anyway, many people like Taco Bell, maybe just,.

Just,.

They do.

And that's okay.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So John, why don't we, why don't we pivot a little bit brother to matters at least mildly, more significant than, than Chipotle and Taco Bell and, and give everybody maybe a, a setting of the table as far as what we plan to talk about today.

One of the things that we love here at Theocast is a redemptive historic understanding of scripture. And often when Justin and Jimmy and I, we get together and we start talking about what shapes and forms Theocast, and I would say our theological position, and let me just even make that broader.

What has shaped and formed reformed theology for hundreds of years now, that is often what all of you love. You listen to Theocast. I saw it recently in the Facebook group. For those of you who don't know, we have a Facebook group, a lot of great conversations and questions happen in there.

And someone said,.

You know,.

Where I'm so new to all of this, where do I start? Where do I go? And they love what they're hearing, but they want to know the foundation behind it. They want to know what, what leads people to rest.

What causes this? So one of the things that we want to do today is, I think, practically show you from scripture, how it works.

Like,.

Instead of talking about it in theory, we're going to walk through the Bible and show you how redemptive historic understanding of scripture unfolds and how types and shadows in the purpose of scripture and mystery and the New Testament all play together.

So we're going to do that through a question. So I'm going to ask a question and then Justin and I are going to kind of show you how the Bible answers this question. So here's the question. Did Jesus have to die on a cross?

Could he have died by hanging, being stoned, being torn apart?

I mean,.

There are all different ways that the Romans used to kill people back then, burned on the stake,.

Right?

Why did Jesus, or did Jesus, according to the Bible, have to die on a cross? And in order to answer that, we're going to use biblical theology slash a redemptive historic understanding of scripture. So is that a fair setup,.

JP?

Yeah,.

It's a good setup. I think just to be redundantly clear. I mean, the question in a very simple way is why did Jesus die on a cross and not some other way? And what is the significance of all that? And like you said, we're going to put the tools to work this morning, just doing a flyover through major themes in the Old Testament and think about how God has been working from eternity past,.

Essentially,.

But God has been working throughout all of human history to accomplish the redemption of his people through Jesus so that we will see very practically today in a way that we trust is going to be edifying and encouraging for us as we talk about it.

And also we trust for listeners as they listen to it. We're going to see how Christ was the point all along and how God has been purposefully working even throughout redemptive history prior to Christ's coming.

He was purposefully working for Jesus to show up on the scene and do exactly what he did. And all of the providences and the circumstantial realities mean something. There's nothing arbitrary in how God went about doing this.

And then as we see, hopefully today, just one more facet of the plan of God and redemption and the work of Christ in our place, we're going to then consider what that means for us in the Christian life.

And then we're going to think about what it means for the church, what it means for preaching. And so hopefully that's the kind of boots on the ground, sort of takeaway stuff that will be helpful for people too.

So yeah, let's talk about it. The question, why did Jesus die on a cross, John? Get us started in thinking through some things from the Old Testament.

So the Bible, specifically in the Old Testament, Paul uses this reference of what's called a mystery, that the things of Christ were hidden and they were seen in shadows and they were seen in types, but they weren't fully revealed to us until the New Testament.

And what we're going to do is use that. What Paul is telling us is that there's a mystery behind it. So there are events that unfold and there are instructions given that to the original context and to the original readers had their purposes and meaning.

But God and through the Holy Spirit ends up using it to further explain redemption and expose to us the purposes of Jesus Christ. One of the things that we miss is the depth and just the, I think the glory of the cross, because we don't understand how the Old Testament gives us the depth of our sin, the sovereignty of God, and what does it really mean to be cursed?

So the two things we're going to look at this morning that the Bible uses constantly to push along the story and to answer this question of why Jesus on a cross is a curse and a tree. So we're going to start, of course, in Genesis chapter three.

And for the sake of time, we're not going to read all of it, but in Genesis three, God says, do not eat of the tree. And if you do eat of the tree, he promises a curse upon them. And the curse is this, that you will die, right?

So do not eat or else you will die. And a curse throughout the Bible, we will see, it signifies separation from God and it signifies that the blessings and the protection of God is removed. So if we go to Genesis chapter three, you will see that in the context there, there's the curse, of course, upon the serpent, but you also are told that the death that's promised to them is, of course, sustained.

There's a spiritual death and then there's a physical death. But then he gives two smaller curses, one to the woman and one to Adam. One is pain in childbirth and the other is that of the ground, thorns and thistles will grow up, which is a symbol of the curse.

