Did Jesus Have to Suffer and Die?
But we see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels, crowned
with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he
might taste death for every one. ~ Hebrews 2:9
A
might therefore have been sufficient. Why, then,
and their
Calvary and all the suffering that preceded it? From
loss of friendship with God, the Father
the Gospel stories it is evident that God willed that recould have left humanity without fordemption be realized in the most perfect and fitting manner
giveness. But God, love itself, did decide
to forgive us. Yet God’s justice made it necessary for
possible. It was necessary, therefore, that the Son of
humanity to make atonement (amends), and his perGod become man to redeem us through his own suffect justice required adequate atonement. Nothing
fering as our atonement. The God-man Jesus is the
humans could do as finite creatures, however, was
only one who could offer to the Father fitting atonesufficient to redress
ment.
the offenses against
God wanted to
“God willed that redemption be
the infinite God.
clearly demonstrate
realized in the most perfect and
Humanity needed a
the horror of sin. St.
Redeemer who could
Paul tells us that sinfitting manner possible.”
take upon himself
ners were responsithe full punishment
ble for the sufferings
due for the sin of
that the Redeemer
our first parents and
endured (see Heb
all succeeding and
12:3). None of us,
future sins of all of
those who lived beus, their children.
fore Christ and those
In God’s saving
who live today, is fulplan, that Redeemly aware of the graver was God himself,
ity of sin. “In your
the God-man Jesus
struggle against sin
Christ. The Son of
you have not yet reGod freely chose to
sisted to the point of
become a man, and
shedding your blood”
appeared on the
(Heb12:4). Christ
earth as the Person
suffered and died to
we know as Jesus
show us how awful
Christ, with a divine
sin is, so that even
nature and a human
the shedding of blood
nature to make repaalone is not sufficient
ration for us and reatonement; our sins
required the ghastly
store our friendship
suffering and death
with his Father.
of the God-man himBut did our reself to satisfy the jusdemption have to be
by Jesus’ suffering
tice of God.
and death? A single
Calvary was also
act of Christ’s will
necessary to show the
as the God-man has
immensity of God’s
infinite value, and
love for all of us. No
The descent from the Cross, by James Tissot, 1836-1902
FTER THE SIN OF ADAM AND EVE
The Association for Catechumenal Ministry (ACM) grants the original purchaser (parish, local parochial institution, or individual) permission to reproduce this handout.
the Passion and death of
greater love can one show
“He had to suffer and die
Jesus became a necessary
than that the lover surrenbecause he wanted to, and he part of God’s will for his
der life itself for the beloved
Son. Christ had to suf(see Jn 12:13). The Gospel
wanted to because it was his
fer, for his Father willed
story of Jesus’ total sacrifice is a divinely heroic love
that his human nature, the
Father’s will.”
crown and unifying bond of
story. Out of love for his
all creation, should receive its glory as a fruit of the
Heavenly Father, and for love of all men and womcross (see Lk 24:26). Truly, as we acknowledge in
en whom his Father wanted to save, Jesus accepted,
the Nicene Creed, “for us men and for our salvation
freely, all the suffering from the agony of anticipation
he came down from Heaven” to suffer and die for us
at Gethsemane to the climax at Calvary. “[F]or this
(Lk 18:31-33).
purpose I have come to this hour” (Jn 12:27), says Jesus.
Jesus, as the “new Adam,” undid the evil of the sin
He knew and loved us all when he made this sacrifice
of our first parents. His obedience to the will of his
of himself (see Gal 2:20; Eph 5:2, 25).
Father reversed Adam’s disobedience to God’s comLooking back over Jesus’ whole life, it is true to
mand. His resistance to temptation reversed Adam’s
say that his suffering and death for our salvation was
the very reason for his Incarnation. Whatever he
faithlessness. His humiliating death on the cross —
did do, was done because he wanted to do it. At the
that of a common criminal or slave — reversed Adage of twelve, he stayed in the Temple because he
am’s pride. And his death was the definitive victory
wanted to. He
over the death
walked on wabrought upon
ter because he
all of us by Adam’s sin.
wanted to. He
gave us his flesh
When sufto eat because
fering and even
he wanted to.
death enters
And he went
our own lives,
to Jerusalem,
we have the
knowing what
opportunity to
would happen
join with Christ
to him, because
in acknowledghe wanted to.
ing the grievHe suffered and
ousness of sins
died, not be— our own escause he had to,
pecially — and
but because he
sharing in the
wanted to. His
love our Savior
Passion was tobestows on us
tally voluntary:
by offering our
own sufferings
“No one takes [my
lovingly to him
life] from me, but
as our particiI lay it down of
pation in, and
my own accord”
(Jn 10:18). In
union with, the
Passion of our
a sense, he had
God (see Col
to suffer and
1:24).
die because he
(CCC 539,
wanted to, and
554-555, 557,
he wanted to be571-573, 598,
cause it was his
606-610, 612Father’s will.
618)
In this sense,
The body of Jesus carried to the stone of anointing, by James Tissot, 1836-1902
Did Jesus Have to Suffer and Die? — Page 2