The Passion of Jesus Christ

The Passion of Jesus Christ – John Piper
The topic of the passion of Jesus has enjoyed a fanfare of attention over the past couple of years, thanks to Mel Gibson’s enormously popular and controversial film. As a result many people are asking the question: why?

Understandably, that question is usually answered in terms of what caused Jesus’ brutal death. Often, it has something to do with the Jews, or with the Roman government. Some will even mention His love for His people. However, the real reason is more accurately summed up in the purposes of it.

When asked, most believers could give at least a couple of reasons why Christ died on the Cross. Among the reasons that most would cite probably include things like, “to pay for our sins” or “to give us eternal life”. Some may even say, “to satisfy God’s wrath”. But how many could list 50 reasons for Christ’s death?

John Piper, pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota has written a small book that does just that. In simple, biblical fashion he lists 50 reasons why Christ came to die on the Cross. The reasons range from well known (To Show His Love for Us (p.30)) to not so well known (To Give Us Confident Access to the Holiest Place (p.66)). Even prayer is affected by Jesus’ passion!

I suspect as one reads the different reasons, he will discover that they are all familiar, just not understood in light of Christ’s passion. For example, how often have you read Ephesians 5:25: “Husbands love your wives as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself up for her”? It’s easy to read that as it applies to our marriages, but in reality one of the reasons Christ died was to give marriage its deepest meaning (p.88).

Interestingly, Piper states at the outset of the book that he is merely “scraping the surface” of the unfathomable purposes of God for the world in the most critical event in human history. If what actually took place at this monumental event is of interest, then this book will a great benefit. Because of the short chapters and its “readableness”, it has tremendous benefits as a devotional tool or small group study. Read ‘em & Reap!

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