Date: 03/13/11
Speaker: Matt McCullough
Title: Why Did Jesus Die?
Scripture: Mark 14:53-65
Description: Why must Jesus die? Mark’s telling of Jesus’s trial and crucifixion removes a couple possible explanations. Jesus didn’t die because he was guilty: the trial of Jesus shows no one found any legitimate, legal reason to kill him. And Jesus didn’t die because he was powerless: Mark’s readers know Jesus is innocent and has power to overcome his captors, but he doesn’t defend himself. So why then? Jesus died to establish a kingdom you could live in. Mark’s chief irony and his central message is that Jesus comes to power and invites us into his kingdom through his death.