And it will be, we'll have to work for our food, we'll have to labor for it. So the pain and suffering that we are in today are to remind us of the curse that we are, the ultimate curse that we are under, not just, you know, the temporal curse, but the ultimate curse.

So this language of curse and the symbolism of the tree, the tree is what caused the curse, right? Not, it's not the tree's fault. Of course, it's the disobedience of Adam and Eve, but these two themes are seen at the very beginning of the story, at the very beginning of creation.

Justin Perdue. Yeah, no doubt. I mean, as we progress from the Garden of Eden throughout redemptive history, we see several other things that would point us in this direction. And obviously, we don't have time to survey all of them.

John, do you want to make any comments about even the Passover, maybe before I reference Deuteronomy?

I do.

So there are a couple of other themes that this, the New Testament we use in reference, and they're kind of, you will see curse and you will see tree again. Like for instance, you've got the 12 plagues or the, sorry, the 10 plagues in Exodus in Egypt, and then the last one, he says, listen, I'm going to come and I'm going to kill the firstborn, which is an interesting reference, firstborn.

And to Israel, he says, I will do this to you unless you sacrifice a perfect lamb and then take the blood and paint it over the doorposts. And if you do that, then I will pass over you, meaning that the curse of death will not fall on your home.

It will not fall on you because it has fallen on that perfect substitute in your place.

That's right. So you have curse, you have death, you have the application of it upon the doorpost. And this theme is used, I mean, they celebrate Passover. This theme is being used and referenced for the rest of Israel's existence as a nation.

Then further going on, I don't know if we want to talk about, before we hit the Deuteronomy, the episode in Numbers, or did you want to wait on that?

Sure.

Yeah.

I mean, we can, yeah, Numbers 21, I mean, is a great passage. Jesus references this in John chapter three when he speaks to Nebedemus, and we'll get to the New Testament understandings of these things later.

But many may know that the Israelites, yet again, are grumbling against the Lord, and God, in judgment upon their sin and their grumbling, sends upon them a curse, and He judges them. And so He sends what the writer, what Moses calls fiery serpents that are biting the people, and people are dying as they're being bitten by these snakes.

And so the people cry out for deliverance effectively. And so God tells Moses to fashion a snake out of bronze and to lift it up on a pole. And so when this snake is lifted up and the people look to it, they are saved.

And we read that in Numbers 21, verses four and following. And yeah, very significant piece there in terms of how it had its immediate purpose, that people would be delivered from that judgment and that curse of those snakes coming and biting them so they're dying, but obviously had more substantial meaning that would be coming.

We're trying to help people see that this is how Scripture works, and this is how redemptive historical understanding of theology works, that there is immediate fulfillment, there's something that happens in its immediate context, but it's pointing to something that's different and greater.

And I don't think there's a mistake when even Jesus says in John three, as the serpent was raised in the wilderness, so must the son of man. And Jesus references Himself even later on in Matthew as the one who will be cursed, as the one who will be crucified.

And so these symbols are being used in the Old Testament for their purposes. But what they're doing is they're pointing out this road of helping you understand that when Jesus dies on a cross, it's not just some random Jew who got in trouble with the Romans and ended up dying on a cross, that no, the Old Testament is showing us that there's this flow and helping us understand that there's a curse because of the tree and these two symbols are being constantly used because of the promise that's given to Eve that one will come and crush the head of the serpent.

And you constantly are seeing this language going forward.

Yeah, and I know you already alluded to this. I just want to make it crystal clear. Even the language of being lifted up is something that Jesus picks up on, not only in John three, but also again in John 12, when I am lifted up, I will draw all men to myself, because again, it's the purpose of God that this is what Christ would do and this is how he would die and how he would accomplish redemption.

So let's just continue to advance the ball down the field. As we come to Deuteronomy chapter 21, there are not insignificant verses there versus 22 and 23, most pointedly, where Moses tells the people of Israel that if you execute a man for breaking the law, for committing a crime punishable by death, and you execute him and then you hang him on a tree, you're not to leave him there overnight because anyone who is hanged on a tree is cursed.

And so there we have again, John, those two big themes, those motifs of curse and a tree, and in particular, being hanged on a tree is representative of being cursed, and so big deal theologically.

Well, and then even at the last part of the verse there, it says, do not leave him up there, but take him down before sunset, which is significant.

Yeah, understand what would happen as the followers of Christ and Joseph of Arimathea in particular would remove Christ from the cross before sundown.

Right.

