Have you ever realized that Jesus came to this earth knowing from the moment He left heaven that He would have to a die an agonzingly cruel death? He knew that He was living His life for one reason and one purpose. He knew that His life would not be easy. And yet He still came.
He still came even when He knew He was living His life only to die. Not only did He know He was coming to die, He knew how and when it would happen. He knew that His disciples whom He had taught so carefully and guided in His ways would fall away. He knew that the Father would turn His back and abandon His Son. He knew all this and it grieved Him deeply.
"And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly; and His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground." -Luke 22:44
And yet, knowing this, He still came. He came for us. He came to become the ransom for sinners with absolutely no hope of rescue. Even before His death, He was showing Himself to be the world's Hero. He saved so many people out of their afflictions and sins that everything He did could in no way be documented.
"Now there were many other things that Jesus did. Were everyone of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written." -John 21:25
Even at the point of death, He was giving of Himself for others. His life was given in ransom for the life of a theif and insurrectionist, Barabbus. On the cross, He gave the care of His mother to one of His disciples and saved the life of the theif hanging beside Him.
He was rejected by the Father because of the sins He had taken upon Himself. Then He rose on the third day. In taking on our sins, He had savd us and the Father in turn raised Him up from the grave. We can have hope because of His death and life because of His resurrection. His life was lived so that He could give it back to Father.
He truly lived to die. He lived to die for you. He lived to die for me. He lived to die for the world.
*I did not take the title photo.