Meaning of Jesus' Death on the Cross 

To gain an appreciation of the meaning of Jesus’ death on the cross, you must first consider the purpose of the Son of God as he incarnated in the flesh as the Son of Man. It is important to know that the one we know and love as Jesus has existed from the foundations of eternity. He lives now and has returned to his home on high, but prior to his visit with us on earth, the Son of God lived other bestowal lives in the likeness of six diverse groups of heavenly citizens. The technique of his bestowals presents one of the most profound universe mysteries. As he lives among his creatures, he learns about their challenges and their joys; he feels their hearts and he knows their minds. Each time he draws near, he chooses a life of challenge, one that always creates a contrast of goodness in the presence of error. He has lived only one life as a human being, and he never will again. It was the final gesture of the Creator Son to personally gain a sympathetic understanding of his mortal children. He honored us by choosing this world among all other inhabited worlds approximately 2,000 years ago.

Jesus has bestowed his spirit upon us in a different way since his death and resurrection. Previously, he could be present in only one place at a time. Now he has poured out his Spirit of Truth – the Comforter – upon all people. He now has the ability to connect with each one of us personally, and that spirit is a united spirit of both the heavenly Father and Jesus.

Prior to Jesus’ life on earth, people resorted to sacrifice to please all of the gods they imagined existed. Fear and superstition were the driving forces behind everything they did. The early man of earth sought ways to escape the terror they felt when they beheld natural forces such as darkness, lightning, thunder, rain, and fire. These were brutal times and human sacrifice was rampant. Gradually, spiritual teachers like Moses came along, teaching higher truth and eventually, the early and savage man was convinced that God did not demand or require murder to be pleased. History shows that mankind was persuaded to substitute animal sacrifice instead of sacrificing their loved ones.

Traditions die slowly, and misunderstanding the nature of God was normal for the common people. Their beliefs were still based upon fear. The priesthood had grown in power and they had secured such an absolute control of society that it was difficult, if not impossible, to survive without their approval. Their approval was linked to profits and all profits depended almost entirely upon the sacrificial system. It was just such a backward people who lived on earth when Jesus chose to live among us. Jesus’ mind continually grew to reach new heights of accomplishment and perfection. The Son of Man humanly discovered and gradually realized what he had known in his former life as the Son of God. He was repulsed by the use of blood and the sacrificial system as an approach to his Father. Jesus knew that those methods did not please God and he went about spending the remainder of his life working hard to change it. Jesus’ mission was to reveal his heavenly Father as our heavenly Father.

Over time, because of the circumstances of his death in connection to the Jewish Passover, Jesus became known as the human sacrifice that ended all sacrifice – one who purchased our debt of sin from an angry God who demanded it – a great excuse for those who put him to death. For two thousand years people have tried to untangle the meaning of Jesus’ life and death. We love Jesus for who he is and for the life he lived, but misunderstanding arose when he said that he and the Father are alike, that they are one in nature, love and mercy, one in spirit, and one in concern for our welfare. We are not cosmic orphans.

Jesus truly enjoyed learning, and he was a disciplined student, learning languages and the scriptures by memory, exploring, traveling, mastering many skills, and talking with just about every person he met. He had a great love for people and sought them out to share in their experiences, to learn from them, and to offer them comfort and friendship. He was extremely devoted to his family, especially after his father’s accidental death and he became the head of the household. Many of the plans he had as a youth were pushed aside for many years to serve and provide for his family. He became a father figure for his siblings and experienced the joys and trials of parenting, always with patience and fairness. He appreciated art, sculpture, music, humor, and play. He heartily approved of games and outdoor physical activities – the only time he ever heard a harsh word from his father was when he suggested building an amphitheater in Nazareth to host athletic games. He was a student of nature and enjoyed animals, plants, weather, science, and mathematics.

The Son of God consecrated himself to the bestowal ministry and chose to live a full mortal life on earth, with the heavenly Father’s full approval. Death is a natural part of life that cannot be avoided. Jesus had proposed to live without resorting to his supernatural power, and he likewise elected to die as an ordinary mortal. At any moment, he could have engaged his own power to relinquish his life, or called upon the heavenly hosts to assist him; but he had lived as a man, and even refusing the narcotized wine offered to him at the cross, he would die as a man – experiencing the full awareness of the moment, and doing the Father’s will. You must remember that at the time of Jesus’ baptism, he had already completed the required experience of perfecting his mind and coordinating his spirit – his duty on earth was done. All of the life he lived after baptism, even the manner of his death, was a purely personal ministry on his part for the welfare and uplifting of his mortal creatures on this world and on other worlds. The matchless manner in which he lived and met death are the true jewels to be discovered in his human bestowal experience.

The sufferings of Jesus were not limited to just the crucifixion, but were a part of his entire life. The true value of the cross is that it was the ultimate and final demonstration of Jesus’ love and the complete revelation of his mercy. As Jesus prepared for his death, he experienced a range of human emotions including exhaustion, anguish, sorrow, disappointment, and concern for the safety of his apostles. The emotional turmoil Jesus felt as he was isolated from his family and friends reflects the experiences of betrayal and rejection he endured. Overall, history paints a picture of Jesus alone in Gethsemane, as a deeply human and relatable figure who is grappling with the weight of his impending death.