Now, I will tell you that Justin and I have not made these conclusions just by being able to read the Old Testament and then look forward. What has helped us make these connections is reading the New Testament, and when they point back and say, see here, see here, see here, because Paul tells us that in Ephesians and even in Colossians, that the mystery of Christ was hidden in the Old Testament, but is now being revealed.

And I would even say, even in the New Testament, the New Testament believers struggled with the revelation of Jesus Christ. Jesus himself is standing before the disciples and they don't even understand what he's about to do being lifted up on the cross.

Absolutely not. I mean, it's very clear throughout the earthly ministry of Christ that the disciples understand some things, but there are so many things that they don't yet understand, and even after Jesus is crucified and resurrected, the Emmaus Road account in Luke 24 is epic, where he's telling these disciples about the scripture and what was written about him because they were so confused by what had happened, like, we thought this man was something and now he's dead, and everybody's talking about these events, and Jesus goes, well, what things?

What are you talking about? And they're like, have you not heard what's happened in recent days and all of this, and then Jesus begins to tell them, beginning with Moses and all the prophets, all the things that were written concerning himself.

Like, was it not written that the Christ would have to suffer and die and that he would rise and all these things? So yeah, we're taking our cue from Jesus and the apostles. I mean, this is a reasonable time to say that, John, because you already brought it up.

We are interpreting the Old Testament in light of the New, and as has been said by many people before us, the best interpreter of the Old Testament is the Holy Spirit speaking to us in the New. And so that is how we do redemptive historical theology, and that's how we appropriately and responsibly interpret all of the Bible in light of its main point and in light of what God intends it to reveal.

That's right. So I think now what we need to do is go through and show in the New Testament where Paul puts the stamp on, this is why Jesus is on the cross. So probably very important. Both of us are going to fight over who gets this first, and I jumped on it before you did.

Galatians chapter three, of course, what is Paul dealing with? He's dealing with those who want to go back up underneath the law. He even says earlier, cursed be everyone who does not keep the whole law.

So we can all say that every single human being from the beginning of the world, this is Romans five, because death has passed to all men because all have sinned. Galatians 3 .10 tells us that if you do not keep the whole law, you are under this curse.

So this language of curse is being used. You are the cursed person. We are all cursed.

Yeah, he cites Deuteronomy 27 and says, cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law and do them.

That's right. That's right. Then he gets to verse 13, which is where we took all of that time to explain to you what's going on. He says, Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.

And then he quotes Deuteronomy, for as it is written, cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree. So the reason Jesus had to die by death and be hung on a tree is because he was taking the place that we deserved.

The curse in the garden that was put on Adam and Eve because of their disobedience of eating of the tree. Jesus now is suffering on a tree. Deuteronomy even says that God has instituted this for the people of Israel to say the worst sinners are those who hang on the tree.

And he's saying he is taking our place in shame, in separation under the curse.

Yeah.

He was forsaken by God for us, you know, in one sense, he was forsaken by God so that we never would be.

Right.

So what does he say on the cross, you know, as he's hanging there? My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Yes.

Jesus has become the cursed one. He has become the forsaken one. You know, to speak in even like the language of Proverbs, he has become the foolish one, you know, in the place of fools such as we, right?

And so, yeah, we see how Christ is accomplishing everything that God had set up for him to accomplish and everything that we lost in Adam is now ours in Christ, another verse. I'm just going to go ahead and throw in, John, that's also very helpful is 1 Peter chapter two and verse 24, where Peter, again, to make this explicit connection says, he himself, speaking of Jesus, bore our sins in his body on the tree, you know, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.

By his wounds, you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the shepherd and overseer of your soul. So there again, like he bore our sins in his body on the tree. So there we get the major themes, not only of the curse and the tree and how Jesus became a curse for us because of our sins, not his, but we get that clear language and implication of substitution, you know, that he took what wasn't his, namely our sin and bore it and became a curse for us so that we might, to use the language of Paul, become the righteousness of God, to use the language of Peter here so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.

It's epic, man.

We're excited to announce that we have a new free ebook available at our website called Faith vs. Faithfulness, A Primer on Rest. And we, the hosts, put this together to explain the difference between emphasizing one's faith in Christ versus emphasizing one's faithfulness to Christ and how one leads to rest and how the other often to a lack of assurance.

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We hope that you enjoy the rest of the conversation.

Yeah.

So just to quote a couple of other passages where Peter does, I think, make the same conclusion that we do, Acts 2 .23, this Jesus delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.

So God's plan for Christ to be the cursed one, and remember the whole phrase of Jesus saying, my God, why have you forsaken me, being cursed of God is to be separated from him, to be completely away, this is what happened in the garden, that Adam and Eve became separated from the presence of God.

