Superficially, the story of Jesus suffering on the cross to save us from our sins sounds heroic. Anyone suffering or dying for others is normally and rightly praised. However, in this case, the meaning of the story appears to unravel under the slightest analysis.
If Judas had not betrayed Jesus, or if Jesus had been tried but let off, would Jesus have still been able to save us from our sins? Would he have had to commit some kind of horribly painful suicide? Or would a simple declaration — you are all saved have done the trick? Was it absolutely necessary for people to kill him in order for him to forgive them?
Was saving us from our sins some kind of serendipitous outcome of Jesus’ execution, something that wasn’t on his original agenda?
"Hey, you've nailed me to a tree, but guess, what! Now that you've done this, by pure chance there is some mechanism (don't ask for the details) that allows me to save all of you for your sins! How about that!"
Or was his execution always a necessary part of a grand plan to save us? Was it necessary for Jesus to betray Judas by befriending him to ensure that Judas was then in a position to betray Jesus in return, so that Jesus would get arrested, you know, against his will? (I hope you follow the plot.)
As I think I’ve argued before, Judas is the real hero who suffered for us. Jesus said,
It would have been better for him if had not been born, implying Judas is suffering in eternity for his endeavours that ensured the rest of us were saved. All Jesus had was a bad weekend.
What if Jesus had died in some kind of accident before he was put on the cross? (Say, while he was dragging his cross through the streets he’d been squashed under a big sack of flour.) Would that have really screwed things up, or would it have saved us just as effectively as an execution on a cross?
Could we, today, have had a Christianity split between the Plain and Self-Raising factions?
Edited by Jumped Up Chimpanzee, : Clarity!
™ Version 4.2