Why did the Saviour Heaven leave, and come to earth below? Why did he choose a lowly birth? Why did he suffer on the cross? Because, He loved me so!
Jesus, obedient to the Father, Jehovah, holds as much love for you and me as does the Father. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son to die upon the cruel cross of Calvary for the sinfulness of mankind. Jesus loved mankind so much he was willing to go to the cross of Calvary to shed his innocent blood, the life giving blood, for an atonement for sin.
He did this because he loved me, and you, and our neighbors.
But, giving his body and blood upon a cruel cross, to be pierced and hanged, did not offer us salvation in and of itself, alone. The crucifixion alone did not offer us hope. His innocence did not provide for our forgiveness–grace. Any man could have been crucified on crosses; and they have been. What makes the crucifixion of Jesus, the Son of God, an offer of grace and atonement for sinfulness?
He, Jesus, alone, who he was, The Son of God, and the fact that he was raised from the grave; raised to newness of life is what makes His death an offering for sin and a hope of salvation. He walked again, upright, on the earth, for many days, and was witnessed doing so by many. All others crucified have not. Even if they were innocent of any formal charges, they died, were buried, and remain in their tombs to this day. It is by his resurrection from the power of death over the soul and that he was the chosen sacrificial ‘Lamb of God’ that makes his death on a cross of great importance to man’s salvation.
All other men were not the Son of the living God. They perhaps did not love me, you and our neighbors as God and Jesus do. They were not the ‘Lamb of God’; sinless and as innocent as a lamb. They were not sent to lay down their life for another.
Jesus was sent to lay down His life for many others. That included me, you and our neighbors.
Jesus sacrificed more than his blood. What did Jesus leave behind in Heaven to be born into human flesh and live an innocent life here on earth with mankind? What did he give up for a short period of time so we might live?
He left a place of no sorrow.
Rev. 21:4 says there is no sorrow in Heaven.
Rev. 21:4. 4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
Heaven had and still has no deep feelings of distress and disappointment. There are no such feelings in Heaven at all. When things do not go as we planned, expected or hoped for, we have feelings rise up within our spirits that causes disappointment. Often we do not find proper ways to overcome these feelings. Jesus did not understand human’s disappointments and feelings of grief. Perhaps Jesus came to earth to experience sorrow so he could understand our human feelings more accurately.
He left a place with no crying.
With no feeling of sorrow, crying would be a reaction Jesus could not understand. When we humans feel grief and sorrow, perhaps even pain, we cry–shed tears of sorrow and pain. This is in opposite relationship to tears of joy for a good happy thing happening to us or a close friend.
Perhaps Jesus wanted to feel the effects of sorrow in crying. In John 11, we see the story of the death of Lazareth. In verse 35, Jesus is recorded as crying; Jesus wept. Jesus loved me, you and our neighbors so much, he wanted to experience our feelings of crying because he loved us so!
He left a place of no pain.
In Heaven, there is no pain. This means there is nothing that can cause pain as we feel; neither spiritually nor physically in our heavenly bodies. But, here in our earthly physical bodies, we experience pain in many ways.
However, this reference pertains to our emotional pain inflicted upon our minds. When things disappoint us, we feel pain. When we experience the death of a family member or dear friend, we feel pain. Perhaps Jesus came to earth to experience pain to understand how to console us.
He left a place where there is no death.
In heaven, Jesus knew death did not reign. But on earth, all men must face death. However, he knew a physical death was only a temporary separation from his Father, Jehovah God. God, his Father, could raise any he chose back to life. And, within Heaven was a tree of life of which all could eat the fruit of and live. Rev. 22:1-2. 22 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
In Jesus’ desire to understand us, he shows his love for us. But, that is not the only reason he came to earth and gave up a life of luxury to feel sorrow, crying and pain as we. Why did the Savior heaven leave and come to earth below? Why did he choose a lowly birth? Why did he suffer on the cross?
