Lesson 12: Why Did Jesus…

Many people have questions about why it was necessary for Jesus to come to earth as He did. Why could He not simply appear supernaturally as He did to Abraham, or in visions as He does to many today?

Why did He have to be born as a baby?
"After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, 'Get up, take the child and His mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child's life are dead.' So he got up, took the child and His mother and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth" (Matthew 2:19-23). Jesus had to come to earth as a human being so He could honestly represent people before the judgement seat of God. He needed to show us that He knew exactly what it was like to be human.

Why did He minister on earth for only three and a half years?
His cousin John the Baptist was a prophet who spoke truth to Israel and baptized people in the River Jordan. "Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter Him, saying, 'I need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?'
"Jesus replied, 'Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness'" (Matthew 3:13-15). So John baptized Jesus. "As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and He saw the spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on Him. And a voice from heaven said, 'This is My Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased'" (Matthew 3:16-17).
Jesus lived a perfect life in an imperfect world by following God’s commands by the power and leading of the Holy Spirit to show us why we should allow the Holy Spirit to guide us in everything we do.


Why did He limit most of His ministry to His disciples?
"As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 'Come, follow me,' Jesus said, 'and I will make you fishers of men.' At once they left their nets and followed Him" (Matthew 4:18-20).
Jesus chose flawed humans to be His disciples and those who would take leadership of His church after He left to show us how He can use even us who are not perfect to do His will.

Why did Jesus have to die?
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil” (John 3:16-19).
The penalty for disobeying God even once is death. Only Jesus, the perfect God-man, has never sinned, so He was the only one who could pay the price of death for every person who ever lived. But He still gives people a choice – to accept the payment He has made, or reject it.

Memorize: John 3:16-18 (above)