So God had already, from the determination, we can tell that through the story of the Old Testament, God is formulating, he is shaping, he is going to make happen, delivering up this plan that Jesus becomes the cursed one on the tree, Acts 5 .30.

The God of our Father raised Jesus whom you killed by hanging on a tree. So this is the language that Peter is using to describe what is going on. By God's will, Jesus became the cursed one on the tree.

We're just going to keep throwing some more Bible in here and then we'll make the transition. So this is Acts 13. This is the Apostle Paul in Antioch speaking, beginning in verse 27. For those, he's talking about what's happened with respect to Jesus.

For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him, Christ, nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him, and though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed.

So they end up having to use Rome in order to accomplish the execution of Christ, and Paul goes on, and when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb, but God raised him from the dead, and he continues to go on to talk about what has been accomplished and how Jesus has accomplished for us what could never be accomplished through Moses.

So he concludes this kind of message with, Let it be known to you, therefore, brothers, that through this man, forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.

So again, it's like we have been set free from the curse of the law because Christ became a curse for us because he died on a tree, and then he triumphantly rose from the grave, vindicating everything that he had done, securing our redemption and our resurrection, right?

It's so good. I mean, it's like we could do this all day. I mean, even Galatians, like you mentioned Galatians three, but then even in Galatians four, Paul begins again in verses four and five of Galatians to talk about how Christ was born under the law to redeem those who are under the law.

Well, what's that about? I mean, it's again, it's the redeeming us from the curse of the law and fulfilling the law in our place. It's the clear, the message of scripture that unfolds throughout redemptive history makes Christ's role and his work increasingly clear and specific so that by the time he shows up on the scene and accomplishes it and the apostles now have the Holy Spirit to interpret it and write it down.

It's like, man alive, this is what God has been doing from the jump. And it's been accomplished now. And what's left to us is to trust and receive it.

Right.

So again, what sounds like a mystery and what's really going on in the Old Testament, the Passover had its original purposes and meanings and it was accomplished, the serpent in the wilderness, Deuteronomy 21, that was designed to shame Israel, do not do this.

If you do, this is what will end up, you know, because in the context of dealing with the unrepentant son.

It was a second use of the law reality. You know, like this is a deterrent, you know, from against your corruption and your evil.

Right.

But these were types, these are pictures, right, of being used to illustrate what is coming. Because sometimes, Nick, I've used this illustration in the past. If you've ever been to an authentic Mexican restaurant where everything is in Spanish and you can't understand what's there, they are very kind to provide pictures for you.

So these pictures are like, okay, that's a taquito.

Okay.

Oh, that's a burrito. And you start to see what you're expecting. And then when the food shows up, it's like, that's the actual substance. There's a mystery in the language. And then there's a picture next to it that gives it clarity.

And then when the food shows up, you're like, oh, now I get it. Now I can taste and see that this is no longer confusion. This is what the Old Testament is doing, is that there are these events that are happening.

But these events are designed to broaden and deepen and help us fully understand what does it mean for Christ to be our substitute. Another example of this is Isaiah 53, 5, when Isaiah writes, but he was pierced for our transgressions.

He was crushed for our iniquities. Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and by his wounds we are healed. Jesus then is on his way to Jerusalem in Matthew chapter 20, and he pulls his disciples aside.

In verse 18, he says, see, we are going up to Jerusalem and the son of man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes. And they will, by the way, he is describing his trial. Jesus is telling him, I'm about to go on trial.

And then he says, and we'll condemn him to death and deliver him up over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day. So Jesus is telling him, I am about to be crucified.

They would have understood that meant cross, tree, right? Of course, they didn't make the connection, and it's not until later that we see that the Holy Spirit unfolds these truths to Peter, because Peter's the one who says, cursed on a tree.

Yeah, exactly. No, it's incredible how viewing scripture, and in particular, the Old Testament through these lenses, just, it brings it to life. Light bulbs start going off everywhere. Connections start being made everywhere, and it's entirely legitimate that we do that.

And as has been said, and it needs to just continue to be said, this is how the apostles understood the Bible, how they understood the Hebrew scriptures as they look back on it through the inspiration of the Spirit and wrote these things down for us.

And so, yeah, as the Old Testament unfolds, Christ, that mystery is being slowly unfolded before our eyes, and there is increasing clarity as you work through Abraham, for example. And we realize that the gospel was preached to Abraham in Genesis 12, and that the promised seed through which all of these promises would be realized is none other than Jesus himself.