Let us explain why He loved me so.
Man had become separated from their God, Jehovah, because of sinfulness. Man had violated the regulations of God. Gen 2:17. 17 … of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
We know Eve did eat of the tree and offered Adam of the fruit and he did eat thereof. Mankind had violated the will of God and sinned. This sin was charged unto all their offspring in that death-separation from a Holy God–had occurred. Punishment was required for the violation which caused death to come to man. Redemption, also, was required for mankind to be redeemed back into the graces of God.
With the separation Eve obtained from Jehovah God, and Adam’s participation, physical death came unto all mankind. Not only physical death, but in disobedience to God, spiritual death occurred. Something was necessary to atone for the separation. A blood offering of an innocent party was required. In this case, only human innocent blood could surfice. God and His only begotten Son could make atonement for the sins of mankind. To offer the required blood for atonement meant an innocent human must shed innocent blood–the agent of life. To lose one’s blood means the body must die. Then a higher power must intervene to bring the body back to life.
Let us notice this teaching.
Romans 5:12. 12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
Death came upon all men. Death in the spiritual sense is separation from the Creator. Death is a lifeless body. Only a higher deity can reverse the consequences of death.
Romans 5:14. …death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression,... Because of Adam’s sin, all men died a physical death.
Romans 5:17. 17 For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.
God created us. God loved us. God did not want to lose his offspring so soon to a violation of His rules requiring death. Sacrifice was necessary to redeem man. Grace by the one who could give it was therefore, given. It was by love they gave it.
Jesus, because he loved us so much, stepped forward and offered His innocent blood for a sacrifice. Jesus faced death for us that through him, we might not face death–separation from God.. Heb. 2:9. 9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.
Jesus was of the Most High; he was Deity; he was equal with God. yet God made him ‘a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death’. This death was for the offering of a ‘proper’ sacrifice; a ‘proper’ shedding of innocent blood; not the blood of bulls and goats, but the blood of the Son of God.
Heb. 10:4. 4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Hebrews 9:13-14. 13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: 14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
The blood of bulls and goats could not cleanse the physical conscience of sin. The blood of the Son of God, who loved us, could purge sinfulness AND, purge the conscience of guilt of sinfulness. Jesus’ blood was the only agent to fully cleanse a human from all sinfulness.
Jesus faced life feeling infirmities of earthly flesh as we do. Heb. 4:15. 15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. This was so He could sympathize with mankind and plead our cause before God more accurately. It was because he loved us so that he gave his life’s blood so we could regain our place with God fully released from all iniquity; no guiltiness nor actuality of wrongdoing.
In order for this to come to complete fruition, God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son for the redemption of the sinfulness of man. Jesus, because he loved first the Father, and chose to become obedient unto him, also, loved us that he gave his life that we might have life and have it more abundantly.
But, just giving His life was not enough. God had to prove his power over Satan, who believed he had won over God in causing Jesus’ death on the cross. God raised Jesus from the dead to prove his power over all the earth, especially over sin and Satan.
Luke 24:1-8. 24 Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. 3 And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments: 5 And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, 7 Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. 8 And they remembered his words,
God raised Jesus, His son from death. Then Jesus was witnessed by many. He was upon the earth forty days following being raised from the tomb. Acts 1:3. He used many infallible proofs of his living. It is by our belief in these things to which we trust and hold most dear. It is by our love for him, because he first loved us, that we have hope of eternal life.
John 3:16. 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Do you believe in Him, the Son of God who lives?
Why did the Saviour Heaven leave, and come to earth below? Why did he choose a lowly birth? Why did he suffer on the cross? Because, He loved me so!
If he so loves me (us), do you love him, too? Jesus said, 15 If ye love me, keep my commandments. John 14:15. He also said, 21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. John 14:21.
Are you keeping his commandments? Has Jesus manifested himself in you? If not, will you decide to love him, because he first loved you? He gave himself to die for me, because he loved me so.