Jesus taught that service to others is the most important aspect of being a believer and that salvation should be natural for those who believe in God as a loving Father. The primary focus of a believer should be a personal relationship with God that generates his love and a desire to serve others just as Jesus did. Many creatures who may have been tempted to give up on the moral struggle and abandon their faith have been inspired by the sight of Jesus on the cross, one who laid down his life in the service of others.

Jesus has given them the inspiration and motivation to continue on their spiritual journey, even in the face of difficulties. The first followers of Jesus also caught this devotion of love from their Master and they were willing to lay down their lives in service, even forgiving their executioners. Jesus became an inspiration for others to forgive and love in the face of hate and evil when he prayed, "Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do."

As Jesus hung upon the cross, he extended mercy to the penitent thief, he intervened in prayer for those who nailed him to the cross, he refused the narcotized wine offered to relieve his pain; he was stripped of his clothing but his concern was only for the care of his beloved mother and family. He had been sentenced to death before an unfair trial, betrayed by a trusted friend, and his message of spiritual import had been misunderstood and rejected by the religious authorities who sought his death. In his waning hours, he recited scripture from memory, and in his final moment, he trusted his spirit into the hands of our heavenly Father. The cross is that high symbol of sacred service, and it represents the ultimate demonstration of devotion – an eternal being of divine dignity with absolute creator prerogatives bestowing himself upon the human race. Our world has become known as the "World of the Cross," but to understand the true significance and genuine importance of Jesus’ death, you must understand his life and purpose.

Jesus did not only live and die for the people of earth, but for the entire universe. Logic dictates that even before Jesus, mortals in the universe had the potential for salvation, but Jesus’ life and death on earth greatly clarified the path to salvation and made the certainty of survival after death more clear to people.

When people reflect on the life of Jesus and the image of Jesus sacrificing his life on the cross, it gives them a new perspective and they will be inspired not to complain about the difficulties and hardships in their own lives. The entire life of Jesus, from his youth to his death on the cross, has a powerful and compelling effect on people and it encourages them to face the hardships of life with a positive attitude. Even if people are not able to fully understand the meaning of Jesus’ life and spiritual mission, they can at least understand what he went through as a human being; and they can have faith that God understands the nature and extent of the struggles they face in their own lives.

Although it is not accurate to describe Jesus as a sacrificer, ransomer, or redeemer, it is appropriate to refer to him as a savior. Jesus clarified and made more certain the path to salvation and survival for all mortals. Jesus’ role is to show the way of salvation for all the inhabitants of the universe. Through the power of Jesus’ personal love for humanity, he could break the hold of sin and evil and set people free to choose better ways of living. Jesus’ message of forgiveness, once fully embraced, destroys the allure of sin and the power of evil. The devotion of Jesus’ love was contagious and it spread throughout the universe

Jesus’ death on the cross has led to earth being known as the "World of the Cross" among the other inhabited worlds, and it has stirred the emotions and inspired the highest devotion among the angels of heaven.

The traditional belief that Jesus’ death on the cross was to ransom humanity from the control of evil rulers or to pay a debt owed to God is not true. The idea that God would condemn a mortal soul because of the wrongdoing of their ancestors is not fair or just and the death of Jesus on the cross was not a sacrifice to pay such a debt. Even if God were the stern and legal monarch of the universe in which justice ruled supreme, he would not be satisfied with substituting an innocent sufferer for a guilty offender.

Before Jesus lived on earth, sacrifice was the way ancient people approached God, but Jesus said he came to reveal God’s love and mercy. Jesus’ life and death on earth is helping to change the understanding of God as a loving and merciful being. The love of God should not be seen as secondary to any other aspect of the divine nature.

The death of Jesus on the cross is seen as having significant meaning and importance. It is important to understand the true significance of Jesus’ whole life experience; not overlooking the way he lived, the revelation of truth he brought, and the way he faithfully and bravely met his cruel and undeserved death.

The significance of Jesus’ death on the cross is encapsulated in his attitude towards those who crucified him. Jesus’ prayer to forgive those who crucified him made the cross an eternal symbol of the triumph of love over hate and the victory of truth over evil. The cross of Jesus makes a powerful appeal to the best qualities in humanity because it shows a person who was willing to sacrifice their life for others. No one can have greater love than the willingness to lay down one’s life for their friends, and Jesus had an even greater love, as he was willing to lay down his life for his enemies. The love and personal sacrifice of Jesus on the cross is greater than any other love known on earth, and it reflects the very nature of God, for Jesus said: "When you have seen me, you have seen the Father."

Jesus’ whole life experience was a revelation of truth, and his inner strength and faith serve as a lighted path for all generations to follow as we strive to become better people, and to live meaningful and full lives. Pontius Pilate recognized the dignity, gentleness, and divine perfection in the human Jesus when Jesus was returned to him after being unjustly flogged – Pilate turned to the crowd and said: "Behold the man. I declare to you that I find no crime in him." Pilate had found Jesus innocent, but when the crowd continued to call out for Jesus’ death, he surrendered, saying "You are determined that he shall die, but I have found no guilt in him. See you to it." Pilate then washed his hands, saying, "I am innocent of the blood of this man."

The cross of Jesus represents the ultimate demonstration of devotion from a true Son of God. Jesus established the relationship between God and each person as that of a loving Father and his child. The central truth in that relationship is love – the love of a Father for his children. Jesus’ love for humanity is strong enough to awaken love in the human heart, and it is contagious and eternally creative. He taught a new way of living, not to resist evil, but to find goodness that destroys evil. Jesus’ love aims to rehabilitate and ensure eternal survival.